Monthly Archives: January 2012

Best Sentence?

Posted in Closet Caucus, Hilarious Fashion
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Contender for the Single Best Sentence Ever Written in a Fashion Book 

The lovely Lisa of Quarter Life Vintage was at my place yesterday for a meeting. While she was here I encouraged her to peruse the book 100 Unforgettable Dresses by Hal Rubenstein.

100 Unforgettable Dresses

She was quiet for a moment and then proceeded to read the following sentence:

“Liza Minnelli, however, is one of entertainment’s most compulsively watchable broken unicorns.”

Uhmmmm….What?! What a horrible sentence. And an amazing sentence. And a brilliant sentence.

Ralph Wiggum is a broken unicorn too.

Rubenstein was writing about Liza in order to reference the red Halston dress she wore for the number, “I Gotcha” in the concert film Liza with a Z. The dress was sexy, unique, and a revelation – much like Liza herself. The turtleneck minidress became a cornerstone of her style for many years, and Halston later used the exact same shade of red when creating costumes for the Broadway musical The Act.

Work it, gurl! Turtleneck Minidress by Halston for Liza with a 'Z'

It’s SO much fun to read a fashion book when the author understands fashion’s historical relevancy, honors the medium, and at the same time realizes that fashion can sometimes be silly or amazingly fun.

Case in point – the inclusion of Carol Burnett’s Curtain Dress from her famous “Gone with the Wind” parody. The fact that this made the book as an unforgettable dress makes me incredibly happy.

The Curtain Dress from Carol Burnett's Gone with the Wind Parody

Whether the sketch itself stands the test of time is debatable (after watching it again it I was taken back by Vicki Lawrence’s performance). However, the Curtain Dress was a great moment in TV costume history and holds up as a fantastic visual gag.

The dress appears around the 3:20 mark. You can see the first part of the sketch here.

Have you read any good fashion books lately? Do you think Liza really is a broken unicorn? Did you know about Carol Burnett’s Curtain Dress? Do tell!

The New It Girl

Posted in Closet Caucus, Fashion Mags
4

The New “It Girl” is in Her 60′s – and She’s Fabulous

Meryl Streep on the cover of Vogue. Vera Wang posing in her bathing suit for Bazaar. Diane Keaton in an ad campaign for Chico’s. Suddenly women over the age of 60 are appearing in media looking powerful and sexy. Hallelujah. It’s about time! 

Vogue, Jan. 2012

The average Vogue cover girl is 30 years old (30.3 to be exact). At 62 Streep is the oldest model to grace the cover during Anna Wintour’s tenure – and possibly in the magazine’s 110-year history.

Vera Wang in Harper's Bazaar

At 63 Vera Wang is rocking a photo shoot for Bazaar. Forget 20-something starlets, Wang is proving that 60 is the new sexy!

Finally, Diane Keaton is looking just radiant in an ad campaign for Chico’s. 

Doesn't this picture just make you want to smile?

It’s not just that these women are gorgeous. There is a joy and strength coming through these pictures that is so refreshing.

We still have a way to go when it comes to acceptance in the world of fashion. We need to see women of different ages, races, body types, and abilities more frequently in media as a whole. But, it gives me hope that these women are being acknowledged for who they are, their business savvy, and their dreams. Keep it coming!

What do you think of these cover girls? Are you seeing more examples of women of different ages pop up in media? 

Right Place Wrong Outfit

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What to Do When You Show Up Wearing the Wrong Thing

A couple of weeks ago I had plans to meet up with a friend for a beer and some catch-up conversation. I headed to a local joint in jeans, a sweater, and some crazy, furry boots that I scored at a clothing swap. I was comfy and wearing a great outfit for an easy evening out.

When I got there my friend was waiting with one of his coworkers who had another idea. She suggested that we go to a fancy-shmancy party that guaranteed many DC A-list artsy people would be in attendance.  I stood there in my jeans and had a mild panic attack. Normally I would be totally down for a fun adventure, but I knew I would stand out like a sore thumb.

And, I would have to answer the inevitable DC question of, “What do you do?” with the words, “I’m a fashion consultant.”

But, I did the opposite of my first impulse. I said, “Yes, let’s go!” I decided in that moment to just show up and see what happened.

We went to the event. I was ridiculously under-dressed. I decided not to do any explaining and not make any excuses. (Although when I first got to the party I had this impulse to stand on a chair and yell, “I didn’t know I was going to be here tonight! I love dressing up! I could have been dressed up!”) I met interesting people, had some cocktails, and had a great conversation in with my friend. Basically, I got out of my own way so I could just be present in the moment.

Since that evening I’ve been doing some thinking about what happened. SO, I created some quick rules to follow if you show up in the right place with the wrong outfit.

Quick Rules If You Show up in the Wrong Outfit

1. Breathe.

You will not die from this experience.

2. Make a decision and commit.

Will you stay or will you go? It’s up to you. Sometimes, though, just showing up is the most alive choice.

3. Realize that very few people will recognize that you are in the wrong clothes.

Seriously. Most people are so concerned about how they are looking / sounding / doing socially that they won’t notice.

4. Realize that even fewer people will remember.

Quick, name what 5 people were wearing at the last party you attended. Can you think of anyone?

5. Invest in others. 

Meet people. Ask them questions. Sincere questions about who they are. You may not get a lot of time to invest in someone at a party, but really try to see people for who they are. It will shift your focus to what’s really important and you might make a new friend.

Have you ever shown up to an event in the wrong outfit? What happened?

The Hardest Question

Posted in Closet Caucus
1

The #1 Question Clients Have a Problem Answering

When I book a new client I schedule a phone call and ask lots of questions. This is so I can get a sense of the client’s personality and so we can focus in on their style goals. The questions are quite fun – some are just surface questions that tell me a little about a person’s particular taste (i.e. “What’s your favorite movie?” “What’s your favorite color to wear?”). But, I have one question that people stumble over EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. 

Here is the question: 

What do you like most about your body? 

 

100% of the time there is a pause. Sometimes I get an answer. Most of the time I don’t. 

To be fair, I think if someone asked me the same question out of the blue I might stumble with my answer too. 

The big thing is this: We are used to seeing imperfections and “problem areas” (which I really don’t believe in, by the way). The language we use to talk about our bodies is overwhelmingly negative. So, pausing to think about what we love feels odd and quite foreign. But, it’s amazingly, astoundingly important. 

So, I will ask you. What do you like best about your body? 

Do some thinking about it this week.

It’s Swap Time!

Posted in Fashion Event
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Swap Day 2012

Are you ready to swap till you drop? 

The Goodwill Fashionista is hosting a fab event in honor of World Swap Day tomorrow, January 21st, at the Arlington Goodwill store. Tickets are still available and are only $5.00 (with a small eventbrite fee of $1.27). Click here to get a ticket and find out more information! 

Arlington Goodwill 

10 S. Glebe Rd. 

Arlington, VA 22204

10:30AM to 2:00PM