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Cotton candy and Jordan Almonds RULE! At least it seems that way for Spring 2012.
Pastels are THE newest color story of the season. This is a bit surprising because designers are usually allergic to them. Most seasons ‘sophisticated pastels’ is an oxymoron. But when it comes to fashion, no rule is EVER written in ink. There are actually some pastels palettes out there that look pretty grown up this season. Here’s how to wear them and still maintain a level of sophistication.
Go easy: Sample the candy but don’t overdo it. A little bit of sugar goes a long way. Pastels look best when they’re anchored with neutrals like white, black, khaki, chino, sand, etc. It ‘toughens’ them up a little. Generally pastels head to toe is not recommended.
Go dusky: Dusky pastels are ones that have been neutralized by adding some level of grey to the color. Most everyone is familiar with greyish blues. The same greying dye techniques can also be applied to other pastel colors. Eileen Fischer often does this with her washed linens.
Go darker: Technically darker pastels are referred to as mid-tones. But all “mid-tone” means is that the color is darker and more saturated. Mid-tones look best when they’re not too clean and sweet.
Go with what works: If you’re been watching any of the awards shows right now, you’ve seen how breathtaking evening gowns can be in pastels and saturated mid-tones. The caveat here is while a 20 something starlet looks ravishing in a rich lilac gown, a 50 something star may end up look like the mother of the bride (we call them MOB colors in the industry…).
Go Whiter: Pastels can be lightened to look almost white. White paint colors are a great
1. DVF Flyaway Daria Top $265.
2. FKG Aqua Prosperity Bracelet.
3. FKG Yellow Jade Longevity Earrings.
4. Talbots Flyaway Ruched Top $60.
5. FKG Turq & Green Mermaid Necklae $79.
6. Talbots Seasonless Wool Cement Sheath $159.
I can become obsessive with details. This can be a curse as well as a blessing, but I’ve always needed to clear the decks before I get the ship sailing.
Getting lost in details can sink a project. Once the ship sails I cannot afford to fool around re-thinking every earring. When I was inching toward the holidays, still laboring over details prior to getting my new web site launched, I needed to do something FAST. I didn’t want to miss the pre-holiday bonanza I was expecting once I launched my ecommerce site.
My solution was to commit to a launch date, plan an exhibition and invite friends to come. This gave me a firm deadline to get the jewelry line and the new web site ready. I wanted the site to be live on a big screen at the launch AND have the jewels on hand to exhibit.
Two things occurred. I did launch the site prior to the exhibition party and the holidays and not much happened!!! No orders started rolling in! I learned marketing lesson 1.0: if no one knows where you are you can’t expect them to find you!
The second thing was the launch party was a successful social opportunity AND also a super successful selling opportunity that I had NOT really anticipated. I learned marketing lesson 2.0: opportunities can pop up unexpectedly.
Making my web site a success was a longer term project and I needed to commit time to marketing it. In the meantime, I could build a business and generate cash flow immediately by doing trunk shows and private parties.
My 2-Part Marketing Plan
- Generate buzz by seeking out some media attention for my business
- Find willing hostesses
***
Can you help me create some buzz please? Maybe you’d like to host a Bubbles & Baubles Party. I’ll come right to you with my big jewelry box (on wheels!) and my sunny personality. I’ll also help you plan the party and offer you some generous hostess incentives. Email me! (link)
Not up for hosting a party? No problem, just tell your friends about Flashionista Karma Jewels. I’ll still give you a special 20% discount. Use the code Flash20. It’s good through April 15Th, 2012.
The shelf life of a white shirt is different than that of almost any other color. If you’re a stickler for crisp whiteness, you already know that you cannot keep a white shirt looking good long enough to wear it out. Regular replacements are necessary.
For spring 2012, designers delivered some of the cleanest most clever updates ever on the white shirt. Here are some favorites. I also put together my BEST tips for keeping a white shirt looking crisp and white for as long as possible. You can read it HERE.
1. Neiman Marcus, St. John Collection $395.
2. Talbots Tunic $49.
3. Thomas Pink, Beth Shirt $185.
4. FKG Black Lava Wrap Bracelet $48.
5. YSL Poplin Peasant Blouse $895.
6. FKG Gautama Pearl Bracelet $54.
7. Neiman Marcus, Kate Spade $248.
READ MORE:
Keeping it WHITE: My BEST Tips for Taking Care of Your White Shirt
MORE tis for Wearing White: No one needs to see your underwear! Even under white.
I got an email from a longtime friend who’s been following me for several years. She said she was inspired by reading Flashionista to do two things that changed her life. She colored her hair AND she started a group for several women who, like herself, needed to get unstuck. They get together regularly and coach one another.
Seems the new hair color boosted her self-confidence enough to go out and gather together other women she knew could use a boost. This was great news! It’s happening all over that groups of women are finding strength in one another.
Her email inspired me to tell you about a similar group that I affectionately call my posse but is aka my Creative Mastermind Group.
About 5 months ago I sent out an email to women I know who are over 45, have at least 20 years work experience and are now reinventing themselves and/or their careers. I explained that the purpose of the group was to build a “personal board of directors,” that could help us solve problems that we were facing with our individual projects.
The initial meeting drew about 15 women. I asked for a 6 month commitment from each one, and together we laid out a plan for creating forward momentum. By the third meeting the group had dwindled down to the “core six.”
The “core six” all happen to have existing businesses and similar goals that include building and marketing our businesses. At our January meeting, we decided to recommit to another 6 months, pool our resources and hire a PR coach. We worked out 6-month plan with her to coach us on several key areas in which we all felt we needed improvement.
February was the first meeting with our coach. Our homework, which we had to submit at least a week prior to the meeting, was to Describe Your Brand. I’ll keep you posted on what happens next.
READ MORE:
What Makes A Good Girl Better? Reinvention!
Here for the PARTY? Be sure and stay for the reinvention blog!
For blogging purposes I’m getting ahead of myself talking about the launch party for my new venture when I haven’t shared with you how I even got to this point. But we’ll talk about that later.
Launching is the first milestone. It was fun to celebrate with a party because of the work it took to reinvent Flashionista, but when the party’s over, the REAL work begins.
The evening was fun. I got LOTS of great feedback and SOLD lots of jewelry. Great friends came out and LET me accessorize them, and THEN bought piles of jewelry. Hmmm can I turn my LOVE of friends and parties into a business?
Here are some of my favorite shots of the evening.
What I’m Wearing to Get Through The Winter
