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February 2011 Newsletter - The Art of Everyday Dress | |
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Conselle Fashion & Image Newsletter
From Image Expert, Judith Rasband, AICI CIM |
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| Greetings! |
 | | Winter 2011. Photo: AP |
I'm just back from Denver, Colorado where I loved doing a half-day seminar for a great group of young adults. It was snowing when I flew out of Salt Lake City and snowing when I flew out of Denver. Snow, snow, snow throughout the Mountain West, Mid-West, and East in America has everyone dressing in layers to keep warm. That suits my fancy just fine because layering is one of the most creative ways to dress, and a favorite for me. Don't dismiss dressing in layers if you live in a warm or hot climate. Just make the layers lighter weight. I'm preparing to do just that because I'm traveling to India this month. Fabrics will be thinner, styles will be looser, and sleeves will be shorter. That's how to keep your cool when the temperatures go up.
I'm traveling to India with my husband, Neil, where my business associate there is making all the arrangements. We'll be traveling to seven cities to promote entry into the image industry. The city list includes Mumbai, Pune, Hyderbad, Bangalore, Mysore, Calcutta, and Delhi. We'll even go to Agra on our last day to see the famed Taj Mahal. This is an amazing opportunity for us. I'll definitely be dressing in loose, lightweight layers, but I really look forward to seeing how the people there dress. I'm sure I'll have something to tell you about when I return.
In the meantime, dress as a creative art form is the topic for February, the focus taken from Wardrobe Strategy Book #2, Art in Everyday Dress. I'll also share with you, two of my favorite kid stories ever.
For those new to our newsletter, at Conselle we work with a complete set of 12 wardrobe strategies. Each wardrobe strategy is independent, yet each strategy builds on the others, much like the pieces of a puzzle working toward the whole. Each month I'll focus on a specific wardrobe strategy within the Featured Article. Other Newsletter sections will dip into timely topics with applied meaning for you. With limited space, I'll try to choose my words carefully to suggest a range of options available to meet your individual needs.
Sincerely,
Judith |
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Ask Judi | |
If you have an image issue that is getting in the way of accomplishing your goals, email me about it at judith@conselle.com. I'll do my best to get back to you with a solution that will help move you forward. Please include a contact phone number in case the answer is a bit long, so we can really talk it through. |
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| Featured Article -- The Art of Everyday Dress |
 | | A delightful example of a monochromatic outfit for spring by Longchamp Paris |
Absolutely every piece of clothing is an art form. It starts with a line, that creates a shape, on a fabric, in a color, and often with a pattern -- a print, stripe, or plaid we see on the surface. Clothing is an art form you can see, touch, and at times even hear. It's sad though that most people don't think of clothing or dress as an art form. They just don't get it. Oh, they may recognize the art of fashion design, but many don't appreciate it because they don't understand its affect on the way they think, feel, and act -- last month's newsletter topic. They recognize the art of painting, sculpture, architecture, even graphic design. Most men value the art of automobile and aircraft design. Why not wardrobe design and daily dress? I'll tell you why. They've really never thought about it. No one ever taught them. They don't have a clue how to put the clothes together and they're too embarrassed to admit it or ask for help. Others have been taught that clothes and any attention to dress is vain, worldly, pretentious, or frivolous. Nonsense, if not carried to extreme. In reality America's number one fear is fashion! It's time to take out the fear and put back the fun back in fashion! And what's fun about clothes is that you get to wear them! You put together that great looking outfit and you get to wear it wherever you go.
 | | This woman, in a red tailored suit, is ready to take on the world! |
Just as the beauty of a painting, sculpture, and song can lift your spirit, so can the beauty of well designed clothing and a well coordinated outfit lift your spirit. You look better, you feel better, you act better, people treat you better. And that's fun! It's fun to put on a pair of jeans to go on a picnic, a canyon party, or just relax on Saturday. It's fun to put on a comfortable well-fitted suit and feel like you could conquer the world -- your world. It's just plain fun to dress up to some degree for a night on the town, whether it's a movie, a museum, a sports event, a concert, or theater event of your choice. It's fun to fool Mother Nature as you learn to dress slim or emphasize the color of your eyes. Then it's nice to dress up for church, to feel that special feeling of reverence as you re-focus and re-dedicate yourself to what really matters most in your life.
