Hermes Spring 2010 Ad Campaign

The temps have really been heating up in Toronto this week. Those of us who have lingered in pulling out our summer wardrobe are now rushing to hide away wool sweaters and hang up breeezy tops, light dresses, and cotton tanks and shorts.  A recent trip to India and this gorgeous ad campaign by Hermes has inspired me to dive into colour this summer.  Here are some tips on how to take the plunge:

1.  Know what colours look good on you. These will be the colours you will then naturally gravitate towards whether for your wardrobe or home.

2.  Add colour to your living space with bright pillows, linens, curtains, fresh flowers, or artwork.

3.  Paint an accent wall in your favourite colour.

4.  Wear only as much colour as you feel comfortable with. You could wear colour from head to toe or just let your neutral outfit pop with colourful beads, a handbag, or a bright shoe.

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Charlotte Ronson Inspiration Board

Style or inspiration boards are used as a tool by designers as they plan a new collection for a line.  They include inspirational images, fabric swatches and photographs of inspiring people.  All of these images together create a mood, or a feeling that the designer then uses as a guide while working on a future collection.

Why not create style boards for your own life? Cultivating and creating your own sense of style takes a little bit of work. Why does knowing and defining your style aesthetic matter?  It matters because developing your own sense of style results in being surrounded by things that are beautiful to you and pleasing to your eye.  This in turn makes life itself more full and beautiful.  If you discover you love colour but always wear black, you will never feel comfortable or happy in your clothes.  If your home is filled with contemporary objects but you really crave the story behind antiques, you won't feel at home when you walk through the front door.

Great style may seem effortless but it is not! Style mavens are usually obsessed with style and  therefore study and absorb it and surround themselves with it every day.  If style and design are not your passion but you find yourself craving a home that suits you better or a wardrobe that is a better representation of you, then a styleboard is a great place to start. (Note: You could also start a file or binder, but a board is the best option as you can see how all your favourite images relate to each other)

Here are some tips for creating a style board:

1.  Flip through magazines and tear out any pages or images that appeal to you for any reason.  Don't question why, just know that you like it and rip'er out.  If it is just a door knob or a pair of shoes that appeal to you, cut that specific image out.

2. Review all the tearsheets in front of you for common elements.  You may find that you're attracted to clean lines and lots of white.  Or in fashion, you prefer structured dresses and blazers.  You are learning something already!

3.  Pin these images up on two separate boards.  Add new images to the boards as you go along.

5.  When it comes time to shop for yourself or your home, refer back to your board.  When I look at my style board I know that I like ethnic inspired prints, utility and safari shapes, jewel toned colours and preppy stripes and blazers.  I know never to buy graphic black and white prints or overly structured or conservative dresses.  These elements combine to form my style (for now).   When shopping for your home, your style board will remind you not to make purchases just because of great deal, but because you truly love something.

My current style board

Before you decide you don't have a sense of style, spend a little time exploring what you like through a style board.  You're more stylish than you think!

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Hmmm....the red stilettos, black pumps or ballerina flats?

Two of my favourite bloggers/writers, Seth Godin and Leo Balbuta recently wrote about the consequences of having too many choices.  We are in an age where we are priviledged to have endless options.  We can do anything, be anyone, and go anywhere we want.  Yet research shows that having too many options actually decreases our level of happiness because 1) we have a more difficult time making decisions and 2) when we do make a decision we end up second guessing every choice we make. Should I take this job or that one?  The advice column says this industry is the hot place to be, but my Dad think option B is better for my future.  After you make your choice a second set of questions begin: Did I choose the right job, the right mate, the right outfit?  Should I have gone with the condo over the townhouse?

Too many choices.

There are a few dangers of choice overload:

1) You make a decision using the wrong set of criteria:  what your family or friends think, what the media is talking about, what is on trend.

2) You spend so much time reviewing your options you don't properly research them before deciding.

3) You avoid making a decision altogether.  (A sure fire way to remain stagnant and stunt forward movement and growth in your life).

So how do we balance the many opportunities that lie before us with strategic decision-making?  Here are a few tips:

1)  Determine your own set of criteria. Before you spend time researching all your options in depth, take time to determine what is important to you in making a decision.  If you are looking for a new career, first consider what is most important to you whether it be salary, a flexible schedule or proximity from home.  Then use your criteria to direct your research.

2) Don't let fear become the deciding factor. It is easy to rule out options because of fear.  Yet, often if you fear something it is because it secretly excites you.  Try to understand what you are afraid of before you rule something out.  It could actually be a signal that you are headed in the right direction.

3) Trust your intuition. Sometimes you just know what is the right decision without having concrete reasons why.  Trust your instincts - it is your subconcious guiding you in the right direction!  Instincts pull as much weight (or more) as rational decision criteria on paper.

