Gay Hendricks book The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level walks you through the hidden barriers you have towards reaching your greatest success and potential.
If that quick summary doesn’t have you wanting to read more, well, I don’t know what to tell you!! What he basically tells us is that we have a hard time maintaining our happiness and success. For varying reasons, we achieve a certain level of success in an area of our lives and then our subconscious freaks out that it can’t be possible to be that happy or successful, etc. so it creates a problem that brings you back to where you started. Kind of annoying, huh? Well, if you equip yourself with the tools, you can start chipping away your Upper Limit Problem (ULP). It dawned on me that this equates very directly to women’s style and inner confidence. It’s also exactly why U*styled exists – to give you the tools to reach your greatest potential in Style, in Career, in Love and in Life. Everything you want to achieve starts with you. So, how are you holding yourself back? This is something I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting upon myself. It never fails that the only reason I haven’t achieved something I’ve wanted is because I’ve gotten in my own way. Again, that’s in Style, in Career, in Love and in Life. What I’ve noticed is that women settle for good more often than going for GREAT. This is the ULP at work in your life. What is holding you back from going for GREAT? Are you settling for the status quo? Please, tell me, I’d really love to know why you don’t think you deserve a great life in style. Time and again I observe the potential in every woman to really be GREAT. And I’ve seen the transformation time and again as I take someone through the Style process.  "A closet full of diapers and nothing to wear!" - It starts at an early age!! Instead of constantly being frustrated at her ‘closet full of clothes and nothing to wear,’ she sees the opportunities to play with new outfit options. Instead of spending 5 hours shopping for the perfect outfit for ONE occasion, she spends 5 hours shopping her closet for endless outfit options for every occasion. Instead of looking at that stunningly dressed woman and lamenting to herself ‘wow, I wish I could dress like that,’ she goes up and compliments her on her amazing shoes and said woman compliments her back on her gorgeous necklace. Are you ready to be the one people notice because of your style? What I love most about the results I’ve seen, is that breaking through a barrier in the Style area of your life often leads to breaking through barriers in other areas – yes, Love, Career and Life. Are you ready to break through your ULPs? Yesss! To your Life in STYLE! |
You are currently browsing articles tagged Style.
Tags: Big Leap, Confidence, Fashion, Personal Style, Style
Women want to be you and men want to be with you. Aren’t you lucky! You’re part of the 8% of women who actually have an hourglass body type. The rest of us are simply trying to create the illusion.
Your body is curvaceous with a full bust, defined waist and full hips. You gain weight very evenly, so you always maintain your shape.A few famous Hourglass celebs:
No empires! They hide your shape. You should look for wrap
dresses and tailored jackets. Jackets should hit at the waist or just below the bottom for the correct proportions. Otherwise, you cut off your fab figure and you want to elongate it! The same goes for sweaters – cardigans or pullovers should hit at the waist or just below the bottom. Check out where Jessica Biel’s gorgeous jacket hits (and subtly shows off her fab figure!). PS. I want her hair!
Once more, I’ll also encourage a belt. Though, for the hourglass figure, a slim belt at the waist is more flattering than a wide one. This is because you’re not trying to create a waist, you already have one!
Skirts to the knee
To avoid cutting yourself off, skirts and dresses should hit at least mid thigh. Anything else shortens your proportions and you’ll look stocky instead of curvy. No!
A skirt to the knee, a la Halle’s, perfectly accentuates your curvaceous body.
Streamline your look
When possible, avoid breaking up your figure by wearing dresses or monotone outfits. Otherwise, you have to create the streamlined look such as adding a belt at the waist to tie the top and bottom pieces of your outfit together.
A wide leg easily balances out your straight frame to give you those elusive curves. With this volume you on bottom, you want a fitted top (possibly tucked in and with a belt!) or jacket.
V-necks
Show off your bountiful bust (subtly, of course) with a v-neck. They also elongate your look to make you look nice and slim and draws attention to your perfectly proportioned curves. Avoid turtlenecks as they close you off and make you look heavier than you are because of your 
bust.