Try it. Today and all week, tap into the art of everyday dress. Change your clothes and dress for the occasion in clothes that communicate to you and others how you want to feel about that occasion. Get better acquainted with the range of your feelings and variety of personality traits that are stimulated by the variety of clothes you choose to wear. You'll discover the art of everyday dress can be just plain fun as it works for you in everyday life.
What's fun is to find five ways to wear one item of clothing in your closet. To give you some ideas, here are five different outfits Conselle affiliate, Sarah Ward, came up with in preparation for our upcoming class, How to Wear One Piece Five Ways.
 | | Wear One Piece Five Ways - Gray Cami. Copyright Sarah Ward |
If you'd like the whole discussion of Art in Everyday Dress strategies, order Conselle's wardrobe strategy book #2 Art in Everyday Dress at $27.97. Order through Conselle's Store or call 801-224-1207 and order directly through Kathy or Sarah.
Order Art in Everyday Dress here! |
| Timeless Truth | |
 The artistic approach to clothing selection and coordination has always encouraged individuality. Remain open to new ideas that have merit for you. Decide what to adopt, adapt, or avoid before feeling pressured to conform. You're smart to stick with fashion that works for you, comfortable and confident with your visible identity and personal style. Dressing is truly an art form when it relates to, reflects, or expresses the individual person within. When the design details are appropriate for your physical, psychological, social, and aesthetic needs, the image you present will more likely be an authentic reflection or projection of you.
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| Conselle Winter Classes | This winter, Conselle delivers some great NEW image and fashoin classes! Bring a friend as we put the facts and fun back in fashion!
Fashion Styling Workshop
 | | Fashion Styling Workshop |
The media is full of talk about fashion and wardrobe styling, but some of the looks pictured in fashion magazines range from horribly awful to downright scary. It seems that no one has ever compiled a "how-to" list of criteria for knowing whether the resulting outfit works, or NOT. Until now. And so, we invite you to attend this workshop and learn how to do it right. Your stylist for the evening is Judith Rasband, AICI CIM. You'll have 400 pieces of clothing to pull from as you engage in the fun of fashion styling for your personal style.
Register for the Fashion Styling Workshop here!
How to Wear One Piece Five Ways
 | | How to Wear One Piece Five Ways. Copyright Sarah Ward |
At a time when money is tight, fashion stylist Sarah Ward will show you how to maximize your clothing dollar by increasing the number of ways you can wear the clothes in your closet. Whether it's a favorite scarf, a new skirt with the tag still on it, or a little black dress, Sarah will open your eyes to new ways to wear them that you'll never have thought of. Bring an item of clothing and we'll come up with creative styling ideas for wearing one piece five ways.
Register for How to Wear One Piece Five Ways here!
 | | Accessor-Ease |
Accessor-Ease
With a ga-zillion accessories to choose from, how do you know which ones to buy? What works for your lifestyle and personal style? How do you know if the mood and the message of the clothes and accessories are in sync? How many accessories are too many? Pairing the right accessories with an outfit creates visual harmony and a synergy that is instantly effective in communicating to yourself and others the message you intend to send. Join image professional Leslie Wells for a fun and educational workshop. Learn how to choose the perfect accessories for each outfit and occasion. Discover how to wear belts, whatever your figure type. Get tips on how to manage the message in your jewelry, shoes, and bag.
Register for Accessor-Ease here!
