Fashion Week September 2011 - Photo: Jeffrey Clark Grossman_ WENN.com

The high-low trend isn’t brand new this season, but it’s HOTTER than ever before.  High-low hem dresses, tops, vests,… they’re on the racks of every fashion boutique.

Should you buy?  That depends.  (Never a simple “yes” or “no” answer, right?)  Here are tips to help you decide.

http://www.micdresses.com - Item #00000239

Your Legs are Short

Do choose a style with a short skirt and long overlayer.  The vertical panels of the over skirt visually “lengthen” your legs.

Tip:  Avoid a skirt hem that lands mid-point on your leg.  The result:  a limb visually split in half appears shorter.

You Have a Keen Eye

www.1015store.com

www.Nordstrom.com - Dress, Eliza J

Do pay attention to your mirror image if you’re into details.  A less-expensive method of making a dress lets us see the fabric’s print — from the inside.

Tip: To avoid an unfinished look, make sure the dress is lined or in a sheer fabric.

www.UStrendy.com - Top by Agnes Nora Szimo

You’re Long and Lean

Do belt your high-low top in a contrasting color for dramatic effect.

Tip:  If you don’t have a visible waistline, wear light and dark colors in your top and pant, but pass on the belt.

You Have a Tummy

www.Macys.com

Do select high-low hemmed dresses with an empire (high) waistline for definition. (A deep v-neck keeps eyes away from tummy, too.)

Tip: The fullness of a shapeless high-low top can appear like a maternity top.  If that’s not what you’re going for, stick with something more shapely.

www.Nordstrom.com

www.ModDeals.com

You Color Outside the Lines

Do watch where colors lead.  A strip of contrasting color (like the bright pink band on the top below), draws a distinct line on your garment.

Tip: Make sure colors frame the zone you want to feature — usually one you like.

Your Legs are Full

Do pick your hemline to land at the most attractive point on your leg.  If it’s narrow just below the knee, there’s your point.

www.beverlyhines61.blogdrive.com

Tip:  Before you shop, try on your own dresses at home.  Identify the hem length you feel best in.  That’s what you look for in your high-low dress.

To what lengths will you go?

What’s your bag say about you?
Women’s bags have long been a source of awe; what do we keep in there, and why? Furthering the intrigue is the number of bags some women carry.  According to a 2008 Self Magazine poll, 59 percent of those surveyed brought two or more bags to the office each day.  Is more, “better”?  Certainly not from an image perspective.

Why do you carry the bag that you do, and what does your bag say about you – particularly in the workplace? Since your bag represents you, your attention to detail, and your judgment of quality, choose it as carefully as you would the words in a resume. Take into account how you intend to use the bag: how much do you need to carry? Are you commuting? What colors do you wear most in wardrobe?  Here are some critical considerations for a bag that says “professional”:

Neatness counts
Whichever bag you choose, it’s important that it be polished, neat and presentable. Some things to keep in mind:

·    Brand and special-cause logos are not appropriate in a professional work environment. They can alienate or cause offense if superiors or coworkers don’t share your point of view. These items take the spotlight off your professionalism and place it onto personal issues.  Often times, these bags are perceived as “cheap freebies” and of lower quality (bearing on the perception of your quality of judgment in areas of work).
·    Choose a color that is easily maintained. Lighter colored leather and materials show more dirt, wear and tear. This is important for the train/bus commuter who is subject to the conditions of their transportation options. Try to be as consistent as possible. If you wear black more often than not, then a black bag is appropriate. If your main coat is brown, a brown bag will be a good option for you.  (A clue here:  short of a personal color assessment, your hair color can guide you to your own personal “neutral.”)
·    Compartments are important! If you limit yourself to the ideal of one bag, it helps to have dedicated compartments so that you may easily find what you need.  Whatever you carry every day (your laptop, cell phone, keys, pens, folders, wallet and umbrella) should all have their own space.

Less is more
If you find yourself carrying two or more bags, consider how you might consolidate:

·    Choose a bag that allows adequate storage for what you carry. Take inventory of your daily needs, then shop for a bag that meets your criteria.
By selecting a bag large enough to accommodate a wallet, make-up bag, keys, umbrella and laptop, you will present yourself as more “put together” than if you struggle between several bags.
·    If you maintain two bags, say a laptop bag and a purse, keep your selections on the smaller side and complimentary. Opting for pieces from the same designer or from the same color family lends a coordinated look.  When possible, select a handbag or clutch small enough to fit inside of your business bag.  You can take it out to run short jaunts when the entire bag isn’t required, and avoid the “bag lady” look when commuting or calling on clients.

