Foremost, Fit!

The other day, I was driving and saw a woman walking on the sidewalk. She appeared to be walking to the bus stop or to work. Being a bit of a purple freak, what caught my eye was her purple print blouse. (I'll stop right now to say that I must have been at a stop light. I usually keep my eyes on the road.) So she was wearing an attractive purple print blouse and a pair of brown slacks, and she had great, thick curly brunette hair. It was a cute work outfit, except that it didn't even begin to fit her!

Both her pants and blouse were way too tight, and her pants were absurdly short.Then to add injury to insult, she was wearing those clunky, black "comfortable" shoes. While I don't mean to judge her, and I know absolutely nothing about her situation in life, I just can't help wonder why she would go out of the house with her clothes fitting so poorly.

Fit is so crucial to a successful image. Again, I thought her outfit was perfectly cute, minus the shoes, which is another blog post altogether. But the fact that the clothes fit so poorly ruined her whole look. I'm imagining the blouse being a touch longer and a size larger. And the pants needed to be at least a size larger, and about two inches longer--no, they weren't cropped pants.

Taking the time to make sure your clothes fit properly shows you care about yourself. Finding clothing that fits or can be altered to fit perfectly is half the battle.

Fashion Rocks 2008

After watching Fashion Rocks 5 last night, I think it should really be called "Rock Fashions." After watching the program in the past, it seems like very little emphasis on fashion other than the stars looking FABULOUS! The best dress of the evening was worn by Mariah Carey. Click here to see Mariah's dress and performance of "I'm that Chick." Mariah has worked so hard to reclaim her great body. She looked about 10 feet tall the way the streaks of black ran up the sides of the dress, and I love how the black curves in at the perfect spot on her waist making her look that much curvier. I'm betting she may have had to use a little fashion tape to keep the plunging neckline in place. She has such beautiful skin that she certainly has the right to bare it!

Dara Torres Models Inspring all Inverted Triangles

Photos


Olympic swimmer Dara Torres models at Fashion Week
In this photo provided by Dan & Corina Lecca, The Charles Nolan spring-summer 2009 collection is modeled by U.S. Olympic medalist Dara Torres during Fashion Week Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Dan & Corina Lecca)

I was really excited to see a designer seeking a normal woman to model his clothing. Not that Dara Torres is your average woman! However, she's not a skinny fashion model. She's a world class simmer, and having a swimmer body, her shoulders are far wider than average.

She has an inverted triangle figure, meaning her shoulders are wider than her hips. The photo shown is a perfect example of how to balance this figure type. The top she's wearing has a deep V, drawing the eye to the middle of the body, making her shoulders appear more narrow. Next, her waist is highlighted, then the bell shaped skirt gives her the fullness in her hips to balance her shoulders.

The overall look is gorgeous and extremely inspiring to me. Typically, even though I'm an image consultant and know how to balance my body, I'm a little insecure about my wide upper body. A lot of the fashion on the market right now emphasizes the upper body, ugh! Here we're seeing how such a beautiful classic look can be so elegant!

Stylish Updates for Fall

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 studded belts, ala Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, to freshen up any outfit.

Skirts: Bell shaped skirts are the new silhouette. Pencil skirts are stronger than ever. We’re seeing the pencil with a higher waist a longer lengths for added variety this season.

Bow Blouses: If you like bows, this is your season! This year’s bows are quite dramatic. Again, to cut the sweetness, wear this blouse with menswear styled pants or pair it with an angular styled jacket.

Layering: Go ahead and get creative. Short sleeved and ¾ length sleeved jackets layer beautifully with contrasting turtlenecks, blouses and elbow length leather gloves! Feminine dresses with belted long length cardigans are a great way to transition from summer to fall. If you’re always cold, try a blouse under a sweater with a jacket over it.

Dresses: Dresses are stronger than ever. We’re finally seeing a wide variety of dresses for daytime, something for everyone. The classic sheath is everywhere. Sleeveless, it’s perfect underneath jackets and sweaters, but don’t forget you can also pop a white blouse or thin sweater underneath for a unique, albeit professional look.

Animal prints: Animal prints have been coming in and out of fashion for so many years that they’ve truly become classics. Exquisitely designed animal prints have lost they’re “grrr” factor. Still, exercise cautious with your choices. Accessories, such as shoes, belts, and bags, are always safe. Vintage, fake fur coats are always a stand-out, and a subtle, animal print, pencil skirt looks new this year.

Statement necklaces: For years chunky jewelry has been outdated, now it’s back with a vengeance! Small, delicate necklaces don’t do you any favors in business anyway. Look for jewelry that is bold enough to be eye catching, yet not distracting—a fine balance!

