Style Spotlight On: Project Dress Code - Helping Our Lady Vets Dress For Success

Me and Toni Brooks

 Style Spotlight On: Project Dress Code - Helping Our Lady Vets Dress For Success

Hey there StyleWise Guys and Fellow Fashionistas!

 

I was fortunate enough recently to be involved with the 2014 CA Women's Veteran's Conference at the Sacramento Sheraton for Project Dress Code (a charitable group assisting our women veterans returning to civilian lives/careers find the attire they need to get ahead).
Each lady Vet that stopped by that day received one jewelry item, three clothing items, one handbag, and one pair of shoes. (For example, you could get a necklace, a blouse, a dress and a suit + a handbag and shoes.....or a jacket, some earrings, a skirt and a blouse + a handbag and shoes.....I could go on...). To top it all off, they got the professional styling of myself and my counterpart from Chicago, Toni Brooks!

Scarves galore!

 I was aghast to hear more than one of these amazing ladies say that it had been awhile since they had felt beautiful. Despite their bravery, quiet dignity and obvious strength, these heroes were women just like the rest of us. To be clear, my position on female personal style is this: every woman is beautiful--period.

Jewelry+positive thinking=retail therapy! (Trust me, it works wonders!)

Our lady Vets had a wide selection of beautiful items--bracelets of natural stone, 

even some pieces by Cookie Lee!

Let's also define 'strategy', then see if you can spot it in the pics below.....so for each lady I looked at her strongest/best features, and tried to balance that against the type of career she was going for.
So....without further ado ('cause who likes a bunch of ado?), here's a few pics of some of the ladies I was honored to be working for that day.

Here we have a curvy gal with tiny waist--while most of us might kill for this look, the issue we discussed was finding the right jacket for a fuller bust. You could go with a jacket that has no buttons or closures and is merely meant to drape down either side of the bust, or as in this case ties in the center just under the bust via a single closure (a series if buttons down the front increases the risk of gapping in between, so we avoided that type of fit). Also note the professional polish of this pattern--office appropriate with plenty of personality:

Note how the neutral toned pump elongates the leg line.

This lovely veteran's complexion was super fun to play with bright colors on--a beautiful, rich caramel skin tone always looks stunning with saturated jewel shades, like this gorgeous deep amethyst suit. For an added spark to match the one in her eyes, we went with a fierce animal print blouse in a neutral palette (the neutral tone balances out the bright color of the suit). This gal was soft spoken, but I don't know....something about her told me I'd never want to arm wrestle her.....chuckle!!:

Bold color meets a bold pattern--perfect for the stylish young professional (appropriate should never equal boring)!

Here we have a beautiful black sheath dress--with the right blazer or cardigan and closed toe heel, this dress could go into the office. Take off the jacket and add some more bold jewelry like a statement necklace or scarf tied at the neck and voila! You have an outfit for cocktails with clients or dinner with the husband.....(by the way Kids, this is a gal that didn't think this dress would look good on her--never forget one of Kat's most important rules: try it on!):

Check out the smile on her--that's what happens when you find the perfect dress! Confidence!!

Frankly, working with these ladies was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had as a stylist. If you've never volunteered your time or services to help our Veterans, I guarantee your doing so will be one of the best things you can do for your country and your heart.

So in closing, StyleWise Guys and Fellow Fashionistas: if you can recognize potential in yourself, you'll have a huge advantage. Ask yourself (seriously) who you want to be, and how you show that to the world--now that's style, Gang....good night and good dress!!
XO
Kat


PS--new acquisitions coming up soon....must-have pieces for Fall (and choosing wisely)...