4) Finally, Choose. Any decisions you make will lead to experiences you will learn from.  But if you don't choose, everything stays the same or changes around you and leaves you behind.  Choose and then commit to your decision wholeheartedly, so if it doesn't work out, you will never feel it wasn't for lack of effort.

How do you overcome choice overload?

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Technorati Tags: choice overload, decisions, leo balbuta, seth godin, Your Life

Jenna Lyons, Creative Director of J.Crew suggests wearing feminine pieces like this sequined dress with tomboy accents like a utility jacket! Image courtesy of Oprah.com

Spring has sprung and with it so has the urge to ditch heavy layers for lighter pieces.  How to dress for brisk mornings, warm afternoons and cool nights?  Start with a utility jacket, my favourite piece for spring.  Easy, functional and so versatile.   Here are some ways to wear one:

1.  Pair with something supremely feminine like the sequin dress above or a floral skirt.

2.  Add a colourful cotton scarf to uplift the neutral colours of the jacket

January Jones

3.  Avoid literal interpretations of the safari or military style - stay away from cargo pants and too much animal print.

4.  Resist the urge to stuff your pockets.  A cell phone and lip balm are ok, but not the entire contents of your purse.

5. Roll up the sleeves and wear it open like a shirt

6. Create more shape and structure by adding a belt.

How do you wear your utility jacket?

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Technorati Tags: Fashion and Style, J Crew, Jenna Lyons, Military Jacket, Safari Jacket, scarf, Utility Jacket

When I was a kid, I wrote in a journal pretty regularly.  I still have one from when I was five or six and entries are literally: "I had a fight with Jenna and Jennifer on the bus today because they wouldn't share their My Little Pony's".  The last time I read my journals from my early teenage years I threw them out.  Who wants to be reminded of that?  Since then, I have picked up the pen and then dropped it again depending on what I was experiencing at the time.  Somehow, though, I always pick it up again.

For me, writing in a journal is a way to clarify thoughts, express emotion and ask questions.  After all, you are essentially having a conversation with your true best friend - you!  It is not something I force myself to do, but it has never been a chore.  Robin Sharma, the personal development coach and leadership expert advocates writing in a journal regularly in order to have one-on-one conversations with yourself.  He believes the process allows you to reflect on the state of your life and the progress of your dreams.

When I sit down with my journal (ie my Macbook), I don't think about what to write, it just comes.  If you are a newbie with journal writing, here are some tips to get you started:

• Write about what you hope to happen in your day or week. The idea is not to write a to-do list, but rather to plan out how you want to live your week and the expectations you have of it.
• Note down things you are grateful for. Many people advocate keeping a gratitude journal, but personally I find that tedious.  I prefer to incorporate gratitude into my regular journal-writing.
• Write truthfully. Your journal is just for you so let it all out.
• Don't worry about spelling or grammar.
• Don't feel like you have to keep your journals. For some, writing in a journal is about recording your life.  For me, it is like a workbook for life.  There are some journals that I keep for entertainment purposes (hilarious!) and others I toss out (after carefully shredding) because I don't need or want to hold on to painful or uncomfortable memories (we all have them!).
• Protect your journal's privacy. Hide it, lock it up or password protect it.  And if you ever catch someone reading your diary, never speak to them again

What you write in, whether it is an old exercise book, a pretty journal or your laptop, depends on your preference.  I tend to fluctuate between my Macbook, a moleskine, or a pretty notebook I pick up somewhere.  If you need the encouragement of a pretty notebook to get you started, here are some of my top picks from Etsy:

Coiled:  Mid Century Notebook by PS Paper Goods

Bound: Radio Sweethearts Mini Journal by A Punkin Card Company

Recycled:  Bursting with Brilliance Notebook by Katie Blair Designs

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Technorati Tags: A Punkin Card Company, Diary, Journal, Katie Blair Designs, Notebook, PS Paper Goods, Robin Sharma

Joan & David Boot

This is a guest post, by Lisa McLatchie of the Practical Fashionista.  Lisa is a personal stylist whose focus is on helping you to develop your individual style in a functional, realistic and cost effective way.

It’s almost like its part of our DNA. When it comes to footwear, as women, we are obsessed!  From stilettos to sandals, we just can’t seem to get enough. But as a Personal Stylist who has worked with women from all walks of life, I can’t help but notice that even the savviest of shoe stylistas can make mistakes when it comes to boots. Whether it’s wearing the wrong ones for your body, or the right ones with the wrong outfit, it happens. So to prevent any future foot faux pas, the Practical Fashionista’s Boot Basics…

• A pair of tall boots with the highest heel you can handle will be the most versatile and flattering; wear them to work with skirts, dresses, and trousers, or on the weekend with your favourite pair of jeans.
• When it comes to ankle boots, they are best worn under a pair of pants.  If you want to wear them with a skirt, choose a pair that dips lower in the front underneath the ankle bone.  If they cut straight across the ankle, they will make your legs look shorter.
• Tall, flat boots look best with either a mini or maxi skirt. A skirt length in between these two extremes can look matronly.
• If you have thicker calves, avoid the mid-calf boot. Hitting your leg at the widest part will only emphasize the size.
• A boot that stops just above the widest part of your calf is the most flattering for everyone. It should be snug, but not too tight or too loose.

