Style Advice :: How to dress professionally in a casual world.

It's tough these days to simply get dressed and walk out the door, the difficulty lies in multiple struggles.  For most of my clients it's not knowing what to wear or how to wear it.  We live if a very grey world sometimes [and I love the color grey].  Jeans can be dressy, blazers can be casual, nikes go with suits, and heals go with denim.  When you think it can't get any more confusing you ask your self, "Can I wear leggings as pants?"  The answer to that one is NO, sorry Lululemon it's time we move on from you.

The term business casual gets thrown around a lot, with very little definition.  So with how casual the dress code for life has gotten these days, just how do we dress professionally with out being overdressed!?!  Well, I'll tell you!  Here are 3 easy rules you can follow that will take any look from simple to styled.

Fashion is a formula.  Following a simple 3 part formula will result in a put together and polished outfit every time!  Make sure you are outfitting your self with pants that have a good fit, flatter your shape, and compliment your outfit.  Shoes are an easy add on, and if you are stuck always go with a tan or nude color shoe.  These two colors go with almost any outfit.

Top + Layer + Accessory = Styled Look

Dress for shape.  If there is too much fabric there will be too much frump!  You have to find balance in shape and minimize in one of three places.  Extra fabric should be minimized either at the top, bottom, or in the middle.  If you can look in the mirror and draw a box or rectangle around your self, there is a problem.

Implement tips and tricks to maximize style and overall look.  You and what you do each day is important, and you have value.  It’s key to present your self to the day and the world around you with that same level of value.

Wear red or leopard as an accessories.
Roll or cuff the sleeves of your jackets, cardigan, and long sleeve tops.
Never go with out an accessory.
Wear open necklines, such as vneck and scoop.
Tailor legged pants are the most flattering.

You might be saying to your self, this seems too easy.  Shouldn't I be learning how a suit should fit, or what the right hem length of pant is, etc etc etc.  Yes, those things are important, and can help you look 'professional'.  But let me tell you, if you are in a frumpy suit, or wearing separates that give you no shape, or have no personality in what you are wearing you don't look professional.  Colleagues, customers, and clients will look to you with respect when you respect your self.  Putting your self together and showing effort in your image is an important piece to the puzzle.  If it's missing, you don't get to see the whole picture.

Take these 3 steps and implement them with every style, you won't miss the mark!  If you don't care about your self, others won't either.

Need more help with your wardrobe and style?  Visit

www.fashionfixmn.com

to see all the services you can take advantage of!

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Rounding Up At Rosedale Center: Part 1

I love shopping!!!  We'll, what I REALLY LOVE... is shopping with my clients.  It makes my heart happy when I can show a woman how many options she has to feel confident and beautiful in endless styles.  You know you've been there, you take one lap through a store and find nothing.  Then you feel like there will never be anything that fits you, your body, or your style.  That myth is dispelled when you shop with Fashion Fix.  You'll learn how to shop the racks, try on great styles, and know what best pieces are worth coming home with you.

Meet my most recent client:
Lauren is 27, in between sizes, and starting a new job.  She will be going from wearing a uniform everyday to dressing 'business casual'.  She wants to make sure she is getting the most versatility from her wardrobe while staying in budget.  Being able to go from work, to dinner, drinks, or any evening event is crucial.  We went to Rosedale Center and got busy.

Loft

Umm... don't worry we went to many more store.  But, we had so much success styling this lovely lady I had to split the pictures into two posts!  Tune in tomorrow to see more of what we found for Lauren!

If you'd like to become a Fashion Fix client, or to learn more about services available, visit

www.fashionfixmn.com

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Fashion Fix Shops: Rosedale Center - Teen Vogue
Fashion Fix Shops: Second Debut
Fashion Fix Shops: Mall of America
Fashion Fix Shops: Goodwill

This past week, Fashion Fix was asked to be a part of a career fair that happened at Rasmussen College.  It's not what you think, I wasn't there recruiting stylist or hiring employees - I wish, the business hasn't grown that big, but we're on the way!  Fashion Fix was asked to be available to to students and answer questions about professional dress.  It was a lot of the usual; "..what do I wear on a first interview?" "...is it possible to be overdressed?" "...do I have to wear black?" etc. etc. etc.

