Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Am I breaking blogging ettiquette?
I couldn't resist sharing this other blog posting (from a cooler blog, of course) on the language of fashion and age expression through clothing. Its interesting for thinking about fashion at any age - On Being Age Appropriate.
One out of four
All right. Now that you have been able to see several of my daily designs, you may understand why I consider myself fashion illiterate. Its not that each day is terribly wrong. Its just that it's not terribly right. Most of my friends graciously pretend to think I am fashion savvy. But I think they are looking at individual pieces instead of the total picture and how it impacts my presentation. "That's a really cool bag", or "Love the jacket" are regular complements, but rarely do I hear, "That total look really works. Nothing stands out, but the whole composition". Do I sound overly vain? Probably. Are my friends reading this right now thinking I'm needy and high maintenance. Yes, and they are right.
What is really frustrating to me is trying to sort through all the noise in fashion magazines and trends that come out each season. My body doesn't change much from season to season. At this point in my life, I would like a few simple uniforms for each part of my life. I would like these uniforms to be cohesive enough that it all looks like my style, but flexible enough to reflect different parts of my personality.
1. Mom uniform - This is my casual weekend gear. Last year it consisted of some Gap Long and Lean jeans and a JCrew LS perfect fit tee and a scarf. It worked pretty well for a Fall casual uniform, but I think I can do better.
2. Work uniform - This is my daily gear that can include pants, jeans, cardigans, jackets, heels, etc. This is currently a bit scattered with no single uniform template to follow.
3. Going out uniform - Probably the scariest area for me, this one often bleeds into my work clothes. Sometimes I go out with Robert on Friday night and I'm dressed like he is my client. Other times I go to work looking like I'm going to a disco. I can't make up my mind.
What are your uniforms? Here is perfect example from one stylish lady - Gitte Lee.
Style Illiterate
What is really frustrating to me is trying to sort through all the noise in fashion magazines and trends that come out each season. My body doesn't change much from season to season. At this point in my life, I would like a few simple uniforms for each part of my life. I would like these uniforms to be cohesive enough that it all looks like my style, but flexible enough to reflect different parts of my personality.
1. Mom uniform - This is my casual weekend gear. Last year it consisted of some Gap Long and Lean jeans and a JCrew LS perfect fit tee and a scarf. It worked pretty well for a Fall casual uniform, but I think I can do better.
2. Work uniform - This is my daily gear that can include pants, jeans, cardigans, jackets, heels, etc. This is currently a bit scattered with no single uniform template to follow.
3. Going out uniform - Probably the scariest area for me, this one often bleeds into my work clothes. Sometimes I go out with Robert on Friday night and I'm dressed like he is my client. Other times I go to work looking like I'm going to a disco. I can't make up my mind.
What are your uniforms? Here is perfect example from one stylish lady - Gitte Lee.
Style Illiterate
Monday, August 30, 2010
Spring/ Summer Coat
I must admit that I got this coat right after having a baby. Well, pictures don't lie and it still looks like I'm pregnant. There is something about double breasted clothes on an hourglass shape that is really unflattering. Notice how the chest looks square and the rest of the physique looks puffy. This jacket should probably go.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
360 days of Fall
helping my hour glass figure. The colors also don't look great. Too
many shades of beige. C- today.
Last days of summer
white) and fit (hourglass). The necklace is from my friend Kaye after
I decided and earring would be better as a necklace. She made that
happen.
What to look for in a personal stylist
Since I have hired and interviewed several stylist, I have a few ideas of what to look for. What I know now is that that finding all of the elements of a good stylist it is challenging. Much like a new boyfriend or hairdresser, nobodies perfect and you will have to except some flaws to get the results you need. I mean, they have to accept me too, right?
The four fundamentals in working with your wardrobe are style, fit, color and lifestyle (read Color Me Beautiful for the fundamentals). For example, I am a romantic with an hourglass figure, a winter color palette and an working mom lifestyle. We can get more specific than that, but that's the gist. A good stylist will have training and understanding in all of these elements. What is training in this arena? Nothing formal exists yet. Look for someone who has worked in retail for several years, is able to sew clothes, has schooling in apparel and fashion, and someone with established clients in her styling business. If you can't find all these characteristics, you may settle for one. If you find all of these for less than $150 an hour, send me her contact details immediately!