Quality over quantity
A quality purchase lasts longer and projects a more discerning image to your bosses, peers and interviewers. For high-level professionals, or those with such aspirations, there is no substitute for high quality leather.  Whatever your career path, assess your budget to determine what you can afford, then choose accordingly, keeping in mind the message you’d like to project to those with whom you do business — or those you wish to!
·    A good leather bag will last at least ten years if well maintained.
·    A neutral color, like cordovan or mahogany, will compliment most outfits.
·    A long-lasting bag has a timeless, classic style.  If you don’t plan to purchase a new bag each season, stay away from trends and opt instead for a more conventional shape and style.

The bag you carry makes a strong statement about you.  Make sure your message is flattering and chosen with intention!

If you’re among the nearly half of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions each year (more than 51% of Canadians according to Virgin Mobile Canada), you may be disappointed.  Of those who “resolve to change….(fill in the blank)….,” only 8% are likely to succeed, says a study by the University of Scranton.  That equals about 160 million unhappy people come February!

Maybe there’s another way.  Actually, I believe there is.  Though most of us learned to set New Year goals surrounded by or rooted in negative motivation, my friend Mary J. Lore, an expert on thought management, teaches how to establish inspired resolutions in her “Managing Thought” blog.  Take a peek if you’d like to do it differently this year.

If your inspired goals involve saving the planet or achieving world peace, I support you with my own intentions and meditations, since I personally hope for the health of both.  If some of your goals are on a more-personal level, say, ridding your closet of unflattering garment clutter, or wearing only clothes that allow you to feel joyful, I can help in a more active role.  I’d be honored to do so, in fact.

Whatever your focus in 2013, may I wish you abundant success, health, prosperity, and peace in your heart.  Here’s to fabulous New Year for all!

P.S.  On the note of those personal wardrobe and appearance goals, I present to you: IMAGE ON A DIME – 2013.  Details follow in my next blog post.  Meanwhile, visit here for registration info.

Get Inspired to benefit Band of Angels.

I had the pleasure of joining Anqunette Jamison on Fox 2′s Style File this morning to talk about this week’s holiday style event benefiting Band of Angels. The Rochester Hills, Michigan-based foundation is the world’s largest provider of non-medical information on Down syndrome.  Established in 1994, Band of Angels provides support for individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

For just a peek at holiday style Dos & Don’ts, models showed us what to do (and not do).  Their featured looks:

Robin in Nicole Miller metallic ruched cocktail dress from Nordstrom.  Statement necklace, “Estate” from Stella and Dot.

Teri in wrap and jewelry from Nordstrom.  Derek Lam eyewear from Oakland Optometry.

Molly in Nordstrom wrap, jewelry, headband, and clutch, all found in Accessories.

Special thanks to Jen from Salon Cardon, Royal Oak, MI – hairstyling, and the team from ROUGE Salon, Royal Oak, MI – makeup.

For more holiday looks and tips, join us at Oakland Optometry Thursday, November 16, 4-7 p.m.  All proceeds of the evening’s silent auction and donations benefit Band of Angels.

As an image consultant, I often have the honor of helping clients to reinvent their wardrobes.  Regularly, I encounter overstuffed closets who’s owners have acquired volumes of garments thanks, in part, to an inability to resist a “good bargain.”  Despite enormous wardrobes, they open their closet doors with dread, feeling they have nothing to wear.

I’ve come to name this, “Bargain Wardrobe Syndrome” (BWS, for short).  It seems, perhaps due to living through The Great Recession, more and more intelligent and well-meaning consumers have attached to the pride of getting “more for their money.”   In an age of  coupon codes, bargain fashion sites, and daily deals, consumers have been conditioned to getting more for their money.  Granted, there is a genuine sense of satisfaction that comes from obtaining an $890 designer jacket for $175 at the local discount outlet.  Lost in the equation, however, is the lack of value resulting from an inappropriately-chosen item that’s left hanging in the closet, unworn.

In the exhilaration of your own bargain “find,” make sure the personal flattery factor is not tossed out the window.  Does the garment fit your body well, or have potential to do so once expertly altered?  Does the color flatter your personal features?

When a garment is left unworn (or worse still, it is worn despite the wearer’s knowledge of not looking their best in it), a bargain becomes a deficit — to both budget and spirit.  The bargain-finder feels unattractive in something they must wear (after all, they spent good money on it!), or they feel guilty not wearing it.  Either way, their psyche is punished.  The $175 is wasted where it might have instead been saved to invest in a $450 confidence-bolstering, winning garment.

