If you’ve made it this far, congrats! I promise, this is the last step, although maybe the most difficult. Take that list and go clean out your closet (you thought I was going to say go shopping didn’t you? ) I’m not going to go into how to clean out your closet, we have all heard the advice a million times: take out all of your clothes, try them all on, and then separate into keep, toss, donate piles. You can even make it simpler by just saying that anything that’s not on your list does not belong in your closet. Sometimes throwing out your entire closet isn’t practical. So keep the necessities and replace them as you buy items from your list.

So what is the point of this step? Remove anything that isn’t part of your perfect wardrobe. Slowly procure the pieces to your perfect wardrobe as time and money allows. 

Of course, it’s never that simple. We all know that old habits die hard. So here are a few thoughts on the process.

1. Quality Over Quantity

You went through this entire process because you want a smaller and curated wardrobe. Part of this goal means that cheap is no longer going to cut it. That doesn’t mean you need to buy all designer. It does mean that you need to learn to be more selective and not lured in by a good deal. Hopefully these exercises taught you that it’s better to have one perfect dress than ten so-so ones. In fact, having less options usually creates less stress, because there’s less to think about in the morning. When everything you own is your favorite it’s easy to pick out an outfit and it gives you the liberty of repeating yourself. I promise, if you wear the same pair of jeans three days in a row, no one will even notice. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.

2. Recognize Quality

I am a quality snob. There, I said it. I am biased after working in the garment industry in NYC and seeing how clothing is produced. The difference between a handmade, quality garment and it’s cheap, fast fashion counterpart is incredible, and it actually kind of pains me to walk into a fast fashion store. The sad part is that we’re so used to shoddy quality that most people don’t even know what a well-constructed garment looks like anymore. So here is my suggestion. Go to a designer store, something like Chanel, Givenchy, Celine or even a Neiman Marcus. Try on the clothes, as many as you’d like, window shopping is free. Feel the fabric, try the zipper, take a peek at the seams, notice the lining, pleating, and tailoring. This is how quality feels and how ALL of your clothing should feel. Trust me, it’s eye opening. Now while you are shopping keep your eyes peeled for similar quality at more reasonable prices (but if you can afford a designer splurge, go for it!) and refuse to buy anything that doesn’t live up to those standards.

3. Have Patience

A wardrobe is never truly “finished”. It evolves, changes and grows with it’s owner. You will probably never have everything on your list at the same time, and that’s okay! I even sometimes write down the qualities that are non-negotiable. Those black capris for example had to be made of wool, mid-rise, slash pockets, flat front, lined, and with belt loops. Does that mean I had to wait two years to find ones that fit my criteria and were in my price range? Yes. But was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Ten pairs of so-so pants were what got you into this mess in the first place. Have the patience and self-control to wait for that one perfect pair.

4. Take Care of Your Clothes 

If you have less, you have to take better care of what you do have. Of course, life happens. As a certified klutz and fence-climber, trust me, I know. But get in the practice of reading care labels, dry cleaning less often, mending rips and tears, resoling heels, weather proofing leather, and all of those other little things that can extend the life of your clothes for an extra few years. A little care means less shopping for replacements, less clothes in landfills, and more money in your bank account. It’s a win-win situation for everyone (except maybe corporations).

At the end of the day realize clothes are just fabric and bits of metal and plastic. Style has the power to create a persona, affect your mood, and act as a creative outlet, but it’s just clothing. Clothes should never cause you stress, affect your self worth, or cause you to go into debt. The whole point of this exercise is to make sure that you are in control of your wardrobe and that it works for you and your life, not the other way around.

Did I miss anything? Is there anything that has helped you create a more stylish, minimalist wardrobe? Was this process helpful for you? Let me know in the comments!

Check out the rest of the series “How to Have a Stylish Minimalist Wardrobe” here.  

Image Courtesy of Emma’s Design Blogg

The post How to Have a Stylish and Minimalist Wardrobe Part VIII appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

So this is my little nod to mother’s day, and also an explanation for why I feel so passionately about being a producer vs. a consumer. 

Our society is incredibly consumer focused. We are constantly seduced by advertising, hypnotized by media, and told that it is our patriotic duty to buy, buy, buy… and also many of us work in some sort of information business. I know that I do.

This means that many of us are not actually creating something we can see/hold, but instead shuffling around information and bytes, or if we’re lucky, maybe creating a few of our own. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing! I’d rather be a white collar worker than in a factory.

