Feel that nip in the air? No, it’s not the temperature but rather the beginning buzz of Fall Fashion Week. Set to start the second week of September, the Tents will officially take over Lincoln Center (bye bye Bryant Park). New York Magazine has come out with their annual Fall Fashion Guide to preview the best trends of the season.

Start your engines. Here are three Fall trends to watch out for:

GET READY TO GET COZY. Because you’ll be extra warm on chilly fall nights with one of the season’s furry outerwear options.  Fuz-dopped boots, hats, and jackets are the rage for Fall. And we’re sure there will be plenty of PETA-friendly faux options to choose from.

TWEEN GIRLS WILL BE LOOKING ALL FLY. If you have a pre-teen daughter in the house, she’s probably already dragging you to Macy’s by the hair as we type this. Why? She wants to nab the Material Girl line in time for the Back to School fashion show known as the first day. (And yea, “Material Girl” is a reference to Madonna, who’s own daughter designed the line.)

CAPES, AND KNEE SOCKS, AND BAGS, OH MY. Far be it for New Yorkers to pick just one trend. We’re the city of options – just look at our takeout choices! So naturally we love this mishmash of fun, funky styles to mix your fall wardrobe. Chain-mail bags, sky-high heels, and a rockin red cape that would make Batman jealous await you.

You can read all of the fabulous Fall trends by heading over to New York magazine’s website (and they’ve also got interview with the uber-stylish Mrs. Tom Cruise.) Of course you need a place to put all of these new finds! That’s why we came up with our Tips for Seasonal Wardrobe Storage to help you pack away summer clothes before your shopping spree. We’ve also got low seasonal rates starting at $29/month so if you just cannot cram one more “Bikinis and Boy Shorts” box into your dresser, check out Manhattan Mini Storage today.

How to Store Summer Clothes When the Weather Changes!

In the words of Pete Seeger, “To everything, there is a season.  ”We’re not totally sure but we think Pete was probably worried about how to transition his summer wardrobe into a fall one! One of the hottest months on record, July, is over and we’re halfway through August. Now is time to start thinking about what to do with all those shorts and sleeveless tops when the weather turns. This fall, get your wardrobe clothes closet ready for cooler temps by saying good-bye to sleeveless tops and Daisy Duke shorts the right way with our how-to store summer clothes guide!

How to Store Summer Clothes for Women

1. Pick and Choose Your Soldiers. While filmy white dresses are generally passé post-Labor Day not every piece of your summer clothes have to go into hibernation.  Blouses and dresses can sometimes last through fall simply by pairing them with a blazer or tights. Rule of thumb – pack up anything pastel or made from a very thin fabric.
2. Wash Your Summer Clothes! Fashion Week hasn’t happened yet, but we can guarantee that dirt, food, and drink spills will not be in style next Spring. Wash and dry all of your summer clothes (and swimwear) pre-storage so they’re ready to be fabulous out of the box!
3. What to Store Summer Clothes In. Determine what size storage bin you’ll need to use to store all your summer clothes. Plastic or metal bins with tight fitting lids work best.
4. Separate for Success! After you have washed and folded each item, separate each summer clothes by types (i.e. a tub for shirts, one for wraps and light jackets, one for skirts, one for dresses.) If you absolutely have to go digging for that one top in November, you’ll have a better chance of finding it.
5. Put Formal Aside. Place any formal summer clothes or summer suits you might have into heavy garment bags to hang.  Sigh, wouldn’t it be nice if wrinkle prevention for our skin was this easy?
6. Keep the Bugs Away! Clean clothes and tight fitting storage lids will do their part but consider  stashing moth balls or cedar chips in your bins to prevent pests from making a doily out of your favorite flirty sundress.
7. Where to Store Summer Clothes. The most important question to ask yourself when you’re about to store summer clothes for winter is where you plan on putting these clothes. Determine if you have any space under your bed or the bottom of your closets.  If not, you know who to call! We offer great rates on

You are now extremely prepared for the months ahead knowing that your summer clothes are safely stored till next year.  Now go have some hot apple cider to celebrate.

Retro Fashion and Neo Chic: Welcome Back, Pantsuit! And an Open Hate Letter to Clogs.

We’re not generally all that girly-girly over here at Manhattan Mini Storage, but we are all about New York City and recently NYC was all about Fashion Week. So we suppressed our overwhelming desire to shove ham sandwiches down the throats of runway models and toodled on down to Bryant Park to grab a seat outside the tent and soak up the scene.

Finally…an excuse to grab your scissors AND get your wedding dress out of storage.

While this town does have a preponderance of leggy ladies who can rock the new fashion trends (short shorts at the office? tap pants as primary bootie cover?), we were a little more drawn to some of the pieces that we could actually, you know, WEAR. And, lucky for us, we’ve got a good amount of wardrobe fundamentals all safe and cozy in our closet solutions storage.

