A lot of web sites have a page for “FAQ’s.” I don’t…no particular reason. Or perhaps I prefer to  answer questions individually. Nevertheless, for today’s blog post,  I have decided to address questions and comments I get a lot. Where do you shop for your clients? Where I shop for you is usually dictated by your personal style and budget. I shop at a variety of department stores, specialty stores and boutiques. In terms of areas, I find Cherry Creek and Park Meadows to have the best selections, while outlying malls typically have smaller inventories of both size and styles. How do you choose the clothes for you clients to try on? Before I step foot into a store to begin personal shopping, we’ve done a style assessment and I have your style recipe. I’ll also have your shopping list. We may be starting completely from scratch or filling in with pieces to make your wardrobe work harder for you. No matter what you need, I am searching for clothes to match your personal style; fit your lifestyle; and budget and flatter your body type. (Read more...)

Lace is currently a huge trend, but really it’s nothing new.  I first wrote about lace in the e-Style Tip of the Month for fall of 2008; however, because I focus on professional style, I’ve never really spent too much time on it. Personally, I love the look of lace, but I’ll admit it is hard to pull off in the business environment…until now! Even though summer has barely begun, in the fashion world the collections for fall 2011 have been ready for months. (Crazy, right?!) For fall 2011, Jason Wu has done an amazing job incorporating beautiful lace into plenty of garments that would be perfectly appropriate for the office. Check out Wu’s fall collection on Style.com. Okay, so I don’t wear designer clothing hot off the runway, but I do draw huge inspiration from it. My favorite looks from the collection are the classic,  professional dress worthy pieces trimmed with gorgeous lace. The pencil skirt with the lace trim running down the sides is absolutely fantastic! While I’m not a DIYer, I can absolutely see finding some lace trim and having my tailor update a pencil skirt, blazer, or even a wool tweed coat. It’s a great way to (Read more...)

As an image consultant, I often get asked in regard to professional dress, “how much jewelry is too much.” The amount of jewelry you wear at any one time can be different for professional dress and every day dress. The main goal of professional dress is to create a memorable image without any distractions. The following are some tips to help you decide what to wear and what not to wear:

• Earrings, necklaces, pins and scarves help draw attention to your face, where you always want it for business. When your face is the focal point, your message is much stronger!

• Metals, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, and crystal jewelry present an elegant look without being audacious. Examine each piece for a look of quality.  Avoid plastic or enamel, or anything that looks cheap.

• Medium-sized jewelry will be eye-catching and sharp, yet not distracting in business. Delicate jewelry is beautiful, but it doesn’t have the drawing power of a more substantial piece. Overly large pieces can be distracting.

• One piece of jewelry should be dominant, larger or more attention getting, and the other pieces should be subordinate. For example, if you’re wearing a substantial necklace, your earrings should be

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When you have to get dressed for work day after day, and especially when it’s hot weather, it may be tempting to slip on a simple cotton blouse with a pair of slacks and call it good. Unfortunately, it’s simply not enough! Specifically I’m talking about an un-accessorized outfit consisting of a fitted cotton, puffed short sleeved blouse worn on the outside of a pair of neutral colored slacks and neutral shoes. Why is it not enough? There are several reasons. First, one of the cornerstones of professional dress is layering. Instead of the blouse alone, layer it with a jacket or if it’s quite hot, a summer weight cardigan. (Seriously, everyone I ever talk to tells me their office is freezing with air conditioning.) Next, cotton combined with puffed, short sleeves spells extremely young. I’m not meaning to offend or to squelch anyone’s personal style; however, there are many other options that will serve you better. If you love puffed sleeves, look to more sophisticated fabrications such as silk. In many cases, even polished cotton or a print will elevate your look. Lastly, if you work in a very casual office or your job requires you to be able to move around (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...)

Strands of pearls and long necklaces are ever so stylish right now. However as an image, wardrobe and style consultant, I’ve consulted with a few bigger busted women who just aren’t sure if these necklaces will complement them. Without a doubt, you can wear necklaces…use the following tips to wear necklaces to add to not only your personal style, but your professionalism to boot! When it comes to long necklaces, you need chunky styles and those with multiple strands. Single strands and delicate chains with pendants will just fall into your cleavage-not where you want attention for business. If your preference is for shorter necklaces, chunky is still the way to go. Be sure it sits well below your collar bone. (In pearls, this length is often called opera length.) Your goal with this necklace is to balance your proportions and create a V or U shape, which brings attention to the middle of your body. The eye then naturally goes up to your gorgeous face. I urge you to try these tips. Accessories are truly magical!

The second most hotly debated topic in regard to professional dress surrounds open-toed shoes in the spring and summer. (Check out the biggest debate.) For the most professional appearance, wear closed toed shoes. I can hear everyone groaning already, but there are a few reasons closed-toed shoes are more professional than open-toes or sandals. First, skin is distracting, and wearing sandals exposes a lot of skin. To further that, toes are distracting. I know that sounds a little odd, but it’s true. Your feet are a long way from your face. Forgoing open-toed shoes will help keep attention at your face and to what you’re saying. Another reason to avoid sandals in a professional setting is that they can convey leisure. If you’re doing business, it’s important to show you’re ready to do business. All of that said, I know how irresistible it may be to lighten up your look for summer. Here are a few tips:

• Always check your company dress code before you make any changes to your attire.
• If you always wear pumps, a sling back, closed-toe pump can be a nice change.
• The most professional open-toe shoe is a peep toe pump. The next contender would

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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...)

The Groundhog saw his shadow, so we're in for at least 6 more weeks of winter. Considering that in Colorado we can have 60 degree days in February and snowstorms in spring, that doesn't mean a lot to us. How can you dress for such crazy weather? Read below for both professional dress and casual solutions for layering. I'm a huge fan of layering, especially with jackets.  Given the shortage of long sleeved blouses and short sleeved shells in the stores, we're presented with a challenge when we want to take our jackets off. Luckily, fashion has taken a turn and given us a solution that works for everyone no matter what your personal style. We're seeing ¾ length and long sleeved, lightweight, button-up cardigans worn underneath jackets. When you get a little warm, instead of suffering, simply shed the jacket and you still have a layered look that's appropriate without losing your authority and credibility. The following are a few ideas to try: * A lightweight printed cardigan over a collared blouse worn under a suit jacket. It's a great way to add life to a basic suit. * A lightweight, round necked, cardigan buttoned to the neck over a camisole worn with (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...)