Category: Goodwill fashion

Avoid Grey weather turning into a Grey mood

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This time of year, all we see is the cold, grey of winter. It’s easy to fall into a grey mood as we patiently (or not so patiently) wait for spring.  Here are 2 easy ideas to help you avoid the doldrums:

2020_brightsBrighten up your outfits.  When the temperatures outside fall below freezing, it seems we tend to think that means we should be dressing in dark dull colors. Liven up your dark ensembles with pops of bright colors. Things to look for at your local Goodwill Store include scarves, tank tops, belts or other layering pieces.

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Spring clean – a little early. After the holidays, my office is a disaster. Well, if I am being honest, everything in my house feels cluttered and unorganized.  We all have that room in our home that seems to accumulate all the “stuff” over the holidays. Take an afternoon and re-organize that space. Focusing on just one room isn’t as overwhelming as thinking about your entire home. Take all the extra things and duplicate items that you find and donate them to Goodwill. Keep the other rooms of your home free from clutter by not re-storing things you don’t use over the holidays.

Fall Fashion Trends – wear now and later pt. 2

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Trend Alert: Snakeskin!

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Have you noticed that snakeskin print seems to be everywhere?  Literally. EVERYWHERE?  This is a hot trend with a timeless feel. This print has been a part of fashion for many years, and the vintage pieces you’ll find at your local Goodwill store will be a new treasured piece in your wardrobe. Think of your snakeskin pieces as neutrals, and wear them with everything! Here are some ideas how to wear snakeskin now and later!

THE PANT

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A snakeskin pant is a fun alternative to jeans. Pair them with colorful blouse now.  SHOPPERS HINT: remember think of the print as a neutral. Whatever you’d wear with your favorite jeans or black trousers try with a snakeskin pant.

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When boot weather officially arrives, pair your snake print pants with your favorite cozy sweater. Maybe in the season’s ‘it’ color Sugar Almond? SHOPPERS HINT: Try a cape or poncho with the pants, or search out a fun ski style sweater in the men’s department!

THE BOOT

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For all of you fashion forward divas, try this look with your snake print boots now. Break out a basic walking short, pair it with a sweater or turtleneck to create a monochromatic look, add a little sass with the snake print boot…and you know you are going to turn heads when you leave the house! SHOPPERS HINT: Add a statement belt to the look to finish your outfit.

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When winter arrives, the same feeling of the short outfit can be a wardrobe favorite. Simply swap out the shorts for your favorite black jeans or ankle pants. SHOPPERS HINT: Goodwill is a great place to find a vintage jacket with fur trim!

We’d love to see your #dressingroomselfies showing what you found in this color at your Goodwill Store! Post your finds on social media, and use the following hashtags: #GoodwillTrends #KathyFriendStylist

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Style Makeover – Natalie

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This month, our Style Makeover is Natalie – who will be one of our models for the Little Black Dress Fashion Show on October 30, 2019 in Merrillville. The event will be held at Avalon Manor. Be sure to get your tickets NOW for the runway show, appetizers and amazing shopping!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Uwt01xQtE&w=560&h=315]

Fall Fashion Trends – wear now and later

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How to wear fashion trends Now and Later

I know the calendar says it’s Fall, but the temps outside still say it’s summer. Here are some ideas on how to wear one of our favorite fall trends now and later.

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One of the most popular colors this season is called Sugar Almond. This is a great autumnal color that you need to search for now at your local Goodwill Store.  This color looks good on just about everyone, and will definitely be a hue you’ll want to add into your wardrobe.  Think of this color as a neutral. It really looks nice with a lot of other colors. Here are some ideas on how to wear it now…and later!

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Wear this deep fall hue with colors that feel more like warm weather. TREND TIP: The colors shown above are actually from the Fall trend color palate. When worn together, they feel very warm-weather. But, when paired with dark neutrals (like Sugar Almond), they take on an autumn feel.

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This brown hue is easy to wear now and keep cool.  Find an easy light weight pant, and pair it with your favorite summer blouse or t shirt. SHOPPERS HINT: if searching for a paper bag waist pant like above, look for trousers that are in a larger size than you normally wear. The key is to have this style unstructured and slouchy.

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This color looks great with denim blue. Longer skirts are very on-trend this season, finding one in Sugar Almond and pairing it with a denim shirt will look fantastic on you! TREND TIP: Silk and satin skirts are all the rage right now. Look for this style skirt at your Goodwill Store, and don’t be afraid to try something in a different size. Make it your own with a big belt or cutting a slit in the side.

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Once the temperature outside catches up with the calendar, this rich fall color can easily work into the other bold colors of the season. TREND TIP: The darker colors above are also part of this season’s trendy color palate. Prints that have all of these colors in them will be everywhere!

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Adding a shoe or boot in this color will be your favorite go-to this season. And, yes. You can wear black and brown together! SHOPPERS TIP: Shop for basics that are high quality pieces… things you will wear for many years…and of course, pieces you can wear a number of different ways. If you can’t think of 3 different ways to wear something, it might not be a smart addition to your wardrobe.

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You will see a lot of plaid this season, and chances are you’ll see Sugar Almond in many of these prints. A cute skirt and chunky sweater is perfect for cool fall nights. SHOPPERS HINT: look in the men’s section for this color too!

We’d love to see your #dressingroomselfies showing what you found in this color at your Goodwill Store! Post your finds on social media, and use the following hashtags: #GoodwillTrends #KathyFriendStylist

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LBD Fashion Show in South Bend

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Behind the Scenes of a Fashion Show

Have you ever wondered what really happens behind the curtain of a runway fashion show? From the stage, it seems like all the lights and glitter mean the entire production is very glamorous.  Here, I give you an insight to what the weeks leading up to the show really look like.

