Does size matter?

Ewww! Get your mind out of the gutter...I'm talking about clothes here! More importantly, swimsuits. My swimsuits are ALWAYS bigger than my regular clothes. In fact, the one I bought last year, the bottoms were 2 sizes bigger than my clothes, and the top was 3 sizes bigger (which seems bass ackwards, but I was nursing at the time...so I can't fill that top out this year!). Anyway, my point is, always bring a few sizes in the fitting room with you, and do not worry about which one fits you better. Who sees the size on the tag? Nobody but you! And if it what the tag says upsets you, take advice from one of my favorite stylists, Clinton Kelly, and just cut the tag out! This goes for clothes too. What is important is how it fits. If it fits poorly, you are going to be drawing the wrong kind of attention to yourself. Clinton says, "A 4 sounds great and a 2 is like a dream...Each label will fit you differently, and you will drive yourself crazy if you declare you will never wear anything above an 8."

So in answer to the question, "Does size matter?" No and yes. No, it doesn't matter what size you are. Yes, it matters that you get the size that fits you properly.

Presentation vs. Perception-Part I

One big problem that many people have is that they worry about what people think about them and how they look. While we should care about how we look, we shouldn't do it for others sakes, but for our own. We can't control how people perceive us. We can however, control how we present ourselves. So what we should do when we leave the house, is to make sure we present ourselves well. As long as we do this, and feel good about how we look, that's what matters.

I know you all know what I mean. When you leave the house dressed in sweats, a ball cap, no make up, and feeling like crap, you think "Oh, that lady was staring at me. I'll bet she noticed the sweat stains on the armpits of my t-shirt." But, when you go out to dinner with your husband or girlfriends, and you have your nice top, best jeans, and heels on and have spent time putting on your make-up, fixing your hair, etc...you look in the mirror and say, "I look good!" And I don't care who you are, you HAVE said that when you looked in the mirror at one time or another! You carry yourself differently, you feel differently, you don't think about what people think about you (or if you think someone is looking at you, you think, "She is jealous of how fabulous I look!"). No, I'm not saying to get dressed up everywhere you go! But take the time to present yourself well...it will change the way you carry yourself, and feel about yourself.

Perception...out of our control...presentation...IN CONTROL!

Sales, Sales, Sales!

Thanks to my friend Mary for passing along this info to me. I'm not sure if this sale is just our Belk, or everywhere, but it's worth looking into. Also, I was with a client yesterday at Macy's, and they are having an awesome sale going on. On top of the already 25-40% off, they had "friends and family" coupons at the register where you got an extra 20% off. Go get some good deals this weekend!!!

If you loved shopping the Parisian Charity Sale you are going to love the changes Belk has made. Everything in the store wail be on sale except Cosmetics and Brighton. Earn $10 in bonus bucks with every $50 purchase. All the brands you love that are never on sale will be at least 20% off( Lilly, Lacoste, Coach, Juicy Couture, Polo, BCBG). We have hundreds of men's clearance suits by DKNY, Hart Schaffner and Marx, Joseph Abboud and more. Reg $495-$795 will be $99 - 149. Kids Polo, Sweet Potatoes, Lilly, Lacoste, Mulberribush and more will all be 30% off. Home extra 15%. If you can't make it Saturday from 6am to 10am you can pre-sell with any associate today or Friday.

Betsey Johnson

It is with great sadness that I write this post. Why? Because I am a fan of Betsey Johnson clothing...her dresses are fun, flirty and feminine...and best of all, flattering on a variety of body types. Not to mention how cute and inviting her store is. I received an email from one of my clients about a dress she bought from BJ. She had it cleaned and was wearing it to an event. Here's what she said:

"So, I took the dress to wear to the benefit and it was completely ruined. The appliques were all melted and the netting was out of shape. I took it to the cleaners to find out it has been recalled and they are cutting me a check. They said Betsey is famous for using bad materials that do not hold up. They advised me not to buy her anymore or Tommy Hilfiger also... So...I am going to need a new dress...or two... but I get my $300 back...!!! And I had to leave the party after 1hr...because I looked that bad...."

I know, right! I was upset about this. I have several dear friends who LOVE BJ's dresses and have several. I just wanted to give you all the head's up. I know how hard we work to find nice dresses, and then to have them fall apart, and have to start that painful shopping experience over...not fun!

UAL (United Apparel Liquidators)

I don't want you all to think this is turning into a "Ms. Cheap blog"...it's not. But if I come across great deals in the area of fashion, I feel the need to pass them along to you.

Thanks to my friend and client Danielle, I am able to share some very exciting news about a new store in Nashville! It is called UAL (United Apparel Liquidators), and is located at 2819 West End Ave. (just across the street from Panera where Vandyland used to be). I had no idea what to expect when I went in there, but I liked what I saw! Every brand from Betsey Johnson to Dolce & Gabana, from Velvet to Prada. The way they work is, they buy from retailers (mostly boutiques and sometimes the designers themselves) and then they are able to sell the items at 70 to 90% off of the retail price. I'm talking some of the cutest dresses I've ever seen! They have men's, women's and children's clothing, shoes and accessories.

Just some examples of what they have and the prices...$340 Jimmy Choo shoes for $102.99, a lovely $2,195 Prada dress for $713. Now I know some of this doesn't seem too cheap, but considering the brands you are getting, some are willing to pay it! And for the real bargain shoppers, how about $300 Meltin' Pot Italian ladies and men's jeans for $9.99? and a cute $320 Betsey Johnson dress for $49.99? I also spotted some Chloe sunglasses for $70, and some Velvet tanks and tunics(which are so awesomely soft and comfy) for $19.99. There were also Common Threads skirts for $24.99. They also had some great knock-off sunglasses for $7.

UAL is very much a no frills place (concrete floors...kind of a warehouse feel, exposed ceilings). But the staff is super friendly, and super fashionable. I had my baby girl there with me, and one of the associates asked me what size she wore. She went to the kids rack (which was all closeout stuff from Fred Segal) and pulled everything in her size! How refreshing! Most of the kids stuff she brought me had original prices from $100-300 and were marked down to $4-10.

So next time you are in the area, stop by UAL. Hours are 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Mondays–Saturdays and noon–6 p.m. on Sundays. The number is (615) 340-9999. And if you aren't a Nashvegas resident, you can check out their other locations in Hattiesburg, Miss., New Orleans and Covington, KY. They don't have a website, but you can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/ualfashion

Happy Shopping!

Don't let your clothes laugh at you

Another great quote from my Timmy...aka Tim Gunn

"Clothes do not exist to humiliate their owners. … They don’t fit. Toss ‘em."

OK, so keep your wedding dress, and your tiny jeans from college to see if you can fit back in them one day. But keep them out of your "everyday closet." They don't need to be staring at you, taunting you. Just put them in another closet, or better yet, the attic! And no, high waisted, pleated, tapered jeans will not be back in style again, and if they are, don't wear them! They look good on NOBODY! Just have them to prove to yourself you can be back at your fightin' weight. Everything else...toss it!