1. Do wear a shade of white or a pastel that flatters your skin tone. Ask the store for a small sample of the fabric to check it under your chin, in natural lighting, without makeup on. This will help you determine if it’s the right shade for your coloring. If you have warm coloring, opt for vanilla white, peachy white, or cream. If you have cool coloring, opt for icy white, silver white, or pink white.
2. Do wear pearls that also flatter your coloring. The same color rules apply. If you wear diamond jewelry, wear yellow gold for warm coloring and white gold for cool coloring.
3. Do have the correct undergarments to help your dress fit perfectly. Make certain that no bra straps, slips, or panty lines show when you move or dance. Have lingerie straps sewn into your gown to hold straps in place. Use double sided tape to hold strapless gowns against your skin. Check yourself from all angles.
4. Do choose a gown that highlights your best features and does not draw attention to your figure challenges. Choose no more than 2 areas to highlight such as neck and chest, decollete and arms, or back and waist.
5. Do scale the grandeur of your dress to the grandeur of your wedding. It’s not chic to wear a very formal bridal gown to a casual backyard wedding. The bride’s gown or dress needs to be on par with the wedding venue.
6. Don’t wear anything too trendy: not your dress, your hair, nails or makeup. You want to love the way you look in your photos for the rest of your life. So aim for more classic chic. When in doubt, pick soft and feminine over edgy, trendy, and in your face.
7. Don’t wear unstylish flat shoes unless you have a medical foot problem. You may not think your shoes show, but they do: when you walk, dance and sit. Take the time to find the right elegant heels that are comfortable and don’t break them in on your wedding night. Wear them at home for weeks before your wedding. Do not wear shoes that hurt your feet and never ever go barefoot during your wedding!
8. Don’t walk like a man or a horse. Learn how to walk like a woman, with beautiful posture and a slight sway to your hips. Even the most beautiful bride won’t look her best if she clomps around in her wedding ensemble.
9. Don’t have bad table manners. All eyes will be on you!  And yes, people will notice.
10. Don’t wear pantyhose with open toed shoes. It’s the ultimate mistake. Instead wear toe-less nude stockings if you like the way your legs look in hose.

President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney have more than their party affiliation and political issues that set them apart. Their visual appearance, mode of dress, and body language reinforces their differences…loud and clear.

This is not a political endorsement of either candidate. This is solely a commentary from my Image Consulting viewpoint of how our presidential candidates of 2012 are dressing themselves to enhance their political image and how that may impact their campaigns.

For most Americans, appearance is often times more an afterthought than a planned strategy. I would venture to say that on the campaign trail, no nuance of a candidate’s image is left to chance!

Let’s think about each candidates’ visual appearance and see how it reinforces their message.

President Obama dresses in a trim and efficient manner that positions him as a “populist” president. He dresses in modern simple suits, basic white shirts and solid or striped ties that deflect from what some people perceive as his elitist tendency. Although he is a millionaire, he tries not to look like one. His appearance is one of a fairly successful middle class intellectual. His suits are nice, but nothing special. President Obama opts for soft shoulder lines, medium lapels, and non-descript fabrics that make him look like a team player. Obama’s suits are what most businessmen in middle management would wear. His silk ties are simple. His dress shirts have a conservative collar shape that makes no particular fashion statement. His casual dress on the campaign trail goes down a big notch as he visits factories and tries to look like the voters he is hoping to entice. When he was elected, Time Magazine ran a picture of Obama at his desk, with large holes in his soles, while he was making over a million dollars on his book sales alone. Interesting mixed message, wasn’t it? Overall, President Obama’s image used to look fresh like “hope and change”. To me, now it looks like more of the same, uninspiring. Dare I say that he has a hint of socialistic style? Almost like a uniform that always looks the same.

Governor Romney on the other hand, dresses like a wealthy, conservative, and successful executive. While not quite as elegant in dress or demeanor as President Reagan or as dapper as Rep. John Boehner, he exhibits a handsome elegance that hasn’t been seen on the campaign trail for quite a while. One knows at a glance that Romney is a very wealthy businessman. He chooses what appears to be custom made suits, exquisitely tailored, in unique shades of blues and grays. His shirts are elegant and his ties exude class. Romney’s suits have a strong Italian looking shoulder line, which accentuates his physique and gives him an aura of power. In a time, when people are hungry for jobs, power and success is something to admire and emulate. Romney’s appearance appeals to business people and people with money. When you have money, you don’t like to lose it. Romney looks like he has mastered the corporate world and his image enhances his message of wealth and power. Oh, did I remember to mention his graying at the temples that looks so elegant? If Romney tints his hair, leaving a touch of grey is brilliant.
Romney’s dress smacks of money and lots of it. Isn’t that why so many Americans bust their ass and have no life because they are chasing the “American Dream” (of all work, little vacation, and no play)? So what’s wrong with someone looking like that?

