I’ve been taking image consulting classes at Fashion Institute of Technology of New York City. I’m working towards my image consulting certification. I’ve enjoyed each of the classes and I just finished a Fashion Publicity class, which is my favorite one thus far. My professor, who works for the biggest names in fashion, asked me if I wanted to work with her at New York Fashion Week this September. Uh, yeah! I’d be an absolute idiot not to.

So, it’s official. I bought my plane tickets last night. Woohoo!! Now I have to start working on my accommodations. I’m going to be there all week so I need to keep it economical.

I’m so excited I can barely contain myself. I actually feel like crying for joy every time I think about it. It really is a dream come true.

Of course I’ll take as many pictures as I’m allowed to but since I’ll be behind the scenes, there’s a lot of confidentiality so I won’t be able to be clicking away willy nilly. Oh well, that’s the price you have to pay for high fashion.

Sometimes you just run out of ideas. I’ve got the perfect, easy one for you! Why don’t you give her the gifts of success and confidence in herself? You can when you give her the gift that instills those things in her while she is being pampered and cared for (which all women love but most won’t purchase for themselves).

I will caringly coach her in creating the perfect image that works in every area of her life, including professional and personal. This will create a confident woman who has a healthy self love and self respect which propagates success.

This may include color analysis, working in her closet to make it easy for her to choose outfits everyday, or shopping with her to take all stress out of the process. A pampered wife is a happy wife.

Either call or email me and I will create a customized gift certificate for you to present to her, based on the amount of time you want to give. Easy!

This is a perfect gift (and super easy) for all occasions including Mother’s Day, birthdays, graduation, prom, wedding, new job, and just because you care. She’ll love you for it!

Here in Wisconsin it’s definitely not beach weather yet (right now it’s 28 degrees) but we can dream right? I created this collage to show how much fun you can have with fashion even at the beach (besides the usual swim suit).

Start off with an eye catching yet comfortable maxi dress in colors of the sea with waves represented by its print. Throw on a thin cotton cardigan for when the cool breezes hit you and a straw hat to keep the sun off your beautiful face. Add some embellished, yet practical flats to make it easy to navigate the hot sand.

Accessorize your beach outfit with natural wood earrings and bracelet. You can either wear 1 statement bracelet or stack several up to show everyone your fashion sense. Add a fun, easily cleaned bag to carry all of your necessities in a color of the sun, cheery yellow. It adds one more pop of color to your look.

Last but not least, wear fun, coordinating nail and toe polish along with simple, natural makeup in your best colors. And of course, don’t forget the sun screen. Your skin will thank you.

Enjoy the sun and surf!

I invited my friend to go and she was excited because she had never been before. She’s a fashion pro so she was ready for whatever was in store. Tip: bring a rolling suitcase so you can lug all of your purchases around in that instead of trying to carry it all and having your arm fall off.

Some of the highlights were beads by the string with hundreds and hundreds of kinds to choose from. A beader’s paradise. Beautifully handmade leather coats-the leather is like butter-lovely. Handbags of every kind including blinged out and handmade leather bags of all shapes and sizes. You can tell these artisans really care about their handy work. Swarovski crystal blinged out sunglasses in every color and pattern. Last but not least, rows and rows of fine jewelers including estate, vintage and brand new gems and precious metals of all shapes, sizes, styles and designs. This is my favorite category of the show. My friend tried on a $94,000 diamond bracelet with 25 karats. Major drool.

We both had a great time and will be back for more fun in the future. Check out my pictures for the highlights.

Animal print leather & fur jacket

$94,000 diamond bracelet

White leather jacket with buckles

It’s overwhelming because there are so many exhibitors with many different styles of product to choose from. There is every kind of garment you can think of in almost any kind of style you can imagine. This year some kids’ clothing has been added, which is always fun to see. There are so many adorable styles to choose from.

I found many things that my clients will look great in. There are styles that fit every type of dressing personality such as dramatic, natural and classic, so there’s something for everyone.

The only unfortunate thing is that there was no menswear present. The closest menswear show is in Las Vegas. Let’s get with it people, we need a Chicago show for men as well! They deserve equal treatment.

There was also a bridal show going on and since I love and style bridal as well, I had to take some pictures of the beautiful gowns.

So check out the pictures to get a sneak peek of what you may be seeing in your area boutiques this fall.

Closeup of gown with side bustles

Me-Ality, which is short for Measured Reality is a machine that measures your body using 200,000 points of measurement (I know, it’s kind of scary; who wants have their body measured in that many ways). You step into the booth, stand still with arms slightly out, and a vertical wand moves around you, using low power radio waves that are totally safe. The process only takes 15 seconds and you don’t feel a thing. I actually did it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.

This is the first machine in Wisconsin to provide this free service. There are only 23 in the US right now, but the company plans on having 400 around the country by next year. Whew, that’s growth!

The result is a printout you get that shows the perfect brands and sizes of jeans and pants (the company is working on adding other types of garments) from retailers in the mall. Retailers partner with Me-Ality but the results are unbiased. Your printout is formulated for your size and shape, not for the retailer. For example, my jean printout says that J. Crew Bootcut jean in a midrise, bootcut is a great choice for me. My pants printout says that White House Black Market’s grey herringbone pant in midrise, bootcut is another great choice for me. The printout tells you the size of each to wear, which of course, changes by retailer, brand and even style.

