Dressing for Comfort, Confidence & Style

Beauty & Wardrobe by Nancy Goldblatt, Color 1, Personal Image Consultant

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What do you say to yourself when you look in the mirror?

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Years ago there was an episode of Sesame Street on television called “Pick Your Pet.”    It was  a version of the “Dating Game.”    The contestant was a little girl muppet and behind the curtain were 3 pets.   Number one was a bird, number two was  a dog and number three was a big shaggy monster muppet.

The little girl asked number one, the bird, ” Do you like milk”?  The answer was no.

She asked the dog, “Can you purr?  The answer was no.

She then asked number one and two,“Will you sit in my lap?” The answer again was no.

Time ran out and she never got to ask number three, the monster muppet any questions..  She had to choose number one, two or three.

She choose number three, the monster muppet.

The audience booed.  The bird came out and gave her a peck on the cheek, the dog came out and licked her face and then it was time for number three, her choice to come out from behind the curtain.

The audience continued to boo.  The poor monster muppet  lumbered out from behind the curtain with shoulders hunched over, looking at the ground as the audience continued to boo and  make fun of him.

The little girl looked at the monster muppet and said “You are Bou- tee- ful.”  The monster muppet stood up straight, lifted his head, smiled and said “I like milk, I can purr, and I will sit in your lap.”  

Words can transform how we feel about ourselves

When you  focus on what’s wrong , its hard to feel good about yourself.

 What happens when you look in the mirror and focus on what you like about your looks.    Remember “You are Bou tee ful.”

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Nancy Goldblatt is available to work with you no matter where you live.  If you live in Baltimore, Md or surrounding areas she can work with you in person.  If you live other places, she can work with you on-line using digital pictures.

Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard,” is a “Color 1,” Personal Image Consultant who specializes in working with mid-life women whose size and shape has changed and who have too many clothes and “nothing to wear.”

After a woman works with “The Wardrobe Wizard,”she will have a wallet of her best colors and styles, and a pared down closet.   She will learn how to mix and match her best looks so she can get dressed “lickety split,” and look great everyday.

“The Wardrobe Wizard,” also works with younger women and is available to work with men.  She was trained by Joanna Nicholson, founder of Color 1 Associates, an International Image & Style Company.

Nancy@WardrobeWiz.com, 410-513-9496,  WWW.WardrobeWiz.com

 

 

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Does This Make Me Look Fat?

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How many times have you stood in front of the mirror and asked yourself, “Does this make me look fat?”    Have you asked your significant other this question  too many times? 

 I suggest you stop torturing yourself and others by asking a different question and start to look at yourself in a new way.  Ask instead  ” Where does my eye go first?”   This is called a focus point.   This is the place people look at first and the place their eye will be drawn back to.  

When I first became a personal image consultant I took a woman client  shopping who  was very short and about 100 pounds overweight.   She put on a navy pant outfit that looked really nice on her.   I commented, “: You look thin in that outfit.”  She responded,  “At this weight, I will never look thin, no matter what I put on.”  She was right.  What I should have said was, “The outfit is flattering.”   The color and style of the pant suit caused me to look at her face first.  I did look at her body, but the neckline and color of the outfit kept drawing me back to her face.  The outfit skimmed over her bumps and bulges and as a result my eyes did not stop at her body parts but instead went back to her face.

   Where do your eyes go when a  woman has a very low neckline and the top of her breasts are showing?      When  you are talking to someone and they have a piece of spinach in their teeth, where do your eyes go?  These are examples of  focus points.  Where do you want your focus point to be?  If you want to look your most confident and competent, you will want your face and eyes to be your focus points.

Here are 4 easy steps  to  determine where your focus  points are :

1. Stand 5 feet from a full length mirror

2. Make sure you have good lighting, either daylight or full spectrum bulbs

3. Close your eyes and quickly open them.

4. Ask yourself, “Where  does my eye go first?”

If your eye goes to your face  first or to your face and the color you are wearing simultaniously  and your  eyes sparkle and your skin looks radiant this means you are wearing a flattering color and  probably a good neckline shape.     Avoid clothing that is too tight,  because not only will you be uncomfortable but the horizontal creases will cause the tight places to become focus points.   You can change your focus points by changing how high or low your neckline is, by adding a scarf or pin and by adding earrings, changing the length of your hair and by repeating colors.

Nancy Goldblatt, “Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore, ” is a professionally trained personal image consultant.  Contact her at    nrgoldblatt@gmail.com www.WardrobeWiz.com/

Which Recent Trend Is Not Flattering to Anyone?

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 I am going to talk about a recent trend the magazines have been showing which will cause you to not look “visually harmonious, ” or “pulled together.”   Unless you prefer people to look mainly at your feet, this trend will not work for you.  Its wearing shoes that are a different color than your outfit.  On the Today show this morning, Ann Curry, one of  the women hosts who usually looks great did not look as good as usual. 

She was wearing  bright red shoes.  There was nothing else in her outfit that was red and my eye went down to her feet.  If you plan to wear red shoes the color should be repeated in your main outfit at least once .  If she had been wearing a red sweater or jacket over her black base she would have looked more “put together,” because our eye automatically searches for colors to be repeated.   In Ann’s case my eye kept going down to her red shoes when she was seated and I could seee her shoes.  

I happen to like Ann Curry and find her a very good interviewer.  However, I was distracted by those red shoes and she seemed less credibile to me as a result.  Be careful of trends because frequently the purpose of the trend is to get you to go out and buy more stuff.

Which recent trends do you avoid and which do you like?  I would love to hear from you.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

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     How many of us look in the mirror and see only our flaws?