Here are the bits we’ll be fishing out  of our closets once the snow stops:

• Pantsuits, baby! What is it about an awesome pantsuit that makes us revisit our plans for world domination? I mean, there’s a reason that Hillary Clinton has made them her battle gear of choice. Designers are kind enough to cycle through this trend every few years and, thankfully, 2010’s iteration is softer, more casual, and, in Ralph Lauren’s case, more gangster. We likey.
• The Little WHITE Dress. It is widely accepted that black is the Standard Issue Uniform of New York City. But, meh…man cannot rock on black alone. So we were happy to see a precious little pack of white dresses surface. And, hmmmmmmm, we wonder? What other dresses are white? Oh, yeah – wedding dresses. Outdated and unfortunate wedding dresses.  Wedding dresses that stayed in storage longer than the groom stayed in the marriage. So why not grab that big, white behemoth, grab your scissors, and create something beautiful that will make you feel like a blushing bride, but without the psychotic outbursts and stress-induced acne? Just a suggestion.

Fashion Be Damned!:  One 2010 Fashion Trend We’ll Be Keeping Buried Deep in Storage.

An Open Letter to Clogs. Dear Clogs, please don’t take this personally, but you are evil and wrong. Dress yourselves up with stripes and bows, but nothing will ever disguise the fact that you are clunky and awkward, more suitable for hoofs than the human foot. Please go away and do not come back.

An Open Letter to Fashion Designers. Dear Fashion Designer, there is nothing you can do, no amount of magic you can conjure, not enough smoke and mirrors in the known universe to make a clog look good. Who do you think you’re fooling? Or are you in the pockets of an international cabal of clog designers who periodically force you to attempt a half-hearted revival? Two words – stop it. We are on to you.

Okay, Storage Peeps! We’re off to make some hot chocolate, slog through what’s left of the snow, and dream of the day when we head to storage to swap our snow boots for stilettos.

Perfect in Every Way, Except…Clutter!

We have a dear friend (and bet you have one, too) that is in every way a smart, sophisticated, totally together individual – except where her apartment is concerned. When it comes to her stuff, she’s got a Kung Fu grip. We’re talking five years of The Economist and Runners’ World magazines stuffed in a corner, untouched since 2005, but kept around because maybe, just maybe, she might want to go back and read an article.

 The catch? She’s always complaining about how disorganized her place is. That she can’t find anything, it’s all cluttered, and yadda yadda yadda. To which we have always replied, “read any of those Economist articles lately?”

Clean Closets?  It’s a Holiday Miracle!

 But something beautiful happened this weekend. Perhaps inspired by a divine vision or just sick of us teasing her for the time she lost a favorite shoe somewhere in her own closet, this woman – we’ll call her Jules – began to clean. She started in her bathroom, moved to the bedroom and eventually the kitchen was under siege.

 And the magazines? Into boxes for storage, right next to her vast 6^th grade pewter unicorn collection. (Her Kung Fu grip loosened…it didn’t let go entirely.)

 It Takes a Village to Clean a Closet

 By this time, word had spread and the troops were mobilized. By the time her twenty pounds of mismatched Tupperware was excavated, friends had showed up at her place to lend moral support and extra hands.

Shoes were boxed (and the missing one found!), furniture moved, piles made and wine consumed. The atmosphere was downright festive! It became a spontaneous cleaning/purging/storing event, goofier than a holiday soiree, less calories than a pity party.  Fun was had by all AND Jules now has a great place to live and work (did we mention she runs her business out of her living room?).

 Throw Your Own Storage Party!

 As we said – there’s a very high chance that you have a Jules of your very own who needs some serious closet storage solutions!  So how about this for a rocking holiday present? Organize a storage party! Grab a few friends and make a date to help her bring order to chaos.

Clean, purge, and box ‘til you drop. Then call us and our Storage Taxi will get those boxes into storage close by. You can even all pitch in a few bucks to go towards the monthly costs (hey, it’s affordable – our units start at $29.99!). She’ll start the New Year with a clean slate and you’ll never have to hear her complain about her cluttered apartment again.  Happy holidays, indeed!

The Hottest New Thing on the Block is Something you have Stored Away!

There is that saying what goes around, comes around. It’s awful true for fashion. Just take a look at the return of leg warmers, white trimmed jogging shorts with gym socks, “Dirty Dancing” cut off jean shorts and dare we say it, spandex. The most embarrassing and haunting look from your childhood is being reused, recycled and sought after by the younger generations probably for the same reasons people took part in those trends back when; it’s neato daddy o, it’s hip, it’s totally awesome, it’s cool, it’s phat, it’s sick, it’s killer.

Childhood Memories and Things Forgotten are in Great Demand.

With everything done digital and as the “now” generation gathering even more speed to live in the moment, the backlash is that “low fi” is now unexpected and therefore; really, really cool.

It’s bigger than retro induced amusement really. Some of these items have been more than completely forgotten about by younger generations. In truth, the kids these days actually have NO IDEA what half the stuff is and if they manage to guess it; they are amazed that these primitive tools actually functioned and allowed people to go about their daily living.

Take the 45 Record Adapter for Example

Long before the days of iTunes and MP3’s, music was held in a tangible material object and had to be coaxed from the confines of it’s vinyl encasement.  Back in those days a “record player” was the method of choice to make the musical noise and a very small, but necessary, accessory was the 45 record adapter.

