What's in Your Closet:
Sara Blakely walks us through her colorful and whimsical wardrobe
source:
WSJ Digital Network
Sara Blakely, in a red Zac Posen dress and cowboy hat made by Spanx CEO Laurie Ann Goldman, stands in her closet in front of her shoe collection.
"You won't see very many clothes in my closet because I give so much away," says Ms. Blakely, who has also created the Sara Blakely Foundation to support female entrepreneurs.
Ms. Blakely still keeps the "lucky" red Eastpack she brought to her first Spanx pitch meeting at Neiman Marcus in 2000. But she has since supplemented her bag collection with colorful pieces like this Kooba purse.
Ms. Blakely's shoe collection ranges from flip-flops to Christian Louboutin heels.
A pair of open-toed shoes were the inspiration behind her footless Spanx tights. Ms. Blakely wanted to wear a pair of hose under her pants -- but didn't want them to show in her shoes -- so she cut the feet off.
A fan of colorful flair, Ms. Blakely keeps her look original by mixing funky jewelry, such as her rings pictured here, with more restrained outfits. "I have a mixture of jewelry hanging that is really cheap and playful, and some really nice."
Though she owns these lime-green Louboutins, Ms. Blakely says she doesn't pay attention to labels. "I buy things based on if I like them," she says. "At events people will ask me what I'm wearing and I'll have to pull the tags out of my dress to see who the designer is."
The easiest way to change a look? Throw on a brightly-hued wig, says Ms. Blakely.
"I remember [in college] calling my mom and telling her I was going to dye my hair black," she says. "She told me when she was in college, all the girls in her sorority wear, swap, and change up their wigs everyday. So I went out and bought a really nice wig to start my own collection."
As a reality show contestant on "Rebel Billionaire" and judge for "American Inventor," Ms. Blakely picked up a few style tips for television: "I registered just the basic stuff people learn about being on camera, namely, that patterns make you look bigger. Every time you wear a bright solid color it reads so much better on camera. And anytime you wear something blousey on camera, it makes you look heavier."
To help cut down on clutter and streamline her belongings, Ms. Blakely hired professional organizer Nancy Meck to rearrange her closet and home. Here, she holds up a floral Missoni halter dress.
Blakely shows off a black patterned pair of her company's Tight-End Tights. "I think a fashion disaster is anytime I'm wearing something and you can see my panty line or my cellulite," she says.
