Before-After Nordstrom Photo Shoot: Sally

Personal stylist Margo Passadore and I took 8 women of various ages, shapes and color harmonies to Nordstrom in downtown Portland for a “Before and After” photo shoot (overview here). Here’s our second client’s story. Sally is a fun-loving gal who favors classic and romantic stylings in her clothes. She is triangle-shaped, with a small bust and […]

Before-After Nordstrom Photo Shoot: Kate

Personal stylist Margo Passadore and I took 8 women of various ages, shapes and color harmonies to Nordstrom in downtown Portland for a “Before and After” photo shoot (overview here). Here’s our first client’s story: About Kate, a vivacious Patrician Winter Kate’s lifestyle is both sporty (yoga, hiking, etc) and dressy (she’s a professional musician). The Patrician […]

THE 1-2 PUNCH goes to Nordstrom for a photo shoot

What is “The 1-2 Punch?” 1 is Color: the power of a custom personal color palette. It takes the stress and challenges out of shopping for and dressing in clothes that flatter your natural coloring and seasonal style. This is my specialty. 2 is Style: the confidence that comes from shopping with a skillful personal stylist […]

Color consultant consults an image consultant

Yesterday, fellow Portland image consultant, Margo Passadore, came over to help me attack my closet.  I am already very good at clearing other people’s closets – helping my clients understand why certain garments are flattering, which are not, and why and how to put them together. Just last week I helped a client create this mountain of […]

Stumbling on Paris Fashion Week

I spent several days in Paris last week, intending to absorb some art, admire the architecture, savor the food, soak up the vibe, and gawk at the street scene. Perhaps I could even pick up a few style tips from those nonchalantly chic French women. Trying to cross the Place de la Concorde (around a lot of annoying […]

More shoe paint! Belts too.

Once you’ve seen how easy it is to transform the color and look of a pair of shoes with leather paint or dye, a sort of madness takes over. You look around with itchy fingers for something else to transform. These were the outcome of last week’s efforts (beige=paint, maroon=dye):   My eyes landed on a […]

Love the shoes, but not the color? Paint them!

Do you have shoes collecting dust in your closet because the color is boring or doesn’t go with anything in your closet (but you bought because stores only offer brown or black)? I bought these cute shoes a few years ago for a summer wedding. They’re comfy, however the black leather strap across the ankle […]

Stop dressing like crap!

I am not alone in being appalled by how people dress to go to the theatre. Elisabeth Vincentelli at the NY Post feels even more strongly than I do. When I ushered for a Broadway show at Portland’s largest auditorium I watched a stream of people pass, and 80% of them were dressed as if they […]

9 tips for buying clothes on sale

Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale is happening right now, but what follows applies to any big clothes sale. (Nordstrom’s sale is especially tempting because what’s on sale is not tired fare from last season, but the NEW clothes for fall.) Of course the other temptation is lower prices. Before you go to the store (or online), get […]

Do these pants make my butt look flat?

Do you look as good going as you did coming? Most of us check our faces in the mirror before heading out, but few think to look at our backsides. And let’s be frank: there are worse things than tight pants on a big J-Lo butt. I’m talking about droopy drawers on a flat butt. […]