Posts Tagged ‘personal stylist’

I’ll Have Mustard With That!

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

I’ll have mustard with that!

Wendy M. is head stylist and owner of Smitten With Style, a personal and corporate stylist that is helping women and men of all ages, shapes and sizes to dress their best from head to toe! With a range of services including shopping trips, Style Masterclasses, wardrobe consultations and corporate presentations, there’s sure to be a service to help you

I am obsessed with the colour mustard yellow as this season’s colour du jour. It has always been a favourite of mine as it is a gorgeous colour for autumn/winter that still has a sense of happiness and cheer about it, without screaming summer like a canary yellow.

But not all mustards are the same, so we take a look at the “right” shade of mustard using as our inspiration….mustards!

Dijon mustard

This light yellow mustard is probably the hardest shade of mustard to wear as it has an undertone of creaminess that washes most people out. Someone who is really fair and blonde, or with rich olive undertones are probably the only ones who can wear it. Most of us (who are somewhere in between) will struggle.

French mustard

This camel brown-inspired mustard is great on food, but a real no-no in apparel. It is however a great colour to use in little dollops such as in a belt, bag or shoes, or in skirts and pants which are far enough away from your face.

Hot English mustard

Now we are cooking with gas. This is a fabulous colour that will liven any winter wardrobe up. It is a much more user friendly shade of mustard, and is almost a deep deep gold in colour, so it evokes a sense of richness perfect for Autumn/Winter. It is fresh worn with white, or dramatic with black.

There’s no denying mustard can be a hard colour to wear, so if in doubt, invest in just accessories such as a bag, clutch or even shoes. You can also try a pattern with hints of mustard through (think wholegrain mustard) to take the edge of the yellow if it is too overwhelming for you. However you wear it, this colour is sure to pep up your winter wardrobe!

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Trans-seasonal Flats!

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Transeasonal Flats!

Wendy M. is head stylist and owner of Smitten With Style, a personal and corporate stylist that is helping women and men of all ages, shapes and sizes to dress their best from head to toe! With a range of services including shopping trips, Style Masterclasses, wardrobe consultations and corporate presentations, there’s sure to be a service to help you

With the cooler months closing in on our doorstep, you might be tempted to pack away the summer sandals. Not so fast, fashionista! Your summer flats still have a lot of life in them! Blessed with our warmer winters, Australia is the perfect place for transeasonal footwear.

To look uber cool though, you can’t just chuck on your sandals with your jeans and jumper and hope for the best. A super chic look is to play with layers, different proportions and textures.

Play with looks such as a long line cardi layered over cropped jeans and finished off with a lightweight scarf and gladiator sandals for a great little relaxed, casual look. Or experiment with a mini, boyfriend blazer and a flat, caged shoe for a real rock chic look.

Make textures and fabrics work for you by mixing up either a leather jacket over a denim skirt, or a leather skirt with a cotton tee, and throw on a terrific reptile print flats.

Gran a pair of brogues (all the rage this autumn/winter) and match them with some harem pants and layered singlets in staple cotton. And to look really on trend and channel the latest looks seen on the runways of NY Fashion Week, invest in some thin mid calf socks and wear them with your kitten heels. Scrunch the socks down slightly though – this isn’t school, it’s fashion.

It’s such a fun look being able to mix sandals with the heavier weights and feel of more wintry fabrics and styles and is a very Australian sense of style. AND you’ll stay super comfy (yet fashionable!) in your fabulous flats!!

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Parisian Chic

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Oh la la! Parisian Style

Wendy M. is head stylist and owner of Smitten With Style, a personal and corporate stylist that is helping women and men of all ages, shapes and sizes to dress their best from head to toe! With a range of services including shopping trips, Style Masterclasses, wardrobe consultations and corporate presentations, there’s sure to be a service to help you.

It seems you can’t go anywhere this season without seeing a strong Parisian influence on this autumn/winter’s new season fashion.

Flooded everywhere in shops from Portmans to Bardot, Sussan and even Rodney Clark, I’m seeing Chanel inspired jackets and quilted bags, pearls and stripes, navy and berets.

