If you know me, you know that I always sing the praises of Twitter. Here is a living, breathing experience of why I adore it so much.
I connected with this cool chick, Tammy (@floridagirlindc) on Twitter last spring. In fact, it was on the day of the Kentucky Derby. We were talking about drinking mint juleps and bourbon. She lives in WashingtonD.C. and quickly became one of my favorite "tweeps" on Twitter.
My lovely friend Emily (@ejhonsa) lives in Cleveland (which is where I am based). I have known her for years*. She was in her last year of law school and was going to be interning in D.C. at NCIS (I'm sure she's sick of Mark Harmon jokes by now).
I told her to make sure she connected with Tammy when she was there. So they connected on Twitter and then on Facebook.
I had no idea that they would become good buddies and I was so delighted to see the two of them together in pictures showing up on Facebook over the summer. Tammy introduced Emily to all kinds of cool people in D.C. and Emily quickly fit into her summer home's social scene.
I was thinking: "I made that happen!" And yes, I patted myself on the back a couple of times.
This past weekend, I got great news - Tammy had a reason to make her first trip to Cleveland - wow, that was so unexpected! - and of course we needed to get together.
So I knew Emily for years, Emily knew Tammy from her summer in D.C., and we all knew each other from Twitter.
I love when different threads of my life mesh like this. Few things are as personally satisfying.
Winter has hit the Midwest with a vengeance. While some of us
are lucky enough to live in warmer climates, frosty temps and gray skies are a
bleak reality for a lot of us.
I live in a cold climate.
Cleveland, Ohio, to be exact. I hate winter and all that comes along with it.
Snow, ice, dirty slush, biting cold, frozen hands, runny nose, chapped lips,
chapped face, melting icicles impaling me when I enter a building (am I the
only one terrified of this?).
Hey, I could probably write a song based on
all the things I don’t enjoy about winter. It just know it would become an
instant classic!
But there is a little good news at least!
Having the essentials to look great during the cold weather will undoubtedly
make you feel more confident, uplifted, and ready to take on the world, even if
you would rather stay toasty warm at home in your comfy sweats.
Grab Your Coat
If you are only going to have one coat, the most versatile is
knee-length, single-breasted, and made from a natural fiber like wool or
cashmere. This basic style can work for the most casual of outfits like jeans
and boots, but you can also wear it on more dressy occasions.
Make sure it is a color that you commonly
wear so it fits in with the rest of your wardrobe. Black is what most women
would usually select, but beware - black coats attract copious amounts of lint
and animal hair. It’s never attractive to be seen picking stray fibers
off yourself like a monkey (although I still find that I do it to myself and
others – eek!).
I recommend in lieu of black, going with a
dark, heathered charcoal. It will be much less forgiving with lint.
Let it skim your body. Extra points if it
tapers at the waist or has a belt. This will help to define your waist and make
you look slimmer.
When selecting a coat, make sure it’s
large enough to fit a bulky sweater or a jacket underneath in case you need to
stay extra warm!
This is my favorite part of winter style! Accessorize your
outerwear just as you would the rest of your wardrobe.
Do you have a favorite color or
a color you receive a lot of compliments in? (Ladies, I do not mean
black.) Buy five accessories in that color – a turtleneck, long-sleeve
T-shirt, gloves, a scarf, and a purse or boots. Wear three matching
pieces – maximum – at one time. The idea is that having pieces that match
and work together makes you look like you put a lot of thought into what you’re
wearing - even though you really didn’t!
At the minimum, when I buy a turtleneck, I
am in the habit of buying a pair of gloves to match it.
My fabulous friend
Dee, modeling for a Fox 8 shoot with me
If you wear a few key colors a lot of the
time, look for winter scarves that incorporate those colors. I love
bright colors, and my favorite scarf this year is teal, rust, lime and orange.
It looks great with my brown coat and many of my brightly-colored turtlenecks.
Plus, if I take my coat off, I can leave the scarf on as an accessory!
Add a cute pair of boots and trust me - you
will find that trudging through winter is not quite such a chore!
Did you know that a change on the outside can serve as a catalyst for changing what we want to change on the inside? It can be tough to alter certain aspects of our lives when the proof that we are changing (what is on the outside) remains the same.
It doesn't have to be a dramatic before and after makeover, but a visible change can put you in a positive frame of mind to reach your goals in 2010.