5 - 8 Easy Pieces: The Cluster
 | | 5 to 8 Easy Pieces |
Wardrobe Strategy
Learn where to start in building a great wardrobe! Join image professional Leslie Wells, Camilla Owens, or Sadie Starling and learn a creative wardrobe strategy called "clustering" that puts the fun back into fashion. Watch a lively demonstration and get the guidelines that make it work for you in the home, in business or leadership, and for evening occasions. Fire your imagination, increase your wardrobing skills, eliminate anxiety about clothing, save yourself time and money, and simplify your life! There'll be no wasted "wardrobe orphans" in your closet!
Register for 5 - 8 Easy Pieces: The Cluster Wardrobe Strategy here!
February
March
Classes are $20 per session and pre-registration is requested. To register, call 801-224-1207.
Conselle Institute of Image Management - Learning Center
1776 North State Street
Orem, Utah 84097 |
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Conselle "Image Enhancement" Retreat for Women | |
 Retreat to the beautiful mountainlands of Utah for this exciting 6-Day personal improvement workshop. We have put together the ultimate experience in personal discovery and image education, enabling you to discover, define, develop, and achieve an authentic image that brings you joy and confidence, aiding you in achieving your goals in the home, school, church, community, and/or the workplace.
Watch for Spring dates to come.
For detailed information and testimonials, go to Image Enhancement Retreat Information or call 801-224-1207 and talk to Kathy.
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| Consumer's Corner |
 | | Mixing Plaids. Photo: Trainerspotter |
Sometimes kids do or say the most amazing things! There is an urban legend that tells the story of how six-year-old Armani surveyed his mother's dinning table decoratively set for a party.As he walked down one side, he took off one decorative piece, then another, then another, until the table met his sense of "enough." Even at that young age, Armani could already see that "less is more." As an accomplished fashion designer today, simplicity is still his style.
Coming forward a few years, it was a Sunday morning at our house when my children were young. My oldest son, 7 year-old Matthew, came downstairs dressed in a plaid shirt paired with another plaid in his pants. Whoa-a-a-a, I thought. There was a major fight between the plaids. While I was trying to think of how to tell him without embarrassing him, in came his little brother, 5 year-old Daniel. Daniel took one look at Matt and exclaimed, "Two busies don't work!" I was in awe. I teach a whole semester's class on the complexity of art in dress and some of my students never quite get it.Here, a five year-old nailed it in four words! Amazing! And so, forever more as you assess the success of your outfit in the mirror, simply remember, "Two busies don't work!" |
 Consultant's Corner | |
I can still picture the exact photo I saw a on the cover of a fashion magazine years ago, featuring a model wearing an outfit by Ralph Lauren. Moving from the shoes up, the model wore dark leather riding boots, a dark wool gabardine riding skirt, belted over a crisp white cotton shirt, and layered with a dark wool tweed blazer. The outfit was totally harmonious, with all of the lines, shapes, colors, textures and patterns contributing to an elegantly sportive look. With the white shirt creating dark-light color contrast, attention was focused near the model's face. But what made Ralph Lauren a master in the fashion field was the small bit of countering detail he added. He tucked a lace-edged pocket square into the breast pocket of the blazer. It was that little touch of femininity that was so important to communicate the mix Yin and Yang.
 | | Denim dress with velvet trim. Photo: liebemarlene on Flickr |
That's the way it works in the art of dress. There's a dominant look to the whole outfit consistent with the wearer and the occasion, but a surprise subordinate element is added to counter the mood and message. This is the sort of touch you want to accomplish for your clients.