You get your hair done on a regular basis, right? Nails too? How about the occasional facial or massage? So why wouldn't you pay someone to help you with a primary element of your personal appearance? I have found a variety of fee schedules for personal stylist ranging from $75-500/hour. Did you see the previous entry on the stylist I couldn't afford? My sweet spot is the stylist between $125-150/hour. I pay that for in-person time only. That could be a closet edit. A shopping trip. A styling session. She will scout for me (and all of her clients), pull pieces for try on in advance of a shopping trip, and keep informed on available clothing for no fees. That is her preparation time. Here is a basic seasonal fee schedule:
1 hour wardrobe edit
2 hour in store shopping
1 hour styling
Total cost: $600
I know what you are thinking - I could have bought a ton of clothes for that $600! Really? Look in your wardrobe. At least half of it is dead on arrival. You don't wear it. Never have. You like the idea, but are waiting for just the right elements to bring it all together. Let me tell you - its not going to happen. Chances are you should not have bought over 50% of what is in your closet. I'm guilty of the same thing so I'm pointing the finger at me too, ladies. Working with a stylist costs money, but on net, can save you money if you have a budget. And the results are a smaller wardrobe that you wear all the pieces. The items I bought with my first stylist are in much better rotation in my wardrobe than the crap I have personally added, hands down.
All right. Next time, I will give you some comparisons of the crap I bought compared to my stylists and you will start to see the difference.
For now,
Style Illiterate
The four fundamentals in working with your wardrobe are style, fit, color and lifestyle (read Color Me Beautiful for the fundamentals). For example, I am a romantic with an hourglass figure, a winter color palette and an working mom lifestyle. We can get more specific than that, but that's the gist. A good stylist will have training and understanding in all of these elements. What is training in this arena? Nothing formal exists yet. Look for someone who has worked in retail for several years, is able to sew clothes, has schooling in apparel and fashion, and someone with established clients in her styling business. If you can't find all these characteristics, you may settle for one. If you find all of these for less than $150 an hour, send me her contact details immediately!
You get your hair done on a regular basis, right? Nails too? How about the occasional facial or massage? So why wouldn't you pay someone to help you with a primary element of your personal appearance? I have found a variety of fee schedules for personal stylist ranging from $75-500/hour. Did you see the previous entry on the stylist I couldn't afford? My sweet spot is the stylist between $125-150/hour. I pay that for in-person time only. That could be a closet edit. A shopping trip. A styling session. She will scout for me (and all of her clients), pull pieces for try on in advance of a shopping trip, and keep informed on available clothing for no fees. That is her preparation time. Here is a basic seasonal fee schedule:
1 hour wardrobe edit
2 hour in store shopping
1 hour styling
Total cost: $600
I know what you are thinking - I could have bought a ton of clothes for that $600! Really? Look in your wardrobe. At least half of it is dead on arrival. You don't wear it. Never have. You like the idea, but are waiting for just the right elements to bring it all together. Let me tell you - its not going to happen. Chances are you should not have bought over 50% of what is in your closet. I'm guilty of the same thing so I'm pointing the finger at me too, ladies. Working with a stylist costs money, but on net, can save you money if you have a budget. And the results are a smaller wardrobe that you wear all the pieces. The items I bought with my first stylist are in much better rotation in my wardrobe than the crap I have personally added, hands down.
All right. Next time, I will give you some comparisons of the crap I bought compared to my stylists and you will start to see the difference.
For now,
Style Illiterate
Monday, August 23, 2010
Jacket good. Skirt bad.
 |
| Rate this outfit. I think the top works and the skirt looks like a box. Shoes make me look like I'm and ice cream cone. |
History: Part 2
Now that you have a sense of my lack of style, let's talk about the next phase of my style history - working with personal stylists. Gasp, you say. How decadent, you think. I felt the same way. Here's how it happened.
A dear friend of mine was a unique dresser. Think skater betty on top, mom pants in the middle, and goth chic on the bottom. Like me, she was a hot mess. She had been working with dudes in technology for most of her career and hadn't been actively dating, so it didn't seem to matter to her. After over a decade with the same company, she moved on. I didn't see her for 6 months. The first time I saw her again was at someone else's going away party and she looked hot. She was wearing jeans that looked great on her, a really cute girly top, and shoes and a bag that worked the whole outfit. And the coolest part - it all looked right on her. Not some fashion magazine pull out. Was she dating? Was she getting laid finally? What was going on? I asked and learned the dark secret. She had hired a personal stylist.
