A Diva State of Mind

Over the past couple months, my friend Renee has been revamping her wardrobe; she recently lost weight so it was time to get rid of clothes that were too big and replace them with pieces that fit. However, like many women, she got stuck wearing pieces the same way. So last Saturday, I went over to her house and we spent 3 hours going through her closet creating new outfits; 2 casual looks and 22 outfits that she could wear to work.

Renee has a lot of color in her closet so I really wanted to focus on showing her how different color combinations worked together. Every time she tried on an outfit and stepped in front of the mirror she would say “I love this” or “I would’ve never put this together!” When I got home, she texted me and said “You changed my life!” That statement definitely moved me.  Being a personal stylist is about more than putting outfits together. It’s really about helping women feel good about the way the look. Loving the way you look definitely plays a roll in how you feel about yourself. It takes some time, but once a woman learns how to dress her body and put looks together, she becomes more confident and proud of her body.

Here are a few of the outfits created from her wardrobe.  She purchased items from Target, H&M, Old Navy and EXPRESS. If you’ve been in a style rut, hopefully these looks will provide some inspiration. Please excuse the quality of the photos.

Great look for a casual afternoon or evening out.

Add some interest to a black sheath dress with a colorful blazer and color block pumps.

This cap sleeve peplum is great for slimming the waist and creating balance between your top and bottom half.

One of our favorite looks. Love the color combination!

The color of the top doesn’t have to match the purple in the skirt exactly! As long as they are in the same family, it works!

Use statement jewerly and heels to make a jersey dress appropriate for work.

Dress up a jersey dress with a blazer and bad heels!

This skirt is navy and black. Yes you can wear those color together!

If you’re like Renee and feel like you need help putting outfits together, please contact me! I’m here to help you get full use out of your wardrobe. Believe me, you have more outfits in your closet than you think! Contact me at keri@adivastateofmind.com or 301-836-1451 to schedule a free consultation.

Last month my client Yanique contacted me because she was going to be featured in Bethesda Magazine for “The Up and Comers” feature. This article features movers and shakers in the Bethesda area who are making their mark before they’re 40.

The photo for the feature took place at her job so she needed help selecting an outfit from her wardrobe that said she was a CEO but also stylish.

After going through her closet and trying on a few looks, we opted for a purple sheath dress. A pop of color is more fun than black! I really wish the photo was full length so you could see her shoes! We paired the dress with a black skinny belt to help define her wait and a pair of black cap toe animal print pumps.  We completed the look with a black blazer.

Ladies, if you are the CEO of a company or a senior executive, you can wear color and print!  The key is to find balance. If you wear a dress in a bright color like purple or blue, pair it with a neutral blazer. Uplift a neutral dress with a patterned belt or pump. A good tailor is a must if you want to look sharp in the office!!

Yanique is the Presidet & CEO of the Consumer Health Foundation. Please check out her feature in Bethesda Magazine HERE.

The spring season is upon us (although the winter weather is trying to stick around)! A change in season warrants a closet clean-out. It’s a great time to evaluate your current wardrobe: are there pieces that no longer fit? Are there items that are outdated? Do you feel like you’re missing some key wardrobe pieces? Have you lost weight and now need new clothes?

While most people can clean out there closet on their own, others prefer some guidance. If you need help getting your wardrobe in order, contact me! I met with a new client last month and we went through her closet to create a shopping list of items she needed.  I’m meeting with a new client this weekend to do a closet clean-out and create a new shopping list. She recently lost weight, so over the next few weeks we’ll use the list to go shopping for a new wardrobe.

If your wardrobe is full of clothes, but you need new ideas on how to put looks together, closet shopping appointments are also available. No time like the present to get your wardrobe in order!

For more information about personal styling services and rates, please contact me at keri@adivastateofmind.com or 301-836-1451. If you have any style questions, send me an email!!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some behind the scene photos from a Façon Magazine photo shoot. Façon Magazine is the voice of emerging fashion.  For the cover, the editor wanted to highlight a vintage boutique, so she tasked me with styling a photo spread featuring pieces from Zoubeck boutique in Old Town Alexandria. Talk about pressure!

The photo shoot was on Sunday, March 17th bright and early at 7am.  We wanted to capture the great offerings at Zoubeck against the beautiful backdrop of Old Town.  Shoutout to the model Jessica! I think the high that day was 42 degrees; she was cold but she rocked it!  The fabulous ladies of Flawless U were responsible for hair and makeup.

Below are photos from the shoot. Some are featured in the magazine and others are some of my favorites that aren’t included in the publication:

Please check out the Spring 2013 issue of Façon Magazine available online at www.faconmagazine.com to see the full photo spread and other great features! For more information about Zoubeck visit www.zoubeck.com. They have some really nice pieces. Every time I’ve stepped foot in that store, I have walked away with something

Last Friday, my line sister called me and asked me to style her for an interview with a Turkish American news station. She could’ve used what she had in her closet but she preferred shopping for a new dress.  We met Monday evening at Columbia Mall in Maryland to search for the perfect dress and accessories.

Ebony-Nicole was told by the show’s producer that she couldn’t wear black, red, green or patterns. Talk about restrictions!

Our first stop was The Limited. They have some really nice pieces for spring, however they just didn’t work so we made our way to JC Penny. I had shopped at JC Penny last year for a client and had much success so I was hoping I could find a dress this time around.  By the way, the JC Penny of the past is now gone. Please believe I’ll be stopping back in the store to do a little shopping for myself!  But I digress….