Sadly, both candidates dress way down when they are visiting blue- collar areas. This makes me cringe when either candidate dresses down, as it seems so obviously planned and forced. A president or a presidential contender should look presidential 24/7. No ifs, ands, or buts! And if they are going to wear denims they need them to fit properly, be stylish and in a dark color. Dockers and flannel plaid shirts are the worst offenders! Seriously, I think President Obama and Governor Romney look awful campaigning in casual clothing, especially because neither one wears casual clothing in the right way. Didn’t either of them hear about “casual elegant”? It would behoove them to find out. Yes, it’s smart for them both to dress more approachably at times, but not in a way that takes away all of their panache and power! Personally, I believe our country has had more than enough casual dress abuses to last a millennium. What we need is our leader to inspire us to take our appearance up a big notch!

So what grade would I give both candidates for dressing well? I would give them both an A in the business dress/suit category for having an image that mirrors their message. In the casual dress arena, President Obama would get a C minus and Governor Romney would get a B minus.

For both candidates, their appearance is consistent with the voters they are looking to attract. Capitalism or socialism: Isn’t that the real question? Michele Obama’s message is entirely different. She loves fashion like the best of us capitalist babes!!

Beyonce was just honored as People Magazine’s Most Beautiful Woman. Well deserved, in my opinion. As an image consultant, I have seen women bemoan their curves and feminine figures for years, which has always saddened me. Beyonce, although far from being full–figured, is a very curvaceous woman who has never hid that fact.

Beyonce is not only a role model of beauty, elegance, and style. She is a healing force for all women who are not stick skinny, proving what I believe that, “beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, ethnicities and ages.”

When Beyonce began her stellar career, her mother designed and dressed her for stardom. Her mom’s fashion savvy and uncanny knack for dressing Beyonce’s curves in the most incredible way has made Beyonce the envy of all.

What woman wouldn’t want to have a personal image stylist? Usually only celebrities and socialites have the money to employ their own image consultant or stylist. That’s one of the reasons I wrote my book, Dress Code: Ending Fashion Anarchy. I wanted to give every person, male or female, the knowledge to dress him or herself well. What Beyonce’s mom intuits, average people need to learn. Sadly, there are very few places in this country where people can learn about what colors they look best in, what clothing shapes flatter their bodies, what fabrics are their best choices, and even what shape accessories, shoes and eyewear to wear. I want that information easy and accessible to all Americans, as it should be.

Motherhood has made Beyonce even lovelier. Again, she is showing us neither full curves or the challenges of post pregnancy can deter a woman from looking great if she chooses to. No matter what stage or station in life, beauty is always a choice. Beyonce has made that statement loud and clear. Bravo!

The death of Trayvon Martin is tragic. Although we may never know the exact events of that night, we can’t lose sight of the fact that a young man lost his life. Seems like everyone is focusing on hoodies and our right as Americans to wear them. Instead of focusing on hoodies, we need to ask ourselves why people wearing them scare us, but our slovenly image as a nation, doesn’t seem to bother us at all.

Yes, it’s true that we do judge a book by its cover. Yes, we do size people up by the way they look. When we look at what’s accessible to us, we have the honor of being the worst dressed nation in the modern world today. So why the heck aren’t we focusing on that? We look pretty ugly and our behavior isn’t beautiful either. Only a small percentage of Americans present themselves with pride and honor anymore and it didn’t used to be that way.

If more Americans dressed respectably then perhaps our national paranoia of ethnic profiling would diminish. And if more Americans remembered that in a civilized society we need manners and good grooming, we could all relax more.

We have, as in Florida, put vigilantes in neighborhoods to police our streets. Perhaps we wouldn’t need them if we learned to police our own personal standards.

Me? I hold myself accountable to a higher standard: one that comes from a higher source. I take pride in who I am. I respect my body and care for it well. I bring beauty into every place I can and I honor others with respect and kindness. Integrity and honor guide my dealings in business and in life.

Maybe in light of Trayvon’s death, we can all join together to end stupidity and step it up for our country. People who care about themselves are able to care more for others. Ugliness radiates from the inside out. The only hoodie we should care about is the one we need to put over our eyes as we hide in shame.

