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...)

As an image and wardrobe consultant, when I do Closet Audits with my clients, without exception, they want me to tell them if something is outdated. It makes me feel horrible, but sometimes I see things that still have the tags on them, and they’re out of style. Often, my client had just been shopping the prior weekend. How can this be, you ask? It’s the fashion lifecycle. Read on to learn more, and find out how to make sure you never end up with brand new out-moded clothes in your closet. Trends are usually introduced at the New York and international runway shows. As you can see from the chart, new styles start on the left and evolve into a bell curve. Initially the clothes and accessories are quite expensive and are adopted by the Fashion Innovators. As time goes on, the style becomes more and more popular, peaking when it is very widely available to the masses at all price points. (How long each of these stages lasts varies greatly.) As a style starts to fade, it is accepted by the Late Adopters. And finally when the style is virtually gone, it’s adopted by the

(Read more...)

Okay, it’s 2010. There’s just one thing I want to know. Why, with all of our technology, can’t the shoe industry make a really cute walking shoe? I’m getting ready for a trip to Chicago for shopping and sight-seeing later this week. Just last week I realized I haven’t made any improvements in my walking shoe wardrobe since I battled with it for Europe 2 years ago. To add insult to injury, not only do I need something for lots of walking, but I am also battling tendinitis in my ankle, so that cuts out certain styles as well. So I headed out to Dardanos on Colorado Blvd. Two of my clients have had great luck there-why not me, right? I was truly amazed at the number of  shoes they had, but equally amazed at how many ugly shoes they carry. I understand that for some, the comfort shoe, i.e. Birkenstocks, Danskos, etc, is a look-their style. I’m perfectly fine with that, but that isn’t everyone's style. Again, it seems as though we have the technology! I also don’t understand why these comfort brands make such unfashionable colors? I thought found a shoe that was great, but when the salesman brought (Read more...)

Although I usually limit my blog to wardrobe topics, I have to share my favorite product with you! Jergens Natural Glow is an amazing way to "get a tan" without exposing your skin to harmful rays. It's a combination moisturizer and self tanner. It's light and works gradually, so if you're not applying it evenly you can correct it more easily than with  normal self tanners. My skin tone is medium, and I naturally tan quickly, so I use the Firming formula for Medium to Tan skin tones. While cellulite isn't a big concern for me, I have noticed that the "firming," seems to work, and my cellulite is virtually invisible. Another plus of the product is that it helps hide spider veins--important if you're skipping nylons with skirts. Also, the bottles says it takes a week to work, but I get pretty good color in about three days. Lastly, Natural Glow doesn't have that overpowering "self tanner smell!" (You know what I'm talking about if you've ever used self tanner!) I don't notice a scent at all, but my husband thinks it smells like Chicken in a Biscuit (crackers)??

In my chapter from “Image Power,” How to Shop Like a Pro and Look Like a Million Bucks, I am adamant about buying complete outfits; however, today I’m going to talk about breaking that rule with accessories. It is perfectly fine to buy an accessory in your favorite color without having something to wear with it. If it’s a color you’re absolutely drawn to, chances are good you have it in your wardrobe or you’ll buy it in the future. For example, I am crazy for purple, usually a dark shade versus one that is light or muted. I once saw a pair of shoes in DSW in kind of a berry tone. They were very cool and a fantastic price. I couldn’t think of one thing I could wear them with, but I thought, “What the heck,” and took the plunge. I wear them all of the time! (Right now as a matter of fact!) I originally wore them with a printed, silk dress that had various shades of purple. The other day, I wore them with a charcoal gray dress with a border print of mauves and berries. Today, they’re sassing up a charcoal gray skirt and plaid trench (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...)

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...)

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...)

I am a big believer in the Cluster concept that I wrote about in a past post, and I use it a lot with my clothing. The thing is that I have a few clusters along with stand alone outfits and various pieces that mix and match but aren't really part of a cluster. Okay, so it sounds like I have a huge wardrobe, but I don't have nearly as many clothes as I used to have before I started my business and was trained by a woman who lives and dies by clusters.

To get to my point...My husband and I are going to Europe for three weeks in May. Of course, I'm already thinking of the clothes I'll take. But I'm a little nervous. We've decided we're going to pack all of our clothes FOR THREE WEEKS in the largest carry on bags that the airlines allow. We've been told that it's easier for trains, too.

I'm sure I can come up with scads of outfits, but will I be able to find things that don't have to be dry cleaned? I don't know why, but the majority of my clothes go to (Read more...)