“I have my fascinator and nothing to wear!” This was the comment from a friend just a few days before Opening Day at the Del Mar Races. Loving a good challenge, I knew this would be a fun assignment!

For those of you wondering what a fascinator is, it is a delicate headpiece typically worn off to one side of your head and secured by either a comb, clip or headband.

As you can see from this photo, the neutral colored fascinator, that was to be the base for an entire outfit, was lovely. It included the three common elements of most respectable fascinators; feathers, beading and flowers.

So, off we went to the mall with only a two hour window to pull together an entire outfit. My goal was to create a perfect outfit that included a cocktail dress, shoes, jewelry and wrap which would make the headpiece pop and sizzle.

The perfect dress needed to be simple so as not to overwhelm the fascinator but also classic, lightweight and without a lot of sparkle since it was for a summer daytime event. I was able to pull a classic sheath dress that was   tucked and fitted with perfect pleating in all of the right places to show off her curves. It included a floral print which gave a design nod to the flower in the headpiece. This dress was simple but curvaceous and cut at classic knee length once we adjusted the hem up an inch.

Once the dress was selected (with a few minor alterations pinned) I was able to focus on the other missing pieces. Beginning with shoes in mind,  I wanted to pop one of the bright colors in the dress pattern and searched for either blue, purple or magenta. The platforms found were ideal as they matched the fuschia/ magenta within the dress. They also added texture and interest because they were suede.

Many women would not choose suede shoes for a summer outfit even if they did include a peep toe, as these do. I loved the suede because I always include the three elements of color, texture and shine in each outfit I create. Including all three elements is a subtle but telling statement that the entire outfit is intentional. Because I wanted a bit more texture, suede was the perfect choice for this outfit! If you begin to look closely at well-put together women in passing, you will see that all, or most, of them have coordinated all three elements of color, texture and shine in their outfit.

Amazingly, we were able to locate a nice lightweight wrap in the same color as the shoes. Having these colors match, along with higher heels, elongated the stature of this woman. The fuschias on both ends of her stature created a vertical line which elongated her figure. I also suggested that she wear her wrap vertically over her shoulder when it was not in use, to avoid a horizontal cut across her frame. Unless we are over 6 feet tall and need to gain weight, all of us benefit from a longer visual line!

After finding shoes and wrap,  the only big missing element was shine. It is sometimes easy to add shine with necklace or earrings. I was immediately drawn to a large floral statement necklace with a bit of rhinestone bling that worked with the outfit but was perhaps too much of a statement for my friend. Later, I selected a double strand of ‘freshwater inspired’ costume pearls that were in the same color family as the beading on the headdress.  Add in a pair of double drop earrings and the outfit was nearing completion but still asking for a bit more of the ‘shine’ element.

The shine element was finally complete when my fabulous store helper shows up with this gorgeous satin bag, amazingly in the same color family as the fascinator, and on sale!

It is always fascinating and invigorating when I can pull together the ideal outfit within a small window of time. It seems the universe always provides when a clear intention is set. As my client, who is truly a magnificent manifestor said, 20 minutes into our appointment with only two possible dress options, “I know it will work out for me because it always does.”

Here she is with her husband just before they are out the door for a day at the races. We put the entire outfit together in just over one hour! Don’t they both look fab?!

If you are wondering how to manifest great things like this in your life with less effort, check out this website: Mind Movies. It is created by the couple pictured above and is a new innovative and fun way to create vision boards for your dreams and goals. It combines audio, video and affirmations and can play in the background of your computer throughout your day to help you create the life of your dreams.

Almost every year I find myself working with brides to help them find the perfect gown for their perfect day. For me, the ideal gown is one that will highlight their best assets and detract from their less flattering features.

This case study is about an athletic bride, a rock climber, hula hooper and yoga instructor. As a quick reference, other possible body shapes include heart shapes, trilliants, ovals, and heart on hearts.  You can check back to this site where I will be adding an article about each shape as a bride but meanwhile, let’s get back to the bride at hand.

This bride was a classic emerald shape meaning that she had an athletic build with her shoulders, hips and waist about the same size.  As an athletic adventurous woman, Stephanie started her wedding dress quest with the vision of a tea length dress, nothing fancy or bridal. Since I had known her fiance for several years, and saw the love they shared, I felt this would be her once in a lifetime wedding. I also knew that the groom’s style was simple, classic, elegant and romantic.

