STYLE:

1. an elegant, fashionable, or luxurious mode of living: to live in style.
2. a mode of fashion, as in dress, especially good or approved fashion; elegance; smartness.

(www.dictionary.com)

When I meet with clients or potential clients for the first time, one of the things they often tell me is that they don’t feel like they have a personal style. Which really isn’t true, because everyone and everything has a style. They just haven’t discovered it yet! I bet you know all the things you don’t like to wear and could make a long list right now if I asked you to. So now you just need to pay attention to the things that you do like and make you feel like a million dollars. Everything has style — lifestyle, personal style, home style, etc. We all have ways of doing things that make us comfortable. If I were to ask five women to wear the exact same piece of clothing or accessory, and I took a photograph of each of them, I guarantee each one would look completely different. That’s because we are all unique individuals and have our own Unique Presence™relating to our personalities.

What’s your Style story? We all make up stories about ourselves from messages we received growing up, as well as the ones we create in our heads. What have you created that is keeping you from being the best version of yourself? Are you sabotaging your own success with these stories? It’s time to let go of your past and step into the woman you are today — a brilliant, confident, sexy, savvy business woman, author, speaker, mother. Stop letting the little voice in your head get the better of you. Allow yourself to step into that bigger vision of yourself.

Fashion and style don’t have to be a challenge or big mystery that some women get and others don’t; you just need to do some detective work to figure out what feels right for you. It should be fun and another way of expressing yourself. Style is a reflection of what’s going on internally and expressed externally. It’s much more than looking beautiful — it’s about the inner confidence and self esteem that come with being the best version of yourself! Your personal style is speaking for you before you have the opportunity to say a word. It is your first visual impression that you make when interacting with a potential client, audience or management team. Whether it is your headshot on your website, your website itself or you in front of an audience — your visual appearance makes a big impact. It’s what attracts people to you; it makes them decide if they want to take the time to get to know more (which leads to liking and trusting you) or if they will move on to the next person.

Are you still struggling to find your personal style? Do you look in your closet each morning wondering what you will put on to feel the least uncomfortable? Wouldn’t you like to greet each day with confidence and grace? If you answered YES to any of those questions I would love to take you through my five-part S.T.Y.L.E. system to help you discover your authentic personal style. The transformation really happens once you start to believe you are the person you see staring back at you from the mirror. It’s the inner confidence that has you standing taller, feeling ready to be seen, stepping into the spotlight and allowing yourself to stand out and shine!

Contact me today to schedule your Spotlight on Style Strategy Session so we can see if you’re ready for your personal transformation!

I recently helped my daughter Christina and her girlfriend get ready to attend their prom, and it got me thinking about the steps I take to help my clients get ready to step into the spotlight. My philosophy with my clients has always been to help them look and feel great, while honoring who they are — finding a personal style that feels authentic to them.

As soon as my daughter received the invitation for prom, I kicked into “work” mode! I began thinking about the steps we would take to make sure she looked her best while still feeling like herself. In Fashion Feng Shui® language, her Essence is Wood — sporty and casual. She doesn’t like being too dressed up, doesn’t wear much make up or fuss with her long, curly hair. In her terms, she says, “I don’t want to look like I tried too hard” — which always makes me laugh!

Before we headed out to shop for dresses, I looked at the girls’ skin tone to get a sense of the colors that would work best and have them looking fabulous. With color palettes in hand, we set out for the mall, which can be an experience in itself with teens! Luckily, because I already knew her Essence, I had a sense of what she might be drawn to and what she would steer clear of. Knowing your Essence really takes the stress out of shopping. It helps you know exactly what styles feel right and comfortable on you so you don’t waste a lot of time trying on things the sales associate thinks would look GREAT on you! (I know they mean well, but they don’t know you or your style, so it is harder for them to get it right.)

We found a beautiful blue dress to enhance her eye color and simple makeup that didn’t look “overdone” for her. Christina looked gorgeous and glamorous … but still herself. Here are some tips to help you shine brightly for your next spotlight opportunity:

• Where and What — Consider where your event is being held and who will be attending. Your invitation or confirmation should give you some information about the dress code or appropriate attire for the event. Is it a business event? Are you the speaker? Are you attending as a guest? Will you be indoors or out? All these will play into deciding what you should wear.
• When — Consider the time of day your event is being held. Is it day or evening? For daytime, you’ll want to go with business or business casual attire. An evening event is probably dressier — a cocktail dress might be more appropriate. Your makeup and accessories should suit the time of day too. For daytime, you can get away with wearing less makeup and just play up your natural beauty. But for evening, you’ll want to kick it up a notch to add more drama and compensate for low lighting. Daytime accessories should be fun and light (but appropriate for the event), while in the evening you can glam it up with bolder pieces and more sparkle.
• Plan Ahead — Shop early for the best selection and to allow time for alterations. I don’t know anyone who can buy clothes off the rack and not have to have some type of alteration, so plan for that. If you’ll be wearing something you already have in your closet, take it out and try it on a week or more ahead of time. Does it need alterations or dry cleaning?
• Choose Colors Wisely — Bring you color palette along when you go shopping so you can choose a color that is flattering to your skin tone and brings out your best. Wearing the colors in your palette will make you stand out and shine! If you haven’t invested in a color analysis yet, I highly recommend you do. It is a great tool to have in your toolbox, saving you time, money and frustration when you shop.
• Shop till You Drop — Okay, not really. Most women don’t want to drop at the end of shopping! But if shopping really stresses you out because you’re just not sure what colors and styles look great on you, invest in yourself by working with an image consultant. The peace of mind you’ll gain in knowing exactly what colors and styles to look for is worth every penny! The investment of learning about what works for your body, your essence and your intentions will pay you back many times over.

I’d love to help you find your authentic style with a Fashion Feng Shui consultation or Color Analysis. Contact me at Laurie@LaurieMandato.com to schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation, and let’s get started!

©2010 Laurie Mandato