S.T.Y.L.E

Personal Stylist - Karri Grant @ http://www.karrigrant.com/

What does a black dress, a pair of boots, dark straight leg jeans, black heels and a blazer have in common? These are the top 5 things I was told every girl should have in their wardrobe. Last week I met with a wardrobe stylist as part of the package I won at a Metro Edge (young professional group) event in the beginning of the year. I won’t lie I was a little hesitant to go at first due to the fact that I know my style is...well how should I put this...simple.

As I expected after showing Karri a few different outfits I typically wear she informed me that I need to branch out a little bit more. She even let me know I should get rid of a few things..ouch. I was told that I not only needed to dress in more color but I should also wear more patters. I think the hardest pill to swallow was when I was told I should shop a little less at Loft, Express and Banana and try to branch out more. Unfortunately a lot of the good questions people gave me to ask her she answered them on behalf of my body type. (Sorry Caitlin, I had to be selfish)

For those of you who look like me here we go...I was told I need to wear less black and more charcoal gray, slate gray or caramel colors. I need to wear at least a thinned out wedge for my height. That all my suite jackets should be 2 button not 3. I need to wear more polly blend shirts and jewel tones. I also need to wear more dresses or shirts that look like paintings (this might be tricky for me) and I need to cut myself in half when dressing.

That being said here are some tips for everyone...

*Tip 1 – When shopping for patterns you want to make a fist, no pattern you wear should be larger than the back of your fit.

*Tip 2 – If your outfit is black, brown, or gray one way to “color it up” is to buy a small scarf and tie it around your purse.

*Tip 3 – I was told that jewel tone colors are the best colors to wear if you want to be remembered.

*Tip 4 – Shop with a purpose. Instead of buying a piece spend a little extra and buy a whole outfit. Many clothes end up not being worn enough because they serve no purpose.

*Tip 5 – For people who need to wear petite (me). The best way to shop is go to the store and then find what you like and try it on. If the item does not fit (too big) the best thing to do is go online to their website and typically they will have more petite sizes. This way you know you like it and you can get it in your size.

*Tip 6 - For winter looks you can still wear dresses (maybe just CA) just try to find a good pair of leggins and large boots.

*Tip 7 - Buy clothes you can wear all year round.

*Tip 8 - Some people like to paint but that doesn't make them a great artist. It is the same thing with style, some people have "it" and some people may not. It is okay to sometimes buy what is on the manikin or ask friends or someone working what items work well together.

Places to shop: Kenneth Cole, DKNY, BCBG, H&M, Black and White, Teez-her.com, and Nordstrom’s.

Places in Sacramento: Legacy (J and 22nd?), Renaissance (upscale), Denim Spot (20th) and Hearth Boutique.

Overall I left more informed (good tips), a little sad (now I feel like I need a whole new look) and motivated (not to change myself but to enhnace myself).

I hope this helps, if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I did try to answer all of your questions you asked, but if I didnt in the blog please feel free to ask me.

As for my Cash November - it is going well, I might try to do this more on a regular basis, I find myself spending less and thinking more about what I spend my money on. That being said we are only half way into the month haha.

"We are the 97%" - OMR

Update 1: Today I started my first day of not being able to use debit and credit cards. At lunch I drove to the bank and took out a lump sum of money. I don’t really know what I expected but part of me thought it was going to be a big deal that I was taking out hundreds of dollars. While I was standing in line I was thinking of all of these crazy stories I could tell the teller as to why I was taking out this money…but it turns out the teller didn’t care. I know I won’t have a problem with not using my credit card because I don’t use it very often but I use my debit card at least once a day so I can see where not being able to use it might get tricky. I appreciate all the feedback people have given me. I received a lot of tips from people who use cash a lot and even some reasons as to why using cards is better. That being said I am excited to try this out and hopefully by the end of the month I will still have some money left over :)

Update 2: After a lot of thoughtful consideration I have decided that I am no longer going to get Netflix DVD’s in the mail. I thought about cancelling all together but I just couldn’t do it and I still do stream movies sometimes. I wanted to be able to say stick it to the “man” like everyone else but I can't quite kick my movie habit all at once. As a few of my friends know I have talked about starting a “We are the 97%”…you might ask how I came to that number so I will tell you. 1% is DVD rental stores, 1% Netflix and 1% Redbox. Who knows maybe I will start an Occupy Movie Rentals. I remember “back in the day” when companies would answer to their movie customers not to their wall street investors. They all have failed me in one way or the other so all I have to say is...watch out OMR may be coming to the city near you!

Update 3: Due to the fact that I no longer will be getting DVD’s by mail I am sad to say I have to stop my movie critique. I will still watch movies it just might not be all his. It is hard to find older movies these days…I can’t believe I am saying this but I kind of miss Blockbuster.

Until next time...