Styling

I have a different definition of luxury clothing than stylists.

Mind you, I'm a coach who teaches you how to dress, I don't style you from top to toe, so that might be why.

Here are some of my luxury items.

Fluorescent pink and purple Life Jacket (Costco $44.95) which enables me the luxury of floating in the lake, early in the morning before other people turn up. I bob up and down like a brightly colored buoy. Big fun! It also allows me to stare at the mountain across from me and remember how…

I’m at the lake again. Sheer & utter bliss. My dog and I both need water to play in, sunshine, and strangers to admire us (I’m wearing the most amazing caftan by Prima Dona Studios). 

At Idylwood Park, there’s a sign that says:

“Don’t feed the ducks because it causes overcrowding for nutrition and pollution.”

Are you feeding the ducks in your wardrobe? 

Here’s what I mean by that: Are you overcrowding certain categories? 

Do a quick life circle, segmented into the activities, and then do a …

So you know how they say “physician, heal thyself?”

I was walking Joule (Frenchie) at the dog park, looked down at what I was wearing and thought, if a client sees me right now, I'm running in the other direction. 

Ah...oops.

I had forgotten my mantra. Dress for Your Vision, no matter the circumstances? What the heck had I been thinking? 

After all, it was a client of mine who told me:

"My husband just asked where I was going, because I looked like a badass."

"What did you tell him?"

"Now…

Back in 2017 we renovated downstairs, mainly because my father-in-law, 85 at the time and getting frail, was coming from NZ to visit and we knew it was probably his last trip. We wanted him to have a comfortable and private guest suite and my husband works best with a) a mission and b) a deadline.

The new bedroom had a bathroom next door and that’s where it all fell to custard, as far as I was concerned

It needed paint.

I’m great with clothes, but neither of us are interior designers. We chos…

My lovely client Jennie James and I are planning to get her new glasses. Jennie is a debt elimination coach currently based in Seattle, but she coaches virtually. Her company is called A Different Answer is about trust and simplicity. She's helped people with every level of debt, so reach out to her if money is keeping you up at night or you're tired of paying too much interest for no good reason. ps. there is never a good reason. 

Anyhoo, back to glasses. 

Glasses are worth investing in. Regu…

I recently listened to Radical Candor ™by Kim Scott on audio book. It is bloody (yes, I can say that, I’m a Kiwi) amazing.

According to Kim (may I call you that?) Radical Candor™ is “Caring Personally while Challenging Directly. At its core, Radical Candor is guidance and feedback that’s both kind and clear, specific and sincere.”

It can be applied to personal style. Yes, it can.

So…read the actual book as I’m about to paraphrase what I learned, and relate it to how you present yourself in th…

I had no idea who Nanette Lepore was. 

I was at Thrift Culture in Bellevue square, pre-Covid. It's run by LifeSpring and supports programs that feed, clothe, educate and provide emergency support for local children living in poverty. They pay $1 a year in rent, in one of the highest cost-per-square-foot locations thanks to the Kemper family who own and run the mall. Insert applause here!

I was browsing because I believe in wearable fun and part of my entertainment budget goes to thrift stores.…

I'm not a fan of virtual backgrounds on Zoom etc. though you can get really cool ones. The thing is, every time you move there's a good change you'll look really weird and we all know you're basically hiding a pile of laundry or clutter. But yes, if you have no alternative, they are much better than holding meetings where everyone can see your bed or fridge. 

A really quick and easy way to create a Zoom background without resorting to virtual is to zip down to a fabric store. Pun unintended. Ye…

The delightful Jami, who helps me with Pinterest says I should have titled this as....

Best Outfits for Short Women: 7 Wardrobe Must Haves for Petite Women

Jami, I promise you, on Pinterest, you can call it whatever you like.

Meanwhile...

If you have ever had to ask someone tall to reach things for you, read on.

Oh short ones! Pocket Venus's. Petites. Those of us under say, Five feet 4. We’ve always had to cut, fold, or sew up the ends of our clothing just to get the right fit, even if th…

Haven’t Made Your Black Friday Shopping List Yet? Here are 5 Clothing Items That are Worth Buying on Black Friday

First of all, I'm not an advocate for impulse shopping. I'm in a surgical moon boot (presumably named after astronauts) and the temptation to click, click, click is overwhelming. Luckily, I have an annual spending plan, which I also help clients create and I regularly take inventory of what I have, so I don't end up over-indexing in one category. 

However, if you have had your eye …