It’s a wonderful look but it does take a little bit of thinking to put together as you want to look a bit more ‘Chanel meets Gossip Girl’ rather than ‘Chanel meets Lady Gaga’!

So how best to wear it? The trick is not to overdo it. You don’t want to appear too “matchy matchy”, head to toe in these Parisian inspired creations, as wonderful as they are. So lay off the boucle jacket plus pearls over the navy and white striped tee – it’s all too much!

Instead, take one item of French frou frou and make it your own. Keep your other pieces decidedly modern and in keeping with your current style to really work this trend. For example, take a boucle jacket, pair it with some skinny jeans over a plain white tee, and throw on a quilted shoulder bag. Or channel a little oh la la inspiration and work the striped tee with a couple of strands of pearls – chunky pearls will best suit the relaxed look of the tee.

And for true French class, keep your outfit in the uniform black and white but amp up the style with a beret and an oversized quilted bag. Et voila – Coco Chanel lives on!

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Top 10 Working Wardrobe Essentials For Autumn

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Top 10 Working Wardrobe Essentials for Autumn!

By Wendy M.

Head Stylist, Smitten With Style

www.smittenwithstyle.com

wendy@smittenwithstyle.com

Let’s talk about basics. Not business basics, but wardrobe basics.

While looking and shopping for basics can be dull, they are absolutely essential as the foundation of a great wardrobe. You will be able to mix and match and thus get more mileage from your shopping dollar. In fact, I believe that if you choose the right pieces, you can get away without buying a single suit, while still looking highly professional in the office!

Once you get the basics right, you’ll then find it much easier to extend in to statement pieces for each season. More importantly, you will find getting dressed for work in the mornings so much simpler and quicker!

  1. 1. The tailored shift dress

An easy, no fuss option. Just zip-up for instant office chic. A simple, clean silhouette in charcoal or black will make you look smart and professional. Ensure the dress has a sleeve so you can wear it on its own in summer, or with a jacket or cardi for winter.

Most body shapes will suit a dress that is fairly structured and tailored. A scoop or V-neck will also suit most women.

  1. 2. A classic skirt

A black pencil skirt with no embellishment is the most classic option that won’t date. Pick one that sits comfortably on or just below your waist, and you’ll be able to tuck a blouse in to it or leave a more fitted top untucked, (skirts that sit on the hips are more difficult to tuck).

If you are heavier in the hips, choose a straighter skirt or a soft A-line.

  1. 3. Tailored trousers

A stylish pair of trousers is key for any Autumn working wardrobe. Look for a pair that sits closer to or on your hips and hugs and flatters from the waist band to mid bum (or all around if you have a nice bum!), with a classic straight drop from the hips downwards.

If your office is a little less conservative and you have the body for it, you could dabble in a skinny or tapered leg. For most women I would advise staying away from anything to wide legged unless you are super tall.

I have a personal preference for a really really dark charcoal over black but either colour would work well.

  1. 4. A feminine blouse

Surprised the good old classic white shirt isn’t on this list?

I find blouses prettier, softer and more feminine. Select one in silk or satin to really make your outfit look really smart. A cream or off-white blouse will look fresh with any jacket or cardi, and works beautifully with both charcoal or black trousers/skirt.

Tip: if you do like the tailored appeal of a shirt, there are now brands cutting shirts to suit different cup sizes! No more gaping!

  1. 5. A feminine blouse (no 2)

You will need at least a 2nd blouse (or shirt) in a colour to help extend the outfit options that you can create from your essentials. Jewel colours such as emeralds, rubies or sapphire blues always work well with black or charcoal for the cooler season, as will ink navy and burnt oranges.

  1. 6. A blazer

A great blazer pulls your outfits together. Choose a black, fitted blazer that isn’t too long, which will match all your black or charcoal bottoms, and set off your blouses beautifully.