But here’s the problem. Most of us simply go through a routine day after day: wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, veg out in front of the media, go to bed, wash, rinse, and repeat. Does this sound like you? How can this be fulfilling, to simply go through life as a passive receptacle for experiences? Going through life consuming like this is the equivalent of being human livestock, although it could be argued that at least the cattle are producing meat and milk.

Of course, everyone needs to consume at some point, it’s kind of what we do. So what do you do about it? Create something! Don’t you dare waste your human capital and simply consume without giving anything back. Learn how to fix your car, speak a language, cook a meal, grow a plant, take care of an animal, knit, sew, dance, play an instrument, write, build a masterpiece from legos or even create a social group! And yes, I count raising healthy, well-adjusted children to be a masterpiece.

It really doesn’t matter. Just something so that when you are gone people have something to say besides “man, remember how she really kept up on the latest celebrity gossip?”. Do something with your hands that you can point at and say “I made that”. It does a soul good to be able to create something from start to finish.

Does this mean you need to become an expert at any of these skills? Absolutely not! The important thing is that it becomes part of your routine and you use it as a way to feed your soul. I love my dance classes, but would I say that I’m an excellent dancer? Probably not. But that’s okay, I find joy in it and even if I’m not perfect, hopefully my enthusiasm and joy will bring someone else happiness as well.

What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s important to have a hobby outside of work for your mental well-being? Does it count if it’s a cerebral hobby or does it have to involve your hands?

The post Two Cent Thoughts: Consumers vs. Producers appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

2. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 Hour Foundation: Don’t you hate it when your favorite makeup product gets discontinued? My tried and true Korres Wild Rose foundation was discontinued this year and I almost had a panic attack when I had to find a new foundation. Thankfully the lady at Sephora pointed me towards Lancome Teint Idole Ultra and I think I have a new HG. It’s medium coverage, stays on all day, and after a few minutes sinks right in and makes my skin look natural but better.

3. Soft Pretzels: I’m trying to expand my cooking horizons past “stuff that goes on rice or noodles” so I decided to give pretzels a shot. While they certainly can’t compete with the local beer hall’s pretzels with beer cheese, they were fun to make and (if I do say so myself)  pretty good.

4. Parallax Scrolling: This recent trend in web design is actually a very old technique that was used in animation during the 1940′s. It’s now pretty easy to implement using JavaScript libraries such as Stellar.js , although for anything besides upward vertical motion you need to create a custom JavaScript plugin. This is my most recent personal project, and once I figure it out I’ll be sure to post a tutorial! For a great example of parallax scrolling, check out Every Last Drop.

5. Babbel: I think it’s very important to know at least one other language besides your native tongue, and while I’m far from fluent, I’m currently working on brushing up on my French and Spanish. I love Rosetta Stone but it’s much too expensive for me, but I just started using Babbel which is very similar (let’s just call it the poor man’s Rosetta Stone). It has a free app that works without cell service, which is great if you commute by subway like me, and it has more in depth lessons online for a very reasonable $7.45 a month. If you are interested in learning a language I definitely recommend checking it out.

What are your favorite things at the moment?

The post The Short List for Spring appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

In theory, the list you just created would act as a guide for a few things that you need to remove from your closet and a few things you should be shopping for. But sometimes life just doesn’t work that way.

If your ideal wardrobe list has little or no overlap with your current closet, it’s usually one of the following issues: your body type is not the “ideal” body shape for your style, you’re broke and can’t afford your ideal wardrobe, or your social group or dress code is radically different from your personal style.

1. I’m not thin/curvy/tall enough to wear that or I can’t wear that style, I’m too fat/short/my butt and/or boobs are too big 

Girl, you know that whatever preconceived notions you have about what you can and cannot wear is bull right? As a white girl blessed with some serious junk in the trunk, I am definitely not the stereotypical waif-like french ingenue, but I love that style and that’s what I feel good in. Clothes should fit my body, I shouldn’t have to fit my body into clothes. So how do I make it work?

Accessories are a girl’s best friend. It’s a fact of life that our bodies are going to look better in certain styles over others, so pick your battles. You can certainly express the style you like through accessories or just look for the pieces that do work with your shape. For example, my hips look just fine with rhinestone necklaces, leopard coats, or a breton shirt. They all will give me that french flair without fighting my figure.

Make it work. I love the look of cropped cigarette pants even though every style guide tells me to avoid them. But I generally consider “rules” to be gentle suggestions anyway. It just means that I can’t buy the first pair of cropped pants that I find. After a few years of searching, I fell in love with the Martin lightweight wool ankle pant by Banana Republic (once you find a brand that cuts to your shape, you stick with them). A quick trip to the tailor and they are perfect! So if you have your heart set on a certain piece, just keep looking until you find one that does fit you.

