As an image and wardrobe consultant, when I do Closet Audits with my clients, without exception, they want me to tell them if something is outdated. It makes me feel horrible, but sometimes I see things that still have the tags on them, and they’re out of style. Often, my client had just been shopping the prior weekend. How can this be, you ask? It’s the fashion lifecycle. Read on to learn more, and find out how to make sure you never end up with brand new out-moded clothes in your closet. Trends are usually introduced at the New York and international runway shows. As you can see from the chart, new styles start on the left and evolve into a bell curve. Initially the clothes and accessories are quite expensive and are adopted by the Fashion Innovators. As time goes on, the style becomes more and more popular, peaking when it is very widely available to the masses at all price points. (How long each of these stages lasts varies greatly.) As a style starts to fade, it is accepted by the Late Adopters. And finally when the style is virtually gone, it’s adopted by the

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While my tag line is "I help take the stress out of getting dressed," please don't think for a minute that I never encounter any stress in my wardrobe. I've been super busy and having fun helping clients organize their closets and buying new clothes. It's exciting seeing a wardrobe transform. And now after finally having a few minutes on Sunday to swap out my spring/summer closet into fall/winter, I'm excited to make some changes to my own wardrobe. My stress lies in the fact that my tendinitis is still bugging me, and most of my clothes need to be worn with heels. The solution sounds easy enough. Hem your pants, and get some flat shoes, right? I have mostly trousers and pencil skirts, both of which truly need to be worn with heels, so I'm a little limited right now. Because I have high hopes of being able to wear heels for longer lengths of time, I'm not ready to make any drastic changes. Now the fun part. Over the past several years, I've built a beautiful wardrobe of basics, but I'm beginning to feel a bit of a shift. I feel as though I'm ready to shake things up a (Read more...)

I just returned from Chicago late last week after a week’s vacation. And yes, I can affirm--it’s hot there! I knew I’d be doing a lot of shopping, so I took along some casual dresses. I know this might sound dressy for vacation, but truly my dresses were the coolest items I wore. I’ve said it before, skirts and dresses are far cooler than pants. (I was baffled by women wearing jeans and maxi dresses!) Other pluses for these cotton knit sundresses: - They don’t wrinkle. I wore one of mine the last day of the trip and it didn’t need ironing. -They can be casual with thongs or dressed up in a pinch with a heel and jewelry.

To wear or skip pantyhose is the most hotly debated topic I cover in professional dress. It’s human nature to want to be ultimately comfortable and to also follow what others are doing; however, this is an area where you should really stop to think about your environment, superiors/peers and your goals. Something you may not know is that study after study shows that women who wear hosiery are viewed as more capable than their bare legged peers. They also typically earn more money. Why, you may ask? A couple of reasons…Hosiery gives a more finished look to professional clothes; they give you a barrier so that you’re showing less skin (another pro dress guideline,) and they send out a non-verbal (subconscious) message that you take care of the details. Those are pretty darn good arguments for pantyhose! The cons? Of course, they uncomfortable and especially hot in warm weather. (I probably didn’t need to point this out, right?) The other con to wearing pantyhose is that a lot of people view them as frumpy and old fashioned—No one has ever told me they’d like to be perceived as either of those! I think this may have a lot to do with the (Read more...)

In my chapter from “Image Power,” How to Shop Like a Pro and Look Like a Million Bucks, I am adamant about buying complete outfits; however, today I’m going to talk about breaking that rule with accessories. It is perfectly fine to buy an accessory in your favorite color without having something to wear with it. If it’s a color you’re absolutely drawn to, chances are good you have it in your wardrobe or you’ll buy it in the future. For example, I am crazy for purple, usually a dark shade versus one that is light or muted. I once saw a pair of shoes in DSW in kind of a berry tone. They were very cool and a fantastic price. I couldn’t think of one thing I could wear them with, but I thought, “What the heck,” and took the plunge. I wear them all of the time! (Right now as a matter of fact!) I originally wore them with a printed, silk dress that had various shades of purple. The other day, I wore them with a charcoal gray dress with a border print of mauves and berries. Today, they’re sassing up a charcoal gray skirt and plaid trench (Read more...)