What caught my attention though were all the questions about business casual dress codes!  So many students couldn't wrap their head around when it's okay to wear jeans, what shoes are appropriate and more.  Who can blame them, there many interpretations of appropriateness in the workplace.  And I'll be the first to say, I don't want to police that.  I did my best to give them guidance, but we all love a visual right?

Disclaimers:
-these are real people, in real outfits, from real closets :)
-the 'no' outfits I still like, and think they are cute (I did style them!); they are just not work appropriate
-this is not business professional - this casual friday

 Why?  Sperry's are for the weekend & statement necklaces dress up an outfit.

Why?  Jean jackets are to casual, especially with cotton pants & navy blazers make any outfit work ready.

 Why?  Bare arms can be questionable & again, the navy blazer!

Why?  Leaving blouses un-tucked can look sloppy & wearing a belt makes you polished and professional.

Why?  If you are wearing a drapey top or knit, a cardigan gives you no structure & a statement necklace is more elevated than a voluminous scarf.

Why?  Pull over sweater + jeans and no layer = laid back look & blazers + printed tops = polished.

To be styled with your wardrobe and find your style, visit www.fashionfixmn.com

Style on Sale! Still Under $15!

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There was more than I could fill my cart with when I was browsing the clearance racks at Target this week.  Everything they had left was deeply discounted, most everything was at least 70% of the original retail price.  A big misconception is, that what is left on those scraggly racks isn't worth bringing home your closet.  I believe otherwise!  This is when and where I find some of the best things in my wardrobe, and they often get the most compliments.  I wanted to show you what I found, all under $15, and all things you can wear to work and to play!

The first couple great pieces I found that you can see {here}.

The other ones are here!

Black jackets are great to layer with bold color or printed tops, they help tone down the patterns.

Use tailored jackets to style up casual pieces like tees and boots.

Black and white patterns are great to layer with jewel toned colors.

A structured dress can go casual, minimize your accessories and grab flats!

Style on Sale; $15 & Under

The getting is always good in January.  Stores are liquidating any and all winter/holiday merchandise to make room for travel wear.  And it doesn't hurt to have a half empty store when conducting your annual inventory!  This means a couple of things, clearance sales are at their best right now, and if you haven't already gotten in on it you have limited time.  The best weekends to shop are right after Christmas and the New Year.  Don't panic there is more to come throughout the year.  You can track the best times to shop {here}, a previous post.  

What's making it still great to shop is that whatever is left at this point, is at about 70% or more off of the original retail price.  Here is what I found this week still left at Target, obviously my favorite sale rack to shop.  I {tweet} about non-stop!  Every time I find something you find something, because I'm always sharing my deep discount deals!

If you are worried about wearing silk to work, dress it down with conservative jewelry and classic heels.

Make a silk tee an everyday piece by pairing it with casual shoes in a contrasting fabric, like suede.

Cobalt is a bold color, but compliment it with navy instead of black.

Cobalt is a great color for summer and looks smashing with gold accents!

Blouses... What blouses?!

I am in the business of educating women what to wear, how to wear it, what to buy and where to buy it!  This week my focus of choice is the blouse.  I have worked with couple of fabulous clients in the past month who all have had a common theme of needing to impact their style with belts and blouses.  You can see their photo catalogs {here} & {here} & {here}.  And since I already was on my soap box about the belt {here} I thought I would preach about the need for essential blouses here!  You can link up to Monday's post {here} where I talked about why the blouse is so important and showed you how you can wear it.  After that post went live, immediately following I got the question: What blouses should women have?  In my professional opinion, at minimum all women should have the following 4 blouses...

Why?  Because with these 4 standard blouses you will be able to outfit any cardigan, jacket, blazer, skirt, and pant.  Because with these 4 standard blouses you can be styled for work, play, and fun.  And because with these 4 standard blouses you will always have something to wear!

Real women, living real life in the Twin Cities...  Take inspiration from them!

White Blouse

Striped Blouse

Chambray Blouse