Wardrobe Oxygen was created in 2005 – Alison Gary realized after her experience in personal shopping that there are a few wardrobe basics that seem to work on any woman, be she a size 2 or 22, 21 or 71. Alison has been a size 4 and size 18, and has also seen that through any size, certain wardrobe basics always worked with her frame. From this she created her list of What Every Woman Needs in Her Wardrobe. From this list, she created Wardrobe Oxygen, where she regularly provides style, beauty, and fashion advice. To show that personal style can be achieved regardless of budget, body, or lifestyle, Alison also posts her daily fashion choices and information on why she chose certain brands and how she got her look for less.
About the Blogger
Alison Gary is a Washington DC – based blogger and freelance writer. She has over a decade of experience as an apparel visual merchandiser, trainer, and personal shopper. She is the owner and author of Wardrobe Oxygen, a blog that offers tips and advice for all women to achieve personal style, regardless of age, figure, budget, or lifestyle. Alison also showcases her daily style on Wardrobe Oxygen, offering photographs of her outfits, links to purchases, and detailed product and vendor reviews.
In addition to blogging, Alison Gary is a freelance writer, as well as a regular fashion and style columnist for The Savvy Life magazine, Capital Area Fashion and Beauty Bloggers, Washington Post's The Buzz, Redbook's Mamarama, and at the Savings.com blog.
About the Person Behind the Blog
I’m 38, married to my high school sweetheart, mother of a really funny and smart four-year-old girl named Emerson. I live in a suburb of Washington DC, and love it for its “crunchy” vibe and unique residents. During the day, I work for a government subcontractor in the city. I left the apparel world in 2001 and while I miss the fast-paced life and constantly being surrounded by creative and fashionable people, I like having a more regular schedule so I can have more quality time with my family (and have to consume less caffeine to get through each day). Wardrobe Oxygen is a way for me to still have a passion for fashion while working in a completely different field.
My favorite color is rainbow – seriously I can’t decide between a bright shocking pink, orange, or emerald green and feel guilty leaving out all the other fabulous hues. If I was given a million-dollar gift card to the Internet, I would probably spend it on books, DiorShow mascara, unique dishtowels, leather jackets, shoes, and MP3s. I love live music, and catch a show or a music festival any time my schedule and budget permits. I have a very large place in my heart for female musicians who really rock, but don’t stick to one specific genre.
I try to add eco-friendly “green” elements to my life without sacrificing comfort and style; I sometimes write about them here, you can find them under “Going Green.” I believe that no step towards sustainability is too small – it’s better to do something than nothing.
I love to write – I often open up Microsoft Word just so I can enjoy the feeling of my fingers tapping away on the keys. I rarely write a post in advance – I write when the inspiration hits. I send myself emails of ideas, and always have a journal and several pens handy for when I get an idea. I love writing lists – lists of what I need to get done on a weekend, lists of clothes for a dream closet, lists of songs, lists for the trip to the grocery. I find my list-love bleeds onto my blog, where I find I use a heck of a lot of numbers and bullets!
I prefer style over fashion – I don’t have the lifestyle or the budget to stay current with runway trends, so I focus more on clothing, regardless of brand or trend, and how it fits with who I am as an individual and the life that I lead. You can tell by my daily outfits that my favorite color really IS rainbow – I find that wearing color improves my mood, tells the world what sort of person I am, and makes what I wear more about the ensemble and less about the individual pieces.
I believe every woman is gorgeous, and style is a way to showcase her beauty. There isn’t one style that is perfect for every woman, nor is there one style that is better than another. While I write about guidelines for achieving personal style, I don’t expect that all my posts will be relevant or appropriate to all women. My goal is to help those who have yet to find their personal style, or find fashion to be overwhelming.
