Category Archives: tips and tricks

Determining Your Color Palate Part Two

Posted in beauty, how to, know what color to wear, personal style, tips and tricks by

Last week, we talked about several tests you can take to help yourself determine if your skin tone is warm or cool. This week, we will take that knowledge and discover what season (Winter, Summer, Autumn, or Spring) bests suits you.

If you are a cool, you will either be a Winter or a Summer. Conversely, if you are a warm, you will either be an Autumn or a Spring. The main determiner to tell which category you fall into is whether you are a light or a deep. This is pretty easy in comparison to the warm or cool portion. Simply put, if your hair is light, you are a light and if you hair is deep, you are a deep. According to Color Me Beautiful, blonde, light brown, and light red hair fall into the light category while brunette, dark red, or black fall into the deep category.

Once you think you have your category figured out, take this test to confirm:

WINTER: Cool and Deep

Hair: black with no red highlights; brown black and blue black; medium or dark brown hair with ash highlights; silver or grey

Eyes: deep and dark like black, dark brown, cool hazel with blue or green, and grey blue eyes.

There are many websites that offer color palates, but some key colors for this season are: white, silver grey, charcoal, navy, icy pink, hot pink, cranberry, fuchsia, true red, raspberry, burgundy, lemon yellow, emerald green, turquoise, teal, pine, royal blue, periwinkle, purple, and silver.

SUMMER: Cool and Light

Hair: grey, brown or blonde with ash highlights

Eyes: blue, green, grey blue, aqua

Key colors for this season are: soft white, grey, light navy, rose, soft fuchsia, raspberry, blue red, watermelon, light lemon, mint, powder blue, aqua, soft teal, periwinkle, cadet blue, amethyst, spruce.

AUTUMN: Warm and Deep

Hair: copper, red, chestnut brown, dark warm brown.

Eyes: dark brown, golden brown, green, amber. Most Autumns have a brown, warm hazel or green eyes.

Key colors: ivory, cream, taupe, turquoise, camel. khaki, mahogany, coffee brown, dark brown, olive, peach, salmon, tomato red, rust, marigold, mustard, lime, moss, forest green, teal, purple, gold, coral, pumpkin, jade.

SPRING: Warm and Light

Hair: golden blonde, strawberry blonde, copper, champagne, beige blond

Eyes: blue, green or aqua, warm amber, warm hazel turquoise.

Key Colors: ivory, cream, camel, peach, coral, mango, salmon, yellow gold, light moss, blue green, teal, light navy, clear red, navy, violet, lime green, gold.

“Remember too that you can find your palate in nature”

Color Me Beautiful, 52

Color Me Beautiful offers this primer that I found helpful:

Winter = Snowflake (vivid, clear, primary, icy colors with BLUE undertones)

Summer=Sea & Sky (soft colors in the sky and sea with BLUE undertones)

Autumn= October Leaves (crisp and resembling the colors in fall leaves with GOLD undertones

Spring = Daffodill (clear delicate colors with GOLD undertones.

To see examples of the colors in each of these seasons, watch my Wednesday Wardrobing Video on Facebook or YouTube. Tune in next week to talk about makeup and choosing the right color for your skin.

Style Trends For Spring 2023

Posted in fashion trends, how to, tips and tricks, trends, Trendy at any age, What to wear, women's clothing tips by

Ah S P R I N G…..I can hardly wait. I know we in Wyoming are not alone in this, but can I just say that this winter has been epic? Here in the mountain west, we are used to snow, but this season has given us multiple SNOWMAGEDDON storms. Frankly, we are all worn out! Within less than twenty days, we had two storms that dumped over 12 inches of snow each. The most recent one was followed by a day of -30 degrees! Ugh. Spring can’t come fast enough!

Thus, it is with great pleasure that I present this Spring Trend Report which I prepared for my upcoming trip to the apparel markets in Las Vegas. One thing you should know about my trend reports is that my goal is not to produce an exhaustive summary of all the trends. Instead, my goal is to pick and choose from among the trends and report on the ones I think a woman 45 and over might actually wear.

So, here goes…

Last week, I reported on the important color trends of the season. You can read that blog post to get a detailed description of the colors. For now, however, here is a picture of the most important ones:

Now, let’s dig into the style trends:

Styled Up Denim: One trend report I read called this trend the “not so basic denim” trend (Vogue). Our favorite staple (denim) is getting some face lifts this season with elements like denim ties, gathered waists, and patches of different colored denim. There is a portion of this trend that is nodding towards edgy alternative styles like ripped fabrics and bleached denim, but there are also upscale denim looks like beautiful long denim maxi skirts and denim dresses.

Chic and Tailored: As a store that caters to working women, I always love when tailored is in style. Plan on seeing lots of blazers with blouses. Whether it is a crisp white cotton blouse or a silky Fiery Red blouse, tailored will be a strong trend this season. The look is to pair blazers with blouses and high waisted, wider legged trouser pants. I also saw pictures of shift dresses with jackets. The twist on the season will be to see these looks in bold colors like the Beetroot Purple from above or Love Bird, which is a classic lime and the strongest color of the season.

Frayed and Fringe: If it swishes, it’s trendy this season. Look for fringe detailing on vests, jackets and dresses. We will continue to see jeans with raw edge hemlines or frayed edges.

Sheer, Cut Outs, and Crochet: All of these trends are about exposing skin as part of your style. Look for romance here and don’t be surprised to see embroidered sheer fabrics. Additionally, the new “cropped top” is one with cut outs that reveal a portion of your midriff.

Flounce and Feminine: Look for ruffles to continue this season. This trend is all about creating movement. Again, it is all about the swish on tops, skirts and dresses. And, according to The Boutique Hub, drop-waist skirts are on the rise again. Also look for rushed elements and silky fabrics.

Maxi everything: I have already mentioned the importance of denim maxi skirts, but also look for maxi skirts in other fabrics and maxi dresses as well.

If you’d like to see some examples of these trends, please tune into my Wednesday Night Wardrobing Live Video tonight at 6 p.m. MST. Or, you can catch me on YouTube.

Closet Clean-Out Challenge 2023: Step One

Posted in closet clean out, how to, tips and tricks by

It’s a New Year.  How about a New You? With a year full of possibilities ahead, why not shake off that dead weight? I don’t know about you, cleaning out the old and bringing in the new feels like a great way to start the year.  That’s why I am doing a Closet Clean-Out Challenge.

Best yet, this year I am incentivizing you not only to START but also to FINISH this process by offering a $250 gift card to one lucky winner! To get entered to win this amazing prize, you will need to join the challenge. You can do that here: https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/pages/closet-clean-out-challenge-2023. The sign up deadline is this Saturday, January 7, 2023. Next, you will need to watch all four videos, complete the steps and post pictures of your progress. That’s it!

Are you ready? Read on…

There is something about getting organized that is so refreshing.  Shedding clutter makes me feel lighter, what about you? One of the most important places to get organized is in your closet.  We all know the frustration of searching for an outfit in the morning and pulling out item after item that is worn out, too big, too small or out dated.  Ugh.

I have a four-step system that I use every year in my own closet that is very effective in weeding out the items that I don’t wear and identifying items that require a match or another item to make them work more efficiently in my wardrobe.  I also find that when I take the time to apply these four simple steps, when I am finished, I can clearly see what I have and what I need.  Suddenly, I see new outfit options that I hadn’t noticed before because everything is organized in a way that makes sense.

This blog post is the first in a series of four Closet Clean-Out tutorials that will take you through this process, and hopefully, have you feeling lighter and de-cluttered as well as excited about your closet and shopping opportunities again.  I’ll be recording a video of today’s blog post during my weekly Wednesday Night Wardrobing Live Video broadcast within our VIP Facebook Group, Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas. You can watch that video live or watch the replay here.

So let’s dig in.

First, do me and yourself a favor.  As you complete the following steps, if you come across an item that you KNOW you will never wear again, pull it out now.  Don’t get bogged down yet in trying to decide about those scared cows…you know, the things you just can’t seem to let go of even though you haven’t worn them in 3 years.  We will deal with those in our next video.

Now, down to business.  The first step is to organize your closet by type.  First, separate your tops from your bottoms.  Put dresses in a separate section.  Now, organize your tops by sleeve length – short, ¾ and long.  Next, separate your tops by type.  Within the sleeve length grouping, separate the collared blouses from the pull overs.  If you have more than one season in the same closet, also separate summer from winter within each of the groups.  When you are finished, you should have your sleeveless tops grouped together.  Next should come your short sleeve tops and then your long sleeved tops, summer together and winter together.

Now do the same thing with your bottoms. Start with shorts and move to capris, ankle pants and long pants.  Then, within each group, separate by fabric.  Put your denim together, cottons together, slacks together, etc.  Then tackle your skirts, and organize them from shortest to longest.

I bet you feel lighter already! One more step! Now, within each group, organize them by color using the acronym ROYGBIV.  This stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  Group like colors together.  For example, your pink tops will go next to the reds and your turquoise tops will go next to green or blue, depending on what hue the turquoise is.  Put your black, white and brown at the end.  Group your ivory and cream after white.  Next come the tans and browns.  Last, put your greys after the blacks.

Now, go have a glass of wine! You did it!

You have a week to enjoy your newly organized closet.  Watch for my next blog post and video called Closet Clean Out Challenge Two: Renew and Refresh.  In these tutorials, we will take a look at what you have and figure out what you need to get rid of and what you need to keep.

To watch my weekly Wednesday Night Wardrobing live videos where I will explain in more detail each of the steps, join my Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas VIP group page on Facebook and tune in Wednesday night at 6 p.m. MST. 

Happy organizing!

Cozy Picks For Christmas Day

Posted in clothing, dressing for your age, dressing your best, how to, personal style, tips and tricks, travel, What to wear by
Grab these looks in our Kyleen’s Picks Collection.

Whether your Christmas morning has you in jammies, a comfy sweat suit or jeans and a sweater, I think we can all agree that Christmas Eve is for dressing up, and Christmas Day is for being comfortable. In my Kyleen’s Picks Collection this week, I have chosen several items that fall into each of these categories to give you some Christmas Day outfit inspiration.

Benefits of wearing jeans and a sweater: If you have to drive to a relative’s house for Christmas Day, choosing stretchy and comfy jeans, can feel like you are wearing sweat pants but look a little less athleisure. Pairing a sweater (several holiday-ish items above) with those jeans allows you to layer and also adjust to different temperatures from outside to inside. As I write this blog, it is snowing and very, very cold (-14 degrees). With those kind of temperatures, your friends and family might have a fire in the fireplace and a sweater may be too warm for inside. You are most definitely going to want it outside, however, so layering makes sense. Jeans are also easy to pair with snow boots and are usually warmer than sweat pants.

Benefits of wearing a sweat suit: Whether you have to go to someone’s house or you are staying at yours, a sweat suit is a bridge between jeans and jammies. It is comfy and warm without being as casual as your pjs. Our FDJ sweatsuit in Teal (pictured above) is a matched hoodie and jogger that are made from Egyptian Cotton, some of the softest Cotton on the planet. I also like this sweatsuit because you don’t feel bulky in it at all. You can easily pair some fuzzy socks and slippers to keep your feet warm and cozy and add a cute puffy vest over the top for an added layer.

Benefits of wearing your pjs: My family always got up and headed straight to the tree to open presents, maybe stopping at the coffee pot on the way. As a result, Christmas mornings were spent in our pajamas. We usually changed into sweat suits after the packages were unwrapped. I love pjs for Christmas, but you want to be sure they are suitable to wear in front of others. I think you will love our Hello Mello pajamas because of the tees and comfy pants that are loose fitting, very comfy, and cute as a button. You can also add one of their cozy cardigans over the top to add an extra layer of warmth. I also love our Hello Mello pajamas because if you are travelling or having to spend the night somewhere, they pack into small little bags for easy transport.

No matter which casual look you choose or even if you like to dress up for Christmas, feeling confident in what you are wearing will help you enjoy the day more. For this reason, it is a good idea to lay out your outfit before Christmas day (only 4 more days!) to be sure you have everything you need. Every item pictured above is available on our online store. Should you need us, we are open from now until Christmas Eve at 3 p.m. (FCO) and 4 p.m. (FCR). We also have free shipping from now until 12/23, so you can have it delivered to your house in time for Christmas if you are here in Casper. You can also watch my Wednesday Wardrobing live video tonight to see these options in person. Watch that video here.

From all of us here at Fashion Crossroads and FC Outlet, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

5 Tips For Choosing Your Christmas Eve Outfit

Posted in dressing your best, how to, How to wear the trends when you are over 40, personal style, tips and tricks, Trendy at any age, women's clothing tips by

Well, it is official….Christmas Eve is just 10 days away!! Have you picked your holiday look yet?

Whether your Christmas Eve festivities are casual or dressy, it is important to feel great and be comfortable, so you can enjoy your family and friends during this important holiday. As you consider what to wear, here are my 5 tips for making the most of your holiday look:

Choose clothing that can transition between events easily: Christmas Eve often means travelling between venues. Whether it is church and home or friends and family member’s houses, you will likely be in and out and maybe even transitioning between dressy (church) and casual (home) events. Layers are your friend in this situation. Choose comfy bottoms and then dress them up by layering sweaters and vests, tunics or blouses and cardigans, or blouses and blazers. Keep your outer most layer dressy so you can remove it when the casual part of your evening arrives.

Consider the weather and your accessories and outerwear: Heels and snow don’t mix very well unless you enjoy cold feet! If you are in a cold weather climate, like here in Wyoming, you are likely not going to choose a dress unless it is with tights and boots. It is just too cold and messy outside. Comfy clothes like tunics and leggings, blazers and jeans, cardigans and stretchy pants are a great choice. Shoe boots and tall boots are a savior this time of year because you just never know when you are going to run into a un-shoveled sidewalk or icy walkway. Sensible shoes will keep you dry, warm and safe.

Likewise, if you are heading to a party, you may want to get some air and take a break outside. Make sure you think through your outer wear accordingly, and for goodness sake, don’t ruin your outfit with the wrong kind of coat!! If you’ve dressed up, don’t put a puffy coat over the top of your look unless it is a dressy version.

Don’t limit yourself to certain colors: There are a lot of looks that can work for Christmas Eve, and you don’t need to be wearing red or green to look festive. White and black are always classic, and you can dress up a simple outfit with some sparkly jewelry to make it look very appropriate for a holiday look. Gold and cream are also a classic combo that can work very well. Having just a splash of red or a print that includes red and green are also good options. I even like raspberry and pink for holiday looks. I’ll be featuring some I have chosen in my weekly Wednesday Wardrobing video tonight at 6 p.m. MST. Watch for some other ideas besides what I have pictured here.

Add some sparkle: Adding a sequin tank or top can totally change your style from everyday to holiday. Consider the cream cardigan and gold sequin top pictured above, as a great example of this. A dressier handbag like the snakeskin printed leather crossbody in the first picture or the dressy clutches in several of the other pictures also add an element of class and sparkle. And, of course, sparkly jewelry is a must! This is the time to pull out your Swarovski crystals and wear them with pride!

Focus on the reason for the season: While looking and feeling beautiful is a worthy endeavor, how you look is not the ultimate point of the season. Connecting with your loved ones, celebrating life and the joy of the season, being grateful for your blessings and remembering the gift of God this season are the true things that will make your night sparkle. Set an intention to feel great in how you look and then be present as you go though your evening. Notice the lights, the tastes and smells, and enjoy!

Any of these looks can be found in my Kyleen’s Picks Collection for this week on http://www.fashioncrossroadsinc.com or in our brick and mortar store, Fashion Crossroads, in downtown Casper, Wyoming.

Hat, Glove And Scarf Trends for Winter 2022

Posted in dressing your best, fall fashion trends, Fashion, fashion, fashion trends, how to, How to wear the trends when you are over 40, personal style, tips and tricks, trends, Trendy at any age, women's clothing tips by

Old Man Winter is fully in swing here in Wyoming, and that cold wind does blow. It is most definitely hat, glove, and scarf weather. Just like you can ruin a stylish outfit with the wrong shoes or handbag, you can also ruin a stylish coat with outdated winter accessories. That’s why you’ll want to know the latest hat, glove and scarf trends so you can keep up to date.

Hat Trends:

  1. Beanies: By far the most popular hat trend is the beanie, but there are multiple types of beanies that you can choose from. Right now, you will find Pom Beanies like the one pictured above on the right that are distinguished by some type of pom on the top, slouchy beanies that have an oversized look that hangs off the top of your head, and pony tail beanies that have holes and allow for you to wear a hat with a pony tail. Whatever type you choose, make sure it coordinates with your coat, scarf and gloves. I really recommend buying your winter accessories at the same time to keep everything matched.
  2. Other popular styles of hats right now are bucket hats, wool berets, and fedoras. Bucket hats look like you are wearing a bucket upside down on your head. Berets are classically French and are usually worn to the side of your head, and fedoras are structured hats like the one pictured at the top on the left. You will also see newspaper boy hats this season which are characterized by a bill and usually a rounded top.

Glove Trends:

  1. Vegan Leather: just like the abundance of vegan leather jackets and vests that are popular this season, gloves are following suit with faux leather and suede verities. These are great because they are usually solid colors that are easy to pair with printed scarves and hats.
  2. Plaid: Similarly, the strength of plaid this season, especially in blouses and shackets, has carried over to gloves. You’ll find a variety of gloves adorned with plaid prints. Be careful, however, not to overdo the plaid as you can end up with a plaid hat, scarf and glove which might be too much unless they are designed to go together.
  3. Knits: Gloves are really following the sweater trends this season. The strongest knits in sweaters are hombre yarns, variegated yarns and cable knit styles. You’ll find knit gloves with these same elements that are essentially mini sweaters on your hands!

Scarf Trends:

  1. Cowl neck scarves: Half the sweaters in my store right now have Cowl Necks, and some even have removeable Cowl Necks, so it is no surprise that this type of a neck can also double as a great “scarf.” The best part is you don’t have to add a scarf because your sweater will do it for you.
  2. Cashmere: This style never goes out, but this season, you will see extra long cashmere scarves that you can wrap multiple times. Watch my Wednesday Wardrobing Live Video 11/30/22 to see some examples.
  3. Fringe Edged: Scarves with fringe on the edges is also popular. These can be large, oversized scarves, or smaller wool scarves.
  4. Plaid: As with gloves, plaids are very popular in scarves this season. Just remember to match a plaid to the color of your coat and don’t over do it with too many plaid elements.

That’s it…so many options to choose from. Being truly stylish means you pay attention to how everything works together not only in your outfit but in your accessories as well. Don’t ruin a great look with out of date or mismatched outerwear accessories, and don’t ruin a great coat with a hat, some gloves and a scarf that don’t look like they coordinate.

Stay warm and stylish my friends!

3 Tips To Rock Your Style For Thanksgiving

Posted in clothing, dressing your best, fall fashion trends, fashion trends, how to, How to wear the trends when you are over 40, personal style, tips and tricks by
Whether you are dressing up or keeping it casual this season, being comfortable is the name of the game!

Everybody does Thanksgiving a little differently. Some eat early in the day, some eat mid day and some wait for dinner time. No matter how your family does it, chances are, you are going to be in your Thanksgiving day outfit for several hours at the minimum and, in some cases, all day. You want to look nice but also be comfortable. We all know the miserable feeling of having eaten a Thanksgiving meal in clothes that felt just fine before you ate and that you could hardly wait to get out of after you were finished!! It is sheer torture and really hinders your ability to enjoy your family and friends. As a result, carefully considering your outfit choice for Thanksgiving is a must. In this blog post, I will share three tips to making great outfit choice and, hopefully, give you some ideas for choosing the perfect look.

Layer It Up: There are several reasons why wearing layers for Thanksgiving makes a whole lot of sense. First, if you are going to someone else’s house, layers let you adjust your temperature accordingly – too cold, keep your layer on or too hot, take it off. Similarly, a vest or jacket can be very effective in hiding an expanded stomach after the meal is finished and help you feel more comfortable. Whether you choose a vest, a longer sweater cardigan or a jacket, layering adds dimension to your look that naturally dresses it up and has many practical applications as well.

Consider the looks above. In each outfit, (with the exception of the unlayered blouse and pant), the added layer levels up the style. Imagine the sweater without the vest of the tunic without the sweater cardigan, as an example, the outfit would seem less dressy and trendy. It may be that you spend some time outside having a drink expanding the space in the home, having the extra layer is perfect for moving from indoors to outdoors easily.

Wear Holiday Colors: Whether you choose holiday reds and greens or browns and rusts, wearing colors that go with the season is a great way to make your look feel special for this special day. Because rust is such a strong color this season, you should be able to find ample options out there that will match the traditional golds, browns, and orange in Thanksgiving decorations.

Take a look at the outfits I have highlighted at the top for examples. In the top row, starting from the left, the first look combines trendy rust denim pants with a lovely cable knit sweater and copper puffy vest. The second and third look, on the other hand, focuses more on Christmas colors with a lovely Christmas red blouse and a tunic with Christmas greens. On the bottom row, the look to the left combines vintage wash jeans with a white blouse that is layered with a faux suede vest. The next is the classic dressy blouse paired with a black slack, but I have chosen a rust blouse that coordinates perfectly with Thanksgiving colors. The last look combines a trendy plaid blouse with a faux wool jacket and distressed jeans. Each look offers differing levels of dressiness but all are great examples of perfect looks for the holiday.

Wear Comfy Pants: We’ve all seen the memes about getting your “fat pants” ready or setting your scales back 10 lbs. Make no mistake, Thanksgiving is a day for over-eating. More than any other part of your outfit, the pants you choose for the day are of utmost importance. Make sure they are stretchy and comfy and will expand as necessary!

I love leggings for Thanksgiving because I sell several brands that have tummy shapers in them, and if there is ever a day where I want some extra “shaping,” that is the day! Most of our jeans also have tummy panels in them as well to help, and in both bottoms, the fabric will stretch so you are comfortable sitting or standing.

Wearing the wrong outfit to your holiday dinner can ruin the event. When you are uncomfortable, it is hard to enjoy the delicious food or the company. Being in a hurry to leave because you can’t wait to get out of your clothes robs you off precious time with your loved ones. Taking some time to think through your outfit and the requirements of your day is well worth your time an energy. Watch my live Wednesday Wardrobing video tonight at 6 p.m. MST for more outfit ideas and discussion on this topic.

Also, if you see a look you like, you can find all of these items on our online store at www.fashioncrossroadsinc.com.

3 Ways To Style A Plaid Shirt

Posted in clothing, dressing your best, fall fashion trends, how to, How to wear the trends when you are over 40, personal style, tips and tricks, trends, Trendy at any age, women's clothing tips by
HyFve Flannel Shirt In Brown: https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/products/hyfve-plaid-flannel-shirt-in-brown
New York Collection Plaid Blouse: https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/products/new-york-collection-plaid-blouse
Be Cool Plaid Blouse: https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/products/copy-of-be-cool-long-sleeve-shirt-in-mint
Be Cool Jacket: https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/products/copy-of-be-cool-cropped-jacket-in-oatmeal

Continuing my “3 Ways To Style” series, this week’s blog post is focused on new ways to style a plaid blouse. The great thing about blouses is that they are so versatile. At a bare minimum, you can always style a basic button up blouse left out, tucked in, or tied in the front. The full style potential of a blouse is not realized, however, until you begin layering. Here are my top 3 ways to layer a plaid blouse.

  1. Layer over a graphic tee and under a vest: This is a fun style and is perfect for a cold day because this style adds the extra layer of a vest for warmth that can be worn by itself or under a coat. When you are matching a tee and a plaid shirt, just be sure the colors in the tee are also in the top. For example, if your plaid shirt has black, white and pink, choose a graphic tee that is in one of those colors.
  2. Layer over a striped tee and under a jacket: Mixing stripes and plaids is a fun way to pair patterns. The same principle applies as what I described with layering with a graphic tee. Match your stripes to the colors in your plaid shirt. In my example above, a black and white striped top would be a great choice. Then, choose a coordinating jacket in a solid color to go over the top. This style can be dressed up also and made to work with your work slacks when you choose a dressier jacket or even a blazer.
  3. Layer a plaid blouse under a sweater: Showing the plaid shirt collar and tail under a coordinating solid or printed sweater is another great way to layer your top. It adds dimension and character to the sweater and also an extra layer of warmth. Layering a vest or jacket over the sweater is also a great option.

In my weekly Wednesday Wardrobing Video this week, I demonstrated each of these ideas. Watch that video here: 3 Ways To Style A Plaid Shirt

3 Ways To Style A Blazer

Posted in fall fashion trends, fashion trends, how to, How to wear the trends when you are over 40, product review, tips and tricks, Trendy at any age by

Have you ever found yourself in a style rut where you can’t seem to think outside of the box? We all have! I think this is especially true when a style that has been popular in the past has a resurgence. If you’ve worn it once before, you tend to style in your mind the way you wore it before.

I love blazers, and, as an 80’s girl, this is not my first go around with them, but what I am loving is the fresh new ways to wear them that change up the look and keep it trendy.

If you are in a blazer rut, these ideas may get you out:

  1. Style your blazer over a graphic tee: this is definitely a throw back style that is fresh and trendy again. Pair your favorite blazer over a graphic tee in a contrasting, but complimentary color or pair it over a graphic tee that compliments the colors in the blazer. For example, if you had a tweed blazer in browns, pair it over a light brown tee with gold foil lettering, or, for a splash, pair it over a mustard tee. Finish your look with jeans and tall leather boots.
  2. Style your blazer over a glitzy top. You can never go wrong with pairing opposites when you are looking for a trendy style. Try taking a sequined top or tank top and pair your blazer over the top. In the example above, take that same tweed blazer and pair it over a cream top with gold sequins. Finish your look with jeans and some brown leather shoe boots.
  3. Style your blazer under a vest and over a sweater. Layering is always a great way to style up a blazer. In this look, you treat your blazer almost as light weight outer wear. In the tweed example, pair the blazer over a light weight taupe sweater and then put a fun metallic copper puffy vest over the top. Wear some cream, brown or tan colored denim and a shoe boot to complete the look.

Of course, you also always have the traditional pairing of a blazer and a button up blouse or basic layering tank or turtle neck. These old school looks never wear out, but I hope I have inspired you to try some new looks to up your style game this fall and winter!!

To see examples of the pairings I have mentioned here, watch my live Wednesday Night Wardrobing Video for 11/2/22. Check out this and other blog posts on our website here. https://fashioncrossroadsinc.com/blogs/news/10-steps-to-being-a-smart-shopper

My 5 Top Productivity Hacks For Busy Women

Posted in how to, organization tips, tips and tricks by

If you are like me and trying to find some kind of balance between a busy career and a busy family, there are two things that you probably can’t live without – your planner/calendar and a glass of wine and hot bath. With two teenagers, one freshman and one senior, a husband with a busy career of his own, and two brick and motar stores and one online store, life can get pretty hectic. Being task oriented and a natural organizer, always feeling like I wasn’t able to get everything done that needed to get done started to wear me out. But, after three years of owning this business on my own, I have come to the conclusion that is just how I am going to feel. Every day is a choice between what is urgent (deadline driven) and what is important – needs to get done but doens’t have to be today. But, I don’t want my life to be about checking off tasks on a to do list either. There has to be balance. This is where my productivity strategies come into play and why I wanted to spend some time sharing my top 5 with you.