And I had the same reaction you are having now. Decadent. I can do it myself. Too expensive. Waste of money. I would never. Now lets fast forward two years. I left the my corporate safety net to start a consulting practice with a friend. Getting a business off the ground takes more time than anything. We were working days, nights and weekends. I had more money, but less time. I couldn't spend 6 hours on the weekend looking for the perfect winter coat. So I took the plunge.
I hired my first stylist in 2006. My first stylist was a true creative. She could see my style underneath all of the noise. We cleared out more than 50% of my wardrobe. Got rid of the shiny black pants I'd been lugging around since college. And yes, the satin skorts went too. Our first shopping trip together was 5 stores in 60 minutes. It was so wonderful, the first memory still brings tears to my eyes. She pre-pulled all of the items. We picked up about 6 things and we were done. Awesome! Stylist 1 had the eye to dress me in my style and the patience to evolve me into more sophisticated versions of that same style over several seasons. Unfortunately, we were not the right personality match at the time, so I eventually moved on.
By moving on, I mean - first I got pregnant. Grew 40 pounds on a five foot frame (1/3 of my body weight). Had an abnormally large baby and lost the weight. Before returning to work, I hired Stylist 2. Stylist 2 didn't make me lift a finger. She came to my house with a selection of clothes. We picked what we liked and she exchanged a few items, which were promptly back in my hands. It was a wonderful process. As a process designer by nature, I could really appreciate this lady. Unfortunately, she did not have the eye for my style. I ended up on clothes that any other mom might wear. It was not true to my style. Keep in mind, I still couldn't say what my style is, but I knew it wasn't it after wearing the clothes for a short period.
Enter Stylist 3. Ok. She was never really my stylist. This is my want-to-be stylist. I bought a session with her at an auction. I know I can't afford her bill rate, so this was the only way. We spent four glorious hours together talking about my style, my colors, my frame. She asked me question after question about what I preferred. We got the the end of the first hour of questions, and she shared with me my primary and underlying styles. She gave me a simple description of what she saw. Next we did colors. Then we did measurements. Then we talked lifestyle. After 3 years of working with other stylists, I was finally armed with information about me. I can describe my style, my silhouette, my colors and what will work in my lifestyle. I can be specific with sales people. And I know it when I see it. I also know it when I don't see it. It is a true victory. And I can never go back.
Style Illiterate
A dear friend of mine was a unique dresser. Think skater betty on top, mom pants in the middle, and goth chic on the bottom. Like me, she was a hot mess. She had been working with dudes in technology for most of her career and hadn't been actively dating, so it didn't seem to matter to her. After over a decade with the same company, she moved on. I didn't see her for 6 months. The first time I saw her again was at someone else's going away party and she looked hot. She was wearing jeans that looked great on her, a really cute girly top, and shoes and a bag that worked the whole outfit. And the coolest part - it all looked right on her. Not some fashion magazine pull out. Was she dating? Was she getting laid finally? What was going on? I asked and learned the dark secret. She had hired a personal stylist.
And I had the same reaction you are having now. Decadent. I can do it myself. Too expensive. Waste of money. I would never. Now lets fast forward two years. I left the my corporate safety net to start a consulting practice with a friend. Getting a business off the ground takes more time than anything. We were working days, nights and weekends. I had more money, but less time. I couldn't spend 6 hours on the weekend looking for the perfect winter coat. So I took the plunge.
I hired my first stylist in 2006. My first stylist was a true creative. She could see my style underneath all of the noise. We cleared out more than 50% of my wardrobe. Got rid of the shiny black pants I'd been lugging around since college. And yes, the satin skorts went too. Our first shopping trip together was 5 stores in 60 minutes. It was so wonderful, the first memory still brings tears to my eyes. She pre-pulled all of the items. We picked up about 6 things and we were done. Awesome! Stylist 1 had the eye to dress me in my style and the patience to evolve me into more sophisticated versions of that same style over several seasons. Unfortunately, we were not the right personality match at the time, so I eventually moved on.
