How to Mix and Match Colors

The feedback I hear most often from my clients is that they're saving money on clothes because when they buy just one new piece of clothing, like a skirt or pair of pants, they can make seven NEW outfits!  That's because all the clothes in their closet are in the same color palette, so the colors can easily be mixed and matched.

If you're concerned about limiting your choice of colors, and you think it's boring to have all your clothes revolve around one color palette, I will tell you that when when I look in most womens' closets these days, I see mostly BLACK!  How boring is that?

When you build your wardrobe around the neutrals, basics, and accent colors in your color palette, you will be able to have a relatively small wardrobe and still have a huge number of potential outfits.

And, the best part is opening your closet to see a mosaic of colors woven together in harmonious patterns.  Here's a friend's closet, who is a COPPER (Autumn), with her neatly arranged sweaters that look like geological layers of the earth, and a work of art!

Her commitment to buying sweaters in her colors has resulted in a very pleasing collection of sweaters that must make her smile every time she opens her closet.  It's the simple things that really make a difference in our lives...

The color palette for SILVER (Winters) looks like a box of Crayola crayons with all its bold, dramatic primary colors. 

These clean, intense colors include neutral colors of White, Black, Navy, Gray, Taupe, and a collection of light, "icy" colors that can be paired with the basic colors of True Red, True Green, and Burgundy, and accent colors like Hot Turquoise, Lemon Yellow, and Magenta. 

BUT TAKE IT EASY PAIRING THESE COLORS!  Limit bold colors to one or two colors in any one outfit, and use neutral colors as your foundation. 

Imagine having all these beautiful, color-coordinated SILVER colors in your wardrobe, and you purchase a Brown sweater.  Other than pairing the brown sweater with jeans or neutral black pants, it will clash with most of your clothes.  Not to mention how washed out and pale you might look! 

Bottom line:  when you buy clothes in one color palette, you will be able to mix and match more easily, and you'll end up with more outfits!

Are You Making a Great FIRST IMPRESSION?

5 Things You Can Do to Guarantee a

GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION

Are you making a great first impression every time you meet someone new?  Did you know that we make a judgment about a person within the first 10 seconds? 

Here are 5 easy tips to get you back on track to making a positive first impression.

1. Wear a color that always gets you compliments. We all know what those colors are, and if you don't, you need to find out!
2. Pick out one or two accessories that pull your outfit together, such as a necklace, scarf, or bracelet.  Even if you're wearing a t-shirt and jeans, a necklace will give you a chic, artsy appearance. And I guarantee people will notice!
3. Wear shoes in a bright color that POPS your outfit -- try red, green, or gold!
4. Put makeup on -- even if it's just mascara, or blush, or a colored lipgloss.  It will make your face look more expressive, and we all know that the eyes are the windows to the soul. 
5. Smile at a stranger -- did you know that the human brain prefers a smile?  A smile actually changes our brain chemistry in a positive way.  It makes a great first impression, as you appear more open and engaging.

The TRUTH About True Colors

How many of us know our TRUE COLORS?

By knowing your True Colors, I don't mean knowing whether you like to wear the color blue or green better. I mean knowing who you really are -- at the soul level, at the deepest knowing-ness place -- and presenting your authentic self in the way you dress, communicate, make a living, and share your gifts. Feeling the confidence to say what you feel, expressing your opinion in a positive and strong manner, and walking into a room and OWNING it. 

Our physical appearance is just a small fraction of who we really are, but it's a good place to start. First there's our physical body. Most of us aren't blessed with a perfect shape (which is entirely subjective and cultural anyway) so it is best to accept our physical form and find the beauty and strength in it. Look at your body as an artist does -- finding beauty and strength in the form, the lines, shadows and textures.

Then, there's the clothing that we drape over our bodies to provide protection from the elements and also show the world a hint of who we are. We indicate the "tribe" we belong to with our dress -- conservative, hippie, edgy urban, artist. Your clothing tells people how you feel about yourself and how you fit into the world. The care you take in dressing yourself makes a statement about your economic status, your job, artistic flair, how well you take care of yourself, and all sorts of other assumptions. If you think this is a superficial way to judge people, you may be right, but we do it every day intuitively!

Many of us spend our entire lives searching for who we are, why we are here, and pushing the limits of what we are capable of doing (I am speaking about myself here). Along the way, some of us receive answers and experience the joy of finding our passion. I have found that dressing in a way that brings out my inner confidence and authority, and tells the world who I REALLY am is a HUGE ASSET. It has opened many doors, creating many opportunities, and always serves to light the path for me to meet the most interesting people.

Taking the first step of dressing in a more confident and authentic way may just lead you to the self-discovery and joy you've been searching for your whole life!

Does Your Closet Bring You Joy?

Do you open your closet door and feel joy, excitement, clarity, and peace?  Okay, you can stop laughing now....

Here's the truth:  your closet should bring you JOY.  You deserve to feel happy, excited, prepared for any occasion, and organized when you look in your closet.

I believe that our closets are a reflection of our lives.  At the most extreme, your closet reveals how you perceive and value yourself -- the idea being that you don't take the time to create an organized, functional closet because you feel you don't deserve it.  At the very least, your cluttered closet slows you down getting dressed in the morning, or causes you to waste money buying clothes you already have, but couldn't find!  

Is this your closet?
Do you hold onto old clothes like old memories?
Do you hold onto your Size 6 clothes hoping they will fit you again some day?
Do you buy clothes that look good on the mannikin but not so good on you?
Do you have clothes with the tags still on?


The Pathway to Joy

If you want to open your closet and feel excited to get dressed in the morning, then you need to do a few simple things:

1. Hire a style consultant to find out what colors and styles look best on you.  The only way to weed out the bad clothes is to know what works for you!  The money and time will be well spent and it will last a lifetime.
2. Clean out your closet. Take everything out of your closet, and only put back the clothes that fit you, look great on you, coordinate with other clothes, and are ready to be worn (no holes, tears, broken zippers).
3. Organize your clothes by function and color. Hang the tops together, pants, skirts, jackets, etc.  And group everything into similar colors.  That way, if you have a pair of brown pants and you're looking for a gold or off-white top to match, you know where to look!  Makes getting dressed quick and effortless!

Promise yourself that you will start the new year with an organized, beautiful closet that brings you joy and happiness!

Do you have a story about a closet transformation that you would like to share?  Questions about closet organization?  Send in your comments and questions!

How To Buy Clothes on a Tight Budget

If you have even LESS money this season to spend on new clothes, here are some tips to stretching your dollars and still enjoying a fresh, new wardrobe:

1. Add some trendy pieces to your wardrobe, like a faux fur vest or a long cardigan sweater, that cost less than $40.  Stores like Gap, Marshalls, and if you must, Kohl's, are showing all these trendy items that will add a little chic to your outfits.
2. Find your local clothing resale stores (consignment) and stretch your budget.  It is amazing how many pieces you will find with the tags still on the clothes in consignment stores.  You're buying someone else's mistakes!  For at least 40% less!
3. Buy a scarf or two, in your colors, to add a POP to your wardrobe.  A scarf, tied in a new way, can make a plain white blouse look completely new!
4. Buy a new purse or a fedora hat to make a new statement.
5. Layer pieces that you already own in a new way -- make sure the pieces are made of light fabric so you don't look too bulky. 

Enjoy this beautiful Fall season!  Write me and tell me what you're doing to stretch your budget.