Buzzz Buzzz - Ethical & Sustainable Fashion

In this day-in-age, fashion is fast!

We all have the opportunity to see the fashion shows on the internet and there is a want-it-now mentality.

In many ways, this is great, because you CAN have it now, yet in other ways, we are creating excess waste when we are ever more aware of the environmental impact and ethical production aspects. 

How can you be trendy (or at least current) and not be wasteful?

I spoke with Jeanine Polizzi, an ethical fashion and sustainability expert, to find out exactly what this all means. "It technically means a fashion brand looks at how it operates ethically, socially and environmentally and the impact it is having. In order to create accountability, we are seeing more and more fashion brands becoming transparent to the consumer in the way that they do business" says Polizzi.

One of  Polizzi's favorite (and a favorite of many others) is Everlane   She loves their radical transparency.  "They tell you about the ethical factories where the products are made and how the garments are priced – from raw materials to transportation.  In addition, they have created a 100% Human collection to ensure rights are not only protected but equal by giving money to both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Equality Now."

A study from Cone Communications (2017). CSR Report states that 9 out of 10 people are willing to switch to a brand of equal price and quality to support a social issue.

Polizzi finishes by saying "I love that brands are shifting their focus to what is good for both people and the planet.  I also love that we as consumers get to vote our social conscience with our purchases!"

Are you one of the 9 out of 10 that would switch brands for sustainability and transparency? What are your favorite fashion brands? Post your comment below and let me know.

Wow, what a big topic to be covering in my short insider news. I have so many brands, business and platforms to tell you about. Stay tuned for part two.................

How To Style a Difficult Item in 5 Easy Steps

Whenever I start creating outfits in a client's closet, I am always most inspired by the printed or unique items first. They have very specific mood and colors to work with. These are usually the items that my clients have the most difficulty styling themselves.

Here are my suggested guidelines so that you can try and style these items on your own.

1) IS IT PRINTED?

If so, is there an accent color to pull out? Beware...If you have a printed skirt, a solid pull-out color might be nice for the top. However, if you have a printed top, you may not want to pull out the accent color for a bottom if, for instance, it is bright purple. Here you may want to go back to a neutral. Many people will go to black, which can look great, but not always the best choice. 

Why?

Read Does Black Go With Everything?

2) IS THERE A MOOD OR THEME TO THE PIECE?

Girly, western, business, mod, bohemian?

If so, pair with pieces that might have a similar mood or theme.

Freeditigtalphotos.net by photostock

3) WHAT ARE THE PROPORTIONS OF YOUR PIECE?

If you have an extra voluminous top, pair it with skinny bottoms. If you have an extra voluminous bottom, pair it with a form-fitting top.

4) IS THE PIECE BASIC?

Good news, you can style it with most pieces. However, you don't want a boring outfit either.

Check out Do you know what the 3-piece rule is?

5) LASTLY - ACCESSORIZE!

Keep accessories away from busy areas (interesting necklines, ruffles etc). Add to plain areas, especially solids with high necklines and lot of expanse of the same fabric. Read more about how to accessorize.

DO YOU HAVE A PIECE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO STYLE?

The first 3 people to send me a picture, will get my advice and the opportunity to be featured in an upcoming Insider news,

Inspiration & Conversation

Sad to say, the holiday lights and parties are over and we still have a long drag of winter weather to weather. Well, the good news is that there are still plenty of items on sale, that you can buy and wear now and infuse a little newness into your wardrobe.

However, you may feel like shopping is an overwhelming process, especially when it means rummaging through sale racks. Whether it be in a store or online, you just don't know where to start.

Now for me, this is all fun and games and I had a good time pulling some styled outfits out of the endless options of online shopping. And as you can see, the two outfits are for two people with very different styles.
 

                                     Are you a trendy girl or are you a classic girl?

                                          (click on the image to shop these items)

So as I went online "shopping", I thought about two very different type of ladies: one who is classic and one who is trendy. As a wardrobe consultant - I must understand who my customer is and what she wants to wear. Now understand that these are just two options. You may love one, both or neither for yourself and I can help style you no matter what your personal style is.

OUTFIT 1 - Can even be worn without the vest in the in-between seasons. Pull out a pop of the color, but don't go overboard.

