Join me for a night of fun ~ girls night out. We will mingle, shop, sip champagne and nibble on fabulous hors d’oevres. Bring a handbag to donate to women who are re-entering the work place.

You will also learn how to Take Your Little Black Dress From the Beach to a Black Tie Affair during my mini-presentation at 7 pm. Be there or be square! (OK, so I am dating myself just a little!)

See our brochure below. This event is a benefit for Dress For Success.

Make Sure You Have A Perfect Silhouette

Use undergarments to enhance your shape and reel in the problem areas. Forgo the panty lines with a body smoother. Pay attention to your bra. Make sure it lifts and the straps are not visible. If you haven’t been fitted for a bra in over a year, it is time to reevaluate how gravity is working for you.

Invest In A Pair Of Elegant Party Shoes

Everyday shoes are not a suitable accompaniment to an evening dress. Buy a pair of neutral high-heeled evening shoes in the best quality you can afford. Keep them stored with a show tree to ward off wrinkles and creases. They will serve you at a moment’s notice and last for years. Make sure to wear them around the house before your first outing to make certain that your feet will not suffer during a long evening.

Purchase A Wrap That Coordinates With Your Dress

There is nothing worse than having the perfect dress and not being able to wear it because it is too cold outside or even inside in the air-conditioning. Choose a wrap that compliments your dress. Satin combines nicely with matte finished dresses, velvet works well with organza. You can also go festive with gold or silver wrap and shoes for the holidays. A large black cashmere shawl is super warm and always very elegant on crisp evenings.

Choose Hose That Compliment Your Outfit

The most sophisticated palette for hose is neutral. Choose un-patterned, skin-toned pantyhose in a sheer fabric with a low denier count. Denier demarks the fineness of the thread count. Although more fragile, wearing the finest possible thread count will help you look elegant and refined. Hose in your skin-tone are the perfect match with high heels and will help you become effortlessly elegant. If you feel you must wear black hose, buy them with a denier number that is less than 20.

Black Head To Toe?

Just because your dress is black, you are not required to wear black shoes and carry a black handbag. Experiment with colored accessories. Navy blue paired with black is extremely sophisticated. Gold or copper will add festivity to your overall image while silver requires a very discerning eye to remain elegant.

Keep Jewelry Simple And Elegant To Compliment Your Dress

Skip the wristwatch for your evening out. Instead choose rhinestone bangles or chandelier earrings. Remember to keep yourself classic by accessorizing only one area with bling. Don’t get carried away with glitz on shoes, arms, and neckline!

P.S. Have Your Dress Dry-cleaned After Each Use

If possible, store your dress flat in a large chest rather than hanging it on a hangar in your closet. Your drycleaner can wrap it flat upon request. Store it in a fabric sheath, not the plastic wrap from the drycleaners. Add a small sachet of potpourri so the garment smells fresh the next time you wear it.
Kathi is a Professional Organizer, image Consultant based in San Diego California.

Please submit your questions to: advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
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San Diego Professional Organizer

There really is a perfect “little black dress” for every figure, whether you are a size 0 or a size 18. The perfect dress will skim your body and highlight your best features. Other must-have qualities of the timeless ‘little black dress” will be simple lines, around knee length and figure flattering in all of the right places.

You can find the perfect dress for your body if you spend the time it takes to try on several styles, sleeve lengths and necklines. Keep these addSpace ‘tricks of the trade’ in mind while you shop for the perfect black dress.

Fit, Fit, Fit!

Do not compromise with this element. The perfect black dress will skim and never cling to your body and will emphasize all of your best assets.

Keep it Classic, Keep It Simple

If you are going to spend the time required to find the perfect black dress, make sure to invest in a classic cut. Sheath cuts, V-necklines and simple seaming will last for years outperform every passing fad.

Emphasize Your Best Assets

Long Legs - Cut the hemline just above the knee to showcase how long and shapely they really are

Shoulders - choose an ‘off the shoulder’ number

Décolletage - wear a scooped or vneck to show off your beautiful skin

Arms - GO sleeveless, even consider long gloves to emphasize your firm upper arms

Deemphasize The “Not So Great” Parts Of Your Physique

Short Legs - Make sure the hemline falls above the knee.