By moving on, I mean - first I got pregnant. Grew 40 pounds on a five foot frame (1/3 of my body weight). Had an abnormally large baby and lost the weight. Before returning to work, I hired Stylist 2. Stylist 2 didn't make me lift a finger. She came to my house with a selection of clothes. We picked what we liked and she exchanged a few items, which were promptly back in my hands. It was a wonderful process. As a process designer by nature, I could really appreciate this lady. Unfortunately, she did not have the eye for my style. I ended up on clothes that any other mom might wear. It was not true to my style. Keep in mind, I still couldn't say what my style is, but I knew it wasn't it after wearing the clothes for a short period.
Enter Stylist 3. Ok. She was never really my stylist. This is my want-to-be stylist. I bought a session with her at an auction. I know I can't afford her bill rate, so this was the only way. We spent four glorious hours together talking about my style, my colors, my frame. She asked me question after question about what I preferred. We got the the end of the first hour of questions, and she shared with me my primary and underlying styles. She gave me a simple description of what she saw. Next we did colors. Then we did measurements. Then we talked lifestyle. After 3 years of working with other stylists, I was finally armed with information about me. I can describe my style, my silhouette, my colors and what will work in my lifestyle. I can be specific with sales people. And I know it when I see it. I also know it when I don't see it. It is a true victory. And I can never go back.
Style Illiterate
Sunday, August 22, 2010
History: Part 1
When I met my husband in college, I was prone to wearing Grateful Dead t-shirts, baggy jeans and yellow socks with tevas. I liked to smoke a pipe from time to time and listen to Tom Petty. You get the picture. My hubby came in to my life with a swing in his stride, fantastically broken-in cowboy boots, and a cigarette case that matched his lighter. Can you say swish? We were a match made in heaven on all fronts but the fashion.
Over the years, I have had an ebb and flow of trying to be more fashionable than my teva times, with some limited success and some flame out failures. While some things come naturally to me (spacial design, process design, and business design), fashion has always been a struggle. And I've always wanted to be better, which has resulted in some really desperate combinations. For debate tournaments in high school, I would show up in a cocktail type dress with sheer pants and a pearl choker. I choose to wear satin skorts with thigh high stockings to my college classes (now trying to impress my husband). I'm the girl that shows up wearing 7 REALLY unusual pieces. I think the current industry term is "hot mess".
Truth be told, I've never really took the time to understand my own style. Instead, I've followed the trends, buying crap each season and never wearing half of it. I have collected a really unusual (I like to think playful) collection of shoes over the years. Now that I have a daughter, I can see my choices are closer to a two year olds than a grown woman. As I type this, I am wearing a silly Old Navy tee shirt with a "Swoon in Cancun" motif, some skinny black Kut from the Kloth jeans and some monkey socks I picked up in Tokyo. Who wears this crap? Oh yes, my two year old loves the socks.
So this blog is not another fashion blog, but a blog about the fashion desperate. The girl that always wanted to be cool, but never quite made it. If you are cool, you can gloat in your better-ness by reading this blog. If you are like me, you can appreciate the lengths that one will go to to try to attain the holy grail of fashion.
Style Illiterate
Over the years, I have had an ebb and flow of trying to be more fashionable than my teva times, with some limited success and some flame out failures. While some things come naturally to me (spacial design, process design, and business design), fashion has always been a struggle. And I've always wanted to be better, which has resulted in some really desperate combinations. For debate tournaments in high school, I would show up in a cocktail type dress with sheer pants and a pearl choker. I choose to wear satin skorts with thigh high stockings to my college classes (now trying to impress my husband). I'm the girl that shows up wearing 7 REALLY unusual pieces. I think the current industry term is "hot mess".
Truth be told, I've never really took the time to understand my own style. Instead, I've followed the trends, buying crap each season and never wearing half of it. I have collected a really unusual (I like to think playful) collection of shoes over the years. Now that I have a daughter, I can see my choices are closer to a two year olds than a grown woman. As I type this, I am wearing a silly Old Navy tee shirt with a "Swoon in Cancun" motif, some skinny black Kut from the Kloth jeans and some monkey socks I picked up in Tokyo. Who wears this crap? Oh yes, my two year old loves the socks.
So this blog is not another fashion blog, but a blog about the fashion desperate. The girl that always wanted to be cool, but never quite made it. If you are cool, you can gloat in your better-ness by reading this blog. If you are like me, you can appreciate the lengths that one will go to to try to attain the holy grail of fashion.
Style Illiterate
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)