OUTFIT 2 - The high neckline calls for a necklace or other accessory to break up the expance of fabric. In this case I was able to find a necklace that picked up the colors in the sweater and skirt.

                                            The weekend version of these girls.

                                          (click on the image to shop these items)

Our same two ladies are going to need some casual outfits for the weekend!

OUTFIT 1 - As trendy as it is... you may envision this outfit on a twenty-something, even if you are substantially older, there is nothing inappropriate about it (hello me - looking in the mirror).

OUTFIT 2 - What I love about this outfit, is that even though there are some very classic items - turtleneck sweater, aviators etc., It is a very updated look but still in the comfort zone for the classic girl.

Which style is your style? Or was it neither? Reply to me and let me know what your personal style is.

EVEN BETTER - the first 3 people to reply, will get their very own outfit board styled for them. READY, SET, Go.............

In addition to curating fun outfits online, I was also privileged to be a guest on Brooklyn Savvy TV. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and listen to this half-hour episode.

Oh, and before you do, I am going to be the first to call out that even stylists have wardrobe mishaps. I was mortified that the armhole of my dress was riding up during the whole interview. OOPs!

Click on the picture below to start the episode.

Culture or Style?

Happy New Year to you!

This year while out to dinner on New Year's eve, I was struck by the wide variance of attire in a nice but not super fancy restaurant. To my right was a woman in a way to short, low-back fully sequined dress with sparkly stiletto heels and a few others in super glitzy outfits. But more abundant also seemed to be the other range of the spectrum, hoodies!

What?

How could there be such a divergence in one place and on new years eve, no less?

For those who have been reading my insider news, I have often talked about that all places and occasions have an acceptable range of appropriate attire. And as much as I feel that you should be comfortable in your personal style, I did think that at this restaurant on this occasion this range really was the entire spectrum.

Oh did you want to know what I was wearing? A sequined jacket with jeans.

Now the other two things I will note about this evening and the attire. It was literally 10 degrees out and when I went to the ladies room, I think I was the only English speaking person there.



 

So what is my point?

1) The cold weather had influenced my decision to wear boots instead of pumps, although others choose to still wear low back tops or super short dress.
2) The varying tourists made me think about what may be appropriate in other cultures.

Actually, even the culture of style can differ in as far as your neighboring state. Recently I went to visit a friend in Southern Jersey. Her house was super cold and she offered me a fleece sweatshirt and fuzzy slippers to hang around in. When it was time to go to dinner, I said, ok let me change back to my sweater and re-fresh my make-up and she said there was no need to. She was going out in her fleece. Of course, I was not leaving the house looking like that (and feeling like that) even though I was not going to see anyone I knew. When we got to the restaurant, it was filled with people in fleece and hoodies.

So bottom line, I absolutely believe in personal style and some people may be a little more dressy and some people are a little more casual. The new years eve example was truly a little far example of the entire spectrum especially the too casual end.

Now let's talk about YOU  How are you going to feel, look and show up in 2018?

Contact me and let me know what your thoughts or how I can help  YOU

 

What Not To Wear - to a holiday party

There are all types of holiday parties and what to wear can always be challenging. Unless the attire is clearly stated such as "Black-tie". But what if it isn’t and you are unsure what type of place it is or who will be there?

We start to become anxious about what is appropriate to wear. Well, one thing I always say about various occasions is that there is always a range of appropriateness. Some people will be a little more dressy, and some will be a little more casual, but as long as you fall within that range and love what you are wearing, then enjoy!

There is a caveat to my rule (about loving what you are wearing) that applies to business-related holiday parties and it is this. You may love that short backless, tight dress, but overtly sexy is not appropriate for a business holiday party.

Hopefully, this is abundantly clear, but let's lay out some more specific guidelines. A hem length above the knee is perfectly fine, but one that barely covers your butt and looks like you will have a fashion mishap should you try to sit down or get into a cab is an absolute "no".

Stay away from bearing too much skin on top too. Hopefully, the no-to-cleavage is obvious and you should probably err on the side of caution with too much skin showing, in general.


 

image from freedigitalphotos.net by photostock

So what can you wear?

