Spring has finally arrived and it’s time to switch-out heavier winter fabrics for lighter, airy ones. Some male professionals might find the switch to be a difficult task, but I assure you, it isn’t hard to master. Spring is the perfect time to try new fabrics and styles that specifically cater to your lifestyle, while building on basic wardrobe elements. With the right timeless tips and strategies, you’ll find it a breeze to get dressed for work, improve your personal style, and look great this spring.

5 Tips to Improve Your Personal Style and Business Image for Spring:

1) Before beginning your dress-for-success-transformation, it’s important to know your size. Not just around the hips, but everywhere. A suit that fits poorly expresses to the business world that you don’t take the time to ensure things are done correctly and to the best of your ability. It might sound shallow, but subconsciously if people see you in an outfit that doesn’t fit right, your services might not fit right for them. Even if you own the most expensive suit in town, the wrong fit is the wrong image. Find a reputable sales representative or personal stylist to make sure your suit fits comfortably and perfectly. It’s also important to remember, if you gain or lose weight over the years, you need to get resized. Suit colors should be classic and have the ability to be mixed and matched with a variety of dress shirts, shoes, and ties. Stick with navy, gray, navy pin-striped, and black.

2) The more versatile your dress shirts, the better. White dress shirts can be matched with any tie, allowing you to choose a tie with some color. Light blue, navy, light pink, and blue stripped shirts are also simple and timeless—not trendy, and can be mixed and matched with a variety of clothing articles. The key to building your perfect wardrobe is to use dress shirts that are simple and flexible to other parts of your wardrobe.

3) Now that you have the perfect dress shirts, it’s time to match them with the perfect ties. Navy ties with stripes, a hint of color, or polka dots are excellent to match with classic white and blue dress shirts. Don’t be afraid to try ties with different fabrics and prints. A hint of color always stands out, bringing your wardrobe to life.

4) Another important element of building the perfect image is finding the best shoes, and knowing how to maintain their quality. When it comes to shoes, you’re better off buying quality shoes that will last for years. A timeless leather shoe should look immaculate years down the road, if you maintain it correctly. Shoes should be maintained by polishing them with a polish or conditioner. Wear black shoes with dark colored suits, such as navy, gray, and black, and brown shoes with brown, green, or tan suits.

5) Adding a classic watch to your business outfit is the perfect finishing touch. Depending on your lifestyle and preferences, you may want a watch with the date displayed, more dials, or simply the time. A thinner, light-weight watch with a leather band is a timeless look that goes with any outfit (depending on the color of the leather strap). Having your watch serviced every five years and polished often will preserve its lifespan.

With spring symbolizing a fresh start, isn’t it time you had a wardrobe restyle? Let Charleston Style Concierge be your style consultant, providing you with effortless Charleston style tips that will last a lifetime. Contact us today and learn how you can improve your professional image right now.

The word fit gets thrown around a lot in our lives. Something may not fit your lifestyle. Your last job just wasn’t a good fit. Or maybe last week you were really fit to be tied. With so many things in our lives revolving around what fits, how is it that fit gets thrown out the window when it comes to our style?

 Does it fit? That is the question you heard from your mother right before she came into the dressing room with her fit checklist. There were a series of squats, bends, and seated positions before the pants in question were deemed a good fit. Now, as an adult, you may have your own fit checklist, but does your clothing really fit?

When it comes to great style, fit is key!

When buying a new wardrobe piece, determine its versatility by calculating its cost per wear.  Cost per wear is the original cost of an item divided by the number of times or ways it can be worn. 

Let’s say you find the perfect trench coat for $300.  It is classic in design and neutral in color.  This coat can be worn all year round and will be a wardrobe staple for years to come.  During that year, even if you only wear it twice a month, its cost per wear would be $12.50.

Cost Per Wear:  $300 Trench Coat/ 24 Times Worn = $12.50 Per Wear

Cost per wear is a helpful tool during the allure of a killer sale.  A $60 top on sale that you can only wear twice might not be such a great deal.  That top has a cost per wear of $30 and won’t help you figure out what to wear on a daily basis.