Do the symptoms of BWS sound familiar to you?  Avoid the trap by introducing only personally-becoming garments into your closet.  It needn’t be full. A quality wardrobe that suits its owner beats a full closet hands down, any day of the week.

Avoiding Bargain Wardrobe Syndrome

Ask yourself:

• Does the garment’s silhouette and fabric make me feel good about my body?
• Does the piece have companions waiting at home in my closet? (or will a whole new shopping list result from the addition?)
• Does a garment’s color flatter my personal features? (A personal color assessment helps train your eye and identify your own best hues)

When adding new items to your wardrobe, choose quality over quantity.  Look for both the garment’s fabric and construction quality, as well as the quality it lends with personal value to your appearance.

Will it be you?  When facing the vastness of a shopping mall, do you break into a sweat just by the mere thought of where to begin?  ‘Feel like nothing ever fits?  Don’t want to bring  home yet another sweater to rest unworn on a remote shelf in your already-crowded closet?

Don’t fall victim to the fiends that await.  Arm yourself!  Here are top shopping “Don’ts” to keep you safe:

1. Don’t shop under duress.  Hurried = stressed, and stress zaps confidence.  A calm and self-assured shopper makes better decisions.  This is the number one strategy to prevent based-in-haste, poor clothing choices.  Give yourself the time and mental energy to choose items you’ll love later.
2. Don’t put decision-making power in the hands of a commission-based retail clerk.  Let’s face it, when one’s income is at stake, many things will look “fabulous” on you.  Inform yourself before you venture out by knowing what works for you.  Survey your closet for favorite items that you feel great in, and identify the cuts and colors that make those winning pieces flattering.  Then, replicate.  Short of purchasing identical copies, look for garments that mirror the features of those garments that contribute to you truly looking fabulous.
3. Don’t buy “sale.”  (Unless “sale” is perfect for you.)  An item from the sale rack might be your best purchase of the day, but don’t buy it because it is on sale.  If the sale price is your reason for purchase, rather than the merits of the item, it likely won’t have value as a garment that makes you look and feel good.  (So, how often would you wear it?)  A bargain is not a bargain if it doesn’t serve you.  Use the features of winning garments that you identified in #2, and let them serve as your litmus test .
4. Don’t social shop.  Unless the friend you shop with is truly expert in wearable fashion, and knows when and how you look your best, avoid the well-meaning advice of someone who’s input is likely based on their own preferences and desires.  Social shopping is wrought with emotions and distractions, which leads us to part 2,…   Don’t succumb to the temptation to imbibe.   Enjoying a glass of wine when you break for lunch has it’s pleasures.  It also clouds one’s judgment.  If the meal will include an adult beverage, consider planning your lunch stop as a satisfying reward after shopping is complete.  You’ll be far less likely to make impulsive choices.
5. Don’t expect to wear it “off the rack.”  Ready-made clothing offers proper fit to very few customers.   You wouldn’t buy sheets for your bed or blinds for your windows without making sure they were the correct fit.  Why buy clothes that don’t suit your body?  There is no true standardized sizing system in garment making, so select items that accommodate the largest part of your body, and have them appropriately taken in or shortened to fit the other areas.  (For instance: be sure a pair of trousers fits your hips/thighs if this is the fullest part of your lower body.  If the waist is too large, have this adjusted by a competent tailor.)  A good tailor, by the way, is a valuable member of your image team, and helps keep the prowling goblins at bay.

For many kids, that all-important, first-day prep includes planning what to wear.  After all, the wrong outfit could mean the scorn of would-be new friends.  Seems we knew at an early age a thing or two about judgments and first impressions.

I was reminded recently about some of my own first-day ensembles while browsing this year’s fall fashions.  During a “certain era” (dates intentionally not documented), tartan plaids in seasonal hues of golds, greens, rusts and browns dominated girls’ fall dresses and skirts.

Love the tie?

Classique Entier "Baron" Plaid Jacket

Lafayette 148 plaid taffeta blouse

Classique Entier "Felise" Plaid Pencil Skirt

This shopping season offers remakes of those classic fall plaids.  The difference being, in the 2012 adult versions,  they arrive in grown-up fabrics and silhouettes.

Try the plaid pencil skirt if you’re long and straight-bodied.  Curvier figures benefit from the shaped silhouette of the blouse shown above.  The jacket shown is well-suited to the body that has some degree of natural waist emphasis, as it highlights with the self-belt in — plaid, of course!

In Fashion Merchandising 101, the primary principle?  “Fashion Always Repeats Itself.”   Never Forget.

It’s not just about collecting garments, it’s about converting them into outfits and putting them up against the test of time.  Use spring closet-changeover time as an opportunity to give your clothing the care it deserves.  Here are some starter steps to test your wardrobe-maintenance savvy.  See what you might add to your wardrobe-care repertoire, and feel free to chime in with your own suggestions.