We checked out the dress section (dresses were less than $50, most ranging between $25 & $30) and I pulled at least 10 dresses for Ebony-Nicole. After trying them on and narrowing down the options, we decided on a coral peplum dress with cap sleeves.  This dress was great for her body type. The cap sleeves help balance out her bottom half (since she’s bigger on bottom)  and adding a belt really helps define her waist, creating the desired hourglass shape.

The dress came with a black belt but we wanted to create a look that was polished but spoke to her fun, bubbly personality so we used a leopard print belt she had in her closet. With 15 minutes to spare, we headed back to The Limited to purchase a necklace, gold earrings and ring.  Shout out to The Limited for having a “get up to 3 items for 50% off” sale! The dress + jewelry = less than $60!!

Ebony-Nicole looked great on Wednesday and her interview went very well. She owned her look! I look forward to working with her again.

For information about personal styling services, visit the Personal Styling page and contact me at keri@adivastateofmind.com or 301-836-1451. 

I’m in the running to become the next Simon Style Setter for the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. Please vote for me!! Voting is open until Friday, March 29th HERE. You can vote as often as you like!

Socialite and party promoter Yodit Gebreyes is expanding her business.  She has started an event planning company called Favored by Yodit. The website is scheduled to be released next month so to prepare for the site launch, she had a photo shoot last week to take pictures of herself and various table settings she designed for special occasions.

Yodit contacted me to assist her with styling her looks for the shoot.  She selected the apparel, but needed me to help with accessories. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the entire shoot so I styled her first look and I also finalized the looks of three models.  I used my jewerly and jewerly from personal stylist Lauren Matthews. Here are a few pictures the shoot:

If you’re in need of a stylist, don’t hesitate to contact me at keri@adivastateofmind.com or 301-836-1451!

In the current issue of Façon Magazine, I had the pleasure of interviewing GiGi Williams, the owner of the family run boutique House of JonLei Atelier.  Located at the National Harbor, the boutique sells wedding gowns, tuxedos and special occasion gowns.  I also worked with GiGi on a photo shoot, showcasing the boutique’s fabulous gowns (the blue one is my favorite)!  With the holiday season and inauguration galas right around the corner, House of JonLei Atelier serves as the perfect boutique to find that special gown.

Check out photos from the shoot:

If you’re in need of a special occasion gown or wedding dress, please visit the House of JonLei Atelier. The family is so sweet and they have amazing gowns and wedding dresses.

To view the interview and other fabulous features in the magazine, visit www.faconmagazine.com.

*Gowns & Accessories: House of JonLei Atelier; Hair & Makeup: Alicia Holliday

Last week I completed two style makeovers using pieces from TARI DC, a consignment boutique located in Georgetown, DC.   The makeovers were featured on SNOBSWAP along with a few fashion tips for different body types. Below are details  about the makeovers and the before and after pictures.

Devin is a mother of two young children which meant one thing: Comfort!! Originally I was going to style her in flats but once I found the dark denim jeans and printed top, I decided to turn her look into a day to date night outfit.  She can easily wear flats during the day and then switch to heels and a clutch for dinner in the evening with her husband.

For Erica, I wanted to give her a more sophisticated look.   She likes to wear baby doll style dresses. While they are great because they have an A-line silhouette, the dresses sometimes look young and depending on the cut may be too flared, added more volume than they should.

Click HERE to read the entire post on the style makeovers, where you can purchase the items and fashion tips for different body types!!

Paula reached out to me to style her for her birthday last week.   We decided that her look would be one that definitely stood out so it was determined during the initial consultation that the dress was going to be a bright color or feature embellishment.

To find something truly unique I searched online first and of course checked out one of my favorite online retailers, ASOS.  I had planned to search in-store as well, but once I shared with Paula some of the ASOS options, we decided to stick with that one retailer as the source of her birthday dress.

After trying on a few dresses, we selected this gold scalloped ¾ length sequin dress. The dress fit Paula like a glove!! It was its own statement piece, so jewelry was kept to a minimum.  The blue, black, red, chain patterned shoes are by ALDO and the ring is from Target.  The gold dress picks of the gold detail in the shoe, which makes them the perfect match.  For hair and makeup we went with a chic Mohawk (one of my favorite hair styles for curly hair or short hair) and dramatic eye makeup which serves as a nice contrast to the gold sequin dress.

Paula looked amazing last weekend at her birthday party and I can’t wait to work with her again for another event!

If you are seeking the services of a stylist, please view the Personal Styling page and do not hesitate to contact me.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you may have seen a recent client photo of my friend Jovonne, but I wanted to make sure I shared photos with everyone.  I styled Jovonne for her birthday dinner at Capital Grille a few weeks ago. She contacted me wanting to create an outfit around a fabulous black and white vest she recently purchased.

Jovonne is a HUGE Alicia Keys fan, so I knew we had to use her as style inspiration.  Anyone who follows the singer knows Ms. Keys loves wearing skinny jeans or pants with a statement top or blazer. In this case, the statement was the vest. 

For a sleek, sophisticated look, we decided to pull the hair back in a bun and rock a red lip. Jovonne is wearing black & nude snakeskin pumps from Shoe Dazzle. Her reaction: “I didn’t think these would match the vest.” Black and nude are neutral colors; therefore they can be paired with anything!  She is wearing skinny pants from Macys, a black turtleneck and faux fur vest from Marshalls with a skinny belt (her own) and a red clutch (her own).

She LOVED her outfit! “The outfit looks hot!” she said.  Her reaction is why I want to be a stylist. I want women to be confident in their own skin and love the way they look!

How do you wear your faux fur vest?