The alarm pulls me away from the romantic dinner I was having with Tom Cruise and the aroma of fresh-perked coffee spurs my sleepy body to tumble out of bed and into the shower. I pull on my robe and traipse downstairs to the kitchen to begin another day at the office. I pour my coffee and sit down to read the newspaper.

A year ago I would have been dashing around frantically ironing blouses and skirts, flinging clothes through the air like a madwoman and sending my cat running for cover, trying to find something compatible, pulling on nylons only to discover runs and snags in them and searching desperately through my closets for matching shoes and handbags. Not any more. I finally got smart, bought coordinating outfits with accessories to match and organized my business attire so that I didn’t have to rush around at the last minute.

Now, I not only have a nice wardrobe for work but also a few formal dresses and shoes for those special occasions. How did I go from being a completely disheveled crazy person to becoming neat, prepared and organized? Simple, last year I made myself a New Year’s resolution that I would clean my closets and update my wardrobe with chic, new styles that I could mix-and-match and which could be easily maintained. I made a plan and I stuck to it.

The most difficult part was cleaning out my closets but I hired a consultant and together we spent an entire afternoon making piles of clothing, shoes and accessories. We laughed. We cried. We hugged and finally we succeeded in reducing my inventory to a comfortable amount that I could then work with. It also freed up precious closet space for my new additions. What I didn’t have to dispose of was donated to a local women’s shelter.

Then I figured out a budget to allow for enough money each month to purchase new business attire. I decided to try shopping online and found a wonderful, vast selection of plus size shops online that catered to the full-figured woman. I began to select items that would complement each other in brands, styles and colors.

One month I would dedicate to dresses and skirts, followed by blouses, tops and sweaters. The next month would be shoes, hosiery and undergarments, then on to jackets, blazers and coats. I did this each month and my wardrobe has now grown to include a fabulous collection of fashionable and flattering clothing that I absolutely adore!

I finish my coffee, rinse out my cup, leisurely get dressed, feed the cat and go to work.