But whatever you do, the most important rule for having a small closet is that everything must make you feel like a million bucks. There are ways of bending the rules and certainly not everything has to be conventionally flattering, but make sure that everything you put on makes you feel confident and amazing.

 2. I’m too broke to afford nice clothes 

I absolutely hear you. Especially if you are in your early twenties, money is tight. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look good, it just means that you have to get a little more creative.

Get it for less. There are a ton of places where you can find high-quality clothes for less: Ebay, consignment stores, thrift shops, Buffalo Exchange, Etsy, Marshalls, T.J.Maxx or Everlane to name a few. You can also take a few sewing classes and make your own clothes. This is something that I fully encourage, even if you just want to learn about what makes a quality garment. PLEASE notice that I didn’t say shop at fast fashion stores such as H&M or Forever21. I have ethical concerns with fast fashion and they also just have universally shoddy quality. If you would like more information about how fast fashion is affecting society definitely read Overdressed: the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion. Besides, if you have fewer clothes you cannot afford to have them fall apart after a few washes.

Own less. I know, it’s not fair, but I recommend going back to your ideal wardrobe list and cutting it down even further. Or use my strategy of keeping a bare list of “essentials” and then everything else is on the “nice to have” list. I couldn’t buy anything off of the “nice to have” list until I had completed my capsule wardrobe of “essentials”.

Budget. Yes, I can hear the peanut gallery yelling already. How can I talk about budgets when I consider a $150 dress affordable? Trust me, it’s affordable. I don’t agree with dresses that cost a grand, but then again I have higher quality dish rags than that $15 dress from Forever21. The whole point of owning less is to own better quality. A $30 bag that barely lasts a season is more expensive after two years ($30 bag x 8 seasons = $240) than a $200 beautiful, quality Cole Haan purse bought at a consignment store that lasts for two years and counting.  Speaking from personal experience, of course.

So set aside $30 a week ($30 a week = $120 a month) and slowly build up your wardrobe piece by piece. My personal tactic was to cut out my daily latte and cookie habit, which actually was $140 a month ( $4 latte + $1 cookie * 7 days a week = $35 * 4 weeks = $140). My waistline AND wardrobe is thanking me.

3. I don’t think that my social group would approve of my new style or my work dress code prohibits me from wearing the clothes I like

Sally from Already Pretty has done a great job on this topic, but I’ll add my two cents.

Start small. If you’re not ready to change everything all at once or if your dress code is very strict, try adding just one accessory. A scarf, pair of earrings, or shoes will allow you to ease into your new style and it isn’t a drastic change. If you’re concerned about your peer group, you can gradually add in more and more of your personal style (first a pair of earrings, then earrings and shoes, then earrings, shoes and pants….) until you are happy with how you look. If you work in a corporate culture, I’m afraid you might be stuck with adding in personality with just accessories or shoes. Personal style is not worth losing your job over.

Go for it. Just do it. What could be the worse thing that could possibly happen? You might get a few comments, people might notice you, or (more likely) people will ask why you are so dressed up and compliment you. I understand the hesitation to break out of the norm or to stand out. I also understand that sometimes we feel like we aren’t good enough for nice clothes. Trust me, you deserve to wear nice things and to feel good in your skin. Clothes don’t make you shallow or vain, I like to think of them as a way of decorating the temple that is our body. So if changing your style will make you feel better, more confident, more beautiful, or it will bring you joy, then just go for it.

Check out the rest of the series “How to Have a Stylish Minimalist Wardrobe” here. 

Photo Courtesy of Life is Beautiful

The post How to Have a Stylish and Minimalist Wardrobe Part VII appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

There are a lot of reasons why unit testing is a good idea, but all of these reasons also apply to testing in general:

- Catch bugs early and often. This is basically the mantra of agile programming: fail early and fail often.

- Determine what the code should produce and how it should act before you start coding.

- Allows you to make big changes to code with confidence. Run the test, make your change, and then fix the program until the test returns positive again.

- Makes it easier to work on a team. Pull the latest code, run a test to make sure no one broke it while you were gone, and then you can be certain that if something isn’t working it’s your fault.

But why should you write unit tests instead of say, doc tests? Because unit tests are a nice little package that can run a bunch of tests with one press of a button, instead of having to run tests one at a time. This saves time and lets you spend more time coding and less time testing.