Flat Chest - Find a style with ruching, layers or patterning near the breast line.

Sloped Shoulders - Choose ¾ or long sleeves. Avoid scooped necklines.

Mottled décolletage - Consider a low-cut back as a sophisticated alternative.

Flabby Upper Arms - Forget sleeveless, consider capped sleeves if they fall below your problem area or keep it safe and choose ¾ or long sleeves.

Choose Knee Length
The best length for this dress is knee length. It is a timeless hemline that will keep your dress current even while hemlines rise and fall. Cut your hemline at the skinny part of your knee to emphasize the curve. If your knees do not have a skinny part, raise or lower the hemline to emphasize either the knee itself (slightly above) or the calf (just below the knee and above where the natural curve begins).
Kathi is a Professional Organizer, image Consultant based in San Diego California.

Please submit your questions to: advice@addspacetoyourlife.com

San Diego Professional Organizer

Dear Kathi,

All of my relatives seem to think that I am the holding ground for their old stuff and I end up with lots of things that I don’t want. How can I keep my house from being barraged with unwanted heirlooms and family junk?

Joy, Cardiff by the Sea

Joy,

Learn to stand up for yourself and tell your well meaning
relatives politely ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ If they protest, ask them why they feel you should hold onto what they no longer need.
One of the best ways to prevent clutter, is to stop it
before it starts. Do your family members consider your house the dumping ground because you already have a lot of clutter? They might get the impression that you love to collect things so you wouldn’t mind holding onto theirs.

If you are a collector and wish to break this habit now, ask yourself three simple questions before you bring anything new into your home:

1) Ask, ‘Am I going to use it now, or in the near future?’
Or better yet, how many times will I use this in the next year? If it is a family heirloom that landed on your doorstep only because of someone else’s sentimental attachments, just say no.

2) Ask, ‘Am I going to use it ever?’
Lots of clutter piles begin with one simple impulse buy. Make sure that if you will use it, it’s use will make up for the space it takes to own it. If you will only use it once every few months, it’s probably not worth the extra space it’s going to take up in your home.

3) Ask, ‘Where is it going to live?’

Make sure you have a clearly defined space for the item you’re considering adopting or buying. Otherwise, it’s bound to be brought home, put someplace temporarily, and eventually end up in a pile with other items that were not well
thought out.

If the item is going to end up in a pile somewhere without a space to live, forget about it. If there is a space and it won’t cause something else to be displaced, then perhaps it is OK. If there is no space available, and you really want it, you must release something else to make room for the new item.

Be diligent, form new habits and soon you will no longer be the dumping ground for your relatives.

Kathi,

I just graduated from college and I keep hearing that every girl should own a little black dress. I am a size 14 and feel like I will have a hard time finding a little black dress that fits. I have a few events coming up during the holidays and now want to own a little black dress. How do I go about finding this piece?

Jolene, San Marcos

Jolene,

Don’t get alarmed about finding a ‘little’ black dress just because you are a size 14. The majority of women in the US are a size 12 or 14. The idea behind the ‘little’ black dress is that it flatters your figure and makes you ‘look’ little.

The most important feature of your new dress — more important than its designer label or trendiness — is how well it flatters you.
Simple silhouettes like the A-line and sheath are typically the most flattering for all body types. Hemlines that end at the smallest part of your knee will flatter your legs. Not every dress cut will work for your body so you’ll need to do some quick research on your specific needs.

Finding the dress that flatters your figure is as much about playing up your best features as it is about hiding what’s not perfect.
Not sure what your best asset is? Ask a friend or significant other. Or go to a fine women’s clothing store and enlist the salesperson’s help.

The easiest way to look fabulous in your little black dress is to show off your best features. If your legs are spectacular, show them off with a short, fitted dress and stilettos. If you have gorgeous eyes, play them up with off-the-face hair, beautiful makeup and jeweled earrings.
Keep in mind that once you find that perfect dress, you will want to wear it year-round - so buy it in a silk, brocade, organza, or jersey. Fabrics like velvet and satin are best reserved for winter holidays.

Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner based in San Diego California.

Please submit your questions to: advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
San Diego Professional Organizer