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 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.

kitsch style makeover: meredith day one

Meet my friend Meredith.

The next few posts are going to be covering

 her new Spring Kitsch Style Makeover.

She volunteered herself on my facebook page

when I asked for a "petites and curvy" lady

who wanted a makeover.

Meredith has been my client and friend almost 8 years

and has recently lost a lot of weight.

Now she is looking to celebrate her skinny self

and learn how to dress her new body.

Meredith already has impeccable taste and style....

now we just have to put it all together.

Her Kitsch Style Makeover will include;

closet overhaul,

shopping for Spring trends,

a trip to the tailor,

clothing consignment,

hair & makeup,

and a "after" photo shoot.

Let's start with her CLOSET:

To be fair, Meredith wanted to clean her closet,

but I told her to leave it for affect.

SO for the first part of the makeover
 we had to start by organizing her closet.

A few closet rules I like to keep:

Everything in your closet should be wearable.

This means that the items should be the right size and in season.

Everything should be ready to wear;

hung, clean, mended, and tailored.

You should have a closet SYSTEM.

A place for everything and everything in its place!

Laundry hamper, dry cleaning bag,

coordinating hangers, jewelry bowl,bins for purses

 and hats, shelves with jeans and folded sweaters, etc.

Everything hanging in your closet

should be something you LOVE to wear

or that has a specific function (i.e. work).

If you aren't excited to get up in the morning

and wear it - DON'T keep it!

I found this Snow White costume in Meredith's closet.

We discussed putting all her many Halloween costumes

in a Rubbermaid bin and storing them in the garage instead.

She had 12 pairs of black flats - really!

We went through all her shoes to determine FIT and FUNCTION.

If you have 4 pairs of shoes that have the same function like, black work flats to wear with wide leg trouser pants,

then it's time to buy a different shoe like,

a strappy sandal with a kitten heel.  Get my point?

 The Trouser Pant Dilemma.

Meredith has dozens, but since she doesn't fit in most of them,

 we went through and organized them into piles;

KEEP, CONSIGN, TAILOR.

Some pants were ready to wear - KEEP.

Some were too big and were not costly -  CONSIGN.

And some were too big but were premium labels

 or designers - TAILOR.

These latter pants are worth the investment to have them tailored because they are made well with better quality materials. 

Hold on to these!

What to keep?

I had Meredith try on EVERYTHING in her closet for me.

She had things she wasn't wearing because she didn't know how

or what to pair them with.

Most everything in her closet is beautiful and well made.

  I mean, this girl has style!

Like this dress....she wasn't sure how to make it work

and considered consigning it. 

Here she is wearing it with a patent leather belt and pump.

I wish I was a better photographer so you could see

the adorable details in this dress.

Definitely a KEEP!

 Here she is wearing a well fitted black dress

but she wasn't too excited about it.

Then we put a sheer ruffle top over it with a belt and SMILE!

This LBD can be worn a million ways.  It's a wardrobe essential.

 A few other outfits we put together:

This is how to wear the Spring stripe trend!

Yellow sweater and shoes with navy stripes.

This blouse had become too boxy

with Meredith's recent weight loss,

but she loves it and can't let it go.

So we put a belt over it to give it some form

with straight leg jeans and wedges for balance.

Meredith bought this shirt awhile ago and it still had tags.

Don't we all do this?

She wasn't sure if she liked it because the fit was so-so.

I removed the pattern sash it came with and added her own belt.

Wa- la! She loves it.

Accessories!

Meredith had a drawer full of jewelry she wasn't wearing

and many still had tags.

Accessorizing will be a large portion of her makeover.

Here we put two easy looks together with some jewelry

she already owns. 

Here is her closet AFTER: 

Sweaters and jeans folded.  Clothing hung in categories on matching hangers. 

Shoes organized and put away.  We are going to be purchasing bins
 for her top shelf to store bags, hats, scarves, and other bulky items.

 Here are some under utilized items from her closet

that I'm going to show her how to use later on in the makeover. 
 Keep your eyes peeled for them!

Striped embellished T-shirt and white utility jacket. 

Navy stripe T-shirt and black flowy blouse.

Eggplant cardigan and white ruffle sweater.

Next up...SHOPPING!

I can't wait!!