  1. 7. A knit cardi

Most work places don’t require full jacket / skirt combinations nowadays, so the cardi has become a very popular option. Black will give you the most versatility, just make sure it is fitted, preferably with a ¾ sleeve and do ensure you buy a new one the minute it starts to pill and look ratty.

  1. 8. A range of cami’s

Pop a cami under a jacket or cardi and voila! You have a new outfit. Get a few fitted camis that sit well under a jacket, in a range of eye popping colours. You can update these every season as colour trends change.

Tip: A nude coloured cami is also handy to have for under sheer tops.

  1. 9. The jersey dress

For days when you can’t bear the thought of tucking another blouse in to your skirt or trousers! A jersey dress is comfortable and effortless. Be aware though that it is more relaxed, so it may not be appropriate for every day.

10. Accessories

You’ll need at least 3 really unique necklaces that have enough chunk to them to make your outfits look different, preferably featuring strong colours so that they stand out against the sea of black and charcoal. If you aren’t a necklace person, adopt another accessory such as scarves.

You’ll also need a few quality pairs of truly opaque, plain black tights.

To finish off your look, invest in two belts – one to belt around the skirt and the other the belt around your trousers (you may only need one belt if you can get away with it for both skirts and trousers).

Finally, do invest in some quality shoes. Shoes can say so much about your professionalism and can make your outfit look like a million bucks, or just a dollar. So choose a classic pair that you can walk in with a mid-heel. If you can’t wear heels all day, keep another polished looking pair of flats under your desk and swap them as you need to – that way you’ll never get caught out without that perfect pair of heels to complete your look.

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Smitten With Style is a leading corporate and personal stylist who works with corporations and individual clients to best represent themselves through their dress and grooming. With over 500 clients, it is their aim for men and women to dress and look confident at all times, whether at the workplace or at play.

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Posted in Corporate Style | 2 Comments »

Creating A Super Brand Out Of Your Super Style!

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Creating A Super Brand Out Of Your Super Style!

By Wendy M.

Head Stylist, Smitten With Style

www.smittenwithstyle.com

wendy@smittenwithstyle.com

The start of the new year always brings about new resolutions. New diets and exercise regimes, new commitment to a carefully planned shopping budget (I fell off that wagon on 4 January), new vows not to date your loser ex (again), another resolution to stop swearing (again, 4 January for me) and so on. In fact, if I never see or hear the phrase “new year, new you” again, it won’t be too soon!

There is however one new year resolution that I do believe in, and that is building your “personal style brand”. This isn’t about your broad “personal brand” – again another phrase that I think is overused – but about building your fashion style so that it really reflects who you are and how you want the world to see you.

What do I mean by that?

A personal brand is your asset of traits, appearance, knowledge and presence that leaves a distinctly unique and positive impression on those you meet.

A personal style brand is how you “package” and express your brand through your exterior appearance, which usually includes (but isn’t limited to) your clothing, accessories, grooming and body.

Why is it important?

In terms of your career, getting your personal style brand right can help you:

  • Create the “wow” impression you want when interviewing for a new role. While your resume clarifies what skills and experience you possess for the role, your personal style brand can convey in seconds that YOU should be hired over someone else who may have a similar background and achievements.
  • Enhance your credibility, particularly if you have increased visibility due to a change of role or if you are aiming for a promotion. You may have heard of the saying ‘dress for the job you want, not for the job you have’ and this could not be truer. Think of it this way – if you are willing to pay a premium for a particular brand of champagne that is packaged in a beautiful and distinctive box instead of paying less for the local sparkling wine with your bog standard label, then your personal style brand can help increase your ability to “charge” a premium as well!
  • Create a positive connection with the person/s you are communicating with which therefore helps promotes your objectives. Politicians more than anyone else understand this. Our respect and trust increases when they are well dressed and we assume a certain level of knowledge and experience. Imagine if Barack Obama wore a collarless shirt and shorts throughout his presidential election campaign!

It needs to reflect YOU

A personal style brand is organic and it needs to be authentic. It’s organic because it does (and should) change and evolve with you as your grow older, wiser and as your body changes. It needs to be authentic because it needs to truly reflect who you really are and what you really want to achieve or do.

