Top 10 Items Every Woman Needs (In Her Closet)

by Liz Finkelstein | May 4, 2016 | Fashion, Most Popular Posts

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1. Great Jeans–The Mile High Style aesthetic depends on jeans as the backbone to any great outfit. Invest in the holy trinity of denim: Cigarette, Skinny and Boyfriend.

2. Motorcycle Jacket–The motorcycle jacket epitomizes edgy style. Thanks to American minimalist designer Rick Owens, the silhouette has become increasingly form fitting and feminine, although the classic boxy cut still has its appeal. I love pairing it with a pencil skirt for a strong and sexy femininity.

3. Navy Blue–Navy blue is black’s cooler cousin; less predictable and expected but just as versatile, navy looks good on everyone. And yes, you can wear navy and black together.

4. Booties–Hardly the flash in the pan that some predicted, booties have staying power. Of all shoe styles, they are my hands down favorite for their bang-for-your-buck value in price, versatility, and style. Half the price of boots, more comfortable and durable than high heels, they are a perfect hybrid.

5. Statement Jewelry- No outfit is complete without impactful jewelry. Smaller, delicate pieces are lovely (especially when layered) but they don’t pack the same punch as a cuff, cocktail ring or large necklace. For women over 50, as your wardrobe becomes more about impeccable basics, statement jewelry is more important than ever.

6. Stripes– Despite fashion editorials advising (at least once a year) that ‘they’re back’, stripes never left. I love them because their inherent preppy style provides a perfect contrast with other looks, like a boyfriend jean or statement necklace.

7. Blazer– A blazer is the ideal 3rd piece for any outfit. Accessorize it with a cool brooch, contrast it with an edgy shoe, pair with jeans or over a dress. Versatile, timeless, perfect.

8. White Button Down/T-Shirt/Tank Top– If Merriam’s made a fashion dictionary, under ‘classic’ you’d surely find the white button down. A perfect basic, it’s the canvas for an outfit, and the showcase for your best jewelry. It goes with everything, looks good on everyone, and is appropriate for every season. During the Spring + Summer months, roll sleeves twice or sub in a t-shirt or tank top.

9. Clutch– While it’s not the only style of bag appropriate for nighttime, the clutch will always be a top option to finish off your dressier looks. For cocktail and formal attire, it’s a non-negotiable.

10. Big Girl Bag– I speak often and passionately of the necessity of investing in a high-end handbag: it’s the finishing touch to a fabulous outfit, the make or break detail. With luxury consignment sites like ‘Tradesy‘, ‘TheRealReal‘, and ‘Portero‘ (among many many others) and local boutiques like Common Threads, owning one is more affordable than ever.

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Derby Style with Boulder Lifestyle Magazine

by Liz Finkelstein | Apr 15, 2016 | Fashion

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One of the most anticipated events of the season is almost here; Boulder Lifestyle Magazine throws the best Kentucky Derby party in town (click here to buy your tickets!) and in preparation, I’ve put together a guide for how to dress for the day. Surprisingly, this won’t be a nod to traditional Derby fashion with frilly frocks and fabulous hats but rather a call for practicality and indulgence, which means: buy a fabulous dress you can (and will) wear again!

In the past 6 years of working with personal styling clients, it’s clear that most Boulder women don’t have a dress for every occasion. The perfect yoga pants? Check! The activewear that can go from a workout to dinner? Check! A dress for a Spring/Summer wedding or a school fundraiser party or a Mother’s Day brunch? Maybe not… The May 7th party is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to the dress you want, deserve, and will repeat.

Willow: Boulder’s premiere boutique for modern sophistication, Willow carries Rachel Zoe, Halston Heritage, and new line Elliatt. Their racks are currently brimming with beautiful dresses by these top designers. Complete your outfit with a clutch by Claire V.

Christina’s: Known mainly for what goes underneath the dress, Christina’s Luxuries (in addition to the best undergarments in town) carries many fantastic fashion lines. Their Nicole Miller collection fits many different body types and will look as stylish and appropriate today as it will in 5 years.