So here is the down and dirty on how to write a unit test. Here is our code that we’re testing, called num_buses.py. I’m keeping it simple for this example, obviously. It would be kind of silly to write a unit test for something this small.

import math

def num_buses(n):
    """ (int) -> int

    Precondition: n >= 0

    Return the minimum number of buses required to transport n people.
    Each bus can hold 50 people.

    >>> num_buses(75)
    2
    >>> num_buses(50)
    1
    >>> num_buses(0)
    0
    """
    return int(math.ceil(float(n)/50))

and in our separate python file named test_num_buses.py we have this.

The premise is pretty simple. Import the file you are testing and the unit test module, make sure that the unit test file is in the same folder as the code you are testing, in this case num_buses.py.

Create a class for your test cases, the standard is to name the class TestXYZ(unittest.TestCase):

Then create a method for every scenario that you would like to test. Within each test method call the function from the filename.function as the actual value. Then have an expected value variable. Compare these two with assertEqual, and if there are issues with rounding, check the two values using assertAlmostEqual instead.

Then the last line of code is used if you are testing in command line. I ran this in Pycharm so it was unnecessary  but it’s there if you are so inclined.

#import the code you are testing
import num_buses
#don't forget to import the unit test module
import unittest

#create a class for your tests
class TestNumBuses(unittest.TestCase):
    """ Test class for function a1.num_buses. """
#create one method for each test that you want to run
    def test_rounding(self):
        """
        a test case to check that the function rounds up for a 
        half full bus
        """
#this is the value your code actually outputs
        actual = num_buses.num_buses(75) 

#this is the value you expect your code to output 
         expected = 2   
#does the actual and expected value match?            
        self.assertEqual (actual, expected) 
    def test_smallest(self):
        """
        testing the edge case of no passengers
        """
        actual = num_buses.num_buses(0)
        expected = 0
        self.assertEqual (actual, expected)
    def test_fullbus(self):
        """
        testing the edge case of an exactly full bus
        """
        actual = num_buses.num_buses(50)
        expected = 1
        self.assertEqual (actual, expected)

#this is used for running tests in command line 

if __name__ == '__main__':        
    unittest.main(exit=False)     

Once you run this file it will either give you a bunch of green lights and say that all of the tests have passed, or give you an error report of which tests have failed. It’s pretty self explanatory. Just keep running your unit tests and debugging your code until all of your tests are a success!

And of course, here are the docs on Python unit tests  if you would like more information on unit testing from the source.

The post How to Write Python Unit Tests appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

A few weeks ago I decided to try out the NYC Photo Outings meetup group and joined in on a Saturday morning photo walk through the Brooklyn Botanical gardens. I was a little worried I would be the only beginner photographer there, but it was actually a very diverse group and I wound up having a great time. I highly recommend joining if you’re in the area. The only problem was that I was enjoying the sun and chatting with a few of the women so much, that I almost forgot to take photos!

The post Sunday Photography: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

So sit down, have a cup of tea, and start writing down your ideal closet. All of it. Then edit it, edit it, and edit some more. It’s a lot easier to cut down and curate when you are dealing with an “imaginary” wardrobe instead of staring into your closet or trying it on at the shops.

That doesn’t mean that this is a fantasy wardrobe. Make sure that you take into account your colors, styles and statement pieces. Also a few more questions to take into account:

Wardrobe Building Questions

What do I spend most of my day doing?
What is my climate like?
How do I get around? Car, bus, walking?
Do I have children and pets?

All of these will change what you should have in your wardrobe. For example, white might not be a good idea with pets and children, while four-inch heels are maybe aren’t practical if you walk to work. These clothes need to fit into your lifestyle.

I won’t bore you with pictures of everything on my list. So here are my ten items that I would save from a burning building. My capsule wardrobe at it’s finest.

Modern Rise Skinny Jeans, Levi’s, $78 / Boat-neck Striped Tee, Chance, $68 / Pistol Short Leather Boots, Acne, $560 / Jane Black Sheath Dress, Banana Republic, $130 / Zoe Small Structured Satchel, Cole Haan, $240 / My Beauty Ballet Flats, Salvatore Ferragamo, $325 / Pleat Back Trench Coat, DKNY, $128 / Tippi Cardigan, J.Crew, $85 / Real Pearl Stud Earrings, Pickled Beads Jewelry, $15 / Perfect Oxford Shirt, Gap, $50 

However, if you are interested here is my final list (excluding workout clothes, underwear, tights ect.). I try to keep it under a hundred items, which is just an arbitrary number to keep my closet under control. The parts of my lifestyle that affect my wardrobe the most are that I live in a climate with four very distinct seasons, work in a casual office environment, walk or ride public transportation, New York City is just kind of dirty and I don’t own my own washing machine.