For example, a male client of mine had a long history of working for innovative, dynamic and young IT development companies where he’d worn jeans, tees and some jewelry in the form of several rings and an earring. He had just taken a role as a business development manager for a much larger and well-known IT software company and had to wear a suit when meeting clients, but one look at him and you could see this wasn’t him. He looked and felt uncomfortable and that was evident in his business meetings.

While I fully agreed he needed to wear a suit (you have to stay within the boundaries of your work’s dress code at the end of the day), he needed a “piece” of himself to really “own” that look. He needed to feel he hadn’t lost his personality and personal style beneath the suit he had to wear.

In the end we gave him beautiful, well-cut wool suits with gorgeous heavy cotton shirts, and styled it up with quirky ties. For the finishing touch we found a solid silver ring that wasn’t too ostentatious for him to wear on his pinky finger. The quality and cut of the suit and shirt said “I mean business” but his tie and ring said “I have ideas and think differently”.

In the end a personal style brand is really about who you are and what you see as your core “features”, distilled into a consistent and work-appropriate style of dress so people see it even more clearly.

Working it all out

It isn’t always easy to figure out what your personal style brand is as often you’re too close to the source. You can get started however by asking yourself – and those around you – what it is you consistently look great in, what you haven’t always looked comfortable in, what you love wearing, and what – when you wear it – makes you feel like you can touch the sky.

You might unearth a number of things! You may discover that wearing turtlenecks to work makes you feel dowdy and dumpy – and that may affect how you carry yourself at work. Your colleagues may tell you that you appear more confident in certain outfits. You may notice that people seem to make eye contact with you when you are wearing an accessory like necklace or a scarf that draws attention to your face.

The “how to” of personal style branding

Once you find your personal style brand, stay true to it. Don’t let it get staid and wear the same things over and over again, but do use it as a guiding principle before you make your next work wardrobe purchase. Ask yourself if your purchase will add or detract from your personal style brand.

Make sure that whatever you decide is unique and distinctive about your style, is relevant and not unnecessary. Twenty bangles stacked on your arm doesn’t necessarily spell “what a great employee” even if you are applying for a job at an accessories retailer!

And remember this: you will always have the skills and experience that you have – no one can take that away from you and it is ultimately what employers look for in job interviews and the workplace in general. But as in all relationships, we look for chemistry too – that “zsa zsa ju”, in this case your personal style – that will help open the door for your skills and experience to shine.

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Smitten With Style is a leading corporate and personal stylist who works with corporations and individual clients to best represent themselves through their dress and grooming. With over 500 clients, it is their aim for men and women to dress and look confident at all times, whether at the workplace or at play.

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Christmas Party Dressing

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

The Do’s and Don’ts of Christmas Party Dressing

By Wendy M.

Head Stylist, Smitten With Style

www.smittenwithstyle.com

wendy@smittenwithstyle.com

End of year work functions are a great way for employers and managers to say thanks to their team for another year of commitment and hard work. While you relax and reap the rewards of another year’s effort, it is also a great opportunity to network and converse with management (even the general manager who normally hates being at functions usually has to make a showing at the staff end of year Party), therefore a chance for you to either create a strong and positive, or poor, impression with your colleagues.

As we know from our previous eTip, a large part of that impression is based on what you wear. While I appreciate that after a year of crisp white shirts and pencil skirts, you’re ready to show your colleagues that you do have a mean sense of style that would kick everyone else’s fashion behind, here’s my top 3 Do’s and Don’ts for the office party season!

  1. 1. DO: Ensure your outfit is consistent with the image you are trying to project at work

If you’ve spent all year trying to shake off the “young and pretty” image, then a romantic inspired chiffon frock with ruffled trim might not help your cause.

Conversely, if you have been trying to project a warm and welcoming image, a structured all black cocktail strapless dress might not do the trick either.

