I absolutely love light blue with red!  When I first spied the combination on a mannequin in the window of Garbarini, it was too early in the season to start thinking about it. (And if you read my blog post about red jeans, you might be interested to know I haven’t found them yet. Really need to get on that!) Now I'm inspired! Usually when we think of light blue clothing, we’re thinking of pastels, a bit grandmotherly. Most of my clients make note on their personal  style homework that they dislike pastels; however this jacket shown, although pastel, is pretty intense…almost aqua. (I also like the retro/sailor vibe of the outfit shown!) If you love the color scheme but aren’t sure about red pants, the look could also work with white pants or jeans or even a skirt. Fabulous shoes and accessories would be the key to punching up the look. Here are a few other ideas for wearing red/white/light blue: A white bottom, red jacket/cardigan, light blue top (print, stripe or solid) Light blue skirt, white top, red accessories Red skirt or pants, red jacket (perhaps a suit?), light blue top, white accessories. We all know (Read more...)

Recently several clients and friends have asked me how to deal with dressing in the summer with the vastly varying temperatures either going from: -Arctic office conditions to sweltering desert heat outside or -Starting the day off at a cool 65°F in the morning with the mercury rising to 95°F in the afternoon. While we’ve all heard that layering is crucial especially in Colorado, it can often be a bit of a nebulous concept that usually brings winter sports to mind versus dressing for an office day, out and about seeing clients, or even keeping up with the kids. In this post I’ll give you a few ideas for layering in the office. In my next post, we’ll talk about layering for business casual and casual environments. If your office is extremely frigid due to air conditioning that just won’t quit, (why they can’t get a handle on this in 2010 I’ll never know,) start each day with either a camisole or tank top. These aren’t your weekend/work out pieces, because depending on how insanely hot it is outside you may be stripping down to this layer at some point. (Keeping this in mind, always be conscious of your bra straps.) Next add a cotton or (Read more...)

Butter Cream, Lavender Sorbet, Strawberry, Peach Melba—Close your eyes and envision these ice cream colors. Now open the pages of your favorite magazine or better yet, walk into your favorite store and you’ll find these sumptuous colors and more. If you’ve been yearning to add more color into your mostly neutral wardrobe, this is the year. For several recent seasons, the fashion industry told us color was back in style, but there still wasn’t much in the stores. Well, it’s finally here. Choose from the updated pastels mentioned above along with almost every bright color you can think of. Wondering how to add color into your professional wardrobe without looking like a walking Popsicle? It’s best to add color as an accent to your mostly neutral basics. Consider a soft coral blouse paired with a tan suit. Or if you’re a brave soul, tuck a bright yellow shell under a white jacket. If you work in a business casual environment, think about adding a bright jacket or two into your wardrobe. Royal blue looks sharp with either black or white! Another option? Depending on your office and industry, try a colorful dress topped with a neutral jacket or cardigan.

I can't say enough about the power and ease of basics. Basics are the pieces in your wardrobe that are simple and provide a canvas for the more exciting, detailed, or decorated pieces. I'll share a personal story to illustrate. The other day I was pre pre-shopping and made a little purchase for myself, the sweater to the right. I couldn't wait to wear my new sweater the next day, but I was in a bit of a hurry when I was dressing. So, I looked for some basics to pair it with. I ended up with a black pencil skirt and a black, lace trimmed camisole, both quite basic. Even though the cardigan has the drawstring, it's still pretty basic. I added some color with one of Rhoda Design's purple, semi-precious stone necklaces to give me a little umph! To finish the outfit, I wore hammered silver hoops, black tights and black slingbacks. Because I hadn't originally intended to wear the sweater with a skirt I was especially excited about it. Since I'm all about cost per wear, and I'd only worn the sweater for a few hours the day before, I wore it again the next day. (Of course I (Read more...)

Even though most of the women I saw in Paris were dressed in a business casual mode, a few days into my trip, I saw a few women in suits. They were traditional pantsuits with an interesting twist. The women tied sweaters around their necks as was the popular ‘80’s style here in the U.S.

The sweaters they were sporting around their necks appeared to be very slim styles made of very smooth, lightweight knits, probably cotton/silk blends. The few that I saw were light colors and were very carefully placed, folded and tucked just so, so that the sweater lied flat in a slim column down the center of the back. (I’m guessing this is one of those “accessories” like a scarf that takes quite a bit of work at first, then it’s easy.)

At first I was pretty lukewarm about the trend, but then I got to thinking about it. It’s really quite genius. Let’s say you work in the corporate world and conservative dark suits are your norm. In a sense, the sweater becomes your accessory, allowing you a bit of color and femininity to your ensemble.

If you’re able

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The other day when I was pre-shopping for a client, a woman in her late teens or early 20's struck up a conversation with me. (This is precisely why I only charge for two hours of pre-shopping.) The woman was very sweet and proceeded to tell me that she used to wear a size 8. Now she wears a size 18 and just doesn't know how to dress her body anymore.

She had a curvy figure, which is really just a euphemism for an hourglass figure, as you can see below. We've heard for years that the hour glass figure is ideal, but it's simply not true. The challenge that women with hour glass figures deal with is that their waists are much smaller than their hips and bust lines. If you're not dressing correctly, it's easy to look much heavier than your really are.

I gave my new friend a couple of tips and would like to share those and more with everyone today. Looking at the photos of America Ferrara below, the outfit (Read more...)