Tights: Tights are what make skirts and dresses wearable during the colder months. (Some may argue with me that they’re not comfortable. Tights are tough; try tugging on them to get them in the right spot!) Subtle patterns and subdued colors are appropriate for most business settings. Consider a charcoal gray pencil skirt with eggplant tights and shoes. For weekends and formal events, try bold prints, laces and colors for your legwear.

Although you don’t want to appear too trendy, unless of course it’s appropriate for your field, keeping up to date sends out non-verbal messages that you’re up on current business practices, that you’re open to new ideas, you’re in the know, and that you’re a quick learner.

I hope this post provides you with some inspiration to update and forge ahead this fall! Please feel free to contact me with any question or if you’d like some help with your fall wardrobe. I can be reached at dana@elementsofimage.com.

Sex in the City

I finally went to see Sex and the City on Saturday. The fashion and shoes were amazing! (I was never a viewer of the series--no HBO.) There was a great scene where the bridal party was getting into the limo to take them to the wedding ceremony. The wedding planner was organizing the women, identifying them by the color dress they were wearing. First he called out "Red" referring to Miranda. Then, "Blue" for Samantha, and finally he calls for "Black, " or Charlotte. She wasn't near the limo, so he calls again, "Black, where's Black?"

It got me thinking. Everyone has heard the cliche, "You are what you eat." Truly, I believe, "You are what you wear." People identify us by what we wear, especially if they've just met us. And we have the ability to bring out our personalities through our clothes as well as to dress to be perceived however we'd like.

I found it interesting that the movie's costume designer chose black as the color for the character Charlotte's bridesmaid dress. Black is typically thought of as mysterious, dark, serious, sexy, etc. Charlotte's character is forever sunny, optimistic, girly, and happy. Yellow or even pink would have matched her character better. On the other hand, perhaps the very clever Patricia Field was allowing Charlotte to be her alter ego for the day.

What color are you?

At Peace with Glasses

Years ago when I first trained to become an image consultant, I learned the following: The way you look affects the way you think, the way you feel, the way you act and then the way others react towards you. I experienced this at a very high level last Friday.

I was shopping for new glasses. I've worn glasses since I was 9 years old, but until I started wearing my current glasses, I never really liked the way I looked in glasses and never felt fantastic wearing them. (I wore contact for a few years, but I've developed a condition called dry eyes, and the contacts absolutely kill my eyes.) I also dreaded shopping for new glasses, as I never liked any of the new frames on my face.

This was all until I started working with Connie at Europtics in Cherry Creek North. She is fantastic at choosing frames that work for you. Her process is a lot like the one I use for image consulting. She asks about your lifestyle, needs and the look you'd like to project. Then she selects multiple frames for you to try on. Like me with clothing, she sometimes chooses frames outside the box, which sometimes work and sometimes don't.

I love my current glasses and get compliments on them all of the time, so I was excited to get another pair to give me a different look. Having accepted myself as a "glasses wearer" I liked a lot of the frames. I ended up putting several pairs on hold and went back later in the day. I ended up buying the ones I kept thinking about all day! They're slightly more subdued than my current glasses (which I am keeping,) but they're not too subdued. I found that anything too subdued just didn't feel like me, and I felt a bit nerdy and less fashionable. As an image consultant, I can't afford to look anything but stylish! (By the way, the ones I bought are in the middle above, but they're brown and they look completely different.)

And then I moved onto sunglasses, (cue choir of angels singing "ah".) I've never been a real label girl, but there's something about the designer sunglasses! I feel like a celebrity in my new Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses. And when you feel like a celebrity, how can you help but feel more confident, and in turn others will regard you higher...continuing the cycle. I love helping women look great and feel great about their image!

Summer styles for your body type

After looking at the new issue of In Style magazine and getting dressed in a casual skirt and top for my Monday office day, I began thinking about easy summer styles that are best for various body types.

My body type ranges between an inverted triangle and a rectangle, depending on my weight. (When I lose weight, I lose it in my hips first. When I'm a little heavier I'm a rectangle.) The following are some tips for a rectangular body type. (I'll follow up the inverted triangle in my next post.)

• Avoid t-shirts and tank tops that are tight through the torso. You'll only be emphasizing your lack of a waistline.
• This season's loose summer tops were made for you. By wearing t-s that are fitted in the shoulders and flare out through the body, you're completely bypassing your waist and making it appear smaller.
• Your waist will look smaller if you make your hips and upper body appear wider, hence creating an hour glass figure. Consider a belted safari jacket with both breast pockets and hip pockets. (Note: make sure the belt isn't too wide. Fabric belts that tie are great for a wider waist.
• Empire waists tops and dresses with detailing at the bust line bring all of the attention up to your upper body and face. No one will care a hoot about your lack of a waistline. They'll be too busy looking at your beautiful face!