What I’m Wearing Today

I’ve been inspired by nail polish (of all things!) lately. I’ve especially enjoyed the bright neon hues that are sticking around this fall. I wanted to see if one of those summer colors could make the transition into a complete fall outfit. Below is a pic of me wearing a skirt that would usually be relegated to July and August paired with traditional fall wear:

Outfit Breakdown

Skirt: JCrew – it came out looking a bit orange in this photo, but in person it’s bright coral

Tights: Target

Top: Banana Republic (A basic I’ve had in my closet for forever)

Necklace: Obtained at a clothing swap!

Heels: Stuart Weitzman

Ring: Don’t think you can see it in this picture, but I have on bright orange / coral ring from Gossip on 23rd

This has been SUCH a fun outfit to wear. I went shopping with a client this morning and got stopped a dozen times by people asking questions about the skirt. It was such a fun surprise! I’m now inspired to go back into my closet to see if I have any more bright hues to wear during the remainder of this fall.

How about you? Have you tried wearing summer clothes into the fall? Have you enjoyed neon colors this season?

What Banana Bread is Teaching Me About Business

I know I’ve already shared how baking actually helps me with fashion. But, yesterday I got a great business lesson when I made banana bread. Because I completely failed at it. It came out of the oven completely burnt to a crisp while smelling like ash and…well…burnt bananas. Not pleasant.

My Dream

My Reality

Completely frustrating.

I’ve made this recipe a number of times, and the first time it came out perfectly. The other four times something went terribly wrong. Since I started baking six months ago I’ve had lots of success with sweets, but I’ve continuously failed at all variations of breads. It’s my baking Achilles’ heel.

Later on in the evening I decided to read a few chapters of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg (who writes the highly successful blog Orangette).

In the book she gives a recipe for banana bread with chocolate and crystallized ginger. My first thought was, “I’m gonna give that a shot,” even with the fumes of burnt bread still wafting in from my kitchen.

Business has taught me quite a bit about failure. I seem to always be volleying between success and ruin. I love, love being a fashion consultant, but the market is incredibly difficult and the possibility of shutting down my doors is always lurking around the corner. I’m trying to learn more about when to keep pushing through and when it is best to throw in the towel. It’s a very fine line.

What I’ve learned is that there are no absolutes. I’ve got to learn how to hold on to the important part of my vision while remaining flexible enough to allow it to grow if life is pushing me in another direction. I’ve got to be willing to make colossal mistakes and have everything burn to a crisp. Then, I need to get my head back in the game and get back out there.

Failing at baking is teaching me how to take my ego out of completely messing up. It’s not personal – it’s banana bread. I obviously did something wrong, and I’m trying to backtrack to see what went awry so I can learn from my mistakes. In business I’m trying new things, learning, and meeting new people. Some of my ideas are going to go down with a thud. Some of them will stick. But, the true test is to continue to continue.

The dream of perfect banana bread is a goal. The dream of dressing men and women so they feel attractive and confident while realizing a true connection to what is internal and what is external is my passion. I’m going to keep fighting for both visions.

Banana Bread with Chocolate & Crystalized Ginger

from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about 3 large ripe bananas)

1/4 cup well-stirred whole-milk plain yogurt (not lowfat / nonfat)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a standard-sized (about 9 by 5 inches) loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

In a small bowl, microwave the butter until just melted. (Take care to do this on medium power and in short bursts; if the heat is too high, butter will sometimes splatter or explode. Or, alternatively, put putter in a heatproof bowl and melt in the preheated oven.) Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla and stir to mix well. (The same fork works fine for this.) Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides as needed, until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy, but there should be no unincorporated flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top.

Bake until the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. If the loaf seems to be browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.

Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then tip it out onto the rack, and let it cool completely before slicing – unless you absolutely can’t help yourself, in which case, dig in.

Note: Fully cooled, this bread freezes beautifully. And it tastes delicious cold, straight from the freezer. To protect it from frost, wrap it in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil.

Quotes From The Thoughtful Dresser

I just finished reading “The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter” by Linda Grant.

It’s a lovely read that explores the role of fashion throughout history as well as a personal autobiography and fashion manifesto. It completely verbalized many of the reasons I decided to become a fashion consultant. Here’s a gathering of my favorite quotes:

“…if you were to gather all the clothes you have ever owned in all your life, each baby shoe and winter coat and wedding dress, you would have your autobiography.“

“Sometimes clothes are more than clothes, and throwing them away is too much like amputation.”

