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it as a foundation for building your outfits. Do not be disappointed if you suddenly discover that the palette you have worn all your life is not quite right for you - 90% of the population have the same problem.

Once you have culled the unsuitable colors and the ill-fitting garments out of your closet, it is matching time! Have fun with it. Throw together a skirt and a top that you would have never thought of wearing together before - you might be surprised how well they go together. Give a new life to that dress you never wear because you feel it is too short by pairing it up with pants. Worn with heels the dress-over-pants combination is a life saver for those of us not blessed with long legs because it hides where the butt ends and where the legs begin, giving an illusion of endless stems. Hang clothes by outfit (instead of the usual shirts-with-shirts, pants-with-pants and skirts-with-skirts way). Find garments in solid colors that pick up one of the tones of a patterned piece. For example, burgundy pants with a cream-and-burgundy patterned blouse. Look for unexpected combinations. Did you know, for instance, that an enamel brooch in pale pink tones goes beautifully with a royal blue suit and a seafoam green blouse? Who could have thought!

Speaking of brooches... Do not discount the importance your jewelry and accessories. If you have enough room on your closet doors, add a bar for your scarves and belts and some small hooks for your necklaces so that they would always hang next to your clothes and remind you to wear them. Do you always go to work with the same huge "kitchen sink" black bag? Maybe it's time to go over the contents, minimize what you can and invest in more than one work bag in something other than black. Nobody says that you should donate a kidney in exchange for the latest Marc Jacobs, but you could peruse Target or Ross for some fantastic choices. Having several work bags might seem like a hassle at first, but if you set out your clothes, shoes and accessories in advance, you will discover that you actually carry less junk, because you are forced to empty your bag completely and re-organize it every few days. You would be surprised, how much sharper your entire outfit looks with something slicker and more elegant in deep red, chocolate brown or purple, as opposed to your horrid black backpack only suitable for trekking in the Humalayas.

As you clean out and reorganize your closet, you may discover that you need to purchase a couple of pieces after all. However, doing it after identifying our palette, getting rid of all things unsuitable and finding new ways to match old favorites, may prove to be much more economical than flying off to the store and stuffing your closet with more items you will end up not wearing.

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