As everyone knows, Southern California is the home to the original Cult of the Body. It’s not the most comfortable place in the world to carry a few extra pounds, but this is nowhere more obvious than when you hit the mall. Just because SoCal is a fit area of the country doesn’t mean that…
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The Hot New Style: Individuality
The best thing about the Oscar fashion parade this year was that there was actually fashion to be had. Beautiful women wearing beautiful dresses are a good thing, but I missed the awards ceremonies of my youth, when there was an excitement inherent in seeing who would wear what, what bit of the inner self…
The Capsule Wardrobe
The phrase, “capsule wardrobe” came to popularity in the 70s, but the concept has been a foundational part of wardrobe management since women started having more than one or two outfits at their disposal. It’s the best way to maximize the value of your clothing dollar. The concept has changed slightly in recent years, where…
Color Evokes Emotion
One of the most powerful tools in the box is color, and it’s one of the easiest to deploy. Ad agencies all over the world use color to manipulate your emotions – because it works. Why shouldn’t you do the same, when you’re trying to create a certain impression? There are three ways in which…
Dresses over Jeans/Kimono Toppers
There’s a trend going now for “dresses” (intentionally so – the “dresses” are usually not functional as dresses) or kimonos over jeans. I’d recommend some version to nearly everyone. Dresses over pants are a classic line in other countries (aka most of Asia and the Middle East) *because* they’re so universally flattering. Here’s a few…
Casual, Hands-on Work Environment
One of my clients recently came to me with the question – “Well, I don’t really have to change my style, do I? I mean – I wear very casual clothes to work, and I’m hands-on (and getting dirty) all day”. This is often an objection to upgrading the wardrobe for SAHM, too. “It’s just…
When Shoes Betray
One of the great rules of fashion in the modern era is that shoes make the outfit. That’s great for those women rocking the Jimmy Choos, but what about the rest of us? Not everyone can (or should) run around in stilettos all the time. Some of us can’t even manage a kitten heel. Life…
The Psychology of Hand-me-downs
I received an interesting question over on my personal website this week, about how to avoid causing insult when you are the recipient of unwanted hand-me-downs. There’s a lot to unpack about our emotions surrounding clothing – so let’s give this a go. Clothing is considered intrinsically valuable: Until the last twenty to thirty years,…
You can be you and be fashionable
One of the greatest benefits of the modern age is that we truly have the choice to wear just about anything and still be fashionable. This wasn’t always so, and I think that many of us hold on to days past when there were just one or two big trends per year. That’s so far…
Wearing Mommy’s Clothes
Most of us are burdened with preconceived ideas of who and what we’re supposed to be. How we’re supposed to dress, how we’re supposed to speak, how we’re supposed to interact. Some of that is useful – one doesn’t want to burn all the etiquette books, after all – but much of it is self-induced…