  I worked with a beautiful woman  yesterday, helping her go shopping in her own closet.   She has lovely, wavey red hair, hazel eyes, and a curvey body.  When she put items on and looked in the mirror she saw only her flaws.   She  has a defined waistline but has been most comfortable wearing baggy tops since she has not lost all of the weight she gained when she had her daughter seven years ago.  

 The baggy tops actually make her look heavier.   Because I know that women  are most likely to  wear what they feel comfortable in, I needed to find a way to help her feel comfortable and wear her tops in a  figure flattering manner.   

 I suggested she have the tops we both liked taken in slightly on the sides or have darts put in for  more waist definition.    She did own a few form fitting tops including a shell but did not feel comfortable wearing the tops because she thought her hips and bun looked too big.   When she put a jacket on and left it open over the shell she loved the look.   She called it “The Bomb .”   I also taught her a technique she could use when she looks in the mirror to determine if something flatters her.     I am  hopeful that with time and using this new technique to look at herself  she will be able to focus on her “real beauty,” instead of  her flaws.

She was able to eliminate many  items in her closet that did not work and she now has some  new ways to mix and match  her clothes.   When she gets the other pieces of clothing altered she will have many more things to wear.  We are going shopping next week to fill in the remaining gaps in her wardrobe.  Because she hates to shop, I am going to do a little preshopping to make sure the places we go have  the items she is looking for.

Nancy Goldblatt,  “The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,”  is a professionally trained Color 1, personal image consultant.  She specializes in working with women whose size or shape has changed and who have lots of clothes and nothing to wear.  She is also available to work with individuals and groups in Baltimore and surrounding areas.  Contact her at 410-235-5325/ nrgoldblatt@gmail.com/ www.WardrobeWiz.com

Beauty or Beast? What Is Real Beauty?

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Nancy Goldblatt, "The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,"

What is real beauty? The media would like us to believe that beauty is being forever young, tall, perfectly proportioned with flawless skin and a great head of hair. If this is true, we are all doomed to accepting we can’t be beautiful.

When we look at “air brushed photos” in magazine of models, who look like they have no flaws it hard not to compare ourselves.  We forget that the models have been airbrushed and photo-shopped to look perfect.  I don’t look at those magazines anymore, but when I did, I felt flawed and frumpy.  Have any of you had that experience? When you feel more like beast than a beauty what do you do?

Do you overeat, exercise or go shopping?

When you  feel bad about how you look, you are more likely to buy beauty products, clothes, jewelry and shoes you do not need

The real truth is that “beauty” is what’s pleasing to our eyes. You can check this out by looking at a painting you like.  Why do you like looking at it?

The answer is that its visually pleasing to your eyes.  It  gets your attention with its repetition of color, line and proportion.

What can you do to become visually more pleasing?  Think of yourself as an “unfinished masterpiece,”  waiting for the right frame.

Do you remember the last time you had to choose a frame for a painting or print? When you went to the framing store there were hundreds of choices of frames and mats.  The store clerk quickly and easily picked out a few frames and mats and you were able to choose the one you liked.  Before I tell you how the store clerk was able to pick out the right frame, I want to know how well you do picking out a frame for a painting or print.

Visualize a 11 x 14 painting of a water scene with boats tied up at the dock.  The sky is greyish blue and a storm is brewing.  What color mat and frame would you put on it?  Would you choose a wide, shiny gold frame and a pure white mat.  Or would a soft white mat with a non-shiny mat silver frame be better?  Now think about an abstract painting the same size but with large, bold,splotches of  primary colors.  Would you choose the same frame for both paintings?

Of course not, the frame needs to be an extension of the painting. Your clothes, jewelry and makeup are your frame.  Your frame needs to be an extension of you so that it can compliment, not detract from your natural beauty.

So how did the clerk do this so easily?  He or she did this by looking at the painting and picking out one or two predominate colors and looking at the scale of the painting.

So how can your frame look like a natural extension of you and put the finishing touches on the “master piece,” thats uniquely you?  (See part 2 of this blog for important tips on how to use color to do this)

By reading Dressing Smart for Women and or Dressing Smart for Men, you will learn more about choosing flattering shades of color and how to look great everyday no matter what your age, shape or size. These books are available at Amazon.com and as well as your local library or Contact Leslie Stott, Color 1 CEO to buy the book, Leslie@thecolorlady.com

Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,” is a professionally trained “Color 1, personal image consultant.”  Her website is: www.WardrobeWiz.com/ She can work with you online using digital photos to create a wallet of your best colors.

Can You Make The Body You Have, Look Like the Body You Want?

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Nancy Goldblatt, "The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,"

Welcome to Dressing for Comfort, Confidence & Style, a brand new blog from Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore.”

 

Nancy is a professionally trained personal image consult.  She was trained by Color 1 Associates in 1991.  Her passion to help other women learn to love themselves and be less self critical came out of our own struggles to feel good in her short, plump body.   One day in 1990 she discover a book by Mary Duffy called, “How to Make The Body You Have Look Like The Body You Want.”

After reading the book she realized that this is not possible but you can still look good no matter what shape or size you are.   The way to do this is to understand your shape and choose clothing that flatters your shape.  Looking good is not about wearing the latest trends or being skinny and tall.  Its about understanding your face and body shape, knowing your most flattering shades of color (most people can wear 40 -90 shades) and understanding how to combine colors so you can look your best and feel confident wearever you go.

Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,” can be reached at nancy@wardrobewiz.com or 410-235-5325/ Her website is www.WardrobeWiz.com/ She is available to work with individuals and groups in Baltimore and surrounding areas as well as work virtually using digital pictures and webcam.