Denise Lampron, Color Consultant

When less is more – a limited palette makes it easy

As I told my color colleague in LA, Denise Lampron, I am color-greedy. I like having a lot of options in my color palette, even though I mostly use just a few of them in a season. When I saw her palette had about half as many color sticks as I do I was intrigued, […]

Joy Overstreet, Portland's personal color analyst, ColorStylePDX.com

Packing for six weeks in a carry-on bag

Moment of Truth: capsule wardrobe? I HATE packing for long trips. I own one suitcase, a carry-on, into which I must cram six weeks worth of clothing plus “gubbins.”  (Gubbins = lotions, potions, makeup, cords & chargers, COVID test kits, masks and remedies, etc.). The backpack is for my laptop, notebook & airplane amusements. Whine whine whine (First […]

Custom personal color palette by Joy Overstreet, Portland's personal color analyst, ColorStylePDX, Portland OR.

Anatomy of a personal color palette

The arrangement of fabric sticks in a personal color palette is very intentional, and guides the person in how best to use each color. This is a guide to that arrangement. The color analysis system originated with Suzanne Caygill in the 1940s.

Color palette for a five-week trip in a carry-on

Packing panic? Personal Palette to the Rescue!

I’m heading out for a five week trip, mostly in France. Long trips send many people into a packing panic. Not me. I’ve created a capsule wardrobe that fits nicely into a single carry-on bag. [Ok, I’m also bringing a backpack for my laptop and reading matter. Mid-trip I’m going to Lisbon for three days and will ditch the laptop and use the backpack for a […]

Clothing waste is a global polluter. Fast fashion. Joy Overstreet, Personal Color Analyst, ColorStylePDX.com, Portland OR.

Are you a Clothing Polluter?

How “fast fashion” hurts everyone. Did you know: On average an American buys 64 garments a year? He/she throws away and/or donates 82 pounds of clothing a year? 85% of what we toss ends up in landfill because thrift shops can’t keep up? Americans send 10.5 million tons of clothing to landfills every year? 98% of the clothes we buy […]

Packing a suitcase for two weeks in France

When a travel pro packs for holiday Personal stylist Margo Passadore travels a lot, sometimes for just a few days and sometimes for two to four weeks. This summer she and her family will spend a couple of weeks in the Loire Valley of France, where it will probably be quite warm and where she really doesn’t […]

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 […]

How small can a capsule wardrobe go?

I’m all for having a relatively small collection of clothes for each season that can be mixed and matched so your look is varied. The “Capsule Wardrobe” of just 33 pieces is the current iteration of this minimalist approach to dressing. But many of these capsule wardrobes are so BORING, like this one on the […]