Holiday is a time to kick it up a notch. This is the place you can add sparkle and bling.

Clothing with lurex or metallic fabrics is a go.

Accessories with rhinestones - "yes please".

Your favorite high-heeled party shoes - "for sure!"

Punch up your makeup with glittery eye shadow, fake lashes, fun nail polish or a darker pout if you like.

If you recently bought that super sexy outfit, have fun wearing it to New Year’s or a friend's party. Now go have fun!

Trends are not for everybody or for EVERY BODY.

Recently I was featured in an article on The LIST about clothing hacks to flatter your figure. I wanted to share it with you, along with some of the great things the other experts had to add.

And then I thought I would expand upon it and make an entire insider newsletter about it. So here you are, hope you find some useful tidbits.

When your eye sees large expanses of fabric it says "large". Color blocks in any direction, seaming and vertical panels will trick your eye by breaking up large areas, into smaller sections and hence you look smaller.

This can also be achieved by accessories such as jewelry, belts and scarves breaking up large expanses of fabric.

Scoop necks and V-necks break up a large chest area with skin. Turtlenecks will elongate your chest and are great for smaller chested women.

Boatnecks are good for narrow shoulders and wide hips, as it will even out your proportions. The same is true for flared / bootleg pants  as they will balance out wide hips (and they are trending NOW!)

Image Freedigitalphots.net  by  Aleska D

Shoes that match pants, are skin colored, low cut toes, or cut out sides, will elongate legs.

Wrap dresses, loose, untucked, drapey tops will all help to hide a tummy.

Your body portions play into what will look good on you too. If you have a long torso - wear empire or cropped jacket. The opposite is true for a short torso - wear drop waist or tunic and your belt below your waist.

Now make sure you read the rest of the article for more great info.

End of Summer Inspiration & Style Tips

I know that you are probably not thinking about your summer wardrobe, maybe just making-do with what you have. Actually, this is a great time for a self-assessment. What haven't you worn yet and why? Try to wear it or consider getting rid of it.

I have created some summer looks that I hope will give you inspiration for new ideas with your wardrobe. Bonus styling tips for each.

(These items are shoppable - click on the board for more info on each item)

Working Girl

Stylist Tip - Outfit 1 - picking up the red accent in the shoe, makes the look cohesive without being too matchy-matchy like a totally red shoe would do.
Stylist Tip - Outfit 2 - although mixed metals have no longer become a faux pas, when wearing many accessories, especially when they are near each other  (or when they are big & bold) keeping the same metals makes for a polished and sophisticated look.

Creative Professional

Stylist Tip - Outfit 1 - Start from the print. Keep it clean and don't compete with the focal piece.
Stylist Tip - Outfit 2 - keep the accessories in the same bohemian vibe as the key pieces.

Shopping in a store or on-line, may seem like an overwhelming project for you, after all, the options are endless! For me, it is like being a kid in a candy store. Let me take that burden off your shoulders and help you create beautifully curated outfits (either from your closet, in stores or on-line) that fit your personal style and make you feel so confident.

Casual Friday

Stylist Tip - Outfit 1 - Keep your super casual outfits more polished for the office. You can sub in a white tee for a more weekend look.
Stylist Tip - Outfit 2 - A pop of color in the accessories adds some fun to a neutral outfit.

Summer Weekender

Stylist Tip - Outfit 1 - Pull out colors from the print. Using different colors for the shoe and the bag makes it look more naturally styled and not overly international.
Stylist Tip - Outfit 2 -  Accessories are key. Add a hat to shade yourself and for added style.

You may not see your personal style in these outfits. These are just examples of how to craft a well-styled outfit.  Personal style is not a one size-size-fits-all. That is why my tag line is "Style For Your Lifestyle".

So if you are looking for more personalization, check out my amazing August promo below.

AUGUST PROMOTION

I know you don't want to think about the summer being over yet, but sadly, it almost is. Don't be in the style rut you were last season. Now is the time to take action and look and feel your best for fall.

Because I know you are not ready for it and don't want to think about it yet, I have a very tempting offer for you.

Anyone who purchases a package between now and the end of this month, will get 30% off of regular pricing!

Schedule a phone call with me now, to find out the best package for you.