“I looked at the clothes that remained in my wardrobe and wondered what would eventually happen to them. They had been kinder to me than some people I knew.”

“Nothing more cruelly reveals the business of our aging flesh than sticking to the same clothing, makeup, and hairstyles for the whole of our lives.”

“That was Dior’s gift, to make you fall in love with clothes.”

“When academics write about the language of clothes and describe the various messages that are encrypted in garments, they seldom include in that vast vocabulary the word rejoice. Clothing as social and cultural signals, but not these piercing feelings of joy that new clothes can bring to the wearer.”

“Those who take no particular interest in clothes will, by accident or passivity, go with the fashion flow. Appearing never to update their wardrobe, they nonetheless alter their dress over the decades, changes not necessarily observable to the naked eye because of the glacier like slowness of their movement.”

“Caring about what you wear is one small but not entirely insignificant dimension of existence.”

“Creatures of surface, mirrors have a simple story to tell us and fail over and over again to reflect back the gift of our inner beauty and hard-won wisdom.”

“I’m tired of fat men telling women whose bones do not show through their skin that they should lay off the doughnuts.”

Behind the Scenes at the Washingtonian Makeover Photo Shoot

Yesterday I was able to style my lovely client, Beth, for a photo shoot at the Washingtonian offices! We pulled together three outfits that she modeled beautifully in front of the cameras.

1. The Casual Outfit

This was the only outfit where almost everything was new. That being said, we got GREAT deals at Macy’s. See those jeans? Fit her like a glove and only cost $17. Blue pumps give a pop of color for $25.00. Neutral jacket that she can use over and over again during the summer, spring, and fall for $50.00 and an “executive sparkle shirt” for $30. The clutch is from Forever21 and cost only $10.00. The silver drop earrings are her own.

2. The Bombshell Outfit

I love this outfit because it is such a throwback to Hollywood glam. The shirt, heels, and necklace were already in her wardrobe. The skirt and belt she acquired at a clothing swap. This outfit looks oh-so-sexy while still remaining conservative. The nude heels elongate the leg, while the pencil skirt shows off her wonderful curves. (And don’t you just love that bright red color?)

3. The Work-to-Evening Outfit

This outfit, which came mostly from Beth’s closet, translates very well from a day at the office to an evening out. The black item is actually a dress. We layered a button-down short sleeve shirt on top of a sleeveless black dress. There is a subtle layering of the colors at the neckline because the items are of similar v-neck cuts. We also took off the belt that came with the dress and placed it on top to highlight her small waist. The bracelet is yellow with flower decorations in the same color of her shirt (purchased at Forever21 for $6.50). She borrowed the Kate Spade clutch from me. It’s a bit hard to tell from this particular picture, but it is a purse that looks like the book “The Great Gatsby.” She is also wearing black pumps taken from her closet.

Beth left the photo shoot in this outfit and went straight to work!

Beth with makeup artist Adrian Avila from Make Up Martyr.

This experience has been so much fun. And, it’s not over! We are doing a complete wardrobe edit / mixing & matching session this week with a reporter from the Washingtonian in attendance.

I would encourage you to check out Beth’s blog, Beth’s Journey, when you get a chance. It describes her journey to lose 90 pounds while adopting a healthy lifestyle. She’s such an inspiring and beautiful person (inside and out!). Her story will be in the September issue of the Washingtonian.

Beth’s Closet Caucus Makeover for the Washingtonian

It has been a busy 2 weeks over here at Closet Caucus, but for a very good reason. The Washingtonian contacted me and asked if I would like to style someone for a makeover story. Uhmmm…yes, please!

My client, Beth, has such an amazing and inspirational story. She decided to change her life in March of 2009 by joining Weight Watchers. Since that time she has lost over 90 pounds, has become a runner, and is training right now for a marathon! She started a blog called Beth’s Journey to chronicle her story and to talk about food, life, and health.

Beth in 2004 and in 2010

Because Beth’s body has changed it also means that her wardrobe / clothing options have changed. We have spent the past two weeks talking about style, life, clothing options, the past, and her future. She is such a strong person. I told her yesterday that I thought she was a warrior goddess in a past life because she has so much inner strength.