Glamorous meals in my car as I head to the first Model call

 

Model calls throughout Michiana to choose the ladies who will be on the runway

 

Hours at my desk organizing model information and pouring over fashion magazines to find looks I want to recreate on the runway
Welcome to my car closet! Also my car kitchen…and car office.
Racks of clothes as far as the eye can see
Busy Bees working to get everything ready for the show

Behind the scenes…pulling model looks from nearly 100 racks of clothing, thousands of pieces of jewelry, hundreds of handbags and pairs of shoes.

Dozens of boxes of shoes

 

Do you like designer bags? You’ll probably see these in the show

 

And like magic, a fashion show is ready for the runway!

Winter Fashion Trends… how to wear plaid

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Mad for Plaid – how to wear plaid

Have you been shopping this season, picked up a catalog or done any online browsing for clothing and noticed plaid is a big deal in fashion trends?  Plaid everything from pants to shirts, shoes, socks, purses and home décor. Plaid is a big fashion trend this season, and the options are endless. The question really is how to wear plaid – the hot winter 2018 fashion trend!

Even if plaid isn’t a pattern you would normally wear, I am sure you will want to add something plaid into your wardrobe this season. Here are some fashion tips for how to wear plaid:

  1. What size plaid should I wear?  The size plaid should match your size.  If you are petite, choose a plaid with smaller squares. If your stature is larger you should choose a larger pattern.
  2. What color plaid should I wear? The contrast in the colors within the plaid should also match your natural contrast. Makes sense, right? In other words, look at the contrast between your hair and skin tone.  Would you say there is a big contrast (dark hair, lighter / ivory skin tone)? Then you can wear a big contrast print like white, black and hot pink.  If your natural contrast isn’t as great (like brown hair with medium skin tone or dirty blonde hair and medium skin tone) choose a plaid with hues that aren’t as bold  for instance cream, teal and grey.
  3. Do all plaids match?  Don’t get hung up on wearing the same colors or plaids in one outfit. If your personal fashion style is a little daring, try wearing different plaids in one look!
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Of course, your local Goodwill Store is a great place to shop for all variations of this season’s trendy plaid! And, be sure to check out our Sale Calendar to get the most out of your shopping dollars!

Christmas Cards

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…and family pictures!

It’s that time of year. We start to get holiday cards in the mail from friends and family…near and far…and then…PANIC!  Thoughts of Family Holiday Pics and Christmas Cards bring on the stress!

Before the panic feeling hits hard, plan a family photo shoot this weekend for this year’s Holiday Greeting Card. Sound overwhelming and expensive? I promise, this will be the easiest part of your holiday season.

WHAT TO WEAR?

We’ve all seen the typical family pics where everyone is wearing the same color(s).  Why not embrace one of the biggest trends of this holiday season, and go Mad for Plaid? Trust me…

2018_plaidCHOOSING PLAID 

When choosing the right plaid for your Christmas Card, keep in mind:

1.  Size & Scale – the size of the plaid should match the size of the person.  In other words, babies should wear a smaller print than mom and dad.

2.  Color Choices – either keep all of the plaid worn in the photo the same color(s) (for example, all reds and blues), or make sure everyone is wearing something different.

3.  How Much plaid? Not everyone needs to wear a plaid shirt. As a matter of fact – it is best if you mix it up.  Goodwill is a great place to search a variety of plaid pieces all in one place. Look for a top, skirt, pants, shoes, scarf.

4. Props – maybe  add in some fun plaid “props” like a mug, blanket or pillow. Don’t forget to get your family pets involved too!

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This is a display that is in the Niles, MI Goodwill Store, and is a great example of how mixing a lot of different plaids in one ‘family picture’ can look pretty amazing!

DIY FAMILY PICTURE TIPS for your Christmas Card

Professional photographers and wardrobe stylists offer these tips for a perfect Family Christmas Card picture:

  • Lighting – make sure you have lots of lights. Gather extra lights and brighten the space as much as possible. The lighting in your photograph should come from in front of the people in the picture (not from behind). Many times taking the picture outside on a partly cloudy day is the best.
  • Don’t overdo makeup – too much won’t look great in your family picture. What you may want to pay attention to is gloss on your lips and a dab of highlighter (or light eye makeup) in the corners of your eyes (near your nose).
  • Setting up your camera – this will probably be the hardest part of your family picture project.  If asking a neighbor to help isn’t an option, use a tripod. Using the portrait mode on your camera phone can create some amazing pics…however, using a tripod will save you from getting the perfect shot all set up and your phone shifting.
  • Post photo shoot editing – there are tons of great apps to help you edit your photo, but don’t sweat the small stuff.  It’s easy to get bogged down with time and detail in the editing process.   And honestly, aren’t some of your favorite holiday family pictures the ones that aren’t perfect?

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With our Goodwill mannequin family from the Niles Goodwill Store, we spent less than 5 minutes editing to come up with something we’re sure this family will be thrilled to use for their Christmas cards this year!

Goodwill Style Ambush Makeover – Lisa

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This week’s Style Makeover winner is Lisa.  She came to us with a wonderful style problem: how to dress for the holidays…on a budget…around a baby bump! We loved helping her find a great maternity outfit at one of the Goodwill of Michiana stores!  Check out her complete Makeover here:

Stay tuned for some tips and a FREE download style form on the top picks for dressing your baby bump!

Wishing you a wonder-filled, and fashionable holiday season!