Calculating cost per wear is often thought of as an advertising tool to get people to spend more money that they normally would be comfortable doing.  For me, it just makes good sense.  It forces me to analyze the versatility of each item I buy to determine if it will be a good investment for my personal style, lifestyle, and wardrobe.

Charleston Style Concierge believes in the importance of creating a versatile wardrobe.  Contact Charleston Style Concierge to get great versatile style.

Do you think your image doesn’t matter?  Close your eyes and picture yourself in the produce isle of the grocery store, choosing apples.  Without any real thought you pick up one apple after the other until you find the perfect one.  Some of those apples may be bruised or old, but some of the ones you discarded simply had an image that negatively impacted you.  Lucky for us, we can be aware of our image and make changes that ensure we put our best foot forward each and every day.

No matter your profession, age, or where you are going, image always matters.  Like it or not, in our society we only get seconds to make a first impression.  In that very brief time period people make split decisions and judgments about you that are hard to undo. 

A big part of the image you portray comes from the clothing you wear.  Coco Chanel said, “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress, dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”  Wearing clothing that fits well, is age-appropriate, and shows your unique style will help you portray the image you desire.    

What is your clothing saying about you?  If you’re not sure, Charleston Style Concierge can help.  Sign up for our monthly ezine and shape up your image with FREE style tips and tricks.

1.   There are mirrors everywhere. If you hate what you have on you will be less likely to keep a good spirit and finish your workout.

2.   A lot of stylish active wear has wicking technology to keep you cool and dry.

3.   There are other people there!

4.   Choosing workout clothes that don’t make you feel good about your body will deflate your motivated spirit.

5.   Style always matters because it gives you the confidence to conquer anything, including that really hard workout.

(CNN) – The presidential inauguration party tops the list of formal affairs next January, and President-elect Barack Obama is rumored to be preparing for his big event: He’s believed to have ordered a simple and classic black tuxedo by the union-friendly suburban Illinois-designer Hart Schaffner Marx, a stylist to which the president-elect is said to be faithful, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Read the full article

Every day the media paints a bleak picture of the economy. Not everything is bleak. Now is the time to get out there and shop! Many retailers are offering huge discounts to encourage people to shop with them. These sales are an opportunity for you to save money or treat yourself to something you ordinarily couldn’t justify or afford. Not to mention you are putting money back into the economy.

Spend some time examining your current wardrobe and lifestyle. What do you need? What would help make your current wardrobe more versatile? Make some notes about items that would help you make outfits and solve the problem of never having anything to wear. If you need help determining how to get more use out of what you already own hire a personal stylist. The knowledge you learn is an investment and will save you money in the long run.

When you hit the stores only buy things that fit, work for your lifestyle, and compliment your personal style. Even the best deal isn’t a deal if it won’t help you solve your morning crisis of having nothing to wear.

If you shop with your style goals in mind you will walk away with a great deal and an idea of what to wear to work the next day!

For help discovering how to get the best deals on clothing that makes you feel stylish and confident, contact the Charleston Style Concierge. We can help you feel confident about your style while showing you that great style doesn’t take a lot of time or effort.

People ask me all the time if the economy is hurting my business. The answer is: it’s not, and in fact, it’s just the opposite. We are busier than ever, and are showing our clients that the economy doesn’t have to impact their wadrobes negatively. Instead, we are presented with an opportunity to be more creative with what we already own.

In any economy the best place to start developing your style is in your own closet. Before heading out to buy something new, shop your closet first. Even if your closet is perfectly organized, shopping in your own closet will remind you of items you may have forgotten or haven’t worn in a while. If you are open minded and creative while looking through your wardrobe, you will discover new ways to wear old favorites.

Shopping your closet will help you create a mental inventory of what you own, and what you actually wear. Keep a notebook near your closet and make notes of the items your wardrobe is missing. Once you know what you need you can take advantage of the deep discounts retailers are offering right now.

For help determining how you can use what you already own in new and fresh ways check out our Virtual Style Consultation and Coaching Services. Charleston Style Concierge can help you develop the personal style you desire and teach you how to take advantage of the great discounts offered by retailers to gain a more versatile wardrobe.

