Last week my friend,Joanne Mullin, re-styled my wardrobe. It was like being on my own "What Not to Wear Show"! But she didn't throw my whole wardrobe away! I've been obsessed...oh for the past 25 years...with putting looks together for my customers and leaving my own personal style behind.

Over the years, I'd sadly whittled my closet down to a few old tops and a couple of pairs of pants that didn't really fit me anymore. I hated getting dressed everyday. I found myself going back to the same looks and not being very happy about it. First, I cleaned out my closet and donated anything I hadn't worn in a long time or that didn't fit. I realized that I wouldn't want to wear my smaller clothing even if/when I lose weight. It was a true reality check! Joanne often helps her clients with this process, but I wanted to do it on my own.

Joanne and I met at my home to talk about the kinds of looks I feel comfortable in and what was missing in my wardrobe. We also looked at my favorite pieces that I tend to wear a lot. What my lifestyle was…..did I work from home or an office? Casual or formal? What I'd like to wear when I go out etc. We also talked about what colors, styles and cuts I looked best in…my body type and overall style. The meeting took about an hour.

Over the next two weeks, Joanne went shopping...and shopping....and shopping some more. Btw...she loves to shop and finds hidden treasures at every price level. She found some amazing name brand garments at retail stores and upscale consignment shops and brought them to me one day in a huge suitcase which was filled with jackets, tops, blouses, pants, skirts and accessories! We hung them up on a rack and had a marathon trying-on session and narrowed the group down to the pieces I liked most and that fit me. I learned a lot about what styles really "worked" on me and what didn't. My dining room looked like my own boutique tailored just to me.

We narrowed it down to the key pieces I wanted and then created outfits blending them with my own clothes and accessories. Every piece was mix and matched by changing accessories and combinations to give me 3-4 looks. Ten new pieces gave me at least 40 new outfits. She took photos of the ensembles in all the different combinations and followed up with a Look-Book for me so I'd remember how to put them together again. We spent about three hours in this session. It was one of the most fun days of my life….even my teenage son liked the new me!

Many of the looks could be layered for temperature changes and flexibility for different situations….a casual lunch with the boss.…dinner with my honey….without having to go home and change. I felt like I had a whole new wardrobe!

I was so excited about my experience, that I decided to share my friend, Joanne, with you! We're planning an "afternoon tea party" on Saturday March 16th in the store to introduce this service, so keep checking back for more details. 

Cheers~ Terry

Here are a few images from the Look-Book Joanne made for me.....