Good news, Donna, the area manager, that Me-Ality doesn’t sell or share your information. That’s very important to me because I sure don’t need the world knowing sizing from 200,000 points on my body.

I asked Donna if people can have this done multiple times in case they were losing or gaining weight and she said yes, you can do it as many times as you like. This is good for us that tend to go up and down in sizes depending on different variables. She said that they partner with Weight Watchers so their clients can have perfectly fit clothing no matter where on their weight loss journey they are. I love that idea.

You can learn more about Me-Ality at www.me-ality.com

Person entering Me-Ality booth

Person getting measured in Me-Ality

My husband (since Clinton’s a guy he agreed to go) and I got there over an hour early and I got in line to get a good seat. Since my husband hadn’t seen the new Macy’s yet, he went shopping while I waited. I got a great seat in the second row, on the aisle next to the runway. Perfect! BTW, Clinton and my husband had on similar outfits-colorful button down shirt, dark-wash jeans, cute shoes and a nice jacket. For the record, my husband looks great every time we leave the house, and he makes that decision on his own.

Clinton came out after being introduced and was his usual friendly, attractive self. He had no pretense or snobbiness (huge plus in my book). After a brief chat about his current life and accomplishments, he asked for someone to come up on stage for analysis. A middle age lady in a bright green hoodie with large writing on it came up (I have a picture but won’t include it to spare her the embarrassment). He told her the hoodie was way too young for her, her dark wash jeans were fine but her hiking boots were…for hiking, not for everyday life. Dress your age.

The next lady came up with a wrinkled blue t-shirt and jeans. She gave her reasoning for wearing this “outfit” and Clinton told her it wasn’t an outfit. It was just a t-shirt and jeans. An outfit is a whole look which includes a top, bottom, possibly a jacket or cardigan, jewelry or scarf, shoes and a purse. Yep, that’s the cold hard truth.

Clinton started talking about spring looks and the fashion show began. Bright colors, color blocking and mixed prints are all trendy this spring. Clinton talked about not being afraid of color and mixing it up. As long as the colors go together (they don’t need to match perfectly), you can wear them together. Clinton also said that dresses are on trend this summer so don’t be afraid to find the perfect one for your body type.

As I was listening to Clinton give valuable style advice, it occurred to me that much of the information he was giving is exactly the same things I tell my clients. That made me feel good and I realized that you don’t need to be famous, to be an expert at what you do. You just need to put in many, many hours of hard work perfecting your craft and staying current or even ahead of the trends so you can give your clients the best experience possible.

This funky, rocker chic coat (that can also be used as a dress), by SoHung Designs from NYC, is all ripped up. There are actually little strategic rips all over the coat, which makes it distressed in a good way.  This coat also possesses a high neck which is brilliantly made out of zippers. The picture doesn’t do it justice but you kind of get the idea.

Bieg Boutique, http://www.biegboutique.com/ , sells more of SoHung’s unique, eye catching designs. You can see his designs on his website: http://www.sohungdesigns.com/women.html . Enjoy!

Miuccia Prada has an impeccable eye for color and design, and it really shows with this collection. The shoes and bags are also amazing. You can check out some closeups on my Pinterest boards-Fashion shows, Shoes & Handbags: www.pinterest.com/impeccableimage You can also check out closeups of the embellishments. Unbelievable.

The hair and makeup was interesting to say the least. The hair was dip dyed with 2 different colors and the makeup, specifically eyeshadow, was bright and multi-colored, with 3 or more colors applied to perfection. Once again, you can see a closeup on my Pinterest boards of Make Me up and Hair Styles.

I would wear absolutely every single item in this collection.

This video was sourced from www.rightster.com

There is music with this video.

I do have to say, with Missoni’s collection, I was somewhat disappointed by the quality and price points (yes, I know it was Missoni, but I also was in Target). Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Missoni’s higher priced collections.

Of course the Jason Wu clothing is right up front which makes it easy to find so I walked quickly to make sure no one else got something I wanted. There wasn’t much, only about 1/5 of the collection, which was disappointing because of course I wanted to see it all!

The first rack had 2 dresses which were cute: the jersey striped dress, $34.99 and the dot print shirt dress, $39.99. Both were cute and priced right. Then came a rack with the tee in gray with lace print, $19.99. The shirt is a nice soft rayon and seems to be good quality. This is the piece I purchased. Out of the pieces that were available, this is the one I thought I’d get the most use from.

Another rack had the Navy floral chiffon dress, $39.99 and a Belize blue long sleeve pointelle (small holes) sweater, $39.99. The dress is priced well but the sweater/cardigan is overpriced. It would be better priced at $24.99. I’d be interested to see how many people pay that price and are happy as a result.

The last rack I saw had the pleated black skirt, $29.99 and Navy floral sleeveless top with a sheer panel, $26.99. I think this would be better priced at $22.99.

After the clothes racks, I went to the very bare accessory rack and looked at the few things that were left. The lace clutch, $29.99 and straw clutch, $29.99 were left. They are fun and can be worn with many different outfits, which makes them a good bet for a spring purse.

Overall, I think the quality of Jason Wu’s collection is good and the pieces are cute and have nice details. Some of the prices could be lower but overall, they’re not bad. Get them while you can!

This is the piece I bought. Tee with lace.

Navy floral sleeveless top & black pleated skirt

Belize blue sweater & navy print floral dress

Jersey dress & dot print dress

Lace clutch

Straw clutch

Navy floral dress