1. As you remove cold-weather garments from your closet for spring and summer, launder or send them off for dry-cleaning before seasonal stowing.  There are often stains and spills not apparent to the naked eye.  As they are allowed to “set” over time, they not only become visible, but permanent.
2. Before packing up any items for storage, give them the one-year test.  If you didn’t wear them at all this past season, what’s the likelihood you’ll see value in them next year?  Eliminate the clutter before you even create it by shipping these things out for donation or resale.
3. Conduct review and repair of all garments.  If an item is worth storing for next year, it’s worth tending.  Replace buttons, repair falling hems, and take a clothes shaver to pilled knits so they’re wear-ready when you retrieve them next fall.
4. Give your warm-weather clothes the same one-year test that you put to your cold-weather wardrobe.  As you bring them out from winter storage, review the pieces that you know had no daily wear activity the last time they hung front-and-center in your closet.  Keep your daily closet contents welcoming by removing the “dead weight.”  You deserve to be greeted by closet contents that you love, find attractive, and feel comfortable in.
5. Prepare garments for wear in advance to save a.m. dressing time (and stress!). Press with an iron or use a garment steamer for those items you launder at home.  For gentle care to your garments, and ease of use, consider a personal garment steamer.  This one, by Jiffy, is the version I keep handy in my closet.  Jiffy is the brand professional dry cleaners use.  If you order from them, use my code IMAGE225 for free shipping on your order.
6. Let your garments breathe.  Often when I visit a client’s closet, I’ll find many garments “well protected” in their plastic dry cleaners bags.  As an image coach, I find that most people don’t realize that this can damage fragile fabrics as cleaning chemicals are allowed to remain trapped within the plastic.  Many dry cleaners use paper shoulder covers before covering garments with plastic.  Leave these on as dust protectors, and dispose of the plastic covering.

Just a bit of upkeep now lends your wardrobe a more useful life over time.  Why not stretch your clothing dollars and decide for yourself when you’re ready to retire a garment.

What are your wardrobe preservation tactics?

As an image coach, January is commonly a month where I see an increase in requests for makeover services.  There’s something about turning a calendar page to a fresh January that inspires “New Year – New You” time.  And this year brings even more prompting for renewal with the introduction of the Chinese Year of the Water Dragon — representing change and growth — beginning January 23.

The season for establishing (or renewing!) resolutions has us examining elements of our “self” in all sorts of areas – personal appearance often one of them.  Maybe you’re getting physically fit this January, or perhaps losing those extra five holiday pounds.  Perhaps a new career direction has inspired you to update your image.  Whatever the motivation, here are some quick-change ideas to get you started:

1)    Get a new ‘do.  A new hairstyle is a swift way to update your appearance.  It doesn’t have to be complicated, nor does it have to mimic what the most newsworthy celebrities are wearing.  What is helpful is that it flatter your features.  You can even toss out the common belief that you need to define your face shape as round, oval, heart, oblong, or square.  Simply observe whether it’s widest at the top or bottom, then focus the volume of hair at the narrow zone to lend overall balance.  It’s an added bonus if you select a style with a fuss factor relating to you’re a.m. routine and your commitment to maintenance.

Imagine this same neckline without its necklace

2)    Add value with accessories. Choose a signature element to complete your daily ensembles.  Maybe colorful scarves pick up your winter blues.  Unique or antique brooches might make a statement that is “you.”  Or, perhaps bangle bracelets set your tone (caution: if you’re in a professional career, be mindful of clanking or jangling announcements of your presence that can take away from your credibility message; “silent” dressing is better career choice).  Incorporating accessories in new ways lends an inexpensive appearance update.

3)    Dress for your body.  Enhance your dressing style with garments that relate to your own shape.  You’ll find it far more comfortable than attempting to force yourself into a garment silhouette counter to that which is natural for you.  Step #1: Commit to suspending judgment as you assess your shape.  Step #2: Commit to suspending judgment as you assess your shape (‘figured that one was worth repeating).  Step #3:  Stand in front of a full-length mirror and look at the alignment between your shoulder line and your hip/thigh area.  This will lead you to identifying whether you are wider at the top of body, mid-body, or relatively even.   Step #4:  If your shoulders and hip area were evenly aligned, also look at the degree of waist definition.  Step #5:  Relate your body to one of the six shapes in the illustration above and, finally, Step #6:  Look, when you shop, for garments that match that shape for an easy-to-fit wardrobe.

