Posts from October 2009

October 25, 2009
- Shine Like a Diamond!

Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat - the 4 C's for finding the perfect diamond. If you want to shine like a diamond apply the same principles to your wardrobe!

Color Color is powerful! Some colors will enhance your best features like your eyes and soften any flaws like circles under your eyes. If you are wearing the wrong colors you could unintentionally be accentuating an uneven skin tone or making yourself appear paler. With the right colors you can camouflage those flaws and brighten your complexion, making you appear even younger! First, find out if you have a warm or cool undertone. If you have a warm undertone you'll look better in orange/yellow based colors. If you have a cool undertone, you'll look better in green/blue based colors. Don't know if you are warm or cool? Schedule a Style Assessment ($25 off to milenablog readers). Once you know what colors work for you, try and keep those colors close to your face. Either avoid the colors that don't or wear them in other places such as a skirt or a handbag.

Cut How a garment fits you depends largely upon how it is cut. You will find that higher quality fabrics and designs not only cost more, but fit better. Nothing beats a custom made shirt or suit that fits you precisely. However, if you don't have a budget for custom clothing, then it's even more important that you pay attention to cut. You are only as small as your body is, so wearing clothing that contours your body closely will be most flattering. Wearing boxy clothing or clothes that are too big or too tight are only going to add unneeded volume to your figure. Use cut to create clean lines and accentuate or camouflage where necessary.

Clarity Create a wardrobe strategy by having a clear idea of what your style is now and where you would like it to be. Many of us buy the same things out of habit or buy foolishly because of a lack of time or planning. Know that your lifestyle and budget change throughout your life so if you are still shopping in the teen section and you have your own teen that is a sign you need to re-evaluate your wardrobe strategy. The best way to determine what you need is to first figure out what you have. Evaluate your wardrobe and clean out the things that you don't wear, don't fit or are worn out. Make a list of items that you are missing or need replacing. This will give you the direction you need to start building your wardrobe. If you are overwhelmed at the thought of this, schedule a Wardrobe Edit with your favorite personal stylist and your closet will be cleaned out and you'll have a shopping list in less than 4 hours!

Carat Measure the value of your wardrobe to you based on how it affects you emotionally and physically. "Look Successful. Feel Successful. Be Successful." When you have on an outfit that you know makes you look good, your confidence peaks and you feel empowered! It's not about having the latest styles and trends-I actually tell most of my clients to limit their trendy clothes to only 10% of their wardrobe-it's about feeling put together and viewing yourself positively! Knowing that you deserve to look and feel good is the first step to creating a wardrobe that is rich in carats!

October 6, 2009
- Dress Like "You" for Halloween...Scary Thought?

Have you ever thought about being yourself for Halloween? If “you" were hanging on the rack of a costume shop would you want to be “you"? What would “you" look like?

Halloween is a time for us to experiment, have fun and even try out an alter ego! Think of the time and thought you put into a costume for one night, compared to the ones you wear every day. It could be scary. Like it or not, we live in a world where we are constantly judged on appearance. Even without being discriminating we have certain assumptions that we make about an individual. If you see someone who has a wrinkly shirt on you may assume that they are lazy or messy. If you see someone at an event wearing khakis when everyone else is wearing a suit, you might think they are at the wrong place or that they're part of the staff.

Think about the “costume" that you wear everyday. What does it say about you? If you are intelligent, organized, and creative on the inside then you want your clothes to say those same things on the outside. Take those words that you want people to associate with you and find ways to visualize them through your clothes. Here are a few tips and examples using men's shirts and women's suits:

Powerful/Ambitious– use striped patterns, angled or straight cut styles and dark colors to convey authority. Keep clothing tailored to fit your body and wear crisp and smooth fabrics.

Friendly/Caring– use rounded patterns, curved styles and soft, muted colors like mauve or brown to convey friendliness. Clothing can be a little looser and full of texture.

Creative/Modern– mix patterns, combine styles and use splashes of bold color over neutral colors like grey and black. Blend loose and tight clothing together in one outfit.

The key is to truly look like “you", whatever that is. We use the word "costume" in place of "outfit", only because of the holiday. Your outfit should never feel like a costume! For example, some women may feel like they are wearing a costume if they were outfitted in some of the clothes we’ve seen on Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. While many of these are amazing couture pieces, for some women it would feel like they were playing dress up.

Your costume should be desirable. First ask yourself how you feel about it and then ask a close friend. Have them give you three things they like about your style and any constructive criticism on what they dislike. You can even be as direct to ask them if they would want to wear your costume. Finding out why or why not will let you if you need a little tweaking or a whole new fitting. If you have been wearing the wrong costume for years, you may just seek the expert advice of a stylist, like Milena. She’ll help you create a costume that represents you on the inside and fits just right on the outside!