It is never good to become complacent. Far too many of us get stuck with a style that we are comfortable with and it becomes an all too-familiar rut. Whether we’ve had the same hairstyle for 5 years, wear a daily “uniform”, or put our makeup on exactly the same way every single day.
Don’t get me wrong – there isn’t anything wrong with comfort. Many of us like our comfort zones and they work well for us. But sometimes we can become too attached to a routine, style or method and before we realize it, we have become quite resistant to change. One rut can lead to another, which can snowball into our whole lives becoming one big forgettable routine. Even those who bask in their blandness (I know several of you – and I know you are eagerly reading this!) can benefit from mixing it up once in awhile.
Many of my clients tell me they are stuck in a style and don’t know why. Their goal is to look “more interesting” but they don’t know exactly what that means to them – or how to get there.
Here are four ways I recommend to my clients to help pull them out of their fashion ruts. The best part is that you can apply them TODAY!
Get ready to make your New Year more stylish – one step at a time.
1. Expand your reading material
If you’re stuck in a Redbook, Good Housekeeping or Real Simple frame of mind, pick up a few magazines you normally wouldn't read. The aforementioned magazines generally recycle the same style advice month after month and it will do nothing to make your clothing selection more exciting.
Think more along the lines of my personal fave, InStyle – but also look at Elle, Vogue, Lucky, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, or even – gasp – Cosmo! Yes, some of the fashion can be "out there", but don’t lose heart - it's more important to see what’s happening in the fashion world and get ideas.
New Year's Challenge: Start a “look book” of pictures of what you feel fits your style and what you would be comfortable wearing, plus some accessorizing ideas you can use in your own wardrobe.
2. Try a few new stores
Go to the mall and look around at Express, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Arden B., H&M, or other retailers you normally wouldn't frequent if you're stuck in a “department store” mentality. Or try a smaller step - venture out of your favorite section of the department store and explore the more trendy parts of the store.
Try clothes on! Even if you always gravitate toward the same styles, you are missing out on a lot if you just look and don't try anything on.
Find a couple of hours this month to go out by yourself or with a friend (not a hubby or boyfriend) and explore the mall in a way you've never done before or haven't done in years. Report back to me. What did you discover about what's out there? What were you attracted to? What did you try on? How did it make you feel?
New Year's Challenge: Buy something totally unexpected that you love but would never buy “in a million years” – AND WEAR IT!
3. Explore Color
What colors are you attracted to? For most people, their color preferences change based on their mood and the time of year.
Most of us have the basics we need – navy, black, gray and brown. But they need to be punched up with accent colors to be more exciting.
By wearing colors you love, you will not only look updated but you will feel a definite lift in your spirits! Wearing color has been proven time and again to be extremely powerful mood enhancer.
New Year's Challenge:Find an accent color or two that you like and buy a few pieces in the same shade (i.e., berry red, fuchsia, forest green, etc). Try a turtle neck, a winter scarf, gloves, hat, long-sleeve tee, purse, or even a camisole in your shade.
(Please only wear a couple pieces at the same time or the matchy-matchy police will arrest you.)
4. Update your Accessories, Shoes, and Hair
The easiest and most budget-friendly way to update your wardrobe is with accessories. Try a funky necklace or bracelet. Or look for a hot new handbag (ask the sales associate what's in and they will point you in the right direction).
I tend to buy a lot of my fun accessories at Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe.
Or buy a colorful pair of boots!
Another place many people get stuck is with their eyeglasses – only changing when their prescription changes. Don’t do this! Invest in new eyeglasses (stores always have deals!) even if your prescription still works for you. Or change your hair a little - get highlights or lowlights if you've never tried them before. Or change your hairstyle – if only slightly.
New Year's Challenge:Buy one new accessory or make one makeup or hair tweak every week. Write these down in a small notebook. Over the year, you will see how you’ve evolved. It’s really rewarding and will set the stage for further change and style (and life) victories!
***
Remember that just as you change and evolve as a person, your style should grow and change right along with you. Don't use this as a one-time fix. Make time for yourself at least once every season and give yourself time to explore what the stores are offering and decide what the next version of YOU should look like.
Gentle steps out of your comfort zone will not only help you break free from your style rut, but will set the stage for success in other facets of your life as well!