4)    Harmonize your colors.  Do you have one of those friends that seems to always look bright and healthy, every day of the week?  Is it possible that he/she has learned to identify the hues that rock their look?  When we surround our face with colors that harmonize with the natural undertones of our skin, hair, eyes, and even teeth, we naturally radiate vitality and cheer.  Try the mirror test with a sheet of bright white paper and one in a creamy, ivory hue.  Alternate holding each sheet up to your face as you smile, and note the difference in your skin tone, appearance of your pearly smile, and the brightness of your eyes.  This exercise will offer a basic introduction to your best colors, while training your eye to recognize when you’ve made a flattering choice.

The difference a length can make

5)    Customize!  An outfit you bought for $150 can look like a million bucks when it’s tailored to properly fit your body.  Length proportions, specifically, can transform an “o.k.” ensemble to “wow”!   For a modest investment, you can learn your precise, personal measurements to modify your existing wardrobe with a personal Fashion Fit Formula.  Adjustments to vertical points of a neckline, hem, sleeves, all influence an overall look.  I’m an independent partner with Pivotal Impressions, the creator of the FFF, but you’ll also find a DIY option on their site: http://www.fashionfitformula.com/

Now is the perfect time to refresh for 2012 – bring on the Dragon!

There are more than enough stress-inducing to-do’s during the holiday season.  Choosing your party clothes needn’t be on the list of stressors.  Here’s the “quick guide” to keep you confidently presenting your best throughout:

Cocktail Party

The invitation reads “cocktail attire.”  So what does that mean?  A cocktail dress is knee length or shorter and differentiates itself from daytime in two distinct areas:  glitz factor; and reveal factor.  A cocktail dress allows for showing more skin than the dress you’d wear to a business function.  It may reveal more leg, more cleavage, or perhaps more back (but not all three simultaneously, for a tasteful statement).  It’s likely to have some glitter, glisten, or sheen in the form of sequins, rhinestones, or reflective-quality fabric.  Pair with a strappy sandal or low-vamp pump, p.m. hair and makeup, and a coordinated evening bag for the knock-out, party-proper look.

Dinner Party

Dinner party dress varies little from that which is appropriate at a cocktail party.  Your cocktail dress and accessories are perfectly in order.  Simply be mindful of your comfort level while seated for the duration of a meal.  While sitting may allow you to wear the 6” heels you wouldn’t dare attempt for a stand-only cocktail event, there are other considerations when seated — like the binding level of your body shaper as it attempt to accommodate the intake of a full-course holiday meal.

If the hostess’ invitation reads “black tie,” up the ante in terms of elegance.  (Though “black tie” no longer requires a floor-length evening gown, elegance is key.)  Take it up a notch in terms of fabric and accessories for the p.m. glam-factor.

Office Party

When celebrating with colleagues and business acquaintances, your professional  image is still very much on the line, festive occasion or not.  Consider the business dress that you can adapt by trading its daytime jacket for sparkly accessories and adding additional p.m. glamour with makeup.  A cocktail dress also serves this function, but beware the skin-revealing quality that’s appropriate for the general cocktail party.  Socializing with business acquaintances reflects powerfully on your personal brand long after the party has ended.  (Let the word “business” guide your choices ahead of “social.”)

Home Party

Whether a family gathering, or neighborhood soiree, these events are generally more casual than cocktail and dinner parties.  Think of them as “comfortable-festive” opportunities.  Maybe the beaded evening top you wore with a glam skirt to the cocktail party can be paired with a relaxed or tailored trouser for the at-home function.  Keep the spirit bright, but remember that you may be carrying trays of food from car-to-kitchen and back!

For the Gentlement

Fact is, it is simpler for men’s party dressing.  A smaller choice range mean less room for error.  (Aren’t you glad, guys?)

If the event is black tie, you’re in a tux.  Optionally, if you don’t own one or care to rent, opt for a dark suit (as close to black as possible) with white shirt and, you guessed it — black tie.  If you’re feeling creative, the black tie can be swapped for more colorful versions.  Short of men’s “evening slippers,” high-polished black dress shoes are in order.

A suit with dress shirt and tie are appropriate for both the cocktail and office party.  You might choose to partake in the festive glamour of the season’s dress with some high-sheen fabrics in neck ties or vests color-coordinated to your favorite sport jacket.  Or, go for a stylish dressy-casual shirt that distinguishes itself from one you’d normally wear with a business suit with contrasting cuffs or other style details.

Whatever the occasion, remember that the most-flattering thing you can wear is an air of confidence.  Be well-rested and receptive to good times.  If you’re ready to have fun and share the season’s spirit, it’ll show.

Happy Holidays!