Possess Your STYLE

If so, count yourself lucky!  I can’t tell you how many times clients, friends and family members regale me with their tales of woe — I was invited to a black tie at the last minute, but I didn’t go because I didn’t have anything to wear; I went to dinner with friends and I was completely under dressed; I took a girl’s trip with my college besties and felt like I was the under dressed step-sister, yata yata yata.

We’ve all found ourselves in this situation or a similar one at some point in time. It’s not fun. Although the folks at Bluefly ran a great ad campaign a few years ago called “Nothing to Wear to Work that’s Why Bluefly” promising to get the perfect outfit to you the next day.  The ads were great, but buying a new outfit every time you have some place to go isn’t realistic for most of us.

Of course, we all have that friend who seems to have the perfect outfit for every occasion.  College reunion?  She’s flawless and each outfit looks effortless.  A baby shower?  She shows up perfectly coiffed with the perfect Sunday brunch outfit to boot.  Diner Date?  She’s combined the downtown hipster look with the Uptown lady who lunches with aplomb.  How does she do it?  I’ll tell you – she doesn’t wait until the last minute to try to figure out what to wear.  Each season (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall) she takes stock of her closet, figures out what she’s keeping, storing and getting rid of.  Then she determines which seasonal trends she’d like to add in and what her budget is for such additions. And lastly, and most importantly, she takes the time to put a few outfits together.  Some go to the extreme and literally mix-and-match everything while others come up with a few main outfits (general work uniform, going-out and special events); the point is that these folks take time upfront to figure out what will work so that 5 minutes before they need to be walking out the door they’re not standing in front of the closet searching for that elusive perfect outfit.

As Summer comes to a close and Fall is right around the corner, think about coming up with a strategy to maximize your Fall wardrobe and minimize your time spent getting dressed.  I’m curious, let me know what works for you …

Travel has become a necessary evil.  Gone are the days when people dressed up to go to the airport to board their flights and cruise the airwaves in style.  Today, you see children in pj’s, women in sweatsuits and everyone in jeans. Although we’ve become much more casual in our approach to travel, doesn’t mean that style has to be sacrificed.  It’s easy to travel stylishly, yet comfortably, with a little planning ahead of time.  Here are a few of my favorite stylish travel essentials:

• LUXE Travel Guides – I discovered these in Vietnam 4 years ago and have used them religiously since then.  They’re great – written in a cheeky manner with loads of info on hotels, restaurants, and the sights.  They even provide detailed shopping tours.
• My Kindle – It’s wonderful to be able to carry my library with me.  Believe you me, I have traveled abroad before with a bag filled with books!
• Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars – Comfy and stylish all at once.
• Chocolove Chocolate Bars – Dark chocolate with chrystalized ginger is my fave.
• Notecards – I try to remember to pack a few personalized notecards so that I can leave a personal note for an extra helpful concierge, salesperson or a new friend.
• Rosebud Lip Balm – Great to keep your lips moisturized on long flights (it can do double duty as lotion too!)
• A Cashmere Travel Blanket – I much prefer to use my own blanket on planes.
• Beemans Gum – I’ve loved it since I was a kid, for some reason this gum reminds me of Summer vacations of yore.
• Sunglasses – They prevent glare from the window seat, cover your eyes when you’re not at your best and act as a headband in a pinch!
• Eye Mask – I know they give you a little travel kit on transatlantic flights, but I like the silky softness of my own eye mask.
• iPod touch- Gotta have my tunes just in case there are no movies I want to watch.
• Totebag – I’m a Goyard Girl, but Longchamps and Herve Chepellier make great light travel totes too.
• Hermes Scarf – My neck gets cold easily, so I always pack a silk scarf to keep it warm.
• Pashmina – You get the idea, I like to be covered from head to toe!

What are your travel style secrets?  Do share!

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