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Birthday Card from Paper E. Clips

It was my birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday to ME!) and a friend suggested I write a post about celebrating in style.  Good idea!  I love my birthday.  Its not that I expect everyone else to love it too, but ever since I was a child, I have woken up on my birthday feeling good and that feeling has never gone away.  It is the one day a year to celebrate YOU.  Why should you downplay that?  You are SO worth it!  Here are my tips for making the most of your birthday. (you will notice my suggestions are really quite simple, but feel free to go all out!)

1.  Eat what you want.  Don't hold back.  Pain au chocolat, french bread, manchego cheese and crabcakes.  Whatever your heart desires!

2.  Spend time with people you love. It doesn't need to be a party or a big to-do.  Don't wait for others to plan it either - book time with those you want to see.

3.  Wear something nice. Wear a dress if you feel like it or way too much jewelry.  Go for the non-sensible shoes.

4.  Buy a birthday dress. Remember when you were young and your mom would buy you a new dress to wear to your birthday party?   What a wonderful memory.  Why not treat yourself to a dress every birthday?

5. Take time to think about what you are grateful for. Consider it a birthday indulgence.  Sit for a few minutes and reflect on all the wonderful things you are thankful for at this point in your life.

6. Tell people it is your birthday. I never understood why people hide their birthdays.  Why not tell everyone!  Let them wish you happy birthday.  You deserve to hear it!

7.  Make plans for your new year. Why share new years day with everyone else?  This new years day is just for you!  Make plans for what you would like to do or be in this year of your life.

8.  Tell the people you love that you love them. You can do this any day really, but isn't today such a nice day for them to hear it?

9.  Write down one thing you've learned for every year of your life.  Then revel in how wise you are.  :) To read the one I wrote last year click here then here.

If you liked this post, please share it on facebook or twitter. Thank you!

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Rosemary Walnut Shortbread Cookies courtesy of Marth Stewart

Happy Valentine's Day lovely friends! Take time today to send love, hugs and kisses to all the special people in your life.  I shared the love with friends yesterday via these melt in your mouth Rosemary Walnut Shortbread Cookies courtesy of Martha.  Make the heart-shaped ones today or simple round ones another time.  Most importantly share them with those you love.  Wrap them in cello, some purple ribbon and a sprig of rosemary for a finishing touch.  xoxo

Click here for the recipe.

If you liked this post, please share it on twitter or facebook.  Thank you!

For more on how to celebrate Valentine's Day, click here or here.

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The great Alexander McQueen passed away today.  The world has lost a creative genius.  I will let his art known as fashion speak for itself.

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We all have those days where we just feel bad.  Sad, angry, confused, frustrated, pitiful, pathetic and/or just plain pissed off.  Sometimes it is set off by a specific situation and other times it is just life catching up with you.  Here is why its good:  feeling bad is a wake up call to take care of yourself. It is a whack on the head that you aren't getting what you need and you better do something about it.  So it is best not to resist the bad feelings because they are trying to tell you something.  Instead, just sit with them for a little while.  Don't try to force them away right away with a trip to the mall or a drink. Give yourself time to just feel bad.  Think about what it is that is causing you to feel this way.  Are you overwhelmed, do things feel out of your control, is there a relationship that is causing you stress, are you restless?  Sometimes identifying where the feeling is coming from is half the battle. It can actually be comforting to put a finger on the source of your bad feelings.  From there you can eventually move on to finding creative solutions or asking for help.

But the trick to feeling bad (atleast for me), is not to give yourself too much time.  Tell yourself you are going to wallow in it today and feel it fully, but tomorrow you will wake up and feel better.  It is funny how easy this is to do.  The next day, do something good just for you.  Go for a walk outside, have a workout, meet a friend, watch a favourite funny movie. If you feel up to it, start working on the problem you identified.  But let yourself have that time to feel bad first.  Consider it your incubation period....you are just about to figure something out that will make you feel good.

PS.  Mom, don't worry I am not feeling bad.  I have been wanting to write this post for a while.

If you liked this post, please share it on twitter or facebook.  Thank you!

You might also like When Life Gives you Lemons or 12 Ways to Live Each Day to the Fullest.

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