Recently a friend and blog reader asked me to do a blog post about choosing handbags. I hadn’t really thought about it much before, but truly there are some important things to consider when you’re buying a handbag, so you don’t end up with a bag that you just can’t stand. I’ll start off by saying that I’m not a real “purse girl,” I’m much more of a “shoe gal,” meaning that of course I carry a handbag, but I don’t have a ton of bags waiting to be used. I have a tough time committing to a new purse. I don’t like the ones that look cheap and preferring leather, the ones I really love just seem out of my price range/comfort zone, although I’m beginning to work through this. Here are some points to consider when you’re handbag shopping. 1. What size do you need or prefer? What all do you carry? Are the items big or small? You’ve got to accommodate your largest item and of course all of your other daily essentials. I was looking at bags the other day and found something cute, but it was too thin to hold my huge sunglass case. The salesperson suggested carrying (Read more...)

One of the big trends coming for Spring 2011 is an influence of 70’s style. True, one of my style mantras is if you wore it the first time around, you probably shouldn’t wear it the second time around; however, with this resurgence of 70’s styles, comes platform wedges. I wasn’t allowed to wear them the first time around, so I’m really excited to get my hands on a couple of pairs of these! Besides being able to wear something I was forbidden to wear while I was under my mother’s roof, I’m also looking forward to these shoes, because in the true style, they seem very wearable. What makes platform wedges different from traditional wedges is that the soles are wide, and there is a very gentle slope from heel to toe. I’ve even seen a few that are simply flat platforms with no angle at all. Since I’m battling with tendinitis in my ankle, and most of my clients can’t wear heels, I’m hoping that these shoes will provide the stability many of us need to be able to wear heels again. Platform wedges look fantastic with bell bottoms, also very big for spring. (I will talk more about these (Read more...)

If you want to add more color to your wardrobe, but just one pop of color isn’t enough for you, let’s talk about opposites attracting. I’m talking about opposite colors, or complementary colors, on the color wheel. Putting opposite colors together is one of the most basic, yet fun ways of producing a color scheme to your outfit. For the sake of ease today, we’ll concentrate on tops. So you don’t feel like Rainbow Bright all of a sudden, ground any of your outfits with a neutral skirt or pant. I know what you’re thinking as you’re looking at this color wheel, “Dana, Christmas is over; I’m not wearing red and green together!” True, the colors on the color wheel are a little saturated and a bit bright. Rather than wearing true red and green together, consider candy pink and lime green. Playing around with the intensity and value of the colors is where your creativity comes shining through! Still not convinced? Worried about being mistaken for Denver Bronco fan* in orange and blue? Simply change the shades to peach and light blue. Or why not slide over a notch on the color wheel, and wear tangerine (Read more...)

If one of your fashion resolutions or style goals for 2011 is to add more color into your wardrobe, I applaud you and admire you. Color is the element of design that is noticed first and remembered most. Plus in my opinion, color is just fun! Now then if you’ve made that resolution, but you’re not quite sure how to go about adding the color, I have an easy tip for you. A POP of color! Adding a pop of color, particularly a bright color, is a phenomenal way to add interest to an otherwise all neutral outfit. For example if your outfit consists of a black jacket, white blouse, a black/white hounds-tooth check skirt and black shoes, go ahead and swap the white blouse for purple, lime green, hot pink or your favorite bright. Not interested in changing your top? You can also add that pop of color in your accessories. Instead of black shoes, why not try red or cobalt blue? You will be absolutely amazed at the compliments you’ll get and the way you’ll feel in this more fashion forward look. (A note of caution here: Don’t wear the bright shoes on a presentation day. All eyes will be on your (Read more...)

You’re in good company! Famous petites include Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland, Bo Derek, Raquel Welch, Cher, Winona Ryder, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Kristin Chenoweth, Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, Salma Hayek, Victoria Beckham, Madonna, and the list goes on. The fashion world considers women 5’ 3” and under to be petite. If you’re petite, you probably already know this, but it bears repeating, because I very often hear women referring to “petite” in the context of slimness. That simply isn’t the case. Petites comes in all sizes! Below, I’ve outlined just a few tips that will help you dress for your height and body. Even if you’re not in the petite height range, I encourage you to read on, as you may find ideas that will work for you no matter what your stature. 1. You may or may not need to shop solely for petite clothing. It’s possible to be petite both above and below the waist – but it’s also to possible to be petite in only one area. I have plenty of clients who need petite tops and jackets, but petite pants are far too short for them. Then there are others who need only the shorter rise and length (Read more...)

As an addendum to How to Dress in an Arctic Office, I’d like to talk about layering when you’re not working in an office, but you’d still like to maintain a great presence when the temperatures vary vastly throughout the day. For example, how do you dress when you start your day starts at a cool 60°, then the temperatures swell to desert highs? Again, layering! If you haven’t had the chance to read the last post on this topic, I’d mentioned that “layering” is such a buzz word, but it seems to leave us a little baffled unless we’re heading to the mountains, and yes, we all know how to layer with long johns! To make layering in the city easiest, be sure that you have a few basic, neutral camisoles/tanks and long sleeved t-shirts in your closet. Tissue weight t-shirts are the ultimate; you know, the ones you look at and think, “I can’t wear this. It’s see through!” You’ll also need a couple of jackets that aren’t from Lucy or REI. (This is where it gets a little tricky for us Colorado girls!) And if they’re (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...)