I was one of those teenagers that was always buying and stock piling all the fashion magazines.  My mom had a rule with me that when an issue was 5 years old, I had to let it go.  I never wanted to…there was always some thought or look in them that needed to be saved.  This obsession with “curating” beautiful and fashionable things has never left me.  I have always been a “retail girl”.  Someone who needed to look for the new thing, figure out how to make it my own, and share it with others.   My parents had a retail store when I was growing up, which led to being a Retail Marketing major,  a buyer at different stores and a stylist to my friends, family and ultimately my own clients.   Finding your own style is something we can all accomplish, but it’s like everything else that we do – you have to practice, play in your closet and find what says “you” to the world.  A quote that says this best is from Rachel Zoe, “Style is a way of saying who you are without having to speak”.   Style is not about the individual pieces that you have, it is about the mixing of those pieces to get your personal look.  I love to mix a new piece with vintage, a loose shape with something fitted, a sequin tank with a boyfriend jean, a leather jacket with a flowy maxi, or an all neutral outfit with a bright shoe.  This “getting the mix right”, along with the proper accessories (of course), is where the need to practice comes in.   Getting it right can give you confidence, elevate your mood and then ultimately your day.  I know this statement may seem trite to some, but if you understand what I’m saying…then you “know”.

I have had lots of clients of all ages that I have helped them to uncover their personal style…I typically send out a list of questions that encourages them to think about what they like, don’t like, feel best in, dislike wearing and then have them give me a list of their “style icons”.  It’s funny the things that people find out about themselves when they are having to write it down for another person.  I jokingly call this the “closet therapy” part of the consult.   I have a few token things that I tell everyone.  Always have on that one thing that says “you”- something a passerby might say to themselves,“I would have never thought to do that”.  This could be an heirloom locket, a perfectly mixed set of bangles or a leopard shoe.  We don’t all get to be artists or even creative in our everyday lives, so be your own canvas and make your closet your studio.  Doing this will help you feel like “you” and no one else.

Mixing fashion has always been a game to me and one that I love I get to play everyday.  My personal style is kind of “neutral-classicly-eclectic”.  My look is all about accessories and I love to accumulate them.  I like old/new, gold/silver, big/small, matte/blingy but most of all I like LOTS.  One of my style icons is Coco Chanel, and I so respect her advice, but the one rule of hers that I always tend to break is “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory”?!  I really, really do think about this often but rarely is anything ever removed.

images via here, here, here, here and here.

Brenda is truly an inspirational woman.  I’m so happy she has become my co-worker and dear friend.  I look forward to seeing her everyday at work!

//

claire