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I got an e-mail the other day from Anthropologie and even after going to the web site haven’t been able to delete it. I absolutely love this look!  With this next statement, you'll think I'm crazy, but I could never wear the sweater (wrong green-wrong pattern-too bulky,) and I’m not crazy about plaid. What I like is the color combination, black/white/green. (I typically wear more of a lime or apple green over the grass green.) It’s a classic color combo and can be worn year round; And it’s perfectly professional (business casual) to boot!

The skirt? While I don’t love plaid, I again like the color combo—on the bottom. We so often see prints on the upper body-more difficult for us inverted triangles, (bigger on top than on bottom.) The other aspect of the whole look that I love is that it’s a touch retro. We’re going to be seeing a lot more skirt silhouettes for fall. This skirt is a cross between an A-Line and a Full

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While sometimes we think business casual is especially hard in the summer, it doesn’t have to be. The other day, I was meeting a client for lunch. It was a warm sunny day, and I wanted to be cool, comfortable, and stylish, professional without looking too dressed up. I chose a white 3Dots t-shirt and a tan, pencil skirt. Alone this would have been a pretty bland outfit, so I added a heavy, chain necklace, gold hoops and my gold watch. Then I slipped on my brown high heeled “gladiator” sandals. Ah, and because you can never tell what the weather is going to do, I grabbed my Beth Bowley, lightweight, brown cardigan. Here’s why this outfit works— First, the colors are neutral and the shapes are basic, so they're super easy to combine. Secondly, instead of choosing any old white t-shirt, I picked one in a high quality. While you might not always want to sink a lot of money into your everyday summer tops, a few nice quality t-shirts in your wardrobe lend themselves to a business casual look. They also wash better and last longer. Next, the weight of the skirt is a little heavier than your typical cotton skirt. (Read more...)

I'm always astounded how quickly time flies between my spring and fall trend reports, but here we are again! As with the last few seasons, we're continuing to see many classic garments. However, this fall designers have gotten extra creative with colors, textures and best of all, the way they've combined classics with trendier pieces. Since I specialize in professional dress, I always hesitate to use the word "trend." Adopting trends doesn't necessarily deem you trendy. Rather, think of it as new ways of updating your look to keep things fresh! The following is just a sampling of what awaits you in the stores. 

Colors

Purple-from amethyst to deep plum. Red-mostly a tomato red, great for blondes and brunettes with warm coloring. More colors include russet, (brown with a tinge of red,) burnt orange and of course, black.

Lace

From heavy lace garments to lace trims. If a lace blouse seems like too much for you, consider wearing it under a jacket or sweater with only the collar and cuffs peeking out.

Belts

Although all widths of belts remain popular, the newest widths are approximately 2 inches and very skinny. Look for (Read more...)

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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...)