For our male readers gunning after that promotion, this is not the occasion to bust out your most flamboyant shirt that you normally wear out till the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Always remember that the same work colleagues you have been trying to impress all year are still the same ones that will be at the work function, and more so if the big bosses are in attendance too – so make sure your outfit is consistent with how you’d like to be seen and regarded when the buzz of the party champagne has worn off.

  1. 2. DON’T: Justify anything that doesn’t feel appropriate because it is the work “party”

It’s sometimes easy to settle for a great outfit that is JUST that much too short, too low or too shiny, because it is the end of year “Party” and feels like an excuse to let your hair down.

Bare thighs, stilettos that look like weapons and anything that may make Pete from middle management covet you like a shiny new Barbie doll is just not acceptable at a work function.

The simple rule of thumb for office party frocks is if it seems remotely like a bad idea, it is probably best left for a night out with friends.

  1. 3. DO: Seek out an “intelligent” party frock

It is actually possible to find a party frock that is work-appropriate and fun, without needing to feel like you’ve raided your great-grandma’s wardrobe for a high necked cream maxi dress from 1894.

Visualise yourself as a guest at the opening night of a swanky art gallery, or the launch of a new luxury designer store and what you would wear to that. I doubt that tacky reindeer earrings, stretch lace or fitted corset style tops would feature, instead you would channel an ultra glam, graceful yet discreetly sensuous outfit. One shoulder tops (a big trend this season – and always safe as they never reveal too much bust) in a satin or silk, belted at the waist or left to skim your bodyshape ending just above the knee would make a wonderful choice for a work function. As would a long, flowing maxi dress for daytime functions such as family picnics which are becoming increasingly popular with many companies in lieu of the night time party.

For males, a slightly more form fitting shirt in a darker colour, with or without a subtle print, neatly pressed and worn untucked for a bit of urban coolness would be entirely appropriate.

You might say I’m spoiling the party, but you will be grateful when you look at the photos posted on the office Intranet on Monday morning! And you’ll enjoy the function a lot more when you don’t have to spend the night tugging self consciously at your skirt or hiking up your top (or having to listen to your mates call you the Boy From Oz for your too-shiny shirt).

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Smitten With Style is a leading corporate and personal stylist who work with corporations and individual clients to best represent themselves through their dress and grooming. With over 500 clients, it is their aim for men and women to dress and look confident at all times, whether at the workplace or at play.

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Denim Dayz

Friday, October 9th, 2009

This summer denim is back in a BIG way – staple jeans, little shorts, mini skirts, vests and yes even the jacket is back! But as with all trends, it’s back but just a little bit different. Here’s our top 5 tips on how to wear this season’s denim so that you rock it and look uber-cool.

1.       Let there be light

This season denim is a light wash. Say goodbye to your dark indigo wash denim (at least for now as next winter will continue to see dark jeans reign) and grab yourself a lighter wash jean. Whether it’s a skinny, straight, flared or bootcut that takes your fancy, make sure it’s light like these Sportsgirl jeans.

 

2.       Dazzle with embellishments

Another key trend is metal studs or buttons or any other metal embellishments on your denim. Top tips – square studded detail on back pockets feature on Sass and Bide jeans, so look for this trend as many other denim labels have followed suit. To stay super on-trend, keep your embellishments in this season’s hot metal colour of gold (or bronze).

 

3.       Jackets are back!

Dig out your old denim jacket (or better yet – get a new one!) and enjoy wearing it again! It’s back and it’s definitely cool. Throw it over your floral floaty summer dresses or rock it with a short mini or shorter than short black hot pants if you have the legs and a spray tan. In other words, work the denim jacket back into your look as a lighter option for Spring / Summer and put away your leather jacket for now. If you are going to invest in a new, updated version of the denim jacket, be sure to take note of point no 1 and ensure it’s in a much lighter wash than your old denim jacket, like this jacket from Alibi.

 

4.       Deep Distress

Take a trip down memory lane and get some distressing back into your denim. Whether it’s on shorts like these from Sass and Bide or jeans, a little distress detail will work wonders to make this 90’s trend so right again for 2009. This time around however, the distress details is smaller and more evenly distributed across your denim, versus the large holes in our knees that we sported in the 90’s.