There are rules to follow to make sure your new cashmere sweater is an investment that will last you for years to come.

Rule #1: Look for the best fibers.

The best fibers are those that come from the Kashmiri goat (from the chin and belly) and are harvested only once a year. These fibers are the reason cashmere comes with an expensive price tag but with proper care your cashmere garment can last a lifetime. When you decide to invest in cashmere take the time to feel many different kinds and price points. All cashmere will feel soft to the touch but you will know when you touch “good” cashmere. Lower quality cashmere will sometimes feel scratchy.

Rule #2: Good cashmere will have loft.

A great cashmere sweater will have loft. Loft if the spring of the fabric. Gently pull the sides of the sweater away from each other. When you let go, a high quality garment will spring back to its original shape. A loosely knit one will not and will probably stretch out after wearing a few times.

Rule #3: Look for Bright Colors.

Vibrant colors are an indication of top quality cashmere because of the wool and dying process. It is more difficult to dye cashmere in vibrant colors so often times a lower grade is used. If you are buying darker colored cashmere check to see it is the same softness as some of the other lighter colors.

Rule #4: Check the labels.

Check the labels. Only sweaters of pure cashmere can be labeled as such. The way the garment label is sewn on will also indicate the quality of the cashmere. The best cashmere is hand knitted and is usually made in Scotland or Italy.

Rule #5: Consider the price tag.

Cashmere has become much more affordable, but be weary of great deals on cashmere. If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Rule #6: Make it a wardrobe staple.

The right cashmere sweater can become a staple in your wardrobe. Cashmere can work for all seasons depending on its ply and gauge. Invest in a garment that stays true to your personal style, is figure flattering, and can integrate into your wardrobe in a versatile and stylish way.

Need help with your personal style? Not sure what to wear to flatter your figure? Let Charleston Style Concierge help you with all of your style needs with our Virtual Style Consultation.

The first step in creating a versatile wardrobe is to decide what style you desire. To put it another way, you need to figure out what you should be wearing to create the look you desire.

As you think about the style you desire, don’t worry whether or not you can pull off a particular style or outfit. Once you figure out what you like, you can find ways to wear the style of clothes so that they are appropriate for your body shape and lifestyle.

It’s impossible to create a versatile wardrobe when you have no direction or goal in mind. What you get is a closet full of clothes that you don’t want to wear and that won’t make different outfits. And clothes that still have tags on them.

We can all use a reality style check. It is very easy to end up with a style that makes you no longer feel good about yourself. The young professional whose wardrobe reflects who she was at twenty-two, not who she is at twenty-nine. The man who has lost a significant amount of weight, yet still buys baggy, unflattering clothes. Or the mother who has focused so much energy on her family that she’s forgotten herself, only to wake up one day and wonder why she is so unhappy with herself.

Whatever your situation, creating style goals is easy. Simply decide how you want to look and what you need to wear in order to create the style you desire.

Tips on how to discover your style goals:

·        Observe what people are wearing when you think to yourself, “Wow! They look great!” Do you notice a pattern in what you like? If so, you’re onto something.

·        Notice if you gravitate toward a particular style or look. Are you constantly drawn to classic sophisticate, bohemian chic, or preppy? Make note of this. 

·        Ask yourself if you want to look younger, more modern, more professional, more put together. Then ask yourself why.

·        Pretend you live in a perfect world with none of your lifestyle and body constraints. Now, how would you like to dress? 

·        Cut out images in fashion magazines to narrow down what you really like. Don’t focus on what you think you can wear. Focus on the style you like. 

Take some time to answer the above questions. Write down you answers and refer back to them as you develop a versatile wardrobe that fits your personal style.

This is an excerpt from our Style Guide: 5 Steps to a Stress-Free and Versatile Wardrobe.  To view the entire style guide for FREE logon to our website and sign up for our mailing list.  Once you have signed up for our mailing list the link will be emailed to you.  

For more  help creating style goals contact the Charleston Style Concierge.  We can help you develop a unique personal style that fits your budget and lifestyle.