Stock Up Sale!

Spring is almost here. I can feel it in the air. I can also feel that a lot of good stuff is on sale right now. My spidey sense is tingling!*

(*Admission: The fact that I've been out perusing the sale racks is far closer to the truth. My only super power is sensing when happy hour is ending.)

Is it the right time to stock up on necessities for next winter? Yes, kids. Everyone likes a bargain.

But don't trends change, KK? Why yes they do. 

So what should you buy NOW that will put you in 
good shape for the cold and chill next fall and winter?

1.  Coats

If you need a new coat, now is the time. Make sure it has classic lines and will be able to be worn for the next 2-5 years. If you have a decent coat rotation, they last much longer, of course. If you don't have the basics like black, navy, brown or winter white, focus on those colors first. Then go for a fun accent color or pattern.

2.  Cashmere Sweaters

This needs no explanation. Invest in cashmere. It feels wonderfullllllll!!!!!!!

3.  Jammies & Slippers

Nothing feels quite like a brand new pair of pajamas on a cold night. In most stores, they are now half-off or more. Why not buy a new pair or two and put them aside for when the furnace kicks on next year? Also, keep those feet warm with some comfy new slippers. Extra points if they are pink, fluffy and have a face.

4.  Tights & Trouser socks 

....and warm regular socks. Imagine my shock when I realized that I had more monkey socks in my drawer than the black socks I desperately needed. I too have to be reminded to stock up sometimes! 

We don't know what the trends will be for tights next year. They were pretty wild this year! Don't stock up on crazy colors or prints unless you really, really love them. Instead, buy black and brown and any basic color you know you tend to wear in the cold weather. Textures and soft, muted patterns are fine too. 

5.  Scarves, Gloves, Hats

I'm not big on matching accessories, unless they are your outerwear accessories. I like when two of them match and they other is a wild card. For instance, today, I was wearing a charcoal wool coat, pink gloves, pink scarf and a lime, pink and gold hat. (Prettier than it sounds!) I was carrying my dark pink bag. I felt very put together. 

Now is the time to buy in sets. Go ahead - be matchy-matchy for once. I'm telling you it is okay. It's so you have all the matching pieces and can mix and match them at will. 

I am also a fan of buying elegant leather and suede gloves at this time of year. I try to have a pair that goes with each of my basic coat colors - and I also have red ones that get a lot of use too. They bring a spark to my black coats.

Stash it!

I love taking my fall and winter clothes out for the first time each year because there are always happy surprises. I love the Christmas morning feeling I get when I find things I didn't realize I bought at end of season sales. It *almost* makes the crummy weather more bearable. 

Almost.

How to Cut Ties with your Hair Stylist

Girl finds hair stylist. Girl gets her hair done by hair stylist for years. Girl breaks up with hair stylist.

As many of us can attest, breakups with our hair stylist can sometimes be as dramatic as a Lifetime movie.

We're great buddies with our stylist when we're in their chair. Hairdressing by nature is a very social science. They know all about us. They know our likes, our dislikes, our hair color formula, what irritates our scalp, why we hate our sister-in-law, and where our cowlick is.

When the relationship is good, it is very good. But when it starts going south, many times it is from a service perspective. And because we feel that our hairdresser knows us so well, it is sometimes a challenge to break up with them and move on to a new hair-based relationship.

We can break up with our stylist for a variety of reasons: the quality of their work, pricing changes, salon service and environment, or if you ask them to change your style and they keep giving you the same cut year after year, a complaint I hear quite often. 

I recently noticed that Allstate is now offering to tell your insurance company that you will no longer be with them and are switching to Allstate instead. I wondered if that is just a selling point or if it is really necessary. Do people really go that out of the way to avoid being the bearer of bad news - even to these huge insurance conglomerates who can go on just fine without our monthly premium dollars.

Those commercials always make me think of my grandma. Gram is one of those ladies who has gone to have her hair done every Friday for years. There have been a couple of times when she has felt the need to switch hair stylists.

Gram does not like confrontation, so she didn't feel like calling the stylists and telling them that she was leaving them and dealing with the questions she might have to face. But she did want them to know that she wasn't just disappearing into oblivion.

Her stylist breakups were both fraught with anxiety. Breakup drama is likely to happen if  we have been going to that stylist for any length of time. We become accustomed to them and usually look forward to their company. They are an old friend to us, even though we don't usually see them socially, we feel like there is a friendship there nonetheless. The pragmatic side of me says it's not a real friendship because it's based on a business transaction. But the sentimental side knows that the personal connection that goes along with the hair stylist/client relationship is very difficult to break.

I have only had one chance to deal with a hair stylist breakup personally, and I am unhappy to report that I failed miserably at doing it with dignity. I simply found a new salon without saying a word. Yes, I was a big chicken.

If you need to break up with your stylist and find another, make the switch as painless as possible for both parties involved. Do it officially. Don't use avoidance tactics like yours truly.

Send a him or her a nice note. Not an email. There is no need to go into the salon and disrupt their day or make a scene. Chances are they don't have a stack of your CD's or a drawer full of your stuff like an ex boyfriend that you need to go there to recover. Thankfully! 

Write on the envelope "Personal and Confidential" in case the receptionist or salon owner opens all the mail. Tell them what you enjoyed about having your hair done by them. There must have been something that kept you going back for whatever amount of time you saw them.

Also include the reason why you decided to stop going to them. Include positive, constructive comments if you feel inclined. If you were in their shoes, would you want to know why you lost a client? I would. Going forward, if they are cognizant that there is an issue they need to address, it can help them keep other clients in the future.

Breaking up with your hairstylist does not have to be traumatic if it is done properly. You can even leave the relationship with your dignity intact!

Part 2: How to Find a New Hair Stylist coming this week.