Style Harmony

In last week's blog, I shared a lot of information about Fast Fashion; what it is, how to recognize it, and why it's so dangerous.  Today, I'm going to share about Sustainable Fashion. Sustainable Fashion:  also known as ethical or eco-fashion, refers to clothing and accessories produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, with a focus on minimizing the negative impacts on the planet and people throughout the supply chain. One thing that is important to understand and value when you start thinking about shopping in a sustainable way is that you begin thinking about your fashion purchases and their cost-per-wear.  If you plan to shop in a sustainable way, this is a mindset shift that must occur.  So, what is cost-per-wear?  Quite simply, when you purchase a piece for your closet, the price of that item goes down if you are purchasing quality pieces that you know you will wear for a long period of time and consistently.  This can be achieve...

Many times as consumers, we look at our shopping habits when it comes to clothing in terms of how much we are spending, where we are spending our money and the comfort and wearability of our clothes.   These things are all relevant.   However, one area that is becoming increasingly important to consider for value-driven shoppers and for those who are concerned about the environment is the true impacts that our clothing purchases have on the future of Earth and the lives of humans living on it right now. Today is the first of a 2-part blog series about Fast Fashion versus Sustainable Fashion.  Whether you care about the environment or not, I heartily believe it is important for all of us to take a look at our decisions as consumers and understand these topics so we can make our decisions coming from a place of knowledge.  The decisions we make today will impact not just our own lives, but the lives of our children and grandchildren and cannot be ignored. Clothes cou...

 Imagine living in a world of black and white.  Back when I was a little girl, some of my favorite shows to watch on television were the old black-and-white shows.  I was a "Bewitched"  and "I Dream of Jeannie" girl.  I loved all of those old shows on Nickelodeon.  "Dennis the Menace", "Mr. Ed", "The Donna Reed Show", "The Patty Duke Show".  Maybe it was how different the times were from when I was a kid, but those were some of my absolute favorites to watch.  All of these shows started being filmed in black and white because that was what was available.  When several of those shows ran long enough that they were able to be filmed in color, I was so excited!  You could really start to see the personality of the characters come out because you could see how they decorated their house, and what colors they chose to wear.  It really enhanced their personality. The same is true today.  Color gives us an insight into so many things...

About 7 months ago, I made a BIG decision.  I decided to start my own business.  I felt a calling, felt drawn, felt meant for more.  Have you ever had that feeling?  Have you ever been so passionate about something that it pulled you outside of your comfort zone and made you take the leap? Buckle up, buttercup...this is a long post, but I'm so excited to share my journey with you.   Now, I'm not a risk-taker at all and so making this decision was not easy, but yet on the other side of the coin, it was the easiest decision I ever made because I knew I was going to be doing something I love and that I would have the opportunity to inspire change and make a real difference in women's lives. My new business is a concierge Personal Styling business.  I have been in fashion for years.  Most recently, I have been a brand Ambassador for a company called cabi.  This is where I truly found my reason for branching out and expanding my services into a ne...

If you are reading this blog, the chances are pretty good that you have picked up a fashion magazine once or twice in your life.😉  And if you have picked up a fashion magazine, you are going to COMPLETELY relate to what I am sharing today. As you flip through the magazine, you are likely to see photos from Runway Shows and you have the thought, "Ummm, yeah, no one would EVER walk down the street in that!" For the most part,  you would be right.  I mean there will ALWAYS be someone that will push the boundaries, right?! Here's the thing...trends in Fashion are born from a couple of places:  1. Haute Couture, and 2. Street Style.  Today, specifically, we are going to talk about Haute Couture.  Per Merriam Webster dictionary, the meaning of Haute Couture is the houses or designers that create exclusive and often trendsetting fashion for women. That, it does. But how is the average consumer supposed to figure all of this out?  You want to wear some trends...

When you head out shopping, wherever it is that you like to shop for clothes, do you typically have a purpose for the trip?  Or are you just going to browse and see what catches your eye?   If your shopping trip is purposeful, it is easy, right?  You have a goal and a mission.  You are shopping for a specific event.  However, I personally find that many times with purpose-driven trips, it's easy to get distracted by the shiny, pretty things when you shop, amiright?  Same as when you go shopping without a purpose:  you want to see what draws our attention in. This kind of shopping can be fun, if not a bit expensive, but you know how it goes...sometimes you shop and find nothing and other times you see ALL OF THE THINGS!  🤣🤣🤣 You look away as the cashier asks you to insert your credit card because you KNOW that is not a number you want to see!  We have all been there! When your Retail Therapy Session complete and you get home with your ...

March 12th, 2020.  Think back to that day. The day before life shut down. There was uncertainty. What was going to happen now? We had NO IDEA what was going to happen the next day and how long it would last. There was fear of the unknown. Fast forward to 2023. A lot has changed, but a lot also remains unchanged. There is still uncertainty. Especially now given a potential looming recession. There is still the unknown and the fear of it. But we have ADAPTED. Many of us are working from home still, even if only partially. And that is a comfort many have really come to expect.  We have come to expect flexibility and comfort.  And that certainly applies to what we wear. Maybe far back in the waning days of 2019, you wore a suit to work. Maybe your office was Business Casual. Since March 13th 2020, many of these things have changed. We have learned about "Tabletop Dressing", aka dressing the top of our bodies for Zoom meet...

  As I sit and look outside at the beautiful Arizona landscape on my Spring Break vacation, it brings me thoughts of one thing that I hear from clients that they find frustrating about travel:  PACKING! Obviously the time of year you are traveling and where you are traveling are a huge key to figuring out what to bring.  But, commonly we find ourselves in the overpacking trap.  We want to plan for every possible contingency plan.  That kind of packing can cause hurt backs and huge fees if you are planning to fly to your destination! Most people have heard of capsule dressing, but for those of you who are new to the concept, I'm going to give you a little insight. What is a clothing capsule? At its very basic sense, a clothing capsule is: 2 TOPS 2 BOTTOMS 1 TOPPER So, how does this work?  With a capsule of this size, you can create 8 UNIQUE LOOKS. Here is how you start:  Choose ONE BASE NEUTRAL color:  That can be Black, Navy, Brown, Tan or White....

 What truly makes for a happy life? You may be wondering why a Style Coach is talking about happiness.  But, here's the thing:  under the umbrella of being a Style Coach, I seek to help my Clients to overcome self-doubt, build confidence, AND find happiness. This applies not only to your closet (and YES, that definitely plays a role), but to life in general!  Are you surprised? My Clients hear me say repeatedly that what I love most about what I do is when I see a woman clothed in confidence, literally, that is where I find my joy.  We all deserve to feel beautiful and to reflect the beauty we have on the inside OUTSIDE.  But many women struggle with seeing that inner beauty or see all of the perceived flaws on the outside and that translates to how they feel about themselves inside.  And, I work on that with my Clients one-on-one. Back to the elusive "Happiness".  It really can be fleeting, right?  One moment you are walking down the street ...

We have found ourselves in an ever-casual world post-pandemic.  As a Style Coach, I hear it all the time:  "I'm not going into the office, so I just don't need nice clothes.", or "I have littles, so I just don't get dressed up.", and the hardest one to hear is "I'm in the process of losing weight and I don't want to spend money on clothes until I've reached my goal." And, to be very honest, these statements and any like it make me sad.  Why?  Is it because it impacts my business?  Sure.  I'm an honest person so saying anything other than that would not be authentic. But more than ANYTHING, it's because of what these women are saying TO THEMSELVES about themselves.   Let me back up for just a quick minute. Before I dive into self-image, let's talk about external image. Did you know that a first impression is made within the first 7 seconds of someone seeing you?  7 seconds!  And did you know that once that first impressio...