Eye of the
Beholder
Look your best
in the New Year
Written by COLBERT CALLEN
Whether you are a fashion
diva or a candidate for
What Not To Wear, making
an effort to look and feel your
best can reap rewards that extend
long past a first impression and
deeper than the pockets of a pair of
high-waisted trousers.
Determined not to let the winter
doldrums get the best of our
closets, we asked three of
Denver’s top image consultants
for advice on how to make positive
fashion and image
changes to ensure a great start
to 2009.
LEAP OF FAITH
Stepping out into 2009 with
your best foot forward may mean
evaluating 2008. Doing some
research and changing what’s not
working is the first and biggest hurdle,
our experts said. “We tend to stick with the most
comfortable or best times in our life.
It’s what we cling to,” explains
image consultant and life coach
Holley VanBenthuysen of
Pure Panache. “But change
doesn’t mean going from
ugly duckling to swan. It just
means that you are at a time
in your life for change.”
She believes that we see
ourselves only in a specific
style, and removing ourselves
from that box and
being willing to try something new
is the key to looking and feeling our
best. This risk can be as simple as
getting a new haircut or hair color,
which is great for the middle of winter,
when the days — and our looks — are becoming blah, she says.
Image consultant Lori Ryno,
owner of Images Matter, agrees
and says that she finds pieces in
her clients’ closets that date back
more than a decade. “A woman’s
closet is very personal. Women
have stories about every piece
there. So choosing to let go is
refreshing,” she asserts.
Ryno suggests that instead of
planning for the body you want, or
for how you hope you’ll look after
a rigorous three-month training
routine, work with what you have
right now. If you have a shirt in
your closet — with the price tag
still attached — that you hope will
look good “someday,” let it go.
Invest in something that makes
you feel great about yourself
today. It’s the first step toward a
better you for the rest of the year.
Milena Joy, founder of
Distinctive Image Consulting, says
that too often people know what
they like but don’t know how to do it
for themselves: “One client loved a
classic Audrey Hepburn style, but
was dressing in the complete oppo-site.” She believes moving out of your comfort zone
and finding your personal style is the goal of any
transformation, no matter how big or how small.
“Fashion should be used to empower, and you
should use every asset you have,” VanBenthuysen
says. Her biggest piece of advice for someone
embarking on an image change is not to freak
out. Allow time to accept the change before
immediately deciding that it’s not for you.
SHOW ME WHAT YOU’RE
WORKING WITH
Often it’s not your clothing that’s the problem,
it’s finding the creativity to work with
what you have. “You don’t need a new
wardrobe to look and feel better,” says Joy. “Just take the extra time to shop in your own
closet. Take an extra 10 to 15 minutes to pick
out an outfit that makes you feel good, makes
you feel put together.”
She puts her clients up to the task of skipping
the sweats for Saturday errands and instead
looking and feeling more put together with fitted
jeans, a blazer and cute flats. “Feeling good gives
you instant energy, and you will be much more
productive,” Joy says.
When you find yourself staring at the same
clothes day after day, Ryno suggests thinking in
threes to create a more polished look: three pieces,
three colors. “Three pieces are always dressier than
two, and three colors add a pop so an outfit doesn’t
look matchy-matchy,” she explains.
Incorporating trends into your style is a great way to
keep your look updated, but it requires balance. While
the experts agree that classic pieces are more versatile
than trends, and in the long run more cost-effective
because you get more wear out of them, Ryno points out
that when you take all trends out of your wardrobe, it gives
the impression that you stopped caring.
So one of the quickest and freshest ways to update your
look is to use low-cost accessories and to save the bulk of
your budget for classic “workhorse” pieces. For $10, a
patent leather belt from Target can bring life to that boring
black sweater you’ve worn once a week since October,
VanBenthuysen suggests. Or layer pearls that you already
own over a turtleneck with jeans, offers Ryno.
PURCHASING POWER
Why is it that we get excited about our winter
wardrobe in September, when it’s still 80 degrees outside,
and eager for summer clothes in February? Shopping for
clothes that can carry you through any season, especially in
Colorado, can help cure winter closet crankiness. “The goal is to have a wardrobe that you love,” explains
Joy, a goal she believes is best accomplished
by planning shopping trips.
“Never shop on impulse or out of need,”
she advises. Instead, stop thinking about
price and buy only things you love. “Avoid the ‘It’s-cute-and-it’s-only-$10’
purchase,” she says. In the long run it’s
better to have three pieces that you love
and will wear all the time than seven that
you never wear. Just think, those seven
$10 pieces sitting in your closet with the
tags still on them could be $70 pumps
that you wear three times a week.
Ryno agrees with the notion of looking
at the big picture to help determine
a good buy. She says, “When you are in
the store and are debating over something,
try to visualize how many different
ways you can wear it. Then check
the price.” Her advice to bargain shoppers: “It’s in clearance for a reason.”
Versatility is extremely valuable when
investing in your wardrobe. “When you
go into your closet, most people see a
piece with only one outfit, two if they’re
lucky. Look for pieces that allow you to
switch around among five outfits. This
allows you then to dress for your mood,”
VanBenthuysen says. “Clothes can reflect
anything you want in two seconds.”
Joy says a common shopping mistake
is to assume that everything is going to fit
right off the rack. She points out that
almost all celebrities’ outfits are customfitted,
which is why they always look so
great. “Oprah doesn’t just go to the store
and buy something off the rack,” she
explains. “Her clothes are made specifically
for her, which is why she always
looks so fabulous.” She urges everyone
to at least consider alterations, which can
make a huge difference.
