kitsch style makeover: meredith

" I learned a lot during our time together.

Katrina got me thinking outside of the box and even got me in WHITE pants! White!

I think the biggest thing I learned is to use what I have and to accessorize. Who would have thought that throwing a belt on a dress would make it look brand new? I spent boatloads (ok, so maybe not boatloads) but more than I would like to admit on that dress, only to wear it once. Now I feel like I can get more use out of it! Throw on a necklace and a bracelet with a plain tee and you can instantly elevate your look. I would have never thought to wear a turquoise necklace and bracelet with my blue and white stripped t-shirt, but it worked.

Before this makeover I used to only buy accessories (jewelry) if the colors matched perfectly, which hardly ever happened. That meant I never ended up wearing any accessories unless they were silver or gold. Katrina taught me that contrast is good and the accessories don’t always have to match perfectly. That pencil skirt and the black top with the blue accessories?! Genius! I normally would have worn silver with that, which I still could, but the blue is more fun.

There was one dress Katrina handed me at Target and insisted that I try it on. My first thought was that it looked like something my mom would pick out but I tried it on anyway. The dress fit but still doubted it. Katrina told me to add a belt and a cute pair of wedges and the dress would work, so I trusted her. When I got home, I tried the dress on for my husband (without the accessories) and he didn’t like it. I left the room and came back accessorized (belt, cute shoes and some jewelry) and he thought I looked great! See?! It’s amazing what accessories can do to an outfit.

My husband even appreciates my makeover!

He likes my new look and he likes my organized closet even more.

There are three people I need to thank…

My husband for putting up with my million trips to the mall and Target, and for letting us girls take over the house.

My wonderful friend Lindsay of Lindsay Chavez Photo. Thank you so much for the wonderful photos and for just being you.

And last, but not least, Katrina. Thank you so much for your friendship and your fashion expertise through the years. Thanks for making me think outside of the box and for putting up with me throughout this process. Because of your love and encouragement, I feel better than I have in years and I’m finally out of my clothing rut!

This experience was such an eye-opener for me and so much fun! If you are thinking about doing a makeover with Kat, do it! I promise you won’t regret it."

Meredith Merriman

BIG thanks to Lindsay Chavez of Lindsay Chavez Photo!

Thanks for the beautiful pictures and all the laughs!!

kitsch style makeover: meredith on "How to dress a Curvy and Petite Body"

How do you dress a CURVY and PETITE body?

Here are a few things to remember...

Accentuate the smallest part of your waist. 

This means that you look best

in clothes with an empire or high waist.

Floor length pants and dresses give the illusion of longer legs.

Wear wide leg pants where the seam falls

 straight from the hip making your legs look longer,

but avoid cropped or overly detailed jeans and pants.

V-neck shirts and scoop necks give a "Curvy Petite" body the

flattering hourglass effect, but avoid a crew necks

or turtle necks that may make you seem top heavy.

Know your body!!!

People with "Curvy Petite" bodies need to deal with the fact that MOST of their clothes WILL NEED to be tailored. 

Pants brought up at the hem.  Skirts and dresses shortened. 

The only way to avoid this is by shopping

 in the Petite section or at stores that have a

 "short, regular, long" option in their pants.

 Here are some examples:

Meredith and I had to laugh at this picture. 

 My waist comes to her bust line. 

Yes! Meredith is PETITE, just look at her next to me :)

Her Meredith is having her pants brought up. 

We are at Nordy's and they do this service free of charge.

Also, notice that her shirt is TOO long.

We had them pinch in the shoulder straps to shorten the shirt.

You could also have the shirt hemmed.

Ideally you want your shirt to hit somewhere between the top of your back pockets to the middle of the pocket. 

Shirts that are TOO long make you look smaller and heavier.

Here you can see where the break in the hem will be. 

Be conscious to wear shoes while being fitted that have

 a similar heel to the shoes that you will be wearingthe pants with.

This will insure they are tailored at the most appropriate length.

Hem skirts and dresses to accentuate the thinnest part of your leg.

You can see the difference here when Meredith folds

 the skirt up an inch or two.

The effect is lengthens the leg and

 is very flattering to Meredith's legs.

She's has some SEXY legs!!

Here are some outfits that I put together for Meredith.

Next post will be her "After" photo shoot.

You won't believe how adorable she looks.

White Denim Combos

Silk Scarves for Spring

 Light Jacket Combos

Spring Florals

Workin' It! 

 How to Stripe 



All Dressed up!

kitsch style makeover: meredith day two a "working wardrobe"

Shopping Day!

This was really 2-3 days because we were having too much fun!

Meredith's major wardrobe issue is spicing up her work wardrobe.

Her work dress code is business conservative, but she needs to get away from the same pair of black pants.


Favorite black pants and black flats combo as seen here!

Here are Mama Kat's "Working Wardrobe" essentials:

Pencil skirt

A-line skirt

Wide leg trouser

Boot leg dress pant

Skinny crop pant

Shirtdress

Tailored shell dress with empire waist

Wrap dress

One-button blazer

Belted or wrap jacket

White wide leg trouser

(all in neutral colors like black, navy, brown ,or grays)

Tops:

Cardigan (2)

Standard white button down shirt (2)

Slinky printed shell (2)

Flowy neck tie blouse

Lace cami in black and white

Statement color blouse

Accessories:

 Silk scarf

Stretchy belt in neutral color

1 inch neutral belt

Belt in an accent color

Large statement necklace

Stackable bracelets

Shoes:

Kitten slingback heels

Embellished flats

Round toe pumps

Tote with matching clutch

Here are the bones of your "working wardrobe"

and all you need to add to this wardrobe are

more accented and embellished pieces.

This list is my Spring/Summer list and

is obviously lacking some cold weather essentials

 like coat, sweaters, tights, etc.

With Meredith specifically,we needed to get her

into some dresses and skirts at work!

They are comfortable and easy

to throw on when you are in a hurry!

Add a shoe and it's an outfit!!

Let's see how we did: 



Embellished stretchy belt (L)
and Belt in accent color w/stackable bracelets (R).



Looking for cropped skinny pant at Nordstrom.
This one didn't make the cut.



Here is the "petite and curvy" angle,
you will most likely have to tailor every pant you buy....
so, shop at a retailer like Nordy's that tailors for free!

  

Here is Mama Kat showing an example of a wrap dress. 
 I love the POLKA-DOTS!



Here are some more things from the list.

They are all from White House Black Market. 

More "after" pictures to come!

I can't wait to put all these items together

and see Meredith in them.