Tomorrow is her photo shoot at the Washingtonian. We put together 3 outfits utilizing clothing in her closet and some new pieces (some of which she got at last week’s clothing swap!). I can’t wait to do the big reveal of her new style. She is ROCKIN! The thing that thrills me the most is that we were able to take that internal strength and show it externally through fashion.

The whole experience has been fantastic and I’m tickled pink to go to the photo shoot and watch her work it in front of a camera! Will let you know how everything turns out!

New Take on an Old Dress

I come from a military family, so my parents still attend balls. I really love that military tradition – all of those people in uniforms and beautiful gowns. Sigh….

Of course when you go to ball after ball you have to continually come up with new things to wear. So, I was just smitten with Mom’s fabulous idea about taking one of her old gowns and refashioning it into something new. She had a beautiful gown that looked smashing on her…but it also ended up being something like 4 sizes too big.

Mom took up running and now participates in races like The Army 10 Miler. I’m so inspired by her drive and courage for taking up running! But, as she found out, running soon required a new wardrobe because her body changed.

Here is a picture of her in the dress (along with my Dapper Dad):

And, here she is in the dress after reworking it so it would fit her smaller size:

Now it is a one-shoulder dress with a flower. Here is a close -up:

So pretty!

This week one of my posts featured a Vera Wang dress that had a similar concept on top:

I told Mom that she should be totally impressed with herself – she designed a Vera Wang dress without even realizing it!

I recently interviewed Marisa Lynch, author of the blog New Dress a Day, for an upcoming article I’m writing for Shoestring Magazine. Marisa refashions thrift store finds and makes them into amazing pieces with an entirely new life.

Between Mom and Marisa I’ve been very inspired to take up sewing! I would love to learn the process of creating a new garment out of an existing one.

Have you ever refashioned a dress? How did it turn out?

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!

Today I want to talk a little about my Mom, Taunya. I think little girls first learn about style by looking to their Mothers.

Mom's Kappa Alpha Theta Picture

Mom continues to teach me about internal beauty. She leads by example – always emphasising that kindness, joy, and helping others are elements that make life fulfilling.

She definitely has had an influence over my external style as well. How adorable is that dress? She looks like a pixie!

A few years ago one of her friends pulled me aside to tell me that she thought my Mom was glamorous. I think her friend was a bit too shy to tell her herself, and it just tickled me to hear that compliment.

One of the most poignant lessons I learned from my Mom about poise happened during a sad time. Her Mother passed away and our family was at the funeral. It was a difficult moment, and I can’t imagine the heartbreak that my Mom experienced that day. I watched Mom go around to different people to thank them for coming and ask how they were doing. It was such a big lesson in what grace looks like – in the middle of her own turmoil she was interested in others. The memory of her reaching out to people that day is something that I carry quite close as an example of compassion and beauty.

Sometimes you just need the right brown dress.

Mom has never been a person who cares about labels. She is much more interested in finding a good deal. Which totally helped me out – I now make a living helping people find clothing options that fit within their budgets! She also taught me about wearing the right thing for the right occasion.

The #1 lesson that Mom taught me about style and life is to always, always keep my sense of humor and not take myself too seriously. Because the ability to laugh so hard you cry is probably the thing that makes a person most beautiful.

xoxoxo

The Story of the Ring and My Valentine

Sometimes a ring is not just a ring. After being in so many closets I realize the deep connection between memory and fashion. There are certain items that may not seem significant at first, but to the owner they represent a pivotal life moment, a relationship, or just a memory that fills them with joy.

The below story is about an object – a ring – but, it is really about a strong memory of love that was expressed by my father. The older I get the more I understand how blessed I was to grow up in a household that communicated love frequently through words and through actions. I know that’s not everyone’s story.

Sometimes it takes courage to express love in different types of relationships – with family, friends, coworkers, partners. Valentine’s Day is becoming more of a day of accountability – do the people in my life know that I love them? How can I make that known throughout the year? Do I express it clearly? Do I express it even when it’s difficult? I’m working on having the courage to love people with abandon, with an openness of heart, and to love individuals when they are prickly and it isn’t easy. It’s a continuous life lesson.

So, here is a story about love on Valentine’s Day. Many blessings and love to you this day. xoxo

Style Story – The Story of the Flower Petal Purse