wardrobe coordination
Picking & Pairing Impactful Prints
Since I’ve been teaching about print selection – and especially since my article on the topic for Threads magazine – I’ve realized that my own wardrobe was the opposite of most of my clients’. The typical client’s closet has too many prints; my closet actually had very, very few. I’ve worked to add more patterned…
Read MoreSmart Shopping at Summer Clearance Sales
Do you love shopping the sales, but find too many of those so-called bargains end up gathering dust in the back of your closet. Want to be a more savvy sale shopper? Here’s how: to take advantage of end-of-season bargains – without being taken advantage of yourself – you’ll want to SWAP. No, I don’t mean…
Read MoreWardrobe Challenge: Shop in Your Closet
It’s embarrassing to admit, but it’s true: I am just about the laziest person you can imagine when it comes to my wardrobe. I get stuck in a rut – wearing the same few outfits over and over while lots of other great options hang in my closet. I’ve identified two causes. (1). Sometimes an…
Read MoreMaximizing Mix & Match for Any Lifestyle – Part 2
Last week we created the start of a 12-piece wardrobe with a Core Four in navy blue. Now let’s layer some accent-color over-tops onto the pants+shell and the skirt+shell columns and link the color combinations with accessories to polish off each outfit.
Read MoreStyle Dilemma: When and how can I wear jeans in the office?
Style Solution: Your company’s dress policy should clarify the “when”. But whether your office allows jeans every day or just on Fridays, it’s important to polish the look to maintain your professional presence. Jeans — by the way — are defined by the styling, not by the blue denim. Details like a back yoke, rear…
Read MoreStyle Dilemma: I’m a pretty conservative dresser, but I’m ready to step out and add more pizzazz. But where do I begin?
Style Solution: Try one – or several — of these easy strategies to give your traditional pieces a more edgy, contemporary feeling. All the examples are from the Fall ’14 CAbi collection, but of course you can also do them with clothes you already own. Experiment with pattern mixing . The easiest way is to…
Read MoreStyle Dilemma: What can a wardrobe makeover actually accomplish for a woman?
Style Solution: Everybody seems to love before & after photos. But as you look at these example, remember that our work isn’t about looking good once for a photo. It’s about having a whole closet full of inter-coordinated outfits just as flattering as the looks you see here. Melissa’s too-long skirt, too-long sleeves and boxy shirt all dragged her…
Read MoreStyle Dilemma: I’m a career counsellor – what should I tell my clients about dressing for interviews?
Style Solution: The right interview outfit can pay dividends well beyond its price. Although no company is likely to base a hiring decision directly on an applicant’s outfit, decisions are made every day based on the beliefs one’s appearance causes an interviewer to form about you. Newest research reveals it takes as little as 7…
Read MoreStyle Dilemma: I’ve heard that black doesn’t flatter everyone, but it seems so easy to mix and match with other colors – what’s the deal?
Style Solution: Although the popular fashion myth is that everything goes with black, in truth “everything that goes with black goes with black.” Clear, bright, cool colors like those shown below look great with black. (Many other colors – especially softer, warmer or more muted ones – not so much.) Those combinations are also easy…
Read MoreStyle Dilemma: I’m tired of black – and it doesn’t look that great on me anyway. What other neutral should I use in its place?
Style Solution: Try a different neutral – ideally one that is closely related to your hair color. Although retail and the fashion press promote black as the universal choice, it really is flattering to only a small minority of women — those with very dark hair and high-contrast coloring. Black mixes best with clear, bright, cool accent…
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