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Style tips, fashion advice, wardrobe troubleshooting, designers, boutiques and great finds from Seattle and around the world.

Posted in: Seattle Makers

Everybody's Doin' It: My Top 10 Most Popular Posts Right Now

Few things are as entertaining as checking out the analytics on this blog devoted to personal style, lifestyle, all the things. I really enjoy seeing which posts continue to drive traffic year after year (I’m looking at you, What’s the Difference between 24 months and 2T?) and which posts hit big each year during the same season (What boots to own and what to wear with them? or How Can I Wear This Without Freezing?).

Take a look. Do you recognize all of these beauties? They are the most popular posts in the last 30 days. Let me know what you like, what you don’t like as much and what you wish there was more of. Also, try the search field if you are looking for a particular subject. It’s very useful. And, of course, remember that Poplin’s Pinterest Boards have over 84 thousand views each month. I bet there’s something in there for you. Enjoy!

Top 10 Poplin Style Blog Posts

(in the Last 30 Days.) Go!

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Guest Post: How to Care for Your Leather and Suede

You might as well bookmark this now. I’ve asked one of my favorite people, Maggie Burns, co-owner of re-souL in Ballard to give us the low down on taking care of leather and suede. I’ve had LOTS of questions from clients about this lately. Maggie is the first person I think of for such things as re-souL carries very high quality shoes and accessories made from Italian leather including the re-souL shoe line made in Italy and designed by Maggie, right here in Seattle. (Maggie also volunteers with me styling homeless youth each month at YouthCare.) strongly suggest you swing by the shop (or go online) to order leather care products that re-souL stocks. I like to pick up Otter Wax, for example, as a stocking stuffer each year. And while you are there you might as well pick up some shoes, jewelry, handbags, socks…….

How to Care for Leather

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Shop Small Saturday: Finally a Discount on Poplin Services Just for YOU

Happy holiday weekend, Dear Reader! As a personal stylist for women and a small business owner in the PNW, I knew I’d need to have something good to celebrate the official kick off of the shopping season. So, here we go.

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5 Questions to Ask When Choosing What to Wear in Family Photos

Whether you are taking candids at home or hiring a professional photographer, trying to determine what to wear for family photos can be challenging. As a personal stylist, I get this question often. Having just taken our family photos for the year, the time is right for some tips on selecting what to wear that represents your authentic personal style and is reflective of your family right now. After all, that’s what we’re documenting for, right?

One more thing, right now, Poplin readers save when booking a photo shoot with the Happy Film Company. Take a look at my recent post with our family photos and all the details.

5 Questions to Ask When Choosing

What to Wear in Family Photos

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The Ideal Family Photos- Stylish + Affordable

We just got back the images from our family photo shoot with the Happy Film Company and they are SO good. There's a sample of our images to give you an sense of what I'm talking about. They are the perfect mix of silly, serious, grown ups, kid (there's just one). So, I asked the company owner, Chamonix Brown (also the videographer behind the Poplin video) to offer up a little something for the Poplin community. Here it is! The time to document your lovely family is now. Or, if you are up for a photo shoot that shows YOU off, reach out. I live for this stuff.

Your Super Deal

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Guest Post: Happiness. The Perfect Accessory for Any Outfit

It’s free, and accessible at any moment. Have you ever noticed that when you feel good, you look good too? Check out these 6 powerful tips from Transformational Life Coach Lena D. Meyer to access greater joy in just 5 minutes or less - boosting your look, and your mood, in a beautiful way.