 

5.       Denim Shirts

Light weight denim shirts will also be all over the high street shops this summer. Wear it open like a light jacket and never wear it buttoned up. If you remember the days when everyone owned a light coloured chambray shirt, don’t despair – this new take on the denim shirt is edgier, tougher and when worn with some serious accessories it will take your denim look to new heights.  

Whether you embrace one or all of this season’s new ways with denim, one thing’s for sure – there’s not going to be a way to escape this eternal favourite. Happy Styling!

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Top 3 Tips To Dress For What You Want

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

 Albert Mehrabian, a famous behaviourial scientist conducted a study to identify the key components that influence people in communication. He found that we are influenced by what you say (7%) and how you say it, i.e. the tone and sound of your voice (38%). By far and away though, how you LOOK has the biggest influence on your communication (55%).

 

In other words, before we have even opened our mouths to speak, people have formed a large part of their perception about us from how we are presented physically – our dress, grooming and general appearance.

 

This staggering statistic leads us to the top 3 things you can do today to assert your visual effectiveness and start getting what you want without having said a word!

 

1.    Dress within your organisation’s “level”

Determine what is an acceptable dress code for your business (we call these “levels”) and dress accordingly for each level. In doing so remember not to benchmark what is acceptable for you to wear against what your colleagues are wearing but what your manager and his/her manager is wearing. Eg:

a.    Level 1: Traditional business attire

b.    Level 2: A tailored jacket is required/important

c.    Level 3: Smart tailored business attire (no jackets/suits necessary)

d.    Level 4: Relaxed business attire (denim allowed on a regular basis)

Dressing according to the right “level” ensures that you create the right impression all the time – once the wrong first impressions are made, they are often exceedingly difficult to alter.

2.    Using the 80/20 rule to help your colour selections

Even in what we wear we can apply the 80/20 rule so build your wardrobe accordingly.

Keep 80% of your work wear in “staple” colours such black, grey, navy, creams, beige, taupes and browns – these also known as ‘non-offensive’ colours.

The last 20% of your wardrobe can be built to show your personality, illicit an emotion or image, and generally add interest to your staple colours. This consists of “basic” colours eg. blue, red, green, burnt oranges, purples, pinks and “accent” colours (brighter, more trend colours) such as bright pinks/fuchsias, bold orange, turquoise, lime, corals, yellows.

This 80/20 ratio is also the ratio you should use in dressing. Thus 80% of what you wear should be in staple colours (e.g. a charcoal suit), matched with the 20% in basic and interest colours (e.g. a blue shirt accented with a turquoise necklace or a purple tie for men).

Those dressing for level 3 & 4 work environments can afford to use more “accent” colours than the “basic” colours.

3.    “The Whole Nine Yards”

It often amazes me how many professionals I meet that get 90% of what they wear so right, and then let themselves down by the last 10%. At 100% (or the “whole nine yards”) they could have walked in to a room with such a W-O-W factor that part of the deal/pitch/negotiation would have been won on that basis alone.

Grooming forms a large part of this. Go the whole nine yards – don’t stop at just clothes. The most common let-downs are in ratty looking shoes, poorly manicured nails including chipped nail polish or nail colours that are too dark/inappropriate for the office environment (for men it is usually nails that aren’t clean or well maintained), unkempt hair (messy pony tails, flyaway fringes, hair that hasn’t been groomed) and (for the ladies only please) a lack of a light application of make up to bring full focus to your face and eyes (very important for communication).

 

These tips are literally the tip of the iceberg in how you can assert yourself effectively through your visual presentation, but put just these tips in place today and you’ll already be amazed at how much easier it will be for you to dress for what you want at work.
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Smitten With Style is a leading corporate and personal stylist who work with corporations and individual clients to best represent themselves through their dress and grooming. With over 500 clients, it is their aim for men and women to dress and look confident at all times, whether at the workplace or at play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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