Due to these factors, and the fact that I am a firm believer in wearing a gorgeous gown whenever possible, I wanted to give her the sensation of wearing an actual wedding gown. If she decided at that point to stay simple and not wear a gown, that was fine.  But I knew that this was her once-in-a -lifetime chance to be in a full regalia and I felt it was important to at least put her in several versions of gowns from simple to floor length with train so that she could make an educated decision.

Well, needless to say, once this bride-to-be experienced the Cinderella feeling of wearing a ‘real’ wedding gown, there was no turning back. She quickly embraced the fun and beauty of wearing a once in a lifetime gown!

The gown we ended up selecting was simple and classic. The A-Line was a perfect choice knowing that a true ball gown would be way too much for this particular bride. The key ingredients of a sweetheart neckline and an A-Line construction were included.

I really wanted to build a few curves into her athletic shape and the sweetheart neckline combined with diagonal pleating in a criss-cross pattern added effortless curves. The A-line shape with asymmetrical pleating along the full bodice added curves in all of the right places. The ivory fabric was chosen because it was perfect for her complexion and the floating pearl necklace and earrings were her something borrowed from me!

This close up  photo shows the details included on this gown. Note the asymmetrical layering and floral embellishment at the hip. Both of these, along with the sweetheart bodice and neckline added curves where it counts.

This gown had just enough train to work for an outdoor wedding and the bride and groom were able to kick up their heels in the surf after the wedding with the gown bustled!

And they live happily ever after with baby Bella now in their life!

For Your Quick Reference:

For heart shapes, I add weight below the waist to balance the top of the dress with the bottom.

For the emerald shapes, I build in curves.

Heart on Heart Shapes need to keep their balance and accentuate their curves. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!

For the inverted heart or trilliant, I add volume on the top.

When styling oval shapes I create a visual waistline and often choose empire construction.

Check back often for more wedding gown articles. This is the first in the Gown For Every Body series.

This discussion was recorded between myself and a client who came to me to review and update her image and wardrobe. The common denominator of many of my image clients is that they hire me when they are going through some type of transition.

A life transition is the perfect time to hire an image consultant. We help clients reevaluate if their wardrobe and image to ensure that it will serve them as they move into a new phase in their life.

This client graciously describes her thoughts Read the rest of this entry »

Situation:

My client was ending her long time career as a freelance consultant and transitioning into an entrepreneur. She needed clothes to show that she was a serious business professional while she was networking that she could change out of quickly when she had to switch into yoga or surfing instructor mode.

Challenge:

As a water baby who always has her feet in the sand, my challenge is to create a wardrobe that works with her lifestyle but still looks ‘put together’ even right after she gets out of the ocean. She never knows who she might meet as a potential client or partner on the beach or around town and wants to look her best at all times.

At the same time, she can’t really wear suits, business clothes or look too ‘businessy’ since she owns an active lifestyle business and conducts much of her networking and business in an ocean setting or yoga studio.

Solution:

This was actually a pretty simple solution. I found a new collection of skirts, cute dressy pull-over shirts, sexy flat sandals and simple cotton jackets. When she gets out of the water, she can simply pull one of her skirts and shirts on over her swimsuit and she immediately looks like a business owner instead of a casual surfer chick. Because most of her wardrobe items are cotton, they are washable and will dry quickly in the sun.

Now that she has released her clunky Birkenstocks and added a few pairs of cute feminine sandals, she is now light years ahead of her old casual chunky style!

Her business is thriving and I am so proud of her. Check out her school and philosophy at Mary’s website.

What My Client Said:

Hi Kathi,

Thank you so much for all your help! I can’t tell you how excited I am about our shopping adventure.

I had a session with a client yesterday evening and the first thing she said was “oh my god, you look great!” – just a few changes can make such a huge impact!

I can’t tell you the difference I feel with my new wardrobe – it’s so fun to have something cool and creative to wear every day, what an amazing change!

Mary McGibbons-Craft

Waves of Change

Situation:

This client flew in from Canada to update her wardrobe. She is a horsewoman who was used to wearing oversize sweaters and faded jeans with mucky boots because of her hobby and the cold climate.

She traveled frequently and was tired of feeling frumpy and under Read the rest of this entry »