Chelsea: One of Boulder’s oldest and most storied boutiques, Chelsea’s aesthetic is classically feminine. Lines like Plenty by Tracey Reese, Theory and Calypso St. Barth offer numerous options for dresses or, more boldly, jumpsuits and rompers! Make sure you finish off your outfit with jewelry by Denver designer Christy Lea Payne!

Common Threads: At Boulder’s best consignment boutique, when you score, you score BIG. If you’re shopping on a budget, J.Crew, Banana Republic and other big brands are available in near perfect condition for a fraction of the retail price. Those looking for top designers will score even bigger; I’ll be wearing the navy blue stretch wool Lanvin cocktail dress I found there for $250 when it retailed for well over $1000.

Giddy Up!

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5 Biggest Style Mistakes Women Make

by Liz Finkelstein | Mar 22, 2016 | Fashion, Most Popular Posts

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Despite numerous requests for this post, I’ve been hesitant. I don’t like to frame my advice in the negative; I’d much rather compose a piece on the 15 items every woman needs in her closet, or the 5 nonmaterial ways to improve your style. I think you always get with more with the carrot than the stick. Also? Where to even begin! Per a recent Facebook poll, my friends contributed a long list of legitimate faux-pas, so while there are many ways in which well-intentioned women are set astray, I think my list (while certainly neither exhaustive nor definitive) covers the most common (and maybe not-so-obvious) ground.

No accessories– A pair of blue skinny jeans + a black v-neck cashmere sweater + gold ballet flats = clothes. Add a red lip + a killer ring from Goldyn + a tie-dye Chan Luu scarf– now you have an outfit. Accessories can be anything from jewelry to makeup and nail color, to a hat, scarf, or pin, and you need one or two to transform your clothing into an outfit.

Bad shoes– Ladies, nothing kills an otherwise great outfit like bad shoes, and the damage they do is so profound it’s hard to adequately quantify. Picture bad seafood. Picture inappropriate public displays of affection. Bad shoes have a stop you in your tracks effect. So what qualifies shoes to be this bad? Cheap + chunk. Shoes featuring cheap leather and hardware and those with big, black, rubbery chunky soles will kill any style mojo you otherwise have.

Outerwear– You bought the perfect cocktail dress for an upcoming party and, this time, you even splurged on a beautiful pair of heels to go with it. You have great jewelry laid out, hair is done, you’re even trying a bold lip color! As you dash out the door, you grab your puffy Patagonia coat- it’s not like you’ll be wearing it inside the party so who cares right? WRONG. If you’re going to commit to style and make the effort to put together a great outfit, you simply must follow through with the whole outfit, and that includes a proper coat.

Defensive dressing– There is a fine line between making smart and practical fashion choices meant to flatter your complexion and shape with being a prisoner to those choices. As I’ve said many times before, do certain colors look best on certain complexions? YES. Should you then exclusively wear only those shades to the exclusion of everything else? NO. If you can’t relax a little into your style, I’m sorry to tell you, it will never be very good.

Mannequin shopping– Do you ever notice that boutique mannequins are all roughly the same size and shape? 6′, a size 4 with 34-25-35 measurements*. Are you? I’m certainly not. Stores do a fabulous job of making their merchandise look good on the ‘ideal’ body for fashion, and while it’s great to be inspired by the looks they create, it should be just that: inspiration. Great style takes pieces from everywhere: a top from Chelsea, jeans from Willow, shoes from Common Threads, your mother’s necklace, a hat you bought while visiting San Francisco… No mannequin can or should compare.

*The standard measurements.

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How To Wear High Heels

by Liz Finkelstein | Mar 12, 2016 | Fashion

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Part of what I love about my job is the amount of teaching I get to do. A client will know more after working with me, which is very gratifying. One area of instruction that is de rigueur involves heels, specifically ‘how the hell am I supposed to wear these??’ Below are my 5 talking points on how to wear high heels, whether you’re a total novice or simply out of practice.

Confirm your size- I can’t even guess the number of clients who thought they were one size but were really another. Or who required a wide shoe and had no idea. Have you given birth? Chances are your feet changed size. Take a few minutes to visit a local cobbler and measure both feet!

