Whether you're speaking to six people in a conference room or 600 in an auditorium, you want all eyes on you. I'm mean, let's face it you're not up there for your health! Here are just a few tips to help you create a compelling, engaging image. 1. Do be physically comfortable. As a speaker you need to be able to move around and make gestures with ease. 2. Don’t wear anything distracting. Eyeglasses should have an anti-reflective coating. Avoid loud jewelry and ties, overly ornamental belt buckles and most of all, long dangling earrings. Your goal is to draw your audience’s eyes to your face. You want them to pay attention to what you’re saying. 3. A matched suit is often a good choice for speaking. A matched suit gives out messages that you are authoritative, knowledgeable, credible, and formal. 4. Research your venue. Don’t wear anything that will clash with the surroundings or other speakers on stage. Research your audience. What is their age range, gender and what is important to them. 5. Never “save” an outfit for a speaking engagement. Always give it a trial run to see how you feel in it and how others react to you in it. 6. Always (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...)

Yesterday morning I was having coffee with a good friend/business colleague. I was wearing my  new scoop neck, animal print top, (see picture.) It’s not necessarily low cut, but it’s not terribly modest, either. At one point, I was writing something down and leaning over the table a bit. I just happened to glance at my friend and noticed her eyes looking down, which promptly made me look at my top. Yep, I could see right down into it. Now I know my friend, a female, wasn’t trying to look down my shirt, but the truth is that skin and cleavage are simply distracting. Once I noticed, we had a chuckle over it, but be assured I sat up straight the rest of the day, and I won’t wear the top for business again. The moral of the story? When you’re in the fitting room, pay attention to: -the way your tops and blouses move with you -how low they’re cut -and how they fit, not just how cute they are.