A life of discovery
Can you get dressed in 10 minutes?
If there were Olympics in assembling outfits, I'd be in the running.
I can get dressed in 10 minutes in an outfit that I feel I look great in.
I sound like I'm boasting, right? Well, yes, but I'm also proud of myself AND it's possible because I have practiced.
Style is like any skill. We need to find someone who can teach us, learn, practice and then Voila!
(Hopefully I spelt that right, remind me to ask my Parisian neighbor. Do you know even she asks what I think of her clothing? Now that's…
If you can't wear the clothes you love to work, get a new career.
If you can't wear what you love to work, you're in the wrong career.
About fifteen years ago, I was helping a beautiful young woman (one of my semi-nieces) apply for an apartment. She was very young and people often make snap judgments about age, so we decided she needed to look trustworthy, respectable, tidy, a suitable applicant. Seems reasonable, right?
We went to a thrift store and found her an ensemble which made her look like an extremely trustworthy young woman. i.e. business casual. Sh…
What if my dog ate all of your clothes?
This does relate to clothing, so bear with me. There’s a blue pottery French bulldog on my kitchen bench (thank you Tarjay). It’s one of those jars you’re supposed to keep cookies in. I don’t eat cookies or biscuits (as they are called in New Zealand). So I keep it full of dog treats instead. My French bulldog knows that after dinner, she gets her Greenie. She will sit there, look at the treat jar, look at me, look at the treat jar, look at me. She knows that I know what to do. Sure enough, I re…
Summertime Crown by Kayla Ocampo, 21-year-old guest blogger from Manila.
Kayla Ocampo is a 21-year-old fashion designer in the Phillipines and my assistant. This week, she's writing the blog (and she found the hats).
Check out her Instagram Store KelsCloset. She's one to watch. Take it away Kayla... (no edits have been made).
The best thing about summertime is being able to lay on a tanning chair, read a relaxing book, and bask in the sun. It’s all about finding peace and being in tune with yourself. Speaking of which, finding your true inner self also …
It's OK to buy new clothes & still care about the planet
One of the exercises I do with my clients is to establish their values.
Many of my clients care about the environment, diversity, fair trade and the ethical creation of clothing.
For some, this means wearing previously worn clothing, which can include up-cycled, recycled, or second-hand, either from thrift stores, consignment stores, clothes swapping or as gifts from other friends’ wardrobes.
This is absolutely wonderful!
I help them choose, curate, source and create combinations.
However…
Why self doubt got between me and my love of leopard skin.
Why self-doubt got between me and my love of leopard skin.
I have always loved leopard skin. I can’t exactly tell you why (though I could definitely tell you why you like certain things), but I’ve always been drawn to it.
The first time I bought anything made of leopard skin, I think I was about 13 and it was a one piece leopard skin bathing suit. I remember arguing with my mother about it because leopard skin is a polarizing subject.
I loved that bathing suit. In hindsight, it wasn’t the mos…
Why I disappeared...and why I came back
Kia Ora,
I haven't been able to blog for the last year. Then the world changed and it woke me up.
There were a few months last year when I didn't want to do anything at all.
Depression, malaise, a slump, marinating, pondering, avoiding - there's a whole thesis in there. Ironically, in June 2020 in the USA, many, many people are traumatized, isolated, depression, anxious, scared - maybe I was just a year ahead.
I can't claim trauma (or anything really, apart from white privilege) but I "…
I have wardrobe malfunctions, too
I was on my way to a co-working space to meet a group of women that I adore. I was planning on wearing a particular outfit and I forgot to take my own advice. I was running a bit behind, was meeting someone at a particular time and I don’t like being late. I’d been trying to walk the dog before I changed, so that she would go to the bathroom before I left for a few hours, but she was more interested in talking to the people who are fixing our road. We ende…
Guide to alterations
I'm interviewed by the Ready Pause Go podcast!
"This podcast is for the millions of women who take a career pause to raise their family - whether you are contemplating a pause, in the trenches at home with your kids, or ready to relaunch the next phase of your life. …