Platform- The trick to wearing high heels comfortably is to find the ones with a small platform (1/4-1″) built into the base of the shoe (corresponding to the ball of your foot). It not only minimizes the effect of the heel height, it absorbs much of the shock when your feet pound the pavement. The good news is that nearly all the top designers (perhaps save for Manolo Blahnik) feature a few platform styles (Prada specifically does this very well), so you shouldn’t have to sacrifice looks for comfort.*

Heel style- A stiletto heel (pictured above) is the hardest to walk in and wear comfortably. Ditto an ankle-strap. If you know you are inexperienced in the world of heels, I would recommend scrubbing the stiletto completely. Instead, look for a thicker heel (pictured below). If you can find one with a small platform like these from Stuart Weitzman, you’re in good shape.

Practice- We’ve all seen that girl; most of us have been that girl, the one stumbling around, taking clunky, awkward steps where the shoes are wearing us, not the other way around. To successfully walk in heels, it’s simple: you must practice. What does that look like? Walk around your house for an hour doing your work, or laundry or cooking dinner- do this every day/other day until it feels more natural and comfortable. Focus on balance, keeping your leg muscles tight and constricting your core. It’s not rocket science, but don’t expect your shoes to do all the work; your body needs to help.

Expectations- This is simple: high heels will never feel like flats, not even with all the ‘Nike Air technology’ in the world. If you’re wearing them, you’re simply going to have to accept this fact and be ok with walking less, sitting more, driving farther. You’re going to have to pull up your big girl panties, stop complaining, and accept that you’re trading the comfort of your flats for a few short hours and that this trade is worth it!

*A word of caution with the platforms: be discerning! About 3 years ago, platforms trended with an exaggerated style, a look that closely resembled stripper heels. This look is still available among many of the top designers and it’s definitely not one I’d recommend.

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‘What Do You Call An Interior Designer Who Doesn’t Finish On Time…?’

by Liz Finkelstein | Jan 30, 2016 | Interior Design

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‘What do you call an interior designer who doesn’t finish on time, doesn’t do what you ask, and overcharges? Common.’

Jokes about interior designers may not be quite as common as those mocking lawyers or priests, but the cliches targeting our industry endure. We have to fight the mis-perception that we’re money pits- making clients buy things they don’t need, spending too much on what they do, and overcharging for the work. While I wish my industry only attracted the best + brightest, this is sadly not the case, but unlike most other industries, this work is not regulated; anyone can claim to be a ‘designer’, ‘decorator’ or ‘stylist’ and, with the exception of Yelp and other online bitch-pits*, face little to no repercussions.

I certainly am not the only competent design professional, far from it. There are many talented and highly ethical designers in our metro area that I would and do refer business to. However, in an effort to protect you from hiring the wrong ones, and experiencing the pitfalls of our unregulated industry, I’ve put together the top 3 matters to address with anyone you hire.

Photos– This is becoming more and more important as the use of stock photos increases. It’s too easy to download photos from the internet, put them on your website, and (by not crediting their origin), suggest the work is yours. It’s hugely unethical, a violation of intellectual property rights, and sadly, happens all the time. When interviewing a design professional, ask to see a portfolio (either online or hard copy) of their work- this is the best indication of the look, style and talent they’ll be bringing to your home.

Fee– You have a right to know what they are charging for, how much that is, and any arrangements they have with stores, vendors, and contractors. Many skim a reasonable percentage off the top (10-15%), many will outright rob you. Transparency is so important and any professional who doesn’t want, or isn’t willing to have an open and honest discussion with you regarding these practices is not someone I’d recommend working with.

Referrals– As you’d do for any other service provider, try to speak to people who have worked with them. Unfortunately, anything appearing on a website can be, flat out, made up, so while I think testimonials are wonderful, there’s no proof they’re true.

*Sites like Yelp seem less and less helpful and more and more a catalogue of everyone’s rants because they received bad service one time. Fun fact about Yelp? Once you register your business with them? You can never take it off.

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