Items needed

5 minutes + a quiet space to reflect + a notebook and pen + you

6 Steps

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The Essential, Elegant, Timeless Must Have for Fall

Author, coach, mom, all around bad ass and Poplin Client, Julie, is the picture of confidence in her animal print coat. It's time to get your animal print on, my friend. Whether you are going full force with texture AND print, like Julie, or you'd prefer something a little less bold, this is the season to stock up. Remember, animal print is a neutral and can be paired with virtually any color. Just choose your print carefully as it's vital that it communicates your personal style. And, remember that placement is key, too. Opt for animal prints where you want to draw the eye. If you have an Inverted Triangle shaped figure (shoulders wider than your hips) go for a skirt, pants or shoes. For a Triangle shaped body, like Julie, (shoulders narrower than your hips or thighs) opt for a top, scarf or coat. Rectangles (shoulders and hips are aligned without a defined waist), you'll want fitted options that provide shape or try a belt, scarf, shoes or details in the print. Or, an all over fitted dress. Diamond figures (shoulders and hips aligned and narrower than your middle) should try a vertical zipper or stripe down the middle, sleeves, pants, shoes or a scarf in the print. And if you have an hourglass figure (shoulders and hips aligned with a defined waist that is smaller than both), try it all over or balanced equally on the top and bottom. A belt works well, too.

Now that you know how to wear it,

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Microblading at Splash Extensions. I Did It! You Can Too!

As a personal stylist for women, I hear a lot of questions. Yes, there are lots of questions about clothes. But, when I'm working with a client, it goes well beyond clothes. It's not uncommon for one of my clients to simply have never learned about style, makeup, hair. Often, she was busy doing other things that were more interesting to her. Then, she looked up years later and discovered she was missing some of the skills that would make style a fun part of her life, not a stressful chore. This naturally leads to questions on hair, makeup, skincare, undergarments, waxing. You name it, I've been asked about it. After all, once we've been in a dressing room together, most other inhibitions are long gone.

So, when microblading came on the scene, I heard a lot of questions about it. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, "microblading is a semi-permanent makeup procedure whereby hair-like incision strokes are created along the eyebrow to attempt to either enhance, reshape or create a natural looking appearance on the brows."

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Pinup Salon: City Skills with a Small Town Feel

As a personal stylist for women in the Seattle area, I get lots of questions about style. As we move further into the styling process, I start to get lots more questions about everything else. From hair to skincare to philanthropy and summer camps for kids: You name it. I've been asked about it.

So, when I'm able to offer up another option for clients and readers, I'm elated. After all, I only recommend what I truly love. As each client has her own unique personal style, it's vital that I connect her with resources that are right for her. Enter Pinup Salon.

Pinup Salon: Why I'm Into It.

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Style Essentials: The Contents of Your Summer Handbag

When it comes to handbags, I've got two kinds of clients: Those who only use one or two bags, and those who fully embrace handbags as an essential accessory. Regardless of which camp you happen to be in, the contents of your bag are critical during the summer months. After all, the sun is out and life is a bit more unexpected.

As your very own personal stylist for women, it's time I give you the low down on your summer handbag essentials. Oh, and since it's Amazon Prime Day, I figured you are already spending the day on the site. So, this post is more Amazon heavy. Enjoy!

5 Things You Must Have in Your Handbag During the Summer

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We Have a Winner!

Enormous thanks to everyone who participated in the Poplin Style + re-souL giveaway! Anyone who followed Poplin Style and re-souL on Instagram and tagged three friends was entered. If you tagged three friends everyday, you were entered EVERY time. Bam! Thanks for that.

And our winner is:

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Win a FREE Pair of Shoes from the re-souL Collection!

As a personal stylist in Seattle, I've been very fortunate to develop relationships with lots of local businesses, makers and all around incredible people. As if time with great people isn't enough, I also get to share all sorts of beautiful pieces with you, Dear Reader. I've been a long time friend and fan of re-souL in Ballard. In fact, one of the owners, Maggie, also volunteers doing styling sessions with me at YouthCare each month.

Therefore, I'm beside myself with anticipation as we kick off the spring re-souL giveaway. The lucky winner will get to choose a pair of shoes from the re-souL collection to keep for her very own. The re-souL Collection is Maggie's brainchild. She designs the shoes here in Seattle and has them made in Italy with high quality materials. She always pays close attention to upcoming trends AND ensuring that every pair is comfortable enough for a woman on her feet all day.

The re-souL + Poplin Style Giveaway:

8 Days. 8 Pairs of Shoes to Choose From.

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Why Lashes are a WIN + Announcing our Winner: FