Since I just wrote a blog about my favorite things, it seems only fitting to write a blog about my "Least Favorite Things." If you see some of yourself in this blog, that is the point. (Tongue in cheek.) This is my number one pet peeve. I see it all the time. Basically it's when women wear a very casual bootie, often in a light color such as beige, with a formal dress or really any dress that hits at the knee when their legs are full. It is not a flattering look for many reasons: First, it cuts off your leg at the ankle. This makes the leg shorter and thus look heavier immediately. Younger girls can wear this look, but for many women, it's not flattering. See the pics here: Wearing all black, nearly all the time.Don't get me wrong. I do understand the elegance and chicness of black. Why a pair of black skinny jeans makes me look taller, leaner and feel, well, sexy. Just this morning my doctor said to me, "You've lost weight. Music to my ears -- but it was a typical skinny jean I wear so much. But I do think wearing black near your face all the time without a contrast or accent color is not doing anyone any favors. Black, while slimming, can also make you look tired and even older. During the those few times when I wear black, I wear a wow color such as royal blue, red or even turquoise to detract from the severity of black. Everything matching--always. I used to try to do this and now actually avoid this at all costs. Our colors don't need to "match" but they can [...]

Since we’re all anxious for a new year, 2021, you can’t come fast enough, I thought I’d do a little research on what’s new and trending in fashion.   For starters, there’s an interesting new collab between Gucci and North Face that will continue until early next year. While it seems odd, it is an interesting team. The main focus of their work is not a surprise – outerwear. While we all know about North Face and its toasty warm coats and other items, we don’t think about Gucci’s outwear and other warm wear.   British Vogue loves the pieces and says, “boy, is it good.” There are men’s and women’s wear, too. The North Face brand, based in Berkley, even included some of its tents and sleeping bag in the collection with Gucci. What – Gucci models in tents. Can it be?   North Face’s logo, which pays homage to the famous granite Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in Cali., is all over the Gucci goods. “Skirts, cords, sweaters and shirts come in a bunch of floral prints,” … that promote the best of both brands (British Vogue). READ MORE https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/gucci-the-north-face   Personally, I’d love a floral puffer. I always thought the North Face puffers were practical and warm, of course, but could use a little of something! though I saw them everywhere as busy moms walked their kiddos to school in my neighborhood each morning.   What else is now… Beth Divine Style, your Indianapolis Personal Stylist, predicts that comfort clothing continues to be huge as companies continue to place workers on at-home status, possibly continuing to summer. Nearly every store has “comfort lines” or “work at home looks.” Honestly, I am [...]

Most of us are on month 478 of working from home, or at least it feels that way. Although working from home gives us an extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning it can also be tempting to forget how to get dressed. Some of our most fashionable items have been sitting in our closets all year just for the same loungewear set to be picked instead for the third time this week. But let's be honest, wearing the same polka dot pajama pants starts to feel depressing after a while. By now, we’re all sick of the tie dye comeback, and endless sweat suits, so how can you remain comfortable while staying fashionable? Although there is an end in sight to the stay at home order, we still have a long way to go. With the uncertainty of Covid-19 still swirling, clothing can be a great source of comfort. The exciting thing about fashion is that you can change it based on your mood. If it’s a Monday morning where you are struggling to open your eyes, by all means reach for the sweatpants! But if you’re looking for an extra motivation for the day, or just want to feel good about yourself, putting on a cute outfit can be a great motivator. The first outfit I would suggest is a pair of wide leg pants, a tank top, and warm cardigan to throw on over. Wide leg pants can be a great transition piece if you are stuck in a sweatpants rutt. They offer the same comfort, as they don’t cling to your body, and give you plenty of room to breath. However, they offer a more flattering shape, and give you [...]

We finally made it to 2021! After a year like 2020, I do not think anyone is sad to see it go. It was certainly a year of challenges and changes, and it has never felt so good to officially begin a new year with endless possibilities and a fresh start. With that in mind, you may be considering new year's resolutions or establishing goals to help make 2021 your best yet, or at least, better than 2020, which for some of us may not be that hard to achieve! Regardless, January is a great time to put those to-do lists together. One item to consider is a closet cleanse or closet reorganization. It is the perfect way to put your best self forward in 2021, and it can help you look as fresh on the outside as you feel on the inside. Why do a closet cleanse? Routine closet cleanses are a helpful way to reevaluate what you truly need, if anything (yes, really!), in your wardrobe. Obviously, fashions change and you want your closet to reflect some trends, but more importantly, your lifestyle and body can change without you even realizing your closet isn't keeping up. Consider your work habit changes between January 2020 and January 2021. Are you working from home more now? Or perhaps you may simply be meeting people in less formal settings, such as more video conferencing and fewer meetings, conferences and corporate events. Even socially, your fashion habits likely have changed as large gatherings like concerts and sporting events have given way to more at-home nights with fewer people. As much as you may love your spouse, roommate or pet, few people dress up for a night at [...]

It can often be difficult to keep up with the ever changing trends in the world of fashion. Now more than ever each season brings a fresh set of new trends that you are now expected to follow. But how do these trends build the tracking to take off and become world wide sensations? For example, who in the world decided in 2010 that “jeggings’ would be the next “thing”? In order to get to the bottom of the ever changing world of trends, I did some research on just how they are even created. To start, let's get technical. The term trend is understood as an inclination towards a style. To simply put it, a trend reflects whatever’s happening at a given time, and can be connected towards popularity. When it comes down to it, a fashion trend developed based on outside social forces. Designers and trend forecaster's take note of social forces and create predictions on how society will adapt to these forces through fashion. At the end of the day trends are spread by people. This process can be better described through the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, which describes the type of people that make trends possible. Innovators are responsible for bringing an idea to life. They are typically designers or celebrities with a large following. Early Adopters are responsible for bringing attention to the trend. They have a significant influence on others and drive trends to becoming mainstream. Early Majority constitute a large following from the general population. They likely saw their favorite celebrity or influencer rocking the trend, which then influenced them to participate. Late Majority takes some convincing to join in on a trend. They are aware that the [...]

I discussed this topic, “Does your outfit tell the same story?” nearly every day at my last 5-day training. It was a great topic and one that I felt I understood. Yet, it is so easy to go awry with this topic. What it means is do your accessories tell the same story as the clothing you are wearing. Really this means shoes and maybe purses. Indiana Styling Consultant Explains How To Tell A Story With Your Outfit This might be going over your head if you're not a trained Indiana Styling Consultant, but it means ff you are wearing a very formal basic dress, let’s say a sleeveless sheath like this one blue one by Calvin Klein. I actually have this dress. What type of shoes would you wear with it? What type of jacket. I purposely cut off the shoes to play with this image: Going through our choices: The white “trainer” sneaker is not telling the same story as a very formal dress. This is a “no.” The flat brown bootie is also too casual for this dress and also would make most women’s calves look heavy and “cut off.” (Later I will show you the dress you can wear with this bootie.) The cowboy boots are a “no.” Too casual for this dress. Although with the right dress, the booties would be lovely. The heeled leather boot in camel could work with the dress. Although a narrow heel would be closer to the same story as the very formal dress. The two pumps in animal print and oyster white would look great with this dress. They all tell the same story.   Now let’s find an outfit that would look great [...]