By Kendra Weinisch
Almost everyone undergoes the annual ritual of spring cleaning: refreshing the linens, cleaning the windows, scrubbing the floors. However, few take the time to introspect during the evolutionary process to make changes that will impact both their homes and their lives. Indigo Experiences, a New York-based company that opened its Los Angeles arm in January, allows you to do just that. Its exhaustive menu of experiences is designed to expand your world by introducing you to new ideas, new people””even new ways to look at yourself. One such way is quite literal: in the mirror.
The closet edit is a customized jaunt into the world of fashion that doesn’t require so much as a step outside your home. An established stylist will begin by helping to determine the details of your fashion goals, lifestyle and needs. They will then examine your closet and cosmetics case to determine what goes, work with you to see what stays and, most importantly, make room for the fabulousness to come.
“The mission is to be your best self,” says Indigo Experiences President and CEO Holly Arnowitz.
To do that, you simply don’t have room for clothes that don’t fit or fit poorly, are out-of-date, in poor condition, or haven’t been worn in over a year. The tenets are those that you read in every women’s magazine and hear on every episode of “What Not to Wear,” but many still ignore the advice””and some purposely block it out.
Dayna Spitz, a former fashion and beauty director at “Good Housekeeping” and current Indigo Experiences stylist, emphasizes the empathetic approach she takes with her clients. “When the person is emotionally attached (to their clothing), it takes somebody like a stylist to walk them through, so the process is therapeutic.” There isn’t a “snob factor” to the edit; the stylists are accessible and real.
The discarded clothes are sorted into four piles: one each for donation, consignment, tailoring and garbage. Before your stylist leaves, they will provide you with an understanding of the guidelines you need to follow to present your personality effectively and flatteringly in the future. Of course, you can also schedule another experience to find those pieces with assistance. Either way, you will have the foundation for a new style and perspective.
“Indigo Experiences are about enrichment and take-away,” Arnowitz concludes. “It’s not like a spa, where you leave feeling great in the moment (but the feeling fades); instead, you learn something about yourself that will stay with you.” And that is what feels really great.
To schedule an Indigo Experiences, visit the company’s Web site at www.IndigoExperiences.com. The closet edit costs $350 for two hours, and the personalized shopping trip costs $525 for three hours.
SIDEBAR:
Charity is also a great way to renew your spirit. The following organizations make it easy to help by accepting new and gently used pieces.
Dress for Success assists low-income women in becoming self-sufficient through consistent employment. It accepts donations of business suits and interview-appropriate attire. For donation locations, visit www.DressForSuccess.org/how_to_donate/.
Out of the Closet Thrift Stores help AHF Healthcare provide medical care for those living with HIV. To find one of the 22 California shops, visit www.AIDShealth.org/otc/.
The Spay/Neuter Animal Network (SPAN) Thrift Shop in Ventura helps the non-profit work to keep animals healthy and happy by fixing approximately 60 dogs and 90 cats a month.
Many organizations take clothing donations, but if your pet cause does not and you still want to help, consider selling your clothes through consignment or at a place like Buffalo Exchange (www.BuffaloExchange.com for locations) and donating the proceeds.
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