Day 2 of recording audio for my book Dress Code: Fashion Anarchy! It's harder than I thought it would be, but I can't wait for all of you to see and "hear" my book!

I was getting my eyelash extensions worked on yesterday. The eyelash tech, Kris and I always have lively conversations. After all, she has me captive for an hour with my eyes taped shut, so what are my options? Napping or talking. I chose talking.

Somehow yesterday we got on the topic of perfumes and the power of scent. I reminisced about an ex-boyfriend before who wore the most incredible cologne. It was such a turn-on that the smell alone drove me crazy. I couldn’t believe the power it held over me.

After I met my husband, Robert, I had him try on a tester of that same cologne, because I loved it so much. So one day while we were out shopping, I sprayed a tester all over him. What a mistake!  It was my husband’s body with my ex-boyfriend’s scent. The strangeness was maddening! Obviously, that was not a good idea!  That’s when I realized how powerful smells are, especially ones that we attach to sexual memories. Every guy has to have his own scent otherwise you could end up dating a guy who smells like your ex. The only thing that could be worse is a guy wearing your father’s cologne. My daughter’s husband wore my dad’s cologne when she first started dating him. That cologne went in the recycle bin fast.

Kris and I were rolling in laughter so hard that I thought my eyelashes wouldn’t stick, when Kris said, “OMG!! You too? I love when a man wears a fabulous cologne. It’s such a turn-on. I tell my husband that all the time. Why don’t men get how important it is to us?”

“Oh, Kris, I swear, the right scent is a major aphrodisiac!”

“It’s more than that. The right cologne on a guy is a real “panty dropper”!!!

“Panty dropper?? That is hilarious! You are so right! It does make us drop our panties.”

And that is the best damned explanation of why guys should smell great, short and simple.

“Amen”

1. Pastel candy “sweets” colors:  Soft mint, baby blue, soft coral, blush pink, and pale yellow add a fresh and luscious element to your existing wardrobe! Think colors good enough to eat!!
2. Eyelet, lace, and chiffon:   Fairy fabrics and ethereal style dresses, skirts, and blouses make a huge comeback this summer with puff sleeves and full skirts. Think heavenly and divine without the angel wings!
3. Peplum tops:  Structured fitted blouses and dresses that flair out at the hip celebrate your female curves! Think Dynasty and Glam Diva! Pair with doorknocker earrings and strike a pose!
4. Statement blouses:  Soft feminine blouses with delicate details and sheer fabrics to tuck into pants and skirts. Think 70’s glam!
5. Pajama style pants:  Striped soft pajama-style pants in silk fabrics worn with blazers and tuxedo style jackets, add a fluid element to menswear. Think tuxedo meets the boudoir!
6. One-piece retro 50’s-60’s style swimsuits:  One-piece or two-piece, long at the leg and structured with under wires, bones, thicker fabric are the new sexy this summer. Think Sofia Loren and Marilyn Monroe!
7. Print socks with pumps:  Print thin socks or cut-off cream colored sheer stockings pushed down above the ankle, worn with wedges, pumps or mary janes. Think 80’s revival with a modern feel!
8. Mules:  No-back shoes (slides with heels) super feminine are making a comeback. Think effortless feminine chic!
9. Strappy high heels with ankle straps or ankle ties:  Think Gucci in the 70’s and 90’s, no platform, femme fatale silhouette. Think femme fatale feet!!
10. Pearlized metallics:  Leather clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories put a soft ladylike finish on your summer glow. Think polished muted sheen!

*Retro swimsuit: one or two piece
*Hair in a hairband or a side braid: worn tousled in a messy updo or down and wavy
*Colorful hat with a large brim
*Mules or ballet flats or sandals in a soft metallic or color
*Flared shorts with a high waist or higher waisted wider leg pants or a long dress over swimsuit
*Print summer dress
*Print skirt and tank top
*Thin cotton ethereal top over a print cotton or voile skirt long tribal necklaces
*Tribal long dress, asymmetrical long dress, striped dress, long pleated dress, all in a washable fabric, large tote bag, hat and sunglasses, large earrings or necklace, beaded sandals
*Gym active sportif touches: light colored track jacket over a tank or t-shirt and slim colored cotton jeans or capris. Sport inspired sneakers or high tops.

*Crystal pleated soft thin fabric long dresses, wide leg pants or long top is on-point this season

Print retro dress, print pump or solid pump in a color, with a skinny belt, thin hairband with hair in an updo in a print or color.