Another advantage to v-necks is that they highlight the collarbone, one of the most attractive feminine attributes. And everyone’s collarbone looks great, so it’s easy to show off and make yourself feel slim and sexy!
Flaunt your Assets
Wear clothes that fit! It sounds simple, but some women are afraid of their curves and the attention they bring. This is when you wear a tailored jacket or a shift dress that skims your body, while still showing off your curves … just not totally flaunting them. Now, when you really want to work it, something like this gorgeous LBD Kate Winslet is wearing is perfect for you. Just smile and say ‘thank you’ to every compliment you get!
Tags: Celebrity Style, Dressing for your Body Type, Fashion, Fashion Expert, Hourglass Body Type, Personal Style, personal stylist, Personal Stylist Los Angeles, Style
| BY CATHERINE CASSIDY
Last week I introduced the various body types and offered some quick tips to get you started dressing your best for your body type. This week starts the series of going into more depth for each body type. PEAR is the most appropriate to start with as it’s the most common body type for women. Your body is fuller at the hips and rear, and smaller on top with a defined waist. A couple of celebs FAMOUS for their PEAR shaped curves …   Some keys to their success: Dressing in Proportions (Notice how Beyonce has a shoulder detail on her dress, this is how she adds weight to the top and effectively creates an hourglass shape.) Think pencil skirt with a feminine blouse on top that nips in at the waist – either by being tucked in, by adding a belt or having waist of its own. Wearing Darker Colors on Bottom Bonus tip: NOT that you want to eliminate your curves, but you might want to control them a bit! So, try this amazing underwear from Sarah Blakely of SPANXfame: ASSETS. Perfect for streamlining your shape under a dress or skirt that’s showing off your curves!
Go A-Line Try Pants of ALL Kinds!
Add a Wide Belt
 Put a wide belt (as opposed to a skinny belt) over a shift dress and/or cardigan or jacket to add a little bit of bulk to your top half while playing up your curves. This is an incredibly feminine and sophisticated look! And you’re off! I challenge you today to look into your closet to find some of these items and put them together for yourself. AND WORK IT! Own your curves! If you want to attract wealth, success, love, happiness, etc. into your life … you have to walk the walk as well as talk the talk! In other words, you’ve got to LOOK the part of wealth, success, love and happiness!! To your STYLED life! |
Tags: Brand Image, Business branding, Dressing for your Body Type, Fashion, Pear Body Type. Pear Body Shape, Personal Style, Personal Styling Los Angeles, personal stylist, Style
A Guide to Loving the One You’re WITH!
This fabulous picture to the right is my best friend and I in
our high school lacrosse uniforms (yes, as much as I love clothes, I do love sports as well!). This is relevant because I still distinctly remember the first time I tried on my kilt and how I felt.
I literally cried.
I was SO upset because it made my butt look big.
Now, to put this into context, I was wearing a size 4-6 at that time of my life (at 5′6″), which is by no means anything to be upset about!
So, really I had nothing to be upset about. I was healthy and fit and had a great shape. Yet, all I could focus on was my butt and how it looked in the kilt.
Fast forward to more than 10 years later and I’m just now loving my body and my shape. Seriously, it’s really just in the last year that I’ve stopped obsessing over my weight, what I ate for the day and getting in a workout.
It probably didn’t help working in the corporate world of Fashion where I pretty much ignored some of the trends (try stuffing my curves into skinny jeans? ha!).
Though, it was ignoring those trends and re-working them to fit my style and my body type that ultimately led me to an acceptance of my curves.
This is a quick guide to help you identify your body type with a few overarching tips for dressing your best. Each week, I will go into further detail for each body type with examples and new ideas.
In no time, you’ll be dressing your absolute best!
Pear
Your body is fuller at the hips and rear, and smaller on top.Wear darker colors on bottom and draw attention to your slimmer top half. Try dresses with fitted open-neck or strapless tops enhance your upper body and draw the eye up, while full or A-line skirts help hide wider hips.
Apple
Your body has it’s narrowest point above the natural waist, at the ribs.Bring the focus up to your collarbone and rib cage by adding neck details. Take advantage of the fuller blouse trend to draw the eye up, taking attention away from the middle and allowing a looser fit. Full skirts and A-line styles create an hourglass illusion.
Straight
Your body has little definition between bust, waist and hip measurements.Create curves by adding a belt over a sweater or flowing top. Fitted sheath dresses play up your lines, while babydolls and A-line styles will also help create some curves. Look for jackets, sweaters and dresses that have details that create curves and interest.
Hourglass
Your body is curvaceous, with full bust, defined waist and full hips.Work the curves in clothes that fit. An advantage to this shape is that no matter your size, hourglass can work it! Wear those belts and fitted tops. Choose clothes that skim your curves rather than hug them too tight. Wraps, knits and dresses with fitted waists enhance your classically feminie form. Look for adjustible-waist styles for the best fi
Full Bust
Your bust measurement is fuller than hips and rear.Do not add bulk to try and hide it! And definitely do not wear anything high-necked. That just accentuates your bust. U-necks, V-necks and halters draw the eye dowward for a slimming effect. A-line styles, full skirts and details at the hem help balance out the bottom half.
Tags: Body Image, Body Type, Confidence, Fashion, Personal Brand, Personal Shopping, Personal Style, Personal Stylist Los Angeles, Self Esteem, Self Love, Style
Building a Wardrobe You Love
1) Asses the Situation
Go into your closet and think about what you love about it and what you never really feel comfortable in. Are there colors that you gravitate towards? Designers? Items you wear ALL the time? Others you NEVER wear?
Start mixing and matching and trying to put things together in fresh and new ways. No, I mean really new. Don’t be afraid to create new color combos, mix prints or fabrics, or play with shapes.
Are there any trends that you’ve been seeing in the magazines? Try to look at your pieces in new ways. Could you possibly create the boyfriend blazer look with an age-appropriate black cardigan? Alter an old blouse that’s now too big to create something more tailored?
While assessing your situation, consider your job and lifestyle as well as the image you want to project.
Now that you know what you have, consider what you really want from your wardrobe …
2) Look for Inspiration
Look back to old movies and movies stars for style guidance and inspiration for looks that last. Remember, fashion is cyclical. This is not the first time we’ve seen skinny jeans and mini-skirts!
Again, what works for you? How can you interpret for yourself? What is the image you want to project?
Also, look to current public figures for style guidance for what’s more current.
Start to look through fashion magazines with the intention of defining your style. You’d be surprised at how certain looks and colors speak to you. Start tearing these out to refer back to. And why not create a vision board? Or, add a style section to your current board. Style is as much a part of yourself and your vision for yourself as is your career aspirations. In fact, they tend to go hand in hand.
3) Invest in Classics
There are certain wardrobe basics that simply won’t go out of style and are worth investing in. If you can find these on sale (it does happen!), even better.
For instance, that LBD (or it could be your signature color version of an LBD) that looks amazing on you will always be appropriate. Or a great black suit. Definitely those perfect black slacks and a crisp white blouse. Oh, and amazing costume jewelry. If it’s inherited from a stylish relative, even better!
Once more, consider your lifestyle and needs. What are your Classics?
4) Update, but know when to Spend
Again, keeping it appropriate to your lifestyle but I’ve found that buying a few new pieces a season gets you reinvigorated to play with your style. Especially if you can find 5 new ways to wear it!
Also, there are some things that never go on sale and some that will always. It helps to have the help of an expert (whether a stylist or a salesperson) who can guide you.