Another mix of this sort caught my attention years later as denim was taking over the fashion world. We tend to think of denim as sporty, outdoorsy, and casual. But instead of designing a denim dress with a sporty suedecloth collar, the collar on this dress was made out of black velvet.A touch of what's dressy was mixed with casual. What a surprise element! Over the next winter months I spotted many variations on this denim/velvet theme, copied and passed from designer to designer. What made the artistic combination work was the achievement of dominant and subordinate fabric textures. The largest area of the garment or outfit was made out of denim, countered with just a little velvet in the collar, in a pocket, on covered buttons, or shirt cuffs. Keep this in mind in an artistically harmonious outfit. There is always one dominant line, shape, color, texture, and pattern. Everything else in the outfit is subordinate, meaning less important. That little bit of velvet went a long way in expressing a touch of the romantic paired with sporty denim, demonstrating that "less is more." |
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Conselle Educational-Training for Image Consultants | |
Attend Conselle's 15-Day Educational-Training to become a certified image consultant.
Receive comprehensive image education and materials to launch a full-service image business.
A great image education is an investment you can never lose!
The Next Educational-Training is
March 5 - 19, 2011
Spots are filling up quickly, reserve your seat today!
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| | Conselle Affiliates enjoying some time at Sundance Resort in Utah |
Rave Reviews for Conselle:
"Your ability to present a large quantity of information in an appealing and interesting manner is impressive. Your knowledge, creativity, enthusiasm, energy and graciousness are inspiring and appreciated in a challenging opportunity......."
Ann Johnson, Orem, UT
"AICI Convention certainly confirmed that I made the wise choice. An excellent, comprehensive overview of the image industry, with complete academic background knowledge! Be prepared to be exposed to truthful and time-trusted theories behind all that we do. The portfolios inspire us to the same excellence. Consider this your jump-start to learning-you have a gold mine handed to you in one file box!"
Bev Dwane, Durham, NC
Click here for detailed information or call 801-224-1207 and talk to Kathy.
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| Tip for a Fabulous Fit -- Dress Slim! |
 | | Am-y on Flickr wears a belt low on her hips |
According to nearly every fashion book or image advisor, if you have a tummy you cannot wear a belt. Not so! I remember well, a meeting planner I met at a fashion expo. I saw her every day for a week. She was stocky, wide in the waist, with a bit of a belly. I was totally amazed by her signature style. She wore straight-hanging shift dresses that skimmed over her body smoothly. Most had a collar to lift attention and frame her face, but what was amazing to me were the wonderful belts she wore. Belts, it turns out, were part of her signature style. Held in place by belt loops, each belt was set high in back and slung slightly low in front-exactly over her tummy. She looked so great, so confident, so pleased with herself, and rightly so. Try it out for yourself. Wear a 2-inch wide belt low slung, with the oversize buckle sitting on the tummy curve. It gives the viewer something to look at other than the body beneath. This is particularly effective if you "blouse" your top by taking a deep breath and letting the fabric pull out a little. Exhale and relax. The top should now extend above the belt about a half inch. People won't know if that's air or your tummy underneath! Add a third-layer jacket, sweater, or vest to further recess your tummy if you like. Do have fun with a few great belts!
Taking a tip from the fashionista, we can all have fun with a low slung belt, higher in the back, and lower in the front. |
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Conselle "Fabulous Fit" Retreat | |
 Women whose passion is fashion sewing to achieve a custom and fabulous fit are invited to an exceptional 6-Day hands-on retreat. Spend high value, personalized time with our Master Fitters! Each brings her own unique sphere of interest and expertise to the fitting and fashion makeover experience. Learn revolutionary new methods in fitting and alteration, taking home custom-fitted bodice, shirt, and pant patterns that fit!
Next "Fabulous Fit" Retreat is May 9-14, 2011.
For detailed information and testimonials go to Fit Retreat Information or call 801-224-1207 and talk to Kathy.
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In Closing
I've loved the letters I've received this month from readers. Do write and share with me what you like about the newsletter and what you'd like to see discussed in the future. Share with me your joy or your "pain" when it comes to clothes, dressing, and in image. I'll do my best to come up with solutions for the pain that you and others often deal with.Problems we can solve together! Sincerely,
Judith Rasband
Conselle Institute of Image Management
801-224-1207
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