Peplum dress with fitted slim bottom or a peplum top with a slim skirt. High platform shoe, strappy heel, or classic high-heeled pump, worn with a skinny belt, and a clutch bag or small structured handbag. Best in a solid color with pops of color accessories or in a print. Can do print mixing by wearing a coordinating fabric print shoe.

Fairy look: lace or eyelet dress with puff bottom or puff sleeves, all tones of soft pastels, high platform heels, strappy sandal in same tone or pearlized metallic leather or fabric. Avoid white.

Garden print dress or skirt with a matching short jacket or beaded bright cardigan, textured sleeveless blouse, statement necklace, print on print.

Long strapless dress in a chiffon, solid or print. Thin pleats are gorgeous in this type of dress. May have an asymmetrical hemline. Wear with long earrings and stacked bangle bracelets or long necklaces and no earrings. Looks best with a strappy feminine high-heeled sandal or feminine peep toe platform shoe. Bright clutch bag.

In Your 40’s:

Audrey Hepburn style fitted low cut dress that is full on the bottom in a strong color, soft pastel or print, worn with high strappy sandals or high heeled pumps or platforms and big statement necklace, a few colored rings. Try a mule (open back slide into pump) for a very fresh look. A wide brimmed hat or long gloves in an accent color look spectacular with this kind of dress.

Same idea as above, but a la Sophia Loren: a satin or polished cotton fitted dress worn around knee length, with a deep v neckline, thin 1-2 inch straps. Very early 60’s. Most striking in a solid color. Add a pop of color in your lipstick, clutch or shoes.

Dress or skirt set in soft shiny fabric with heavy jeweled trim or jewels sewn all over in soft colors. Think fresh and romantic.

Peplum dress in a solid color worn with tribal accents in the shoes and a necklace, skinny matching belt, patterned shoes or patent leather strappy sandals with heels.

Pleated skirt or dress: below the knee, worn with strappy heels or a dressy wedge, long necklace and lace accents in shoes and handbag, hairband. Usually worn without a belt, but a skinny belt can work well if the woman has a defined waistline and the hem is straight.

In Your 50’s:

Print dress with short sleeves or sleeveless dress with a light shawl, strappy heels, slight platform pumps or a dressy wedge.

Solid dress with lace sleeves, fitted waistline or column style. Silhouette has curves in either a full fifties bottom or a double layer slimmer bottom with hem interest. Looks best with a simple pump, dressy mule, or elegant platforms, or strappy heel. Handbag should be small. Wear long earrings or a short statement necklace to add panache.

Pearlized metallic fabric dress, round neck, sleeveless with sexy high heels or platform pumps, loads of pearl necklaces, updo or hair with volume.

Peplum top with a slim skirt or dress slacks, strappy shoes, lots of bracelets, doorknocker earrings. Black and white or color with color. Can opt for nude tonal look as well.

Adding the right trendy pieces to your wardrobe keep it current. These are the essential pieces to buy this spring at any price point! All you need is a touch of these new exciting trends to look “in the know”:

1. Color!  Add a Pop of Color to your look: in a red or coral lipstick, colorful eyemakeup, bright shoes, bright pants, bright anything! Think in Technicolor.

2. Retro Feminine Dress worn with a skinny belt:  Fitted waistline dresses that are full on the bottom worn below the knee to mid-calf. Think demure 50’s style, Mad Men dresses that show your feminine shape.

3. Prints!  Print dresses, pants, handbags, shoes. Print mixing (prints with prints).
Think garden blooms and power prints.

4. A Structured Handbag:  In solid colors, multi blocks of color or in a print. Ladylike with clean lines. Think Grace Kelly.

4. Pleats:   Small thin pleated fabric skirts or dresses, worn below the knee or longer.
Avoid wide pleats and opt for this fresh new look. Think skinny accordion pleats.

5. Pointy Toe Pumps:  Simple sexy pumps are the best overall long-term investment on the shoe horizon. Think classy 60’s high heel.

6. Sportif:  Gym and sport inspired accents in shoes, track jackets, tops and pants. Think 80’s.

7. Tribal Influence:  Woven fabrics, serape stripes, snakeskin, and ethnic trim. Add a touch of this to your basics and get instant chic. Think global safari.

8. High Waisted Pants:  Waistlines are going higher and pleats are coming back. So are wider pant legs. Start incorporating this new trend now. Think of Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally.