kitsch style makeover: Sandra's mini-makeover

Meet Sandra!

This fab mommy won the "Get Fit"

fitness contess that was held by her Stroller Strides group.

As a prize she won a mini-makeover with me

and a photoshoot with Kamee June Photography.

Sandra recently lost a bunch of weight

and was looking to define her style and fit her new hot bod.

Sandra wasn't sure what her style was

but after talking about her love of comfortable flowing fabrics

 and certain celebrities styles that she admired

 we defined it as "Boho Chic".

Boho meaning Bohemian, earthy, hippie.

Chic meaning modern, refined, and sophisticated.

All the clothes we used are from Sandra's closet. 

After defining her STYLE,

I went through EVERY item in her closet

and made sure everything in there

 passed 2 important qualifications:

1- Does the FIT flatter her new figure?

2- Does the item fit into her newly defined STYLE?

This mini makeover didn't involve any shopping.

All the items in Sandra's closet ARE hers.

We re-purposed, re-organized, and re-did her entire closet.

Now everything she has in her closet is ready-to-wear. 

We put some looks together that surprised Sandra;

brown with red,

or using a neutral gray like instead of white,

or wearing a skirt/dress instead of jeans.

Here are some of the outfits we put together.

Sandra's Staples:

Basic tanks in white, brown, gray

Strappy cotton and lace camisoles

Gauzy skirts and dresses

Denim mini skirt

Linen flowy pants

Sandra's shopping list:

Denim jacket

White jeans

Dark skinny denim

Belts, scarves, shoes, jewelry or otherwise -

Accessories!!!

Like most clients I work with,

 Sandra desperately needed to accessorize!

I brought some jewelry and accessories

from home to prove my point.

As seen in the outfits above,

the accessory can make the outfit!

Sandra had PLENTY of clothes,

she just couldn't use them effectively.

Instead of going for a shirt with a crazy pattern

 try buying a necklace and bracelet 

that can add interest to many outfits.

Spend more money on quality clothing

that you can use for years

and save money buying less expensive accessories

that you can toss out after they become out of fashion.

Here is a shot from Sandra's photo shoot,

Isn't she FAB!?!

Thanks to Sandra for trusting me

and letting me plow through your closet!

Sandra is on strict orders to stop buying clothes

 and focus on her accessories,

throw out or alter all her capri's - urg!

And, keep putting herself at the top of her list.

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!