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Be a Fashion Victor

by Laura Vendetti

www.vendettihair.com

lvhairco@bellsouth.net

Are you a fashion victim, or victor? We have but one opportunity to make a first impression. People typically make a decision about you in the first 60 seconds that you meet. Are you projecting an image of how you truly want to be perceived?

During every consultation I have, both with existing clients and people I am meeting for the first time, I have a list of questions. It is amazing to me the answers I get to these questions. More often than not, it seems we are creating our personal style by both instinct, and what is readily available to us at retail centers.

Few people have a personal stylist (someone who actually shops for you), but I do recommend establishing a relationship with at least one boutique. I discovered my personal style at around 19, which happened to be Eighties Goth. So sure was I that I had found myself in this era, that I actually had a little bit of Goth tattooed on my body. It was the late Eighties, and you can imagine how I feel about this bit of permanent art today!

What goes around comes around, and lo and behold Eighties Goth is surfacing again. Tattoo aside, I still have a taste for Goth even at 35, though I express it with a great deal of discretion most of the time. When I say find a boutique or two, think independently owned specialty shop. I frequent one boutique specializing in obscure apparel, and I usually walk out with several items for the price of what I typically pay for one item at my other favorite boutique.

My other boutique is more classic in feel, yet has just enough edge to keep me interested. Typically boutiques are service oriented and more than happy to help you enhance your style if not find it. You would be wise to get to know the salespeople there. Very often they will stay in contact with you about sales as well as new items, and you won’t find yourself free falling through fashion, flinging money at clothes you later wished you never bought.

One of the questions I ask my clients is “When you walk into a room, how do you wish to be perceived?” Have you ever thought about it? Perhaps you wish to be discreet, and prefer a subtle entrance. I met a woman like this recently. She commented on her lack of style and distaste for fashion. I asked her if she was okay with that, and she said “yes”.

We agreed on a simplistic color and cut for her, and it really was okay! At the other end of the spectrum, there are people that like to be noticed immediately. Oftentimes, these individuals express themselves through use of bright colors, and bold accessories. There are even those who work very hard on their bodies, and enjoy clothing that reflects that. I admit to being more inclined to wearing jeans slung low on the days I work out my abs a little harder.

Eighties Goth is not the only thing that has re-surfaced in fashion. We are also experiencing the return of the skinny pants, as well as the mini skirt. In sharp contrast there is the puffy sleeve, and the empire waist. My best friend just encountered someone wearing a bad version of the empire waist and mistook it for maternity wear.

That is enough to say about my opinion on the empire waist, peasant shirt, or anything else big and baggy. She is so sweet and precious she managed to save the embarrassing moment. I learned from another friend recently that it is actually acceptable to turn your back and walk away if you indeed cannot die right there on the spot after she suffered a similar embarrassment. I would never have thought to do that, but I thought it was genius and important enough to share with you. After all, it can happen to the best of us, right? I don’t know how to advise you if are on the receiving end, except of course avoiding the empire waist look altogether.

About skinny jeans and micro minis, I believe skinny jeans should probably be left for the skinny, and micro minis should not have happened the first time around, never mind the second. Fortunately, the rules have changed somewhat, and the recommendation is to actually wear something over the jeans, and under the skirt, which welcomes the return of the legging.

One of my clients commented on these recently saying, “I never knew they went out”. This is a woman who identifies her own style. I admire her for that, and appreciated the comment. If you are too young to have experienced them the first time, they really do a great deal to enhance an outfit. This time they are available with more variety of color, lengths, and textures than they were before.

Before heading out to the shopping center, either virtual or real, there is one more fashion tip that will never go out of style, and stands the test of time.

Remember, you are beautiful, you are powerful, you are feminine, there is only one you. No matter if you wear a size 2 or size 22, self-confidence is the one accessory money cannot buy. Embrace your beautiful self from the inside, don’t lose sight of who you really are, and your personal style will follow.