Sometimes made of metal, but often in colorful plastic, this needed musical tool made the larger center hole of the smaller 45 record fit the smaller center hole of the larger sized records. No it didn’t make much sense. We don’t know why they just didn’t make them all the same size. It’s just the way it was. The fact is, we all had these gadgets and they were a part of life just as today everyone needs earphones for their iTunes and MP3’s.

Now, Pure Novelty and Often Forgotten.

Just for fun show a 45 record adapter to a younger person and ask them what it is. Now, the knowledge of this plastic piece is now a sign of age.

For instance, this guy pictured here, not only had to explain to everyone younger than 30 in his office what was on his shirt, but when a colleague posted a picture to FaceBook (with an iphone of course!), the reminiscing and debate went on forever. If you would like to inspire your own debates, you could order an unknown adapter shirt like our charming model for yourself.

Plug and Play with the Stack-o-Matic!

Another sign that all things vinyl are found to be most charmingly interesting is the return of the Stack-o-matic.

Currently being sold only online at the trend makers at Urban Outfitters, this memorable Crosley Stack-O-Matic Wood grain Turntable is a perfect example of low fit perfection. Never mind having to Google the software updates, download the latest version and then plug in your USB cables, it is advertised with these instructions: Plug into any outlet and play!

What’s more, now, for full flash back effect, they also are selling ALBULMS as in real vintage vinyl. Qu’est-ce que c’est indeed.   The best part though, is to watch a young one be truly amazed by the sheer sophistication of the technology.  It’s almost as weird as a phone with a CORD! Or a letter that comes from the mailman.

Get Out of the Closet & Re-Discover Your Younger, Cooler Self 

Bottom line, if you are feeling kind of old and out of touch around the water cooler or your teenager kids are just not relating to you at all, start rummaging through the forgotten recess of your closets or dig out some dusty boxes in your Manhattan Mini Storage units.  Give your lowfi, non digital, technology a quick cleanup with some Windex and be proud to show it off.  And if you find something else really neat-o, give Urban Outfitters a buzz.. they found the market for things you were thinking you should have gotten rid of a lifetime ago.

Plus, it will help rationalize to your significant other that there really was a reason you could not have parted with all your old childhood stuff; it really truly was cool.

A messy closet can be very intimidating

Yet, there comes a time that everyone must tackle the task at hand.  Closet organization can lead to a better quality of life as you can more easily find what you are looking for, spend less time looking for stored items, feel less frustrated during those last minute rushes to get out the door, plus crossing the task of “closet organization” feels pretty good.

This blog entry, “Tales of Never-ending Woe from a Messy Closet“, has a great description of the common feelings we experience when we are dealing with a messy closet:

So, I was getting ready for a recent party, having a frantic fit. I COULD NOT find the outfit I wanted. After tearing out the entire contents of my closet, I realized that perhaps it was in my car, because I had let a friend borrow it at some point and things people give me back in bags tend to disappear there. 

Sound familiar? Then you know it is time!

There are many tips, tools, books, videos and closet organizers that will make the job of cleaning a closet easier.

For instance, there is a whole series of free videos from Pete D’Alessandro who was formerly the Project Manager on TLC’s “Clean Sweep”.  There are 14 alone that talk about how to organize and clean out your bedroom closet!  Here’s a teaser of the series: 

Closet Organization
 

The World of Closet Organizer

While you can surely hire a professional closet organizer to do the dirty work for you, there are many storage units available at big box stores nationally.   It’s nice to find a particular name brand or simple style of closet organization unit that like visually and meets the needs of your messy closet. You can start with a basic unit and continue to ad on as your organization increases over time.

For visual and user friendly appeal, a smart unit like this metal closet organizer can really start you on the right path. With wheels for easy movement and a simple dust cover, you could even use a unit like this to move winter and summer clothing back and forth from your Manhattan Mini Storage Unit. Two units like this means all you have to do is trade out the units seasonally!

Not everyone has the same things in their closets!

A shoe addict will have vastly different closet needs than a sports authority. A serious sweater collection needs to be stored and organized in a different way than Wall Street suits and ties.  Before you go buying cute shelves and bins, take stock of what you have and realistically consider how much space you require for those items.

• Thirty pairs of pumps will be just as equally annoying if they are stuffed in a shoe rack made to hold 18.
• A sweater rack with 8 spaces becomes a waste if really; you only have three big bulky foldable items.
• Maybe every girl does want a dedicated purse area, but what’s the point if you have one bag and you really throw it down on the sofa every day after you walk through the door.

So here’s your Closet Cleaning mission:

 Should you choose to accept it, go take a picture of your closet in all its glorious mess and terror of disorganization. Then get crackin’. Clean and organize that closet and let us know:

What was the most surprising thing you found in your closet? Does it have a story behind it? Did you dump, keep it, store it? What did you throw out? What can you just not bare to part with? What moved into your public storage unit?

Then take a picture of the final result please! And share it with us on our Facebook page!  We’ll take the best “before and afters” here and show them off on the blog!