Dressing DC

When you leave your house in the morning, whether dressed to the nines, or dressed in sweats and a baseball hat, you make the choice about how the world will see you. And all the world's a stage, right? Well, treat it like one, and you can show the world that you are confident, you are fabulous, and you are ready to take it all on - and then watch what happens. That's the really fun part. You open yourself to the power of knowing that whatever happens as you go about your day, you are projecting your best you: your style. And that's when the really good stuff happens. ANYthing can happen. Really, I've seen it. And better yet, I can help you get there.

When I was younger, going to Catholic school and wearing a uniform every day, I became obsessed with a new show called, "Style with Elsa Klensch." It was on CNN on Saturday mornings, and basically this English woman would, in her lovely voice, talk about the couture collections being shown in Milan, Paris or New York. Of course I realized right off the bat that these fashions weren't really realistic for me, but as Coco Chanel so eloquently put it, "fashion is transient, style endures." How fun to figure out what would look great on me, what my personal style was. And I decided that since I had to get dressed every single day, I was going to do it the best I possibly could.

This rather simple realization at a relatively young age, has stayed with me all these years later. I know absolutely what looks good on me and what doesn't while still having fun with it.  Eventually I realized people, both men and women, were often asking me about their style, what to wear to a specific event, how to be appropriate for a specific meeting, or even for help with their entire closet. And so it evolved, and I began dressing others, long before I really understood the term "stylist" was. As mentioned in a previous post, for a little while I had my shop where I did this full time with clothes I chose from the current season's offerings. All a very fun and successful venture.

So here we are. Or here I am, no longer focused on dressing others as a career, but here in DC. Back to professional work attire most days, casual Fridays, going from work to social event, and weekend events. These are dressing challenges we all face. Some are doing it well, some not so much.

I think I live in a pretty fascinating place to see style and fashion. When I lived in DC last time, in the 90's, no one was going to mention DC and style in the same sentence. Now, evidenced by the idea that DC has become Hollywood East, and with it, an influx of fashion, the good, the bad and the ugly. DC also has an enormous population of 20 somethings, those the fashion is most evident on, again in its best and in its most tragic incarnations. I am all for innovative fashion choices, but Toms with a pants suit, nor a club minidress with a jacket over it, does not count. Ever. And leggings are not, and will never be, pants.

And so this will be my venue to talk about dressing, because it needs to be done, and I know that I can help. Stories from clients, and hopefully eventually stories from people that may actually read this will be shared anonymously, as well as just my take on what I'm seeing and why it's so right, or so wrong and how to fix it. Learning some guidelines, getting your wardrobe to a place where it becomes almost a no-brainer, that anything you put on is going to be the best it can be for you, is incredibly powerful in its most basic level. When you know you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, look out world. It doesn't cost a lot of money, it doesn't take a lot of time, and the benefits are spectacular.

Game on.