Check out the rest of the series “How to Have a Stylish Minimalist Wardrobe” here. 

The post How to Have a Stylish and Minimalist Wardrobe Part VI appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

Just swinging by for a bit of shameless self promotion. I have been up to my ears with work at NBC and getting used to a new work environment always throws off my schedule. Of course, I wouldn’t trade it for anything and the team at NBC is amazing. So that’s why it has been a little light around here.

However, this week I’m getting back on the horse so expect the wrap up for my minimalist wardrobe posts, new photos from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and a quick tutorial on unit testing your code (Oh my!).

If you have missed my dulcet tones over here at Pixel Perfect, check out my post on how I became a minimalist over at Be More with Less. I feel like it really ties into my minimalist wardrobe posts and might give you a better idea of where I’m coming from. Although I naturally fell into minimalism, my wardrobe has always been the kicker and is something I continue to work on.

And while you’re there, be sure to check out Courtney’s blog Be More with Less as well!

Have a wonderful weekend!

The post How I Became a Minimalist appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

I attended the LadyCoders Seminar in New York a few weeks ago and it was such a great experience. This is my PSA: if you are a woman in tech, please attend one of their seminars or join the LadyCoders group online. 

Tarah, Lorraine and Liz are three inspirational powerhouse women. With years of experience as programmers, this was one of the first tech conferences I have been to that was by women and for women, where I walked away with an incredibly amount of practical knowledge.

Some of the classes were on subjects that I probably should have learned in school (or just… somewhere…) such as how to negotiate salary, ace the whiteboard part of a technical interview, handling lunch interviews and networking.

Some classes I could see being useful to some people but that I already had pretty nailed down (thanks Mom and Dad!) such as body language, handshakes, language tics and public speaking.

Some classes stung a little, but were completely necessary such as how to take yourself seriously and demand respect as a programmer, dress correctly for an all male environment, and deal with harassment at work.

The rest were things that you expect to see at any “finding a career in tech” seminar, such as speakers from different companies, resume reviews, and mock interviews. Although, as most people will agree with me, they were still very useful.

I could go on a ten minute rant about women in tech and math, but let’s save that for another time. I’ll just give my condensed version here.

We need more women in tech.

It may not be you first love. But if I had “followed my passion” I would be an illustrator and a writer, perhaps I just would’ve stuck with oil painting. However the fastest way to kill my love of life is not being able to pay rent, and I don’t expect someone to come in and support me. I enjoy money and I enjoy being independent. Money means freedom to me.

So, if we’re going to look at this logically you have to follow the money, and sad fact of the world today is that you have two options: either you have to be the one touching the money (ie banking, CFO, accountant…) or you have to be in a STEM field, which are all male dominated. Of course there are exceptions, but this tends to be the norm. There is no reason why us women should be consistently out-earned by men, except that we tend to go into the softer fields because the STEM fields are perceived as threatening.

I’m also just tired of hearing women complain that they just can’t “do” math or tech. I couldn’t either. Hell, I still am a beginner. But it’s a language just like French or Spanish, and it just takes practice. Like any other skill, practice makes perfect and with mastery you will learn to love it.

I mostly enjoyed the conference because the LadyCoders (especially Tarah, god she was the kick in the pants that I needed) threw down the glove and challenged us to keep up with the guys when it comes to our careers. There was no sugar coating facts or hand holding, just a challenge: “Do you have what it takes to do this?

Well, after the LadyCoders conference I certainly feel like I do.

The post Two Cent Thoughts: Women in Tech appeared first on Pixel Perfect.

Fortunately, I think that this illustrates my point perfectly. If you find a tweed jacket that matches your style and preferences, it doesn’t need the exact one that I’m showing here (in fact, bonus points if you already own one), you can still mix and match it.

Anyway, here is an outfit for going out on a weekend. I love silky shorts as an alternative to a mini skirt. Pair it with a boucle jacket, basic white tee and a pair of low pumps or wedges for a classy night out. I love a pair of grande dame earrings and a punchy fold over clutch to finish off the look.

Zipped Boucle Jacket, Mango $90 / Pleated Waistband Crepe Shorts, Rag & Bone $255 / Perfect Fit V-neck Tee, J.Crew $24 / Heliette Ankle Strap Court Shoes, Aldo $102 / Linear Drama Chain Earrings, Carolee $65 / Fold Over Clutch, Clare Vivier $156 

For more style remix posts, check them all out here. 

The post Style Remix: Tweed Jacket appeared first on Pixel Perfect.