Are you thrilled with your personal style? Is shopping easy because you know the styles and design elements you love and gravitate easily toward them? If not, January is a great time to begin to explore your new look. With the winter months looming, you’ve got at least a couple of months, pressure free, to work on this aspect of your life. One of my favorite ways to develop a style identity is to create either a style file or a style inspiration board. Find things that really resonate with you. They can be photos but also things like paint swatches, fabric samples, buttons, beads, small items from your home, etc. Look for photos of things, places and looks you love. This is the important part. Don’t settle for things you kind of like, think will look good on you or are simply pretty. Choose the things that stop you and almost take your breath away. It's not important to know why you like the photo or item right away. Another key to this exercise is to look at all aspects of a photo/item. For example, perhaps you’re extremely drawn to our photo of this Dries Van Noten outfit. But you know you’d (Read more...)

In just a few mere days, all of the Fall Fashion Preview issues of the fashion magazines will be hitting the newsstands! Admittedly, it's a pretty exciting time of year for me. Although the magazines have been giving small glimpses of fall for most of the summer, September is when the big, thick, "bibles" hit. You may be wondering why I'm talking about this. It's simple, one word, okay well two: Wardrobe Planning! By seeing the new trends and designer offerings, you can begin to get a good feel for what you need to update and complete your wardrobe. (Read more...)