  1. Start with your goals and roles and let that drive your tasks. As an entrepreuner, it my job to set the vision and chart the course of where we are going as a company. As a small business owner, I am CEO, COO, CFO, CMO….you get the picture. I can become so embroiled in “to do” lists that I don’t give myself time to learn, to dream, to envision, and to plan. I am a huge fan of Franklin Covey, and one of the reasons I still carry an old fashioned paper planner is because of the Weekly Compas cards that are the cornerstone of the system. I fill out this card every Sunday when I do my weekly planning, and I do it BEFORE I make any task lists. The top of the card is all about me: what are my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual goals for the week. Then, the rest of the card is divided into roles, and I always put them in this order: Home; Wife/Mother; COO; CEO; CFO; CMO; Writer. The reason I do this is because it keeps me focused on home and family first. My career can consume me if I let it, but I still have bills to pay, a house to keep clean, laundry to wash, etc., and, more importantly, I have family members that need me to be present. Once I have focused on home and family, I move on to the different roles I have at work. As the COO, I ask myself what is the most important thing I can do as the one responsible for directing the ship. As the CEO, I ask myself what is the most important management task I have this week. As the CFO, I write down my financial tasks for the week. As the CMO, I consider what marketing tasks are essential. This way, I am controlling the task rather than letting the tasks control me.
  2. Prioritize your tasks. Have you ever checked your email, and two hours later, you are just getting to your first task on your list. Why is email such a black hole? I truly have a love/hate relationship with email because of this. One of my mentors says, “Email is just someone else’s priorities.” I think that is true, and I have noticed that if I let myself just float from task to task without a plan, I fall into email and many other wasted time black holes. Therefore, before I walk in the door or say hello to my first customer, I write out my tasks for the day, and I make sure there are not more than seven. Then, I prioritize them according to the Franklin Covey system. A is for deadline driven/urgent tasks, B is for the important/non deadline driven tasks. Each A task gets a number like A1, A2, A3 as do the B tasks. By taking the time to consider the order in which I want to accomplish my tasks, I do better at avoiding black holes.
  3. Set your intention for the day. I love The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, and use it most days. I start with daily coaching that I get through an app on my phone called Fabulous. Then I get myself centered spiritually with a bible study. Next I listen to 10 minutes of a professional development book. Right now I am almost finished with Brendan Buchard’s High Performance Habbits. I then write down my thoughts and observations in my journal. Next I do a 10 minute meditatation, usually on mindset. Last, I visualize myself going through my day (and life) enjoying my staff and my customers and my day. I visualize myself tackling my to do list with peace in my heart and not with overwhelm. I also visualize myself accomplishing my life goals. This whole process takes about an hour, but I am more than happy to give myself this time to get centered in the morning before I start my day.
  4. Check off what you accomplish. I know this is a totally type A thing to do, but it really does help me when I know I did not get everything done that needed to be done that day. If I can look at all the things I DID accomplish, it makes me feel better about never really being able to feel totally finished. Sometimes I even write things down that I did that were not on my list too. If I was not able to complete a task, I use a forward arrow which lets me know I need to add it to tomorrow’s task list. This is also very helpful because it then becomes an A task for the next day. Sometimes, my day (or week) blows up with unexpected events, and I have a lot of arrows!!
  5. Put your phone away when you get home. I work hard all day. I am the first one to get there and the last to leave. Both myself and my family deserve for me to be fully present when I am home, and I am never fully present when my phone is around. I set it on the charger, and I don’t pick it up again until the next day. This may mean that I don’t always respond to emails, texts, and customer messages, but I need to give myself this time to avoid burnout.

A few other things that I do that really help is to always plan my week on Sundays, as I have mentioned previously. This allows us as a family to get our ducks in a row, so to speak, and avoid surprises during the week. Everyone knows what is going on and what to expect. If arrangements need to be made, I make them on Sunday so we are all set for the week.

These tips work for me, and I know there are so many productivity strategies available that I haven’t mentioned, so in this week’s Wednesday Wardrobing, I am going to share these as well as chat with my live viewers about what works for them as well. You can watch that video live at 6 p.m. MST today, 10/26/22. Watch live here: https://www.facebook.com/events/497432998949397