Une femme outside of Henri Bendel with a sizable haul (no purchases from HB however, as tempting as it was), the result of two-and-a-half VERY productive hours of shopping with Karen.
1. You don't have a lot of time to shop. My shopping is usually limited to browsing online or running to the mall on my lunch hour, not conducive thoroughly perusing the racks or trying dozens of pieces to find the few that are Just Right.
2. You are bored with your current wardrobe, yet find yourself continuing to buy the same items, or from the same stores ad nauseum. Part of the reason for this is time, but part is not knowing how to break out of that rut. See also #5.
3. You have a hard time being objective about your own appearance and how clothing looks on you. We tend to be our own worst critics. What we see as our flaws seem to be magnified under dressing room lighting. A good image consultant will not only be objective about what fits and flatters and what doesn't, but will be impervious to our "body baggage" and can help us see the whole.
4. You find a piece you like, but can't figure out what to wear with it.
5.
You tend to get overwhelmed with too many choices, and have a tough time filtering the wheat from the chaff. Add to this my tendency toward good old-fashioned sensory overload at most stores and shopping malls (the crowds! the thumping music! the perfume sprayers! the crammed racks!) and I tend to shut down after 30 minutes or so and head for the nearest exit.
With warm weather on the way, I knew I needed to beef up my wardrobe beyond the few tee shirts and lightweight cardigan or two that tend to be my go-to pieces for summer and fall. My goal was to branch out and add some quality pieces with twist but didn't know where to begin, so I called upon my friend Karen, writer of the blog
"Of a Certain Age" and owner of
Wear It Well Wardrobe and Image Consulting for a few hours of targeted shopping. Karen was well prepared; she showed up with a list of the items I'd mentioned that I'd like to find, along with a list of stores and brands that she thought might work. We decided to start at
Nordstrom, and really hit pay dirt there. Arriving soon after they opened, Karen grabbed a sales associate and snagged a large dressing room. We perused several departments, grabbing anything that had potential and then hit the dressing room. I tried the first batch, then Karen went out and found more to try based on what seemed to be working. We had such good luck at
Nordie's we'd
checked off most of the items on the list by noon! And staying in the dressing room while Karen went back out on the floor to hunt really cut down on my sensory overload and made the whole experience far more pleasant.
Before we began I was ready to consider the day successful if I found one or two items that worked, but ended up with half a dozen, many of which were on sale. I now feel ready should the mercury climb, and will share some of the finds in upcoming
Polyvores on the Floor and action shots.
What I learned today:
1. Sometimes, a camisole is all that's needed to take an item from "Hey, Sailor!" to Office Appropriate™.
2. The right pattern can hide a multitude of sins!
3. Try each item in different sizes; even if the first one you try seems to fit OK, a smaller or larger size than normal might be better.
4. Bring water for serious shopping. (Karen did,
yay!)
5. Style trumps all; if you love it, wear it.
Thanks again, Karen; it was a blast!
~
Unlike the dishrag limp knits that are everywhere right now, this cardi has some structure and heft, while still being lightweight. But what really sets this one apart are the gold knot buttons, which are a very nice touch for a sweater at this price point. Lots of pretty colors too. I love the Lemoncello. Talbot's "Charming Cardigan," $59.50
I'm liking this one.... kate spade, $395. Clean, simple, nice color.
$300. You might be surprised to find where this one is from. (Click on the link to see bag in better detail.)
Chanel Beige Jumbo, $2,995 in Caviar Leather (if you can even find one...they're sold out everywhere right now). The bag pictured above is a vintage version; Chanel doesn't sell their bags online and authentic online pictures of current bags are tough to find.
If you've ever seen a beautiful bag and thought, "oh it would be perfect if it only had gold hardware/ was available in a different color/ had a messenger strap/ had different tassels" or if you are just tired of designer logos or seeing *your* bag coming and going, then you should check out Belen Echandia's BE Couture, where you can create your very own bespoke bag.
