Shopping with my Mom

Ever since moving back to New Hampshire, I've been very busy, which is why I haven't been blogging regularly. But that's not all- I don't feel like I've been able to establish a routine for myself yet. I am enjoying the freedom in my schedule, but it mostly means that I'm out visiting friends and catching up a lot of the time. I am loving that aspect of being home.

Another part of being home that I'm enjoying is getting to shop with all my favorite people. I love helping friends and family find that perfect outfit for whatever it is that they are shopping for. Today the task was to help my mom find an outfit for my cousin's wedding. We ended up narrowing it down to two options. The first was a grey wool Calvin Klein that was certainly beautiful and quite versatile. The second option was for a gorgeous yellow dress by Adrianna Papell which would require some creativity to get it to work for a fall wedding. I tend to be pretty outlandish with my clothing choices, and I don't always expect everyone to agree with what I think is best. But every now and then, someone will surprise me. Today, it was my mom. I fully expected her to choose the grey CK dress not only because she genuinely loved it and it looked great on her, but also because she is pretty conservative in her choice of clothing. Instead, she ended up buying the yellow dress after I told her I could help make it work for the season, for the event and for her body. And the funny part is that I fell in love with the dress on the hanger, but even up until the moment it was zipped, she was skeptical. Then when she saw it on, she fell in love, too!

All items from Macy's:

Dress: $75

Shoes: $52

Shawl: $19.99

The dress itself is bordering on the seasons- the wrong accessories could take it to spring or summer. Well, I suppose they'd be the right accessories at another time of year, but right now, the goal is to make this dress work for fall. I chose to do this mostly through color.

What I love about the dress (besides the color) is the neckline- it's a gorgeous ruched scoop neck with a floral embellishment on the left side. The dress itself is sleeveless, but a jacket or cardigan would cover up the beautiful floral detail not to mention the beautiful draping in front. I recommended my mom pair the dress with copper-y brown wedges, a set of pearls she already owned in a similar copper-y brown and a rust colored wrap. The wrap is so simple and yet it does exactly what this outfit needs it to do:

1.) It covers the upper arms both for warmth and because my mom is more comfortable with her arms covered. And it does this while still showing off the floral detail of the dress! The neckline isn't ruined one bit!

2.) It also adds an additional fall color to the mix, but also looks gorgeous next to both the yellow and the copper-y brown. The three colors together remind me of the foliage all around right now:

I'm really proud of her for stepping out of the box and wearing something other than a traditional LBD or standard wedding attire. The outfit is perfectly appropriate, but also unique. I think she can rest assured that no one will be showing up in the same outfit.

To achieve this wrap look, simply drape a large scarf or pashmina-style shawl over your shoulders, then tie the ends behind your back loosely enough that your arms are mobile, but snug enough that the shawl stays in place. The effect is like a 3/4 sleeve bolero from the front, and a basic wrap-look from behind. And since it's tied in place, you won't be struggling all night trying to keep your wrap in place around your shoulders.

And since I know you want a close-up of those gorgeous shoes, here it is:

If you live in the New England area and are interested in utilitzing my unique personal styling services, visit my website or email me to set up an initial appointment. Whether you need help choosing an outfit for an event, or your entire wardrobe needs an overhaul, I'm available to assist you. And don't be fooled- this type of service is not nearly as expensive as you might think. So many people think that only the wealthy or famous have personal stylists, but the truth is that it can be quite affordable- one of my recent clients was a local school teacher and another was a working mom. Fashion knows no boundaries! Contact me anytime for more informtion- I'm looking forward to hearing from you!