My rule of thumb is that most contemporary (like BCBG, Nanette Lepore, Trina Turk, etc.) or chain brand items (Banana, Gap, J Crew) will go on sale, while higher end designers (price point of $600 and above) won’t. This is basically due to units produced. Higher end designers usually have much more limited production runs and their items tend to be more unique, so there isn’t a need for them to go on sale. It’s luck of the draw for these items to go on sale, but it does happen … you just have to be savvy!
5) Forget about SIZE
Seriously. It pretty much means nothing. If you buy designer you’re probably going to go up at least a size, if not two. If you buy American or Chain, you’ll probably go down a size. It’s all a mental play and I don’t want you to buy into it.
What you DO need to buy into is what looks AMAZING on you.
Seriously, I was just helping someone who was wearing a size 12, yet everyone who saw her trying on the dress was just taken aback by how stunning she looked.
Why?
Because she was rocking the body she had in a size that fit her well.
Enough said.
6) PLAY with Clothes!
Again, just make it fun. Fashion shouldn’t be so serious.
The only thing serious about it is the power that great style has to transform our inner confidence.
So, don’t be afraid to try new things. Take risks! Some may work, some might not. Either way, you’re getting closer to your TRUE style and having fun.
And please be sure to inject color. It’s such an easy mood enhancer. If you’re feeling down or tired in the morning, you need a bit of green, purple, red, or pink in your life for the day. Please! Add color! Have fun! Play!
Tags: Closet Cleaning, closet makeover, Fashion Tips. Fashion, Personal Styling, personal stylist, Secrets of Six Figure Women, Sex and the City, Style, Style Makeover, Successful Women
|
BY CATHERINE CASSIDY
It’s the time of year where we all have a party of some sort to attend practically every other night (or so it seems). This makes the all important question ‘what do I wear?’ even more pressing (and possibly frustrating). To ease the pain, these tips should guide you through the trends while maximizing what you already have in your closet. The Trends:
Interpreting Them for YOU You can play it up or tone it down, depending on your preferences, style and the occasion. A sparkly top can make an otherwise basic blazer or cardigan pop a little bit which is perfect for the office holiday party. Even the sequin blazers in a dark, neutral color adds just a bit of pizzazz that you can either style with a classic touch or play it trendy by pairing it with a party skirt. And before you go out to buy a new piece of fur (or faux), dig around your closet (or your mom’s or grandma’s) because I’m sure there is some fur you can borrow. Fur for the holidays is about adding a bit of glam. And, of course, if you’re not in southern California, it’s meant to be functional as well! If you don’t have this in your closet, there are plenty of inexpensive options such as H&M and Topshop that will allow you to buy into the trend. Since this is a showstopper piece, it’s important that the rest of your outfit is relatively understated and complimentary. Keep it pretty much tonal, but definitely add some cool accessories. If you are looking for something classic, then there are some great jacket options that will carry you through future seasons as well. Look for a color that compliments your skin tone (or the always flattering leopard) and a fit that doesn’t hide your shape. Again, you would keep the rest of your outfit pretty basic. Another easy way to play with this trend (and hit another ongoing trend) is with an embellished headband. Always an fun way to play with your hair, this also adds another element to your outfit. Headbands aren’t just about getting your hair out of your face any more, they’re just as much another accessory as your purse is! Lace
What I love about the lace trend is that it’s really accessible for any age. And it’s so subtly sexy! (Another preference of mine – never overt, always subtly sexy!) Party Skirts And you can incorporate some tights into the look (why not in a bright color?) to downplay a short skirt and make it subtly sexy (there it is again!). Check your closet for something from a previous year that you can re-purpose for your new party skirt. Otherwise, this is a trend I would suggest you buy into because you can always find a use for a great party skirt! Bright Colors
If you’re still nervous about adding color or playing with color combos, I suggest dipping your toes into the idea by adding coor through accessories. Shoes, clutches, necklaces, earrings, etc. make for great ways to add color and play. Oh! An outfit idea! How about that LBD you have in your closet? What if we add a bright cardigan and nip that in with a shiny belt at the waist to be sure we maintain the structure and shape of the dress? It’s SO important to be true to your curves and not hide them! And now we’ve hit on a few trends with one outfit you already had in your closet! A Fashion Success! My final suggestion to you with your holiday style: take some time to play in your closet. Have fun trying new things! Take pictures and plan ahead. One less thing to worry about this holiday season! |
And, we’ve been seeing it for two years now. The tones have changed a bit over the season, but for the most part it’s been variations on the jewel tones that first entered stores in Fall of ‘08. So, you should definitely have some color in your wardrobe you can incorporate into your party outfits!
Tags: entertaining, Fashion Trends, Holiday Fashion, Holiday Party, Holiday Style, Holidays, Personal Style, personal stylist, Style, Trends
I’m often asked ‘what is the process of working with you as a personal stylist?’ Many women I meet haven’t ever thought working with a stylist was within the realm of possibility, so I’m really happy to make it approachable and fun!
Another SHOULD ask question: How can you SAVE me money? Many women feel that stylists will just take you out shopping for new clothes. Of course, this is part of the process, but I don’t believe it’s the only way to work with a stylist. The point of working with a stylist is your PERSONAL style … which always starts with what you already have.
How I can SAVE you money:
Tags: clothes, Fashion, Lifestyle, personal shopper, Personal Shopping, Personal Style, personal stylist, Saving Money, shopping, Style, working with a stylist
|
BY CATHERINE CASSIDY
I’ve never been one to waste. ‘Waste not, want not’ was a common phrase I’d hear growing up. So, I’d clean my plate at dinner, enjoyed leftovers at any meal, saved my money for trips abroad instead of knick-knacks from the department store, etc. This has absolutely carried over to my wardrobe. I rarely buy something I don’t love. I know exactly what I need to update my wardrobe. And, when I buy something new, I have my wardrobe inventoried in my head through which I sort to brainstorm an outfit (and a reason to buy). (Yes, this is why I’m good at what I do for you!) Of course, this carries over to my accessories. I’ve mentioned before that buying a few key accessories is the best budget-friendly way to update your wardrobe (and complete your look). Whether you have a lot of costume jewelry or a lot of fine jewelry (or both), if you’re not wearing it your wasting money. The number one reason you don’t wear it? You can’t see it! So, you forget you have it! Solution: Incorporate your fabulous jewelry into the decor of your bedroom. For your necklaces, try a vintage coat rack. Or, simply nail small nails scattered along your wall and hang your colorful necklaces.
Now, just wait for all the compliments to come! |
For your bracelets and rings, try a cake stand. Or, if you don’t want as much height, you could even use a leather/colored valet.
Tags: Accessories, Fashion, Jewelry, Lifestyle, Saving Money, Smart Money, Style, Styling
As women, we believe we can do it all.
AND WE CAN!
Though, it’s important to remember that we do need to ask for help sometimes. And we should! This way, we can be sure to have enough time to spend doing the things that make us happiest, whether it’s time with family, friends, exercising, etc.
In honor of Mother’s day … do something for yourself!
To give you an idea of how enlisting the help of someone else can make all the difference, take it from Jessica. She’s already fabulous, but now she’s showing the world she’s fabulous in style …
“I recently had the wonderful opportunity to work with Catherine Cassidy of LIFE*styled. I almost embarrassingly admit that, although I love color and design, I am a little clueless when it comes to awesome style and fashion. With a whole hearts and lots of laughter, Catherine and I tore through my entire wardrobe and found the pieces that made me look as good as I feel on the inside! We got rid of all the items that were not flattering or needed to be updated. Then, she completely styled everything I had from clothes to shoes to accessories. I now have that polished look I have been longing for and didn’t even have to buy one new item!! She even gave me a list of basics that can maximize my wardrobe and suggested places/brands I should shop to fit my style and needs. It was an inspiring, fun and very uplifting experience! I cannot recommend her enough!”
Learn more about Jessica at her website: http://www.designkrew.com
Tags: Fashion, Mother's Day, Style, Testimonial