The other day I read a blog post where the blogger was talking about how she’s tired of the old New Year’s adage, “New Year, New You,” and the term “make-over.” She proposed, “New Year, Better You,” and “make-better.” I couldn’t agree with her more. Isn’t our goal to continually improve ourselves or freshen up an aspect of our appearance? As an image/wardrobe consultant, I never aim to completely change someone’s look, rather I help them enhance and make the absolute most of what they have. Then I read a great article in the January issue of Harper’s Bazaar, Reinvent Yourself by Teri Agins. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the article: “But most of us just want to polish and maximize who we already are, and what better time than the present? With all its visual impact, fashion is always a good place for a new start.” “When you are well dressed and fierce, it's life enhancing for you and all the people around you," declares Simon Doonan, creative director at Barneys New York. She goes on to suggest taking your personal style and pumping up the volume. For example, if you love dressing glamorously for evening, (Read more...)

Dear Dana, My husband recently bought me a pair of black leather boots with a shiny finish and a serious stiletto heel. I’m delighted to find I can somewhat walk in them! How can I incorporate these into my wardrobe? Are they okay for business or are they strictly casual? What a great gift! A question for you… are the boots patent leather? Patent leather has a high gloss, mirror finish. Very chic right now.  Whether they are patent leather or have a glazed leather finish, you can easily work them into your wardrobe. As long as they don’t have heavy detailing such as heavy chains or heavy buckles, they can be worn with almost anything except a very traditional business skirt suit.  Another point of consideration--if you’re doing a presentation (and they are indeed patent) you’d want to avoid wearing the boots with a skirt or dress. The shiny finish will be distracting to your audience. How to showcase your new boots? They would be super cute and modern with a wrap dress. They are a natural with skirts—almost any style as long as it’s not overly casual. Certainly they will work well with nice black pants. The caveat (Read more...)

Do you have a friend, mother, sister, daughter or other special female in your life who is tough to shop for? Or perhaps you've just run out of gift ideas for her over the years. An elements of image gift certificate is the perfect gift! It's easy!  Simply choose the amount you'd like to spend or the service you'd like her to have. Then contact me at 303-463-4839, 303-868-8925 or dana@elementsofimage.com. We'll discuss her needs and your budget, and I'll put the perfect package together to fit them both! A suggestion?  A Princess Day:  Treat your mom, best friend or any other special female in your life to a Princess Day.  I'll take you both shopping at her favorite stores. Yes, you get to come along, but this day is all about the princess! (She not only gets pampering and expert advice, she gets to spend time with you, too!) Since every wish is her command, we'll do exactly what she wants...maybe a new outfit or two, learning what styles look the best on her, or even finding the perfect shoes for every outfit. Click here for more ideas

Thursday, October 15th 8:15 – 9:45 am Do you avoid shopping, finding it painful?  Do you come home from your shopping trips overwhelmed and exhausted? Join me for this BBH (Business Before Hours) to learn how to turn what you might consider a dreadful task into a tolerable, possibly even enjoyable one.  If you already enjoy shopping, you’ll find these tips can help save money, be more efficient, and you’ll come home from your shopping trips happier then ever. In this session you will: * Learn how to shop for good values, not just bargains, * Discover the secrets for successful shopping trips, * Find out how to plan a wardrobe that works for your personal style, lifestyle, and budget, * Understand how to create the wardrobe of your dreams… and look like a million bucks! 355 South Teller Street, Suite 200 Lakewood, CO 80226 (Two traffic lights east of Wadsworth, off Alameda) Free parking behind the building SPACE IS LIMITED! RSVP by Tuesday, October 13th 303-235-0989 Info@CorporateOfficeImages.com

What is up with this weather? Let’s face it; the weather in Colorado is out of control! Today’s April snow shower certainly makes a case for having a few basic, neutral colored, all weather garments in your wardrobe. Let me break it down a little bit. All weather fabrics could include tropical (lightweight) wool, cotton twill, or polyester/rayon blends. The key is to choose a few pieces that don’t scream “summer” like linen or extremely lightweight cotton. You also need pieces in your closet that that don’t scream “winter wonderland”. Neutral colors such as black, navy, taupe, camel, brown or gray combine well with other dark colors for cool weather, and they also coordinate well with lighter and brighter colors in warm weather. Wearing an all season, beige or camel suit with a bright pink blouse allows you to appear spring-like during an unseasonal snow storm without freezing all day. Conversely, the same suit worn with a forest green top is cool enough, yet suitable for winter when our temperatures are in the sixties in February. To learn what pieces are a smart buy, read Wardrobe Basics and More Wardrobe Essentials.

The other day, I read the advice that to keep your closet fresh, your clothes should be 70% classic and 30% trendy. I thought this made sense, but I have a couple of tweaks. Thirty percent trendy is a pretty big chunk of your closet. Trendy clothing is extreme and won't last more that a season or two. It could be expensive to replace 30% of your wardrobe every year! Instead, I recommend 10% trendy and 20% fashion forward. Fashion forward clothing is interesting and fun. These pieces are not necessarily classics, but you won't look out of date wearing them a few years down the line. That brings us to the classics, styles that will be fashionable for at least 5-10 years. Some classics can be worn even longer, but truly, there is no classic that can be worn "forever." Silhouettes and fabrics change over the years, and it's important for your image to wear updated, modern silhouettes. I also like to advise my clients to make sure that most of their classics are also basics. Basics are pieces that are relatively simple without a lot of design details. They combine easily with the highly styled garments and allow you to (Read more...)

Let's face it; winter is a long season in Colorado. You probably have some great pieces in your closet, but you're sick of your outfits. Versus going out and buying for the sake of buying, my solution is for you to shop in your closet. Here are a few tips: 1. Break up your suits. Many suits that are bought together aren't meant to be separated, but most are easily separated. Pair your pinstriped pants with a solid jacket. Wear your glen plaid jacket with a solid skirt. Play with layering in new ways. Instead of your usual shell under a jacket, try a belted, lightweight cardigan. 2. Mix prints. If you feel like your outfits are bland, mix it up! Combine that pinstripe suit with a geometric print blouse. For a more subtle look, pair your tweeds with prints. The trick to mixing prints and patterns is to make sure one print is dominant an the other is subordinate. Also, there should be at least one common color in all pieces. 3. Soften menswear with feminine pieces. This is one of my favorite looks, unexpected and (Read more...)

Let's face it. Winter is a long season in Colorado. You probably have some great clothes in your closet, but you are most likely sick of your outfits. Versus going out and buying for the sake of buying, my solution is for you to shop in your closet, making totally new outfits from your existing clothes. Here are a few tips: 1. Break up your suits. Many suits that are bought together are not meant to be separated, but most are easily separated. For example, pair your pinstriped pants with a solid jacket. Wear your glen plaid jacket with a solid skirt. Play with layering in new ways. Instead of your usual shell under a jacket, try a belted cardigan. 2. Mix Prints. If you fell like your ensembles are bland, mix it up! Combine that pinstripe suit with a geometric print blouse. For a more subtle look, combine your tweeds with prints. The trick to mixing prints and patterns is to make sure one print is dominant and the other is subordinate. Next, there should be at least one common color in all pieces of your outfit. 3. Soften (Read more...)

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...)