Style Harmony

 I hear from women all of the time some version of the following: I don't need new clothes, I don't wear half of what I own. It's hard to put together a great outfit in my closet. I haven't worn what I bought last season, I don't need something new. I bought this piece because I loved it, but I have never figured out how to wear it. Do any of those statements sound familiar? GUILTY! We create so much confusion, chaos, and stress in our closets without even realizing what we are doing. The truth is that most women, when out shopping, tend towards the pretty statement pieces and ignore the basics.  When you do this is when you find that you "have a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear". Women wear only 20% - 30% of what is in their closet. In the digital and technological age, we as humans are attracted to shiny things.  We also live in a world of Amazon and want what we want ... and NOW! This contributes to another commonly heard statement that I he...

 If you are a working woman in a business world who is looking for new clients or aiming for a promotion, the competition is tough.  It's important that to be seen as the right person for the job or the project, you are showing up as the right person each day. I've talk ad nauseum about the impact of what you wear and that when you show up, you need to be dressed for the job and life you want, not the one you have. Personal Branding is incredibly important in life, but especially if you are working in the business world.  You may be thinking "I know what branding is and what a company brand is, but what is a Personal Brand?". Personal Branding is all about intentionally shaping how you are seen by others, highlighting your skills, experience, and values.  It is the conscious and strategic process of crafting and influencing the public perception of an individual. When a person is developing a Personal Brand, there are 3 key aspects to be aware of: Personal Branding i...

It may not even be Spring yet, but the Fall Runways are going STRONG!  That's how the fashion world works.  I've always wondered why we use the phrase "fashionably late" when fashion is ALWAYS very early on the physical calendar. As a Personal Stylist, I pay a lot of attention to these runway shows because I want my clientele to know what's coming and to be ahead of the game.  For most people, fashion is either viewed in Vogue or on the Red Carpet (always a fave!). Most of the time when you see these outfits, the normal person is thinking "I would NEVER wear that" and, truth-be-told, you likely shouldn't. Trends are all about interpretation. The normal person walking down the street likely will NEVER wear an outfit as seen in the fashion magazines or on the Runways. However, there are ways to make what you see on the Runways wearable. That is what I am going to talk about this week. What is a Trend? Fashion Trends, by definition, are a style or expre...

 Last week, I wrote a blog post titled Style and Communicating "Who You Be" . I have linked it just in case you happened to miss it.  Inside of last week's blog, I explained that finding an authentic style is certainly not cookie cutter.  There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to Personal Style. I also talked about how style codes (as I refer to them) are a combination of both Yin (female energy) and Yang (male energy).  We all have BOTH, regardless of our gender. Again, if you would like to understand more before I get into this week, I highly suggest you read last week's blog if you haven't already.  I will wait... Now that we are on the same page with how your Style Personality (or Style Code) is determined, let's get into THIS week. While we each have one masculine and one feminine energy, I thought it may be helpful to show some images of how this translates into an outfit for each personality.  The masculine energies (Yang) are: Dramatic...

 Style is INSTANT LANGUAGE. Whether we like it or not, studies have shown that 93% of what we communicate is non-verbal, which includes body language, tonality and our appearance.  We can see this broken down even further in the chart below. Only 7% of the words actually coming out of our mouth are "speaking" about what we are saying.  The other 93% is your external body language and the tonality of your voice.  Your body language includes things like your facial expressions, your posture, your level of grooming, your eye contact and the clothes you are wearing on your body. These are the things that another person subconsciously uses to decide if you are credible and trustworthy, particularly if your words and your body language are not in congruence. When you break the 55% body language piece down even further, this is where we learn that clothing and grooming account for 95% of that body language piece of the pie.  With snap decisions about someone's characte...

 So you may be wondering...what is the "high-low method"?  When you dress high-low, you are doing one of  two things: You are wearing a Designer item paired back with less expensive items, or You are wearing a dressier piece as a statement and dressing it down with more casual, or basic items. I personally tend to take advantage of #2.  I am not one who shops Designer brands for myself much, but I love an "elevated casual" look.  So, what does that look like?  My "uniform" many times in dressing in this way is to wear a dressed up blazer and to pair it with a t-shirt or blouse and a pair of slouchy boyfriend jeans. What are the benefits of high-low dressing? I love that when you dress with this method, you are actually using the dressier items in your closet.  Maybe you have a fantastic sequin blazer that you typically only wear during the holidays.  Grabbing this piece and pairing it with denim or joggers or even leggings is a great way to make u...

 Have you ever walked into a store in the cold month of February and seen swimsuits and thought, "Um, isn't it a little early for this?" or alternatively, during the month of August seen a swarm of sweaters as you are wiping the sweat beading up on your forehead from walking between your car to the store's entry door? Yep, I think we have all been there.  Today, I'm going to give you a brief outline of the Fashion calendar so you know what to expect.  Why does this matter?  Because if you want to be at the forefront of fashion, it's important to get in early before all the "good stuff" has been shopped! There is a LOT that goes into the mass market fashion timeline and if it isn't all strategic, THAT would be a fashion disaster!  To keep things simple here, I am going to talk about MASS MARKET Fashion because the rest is not what most of us shop! Step 1:  Trend Forecasting Believe it or not, trends are forecasted anywhere from 18 months to 24 mon...