You might read the title Delish Demure and wonder what in the world I’m talking about. Well, Delish Demure is a world of all things womanly, girly and absolutely fabulous! It’s a new (2008) Greenwood Village, boutique I visited with a client on Saturday. Walking in the front door you’re immediately taken in by the hot pink walls, the very cool crystal chandeliers and the sparkling white marble floor. And although the shop isn’t huge, you’ll want to stay there all day. Along with the inviting interior, the clothes are fabulous, too! Even in post holiday sale mode, there was plenty to choose. As a wardrobe consultant, I try to encourage my clients from wearing all black, and here there is far more color than I have seen in almost any store recently. What also sets this boutique apart is the range of sizes-they don't stop at size 4 like so many local boutiques. Owner, Lauren Metz, has her finger on the pulse of what women want. She told me she buys for women, 40-60; however, her high school aged helper modeled pieces that she couldn’t wait to buy. There’s something for all categories of your life: work, play, evenings out, relaxing and (Read more...)

The fall trends have shown themselves, but it will be a couple of more months before we look at spring's trends. What does that leave? Accessories! In particular this month--scarves. Before you declare yourself "not a scarf person," read on. We're not talking about your grandma's scarves. Today's scarves have a more modern, casual vibe great for business, business casual and casual wear. If your wardrobe is devoid scarves, I encourage you to take a trip to the accessories department or your favorite boutique with this tip in hand and do a little experimenting. If you like scarves, follow these tips, and you may just learn to love scarves. The Hardest Working Accessory Scarves are the ultimate multi-tasking accessory. Here are just a few reasons to love them. * Camouflage If you've put on a couple of extra pounds over the holidays, (like me,) you'll love this quick fix. A long scarf not only covers your tummy, but it also creates a strong, center front vertical line creating the illusion that you're taller an thinner. * Color Even though most of us own a lot of it, black is rarely our best color. By adding a colorful scarf to a black jacket or sweater, (Read more...)

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...)

Yesterday on about.com, Cynthia Nellis posted an article titled, “Top 5 Things a Grown Woman Should Never Wear.” She lists: overalls, pig tails, knee socks, tie dye, and rabbit fur. I’ll agree with Cynthia on the overalls. They’re cute on kids, but they just don’t flatter any adult woman’s figure type. Luckily, I can’t say I’ve seen anyone wearing them around town. Pigtails-They can be okay for working out or perhaps skiing, and the little short ones look kind of cute for a sporty look. Knee socks-Showing up as a trend this season, they’re a little different than what you might remember from grade school. The ones I’ve seen are nylon and a touch sheer. Most of them go over the knee a la thigh high boots. It’s a sexy look that’s definitely best reserved for a party. I’m not going to ban them, but I think they might be a little tricky to get just right. While I don’t wear tie dye, I can’t quite figure out why all of the style experts are against it. Men's tie dyed  t-shirts on women are pretty unflattering. And it’s a bit too Bohemian when it’s worn head to toe, but last weekend I (Read more...)

The other day I picked up a copy of the NY Times and came upon a review, (Beyond a Simple Fashion Statement by Roberta Smith) of a Photography exhibit titled "Dress Codes." Naturally, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, I can't just jet off to New York to see the exhibit, but there were some interesting quotes on dress and image in the article that I thought I would share. "Clothing is a language that we study carefully and read almost reflexively, like the expression on a person's face. What we wear is an interface between our bodies (and our selves)--" "From Diane Arbus: 'Everybody has this thing where they need to look one way, but they come out looking another way, and that's what people observe.'" (I don't necessarily agree with this quote.) "I'm afraid I like my  movie stars, especially female ones, to dress the part." (In response to her disappointment of "lack of sartorial display" in a video featuring Cate Blanchett.) To see the whole article, visit NYTimes.com