Your wardrobe is a huge part of how people perceive you.  So how do you create a wardrobe that represents your personal style.

The first step in creating a stylish wardrobe is obtaining the wardrobe staples. These are the basic pieces that will be able to mix and match and go with more personal and trendy items.  Things such as a black blazer, black pants, day jeans, night jeans, white button down, white tee shirt, black pumps etc…Once you have most of the staple items you need to establish what looks best on your body.  What areas of the body do we want to accentuate and what areas do you want to minimize.   Most of the time I find that clients don’t even know what looks best on them.  I’ll show them a different cut or fit than they would normally choose and it ends up being something they love and is the most flattering fit for them.  Its also important to make sure clothes fit correctly, they are not too big, small or too long or short. When clothes fit properly they automatically look more expensive.

After determining the cut and fit that look best, we need to determine what clothes are most functional and practical for your lifestyle.  For instance you are not going to wear stilettos to take your kids to the park, so instead you would shop for some cute walkable and comfy shoes like sneakers or a ballet flat.   If your heading to the office you would shop for more sophisticated shoes.

Now the fun begins and you can start shopping. You walk into a department store and you are staring at 100’s of designers and brands which is completely overwhelming., How do you know what your look and style are.  Are you conservative, funky, super feminine etc. My suggestion is Imitate Imitate Imitate. Whether it is a family member or celebrity who’s style you admire, or even a catalogue from a certain store, this is a great guide to help you shop.

But your not finished yet…After you have your closet filled with clothes you need to make sure that you actually wear them and don’t reach for the usual suspects.  How is this going to happen, well Its simple, you need to plan ahead. Pick out your outfit the night before so when your alarm goes off and time is limited, the one thing that’s done is your outfit and you walk out the door looking and feeling stylish and super fabulous.

Happy Shopping!

xx

Stefanie

Versatility is key to a good wardrobe.  You always want to maximize each piece of clothing by wearing it with different things and ways. Creating multiple looks with clothing in your closet will keep your fashion game on point and save you money. Thats why when I’m shopping and find something that stands out, I have to share it with you! Check out this pretty white blouse I found at Pookie & Sebastian last week.  At first glance, it seems like a simple white blouse with a neck tie.  A great blouse to have when you need to be a little more dressed up and sophisticated. But after trying it on, I saw how this one blouse could be styled 4 different ways to create 4 totally different looks. Not bad for a top that is $78, right?Check out this fabulous blouse, which for good reason, P&S named “Kai make your own neckline blouse”.

1. SEXY Let the ties hang down exposing the V neckline.

2. SLEEK Love this sleek look created by just pulling one of the ties slightly through the hole and leaving the other tie undone.

3. SOPHISTICATED A simple bow creates a smart and grown up look.

4. DRESSED UP – Add a rhinestone pin to the bow for a more dressy look.

Sometimes an outfit just isn’t quite right.  You know when you put something on and your just not feeling it, like something is missing, but it has potential?  Possibly with the right tweak you could make it fabulous.   Last week I was shopping around Bloomingdales and came across this jumpsuit by Guess. Jumpsuits are so hot right now and the color was just one of those amazing reds, it immediately popped out at me.

Guess is not a brand I often wear, and I wasn’t really sure how I felt about the front leg slits and the high waist, but for $108 it could have been an amazing find or a bomb.  When I got home and tried on the jumpsuit, before looking in the mirror, the fit seemed to be perfect.  But when I looked in the mirror something was off.  Check out below how I took one jumpsuit, that needed a little something, and transformed it to two fabulous looks.

First, I felt that the thin bra like strap made the jumpsuit look a little cheap, so I tucked that in and voila, that added a bit of sophistication.  Then since I have a short torso, I didn’t really like the high waist and long crotch, so to make each look shorter and give me more of a waist I added a thick black leather belt.   I love how this immediately cinched in my waist and almost gave it a pant and top look that was very modern and chic which I loved.  Then tried something a little more delicate and added a vintage Chanel chain belt which gave the jumpsuit a more dressy european look. 

See how sometimes with a little tweaking you can really change an entire outfit.  Now I have altered this jumpsuit into two very stylish looks that would be great a cocktail or dinner party or even dinner with my Valentine.

Happy Valentines Day!

Stefanie

Shopping online has become a way of life.  My mailbox is totally overloaded with emails from stores letting me know about new clothes and seasonal must haves.  I am constantly clicking on those store emails and  perusing to see what all the stores and designers are showing.   So I wanted to share some of my favorite place to shop online.

First and my favorite online store is Intermix. Especially when it comes to dresses for events, Intermix is the first place I look. Intermix is expensive,but they always have the newest designers and styles. And even though I am not spending  $400 on one top, I do a lot of window shopping here and get amazing outfit inspiration.  Also at least once a month they have serious sales of 30-40% off, so I scope out what I like online, try it on in the store (so I know my size since all sale Items are Final) and then I’m ready to purchase if it goes on sale.

Another favorite of mine is Shopbop.  Shopbop is my go to online store for everyday clothes.  They have a large selection of designers in all price points from designers like Rachel Comey and Petersyn to much less expensive brands like BB Dakota and Endless Rose. Even though they have a huge selection of clothing which can be overwhelming online, what I truly love about this site is their category “Trend Edit”.

Trend Edit breaks up their clothing into fun categories that really let you narrow down your search.  For instance they currently have ” Blouse Party”, which features all their blouses, “Rainbow Brights”,  which features all their rainbow striped pattern clothing “modern denim” shows the latest in denim trends and Hang Time which features casual lounge clothes, and this is just to name a few.  Even better is that they are now linked with Amazon Prime so you can receive clothes in 2 days for free.

Revolve is another one of my go to online stores.  This is where I look for super trendy clothing and accessories.  They too carry a large selection of brands and many that are reasonably priced . On Revolve I can always find a fun going out top or vacation dress, clothing that is more fun and not my wardrobe staples.  Revolve is definitely a great fashion resource to keep up to the minute on trends.

These are my favorite places to shop online. I would love to know what your online shopping favorites are?

Happy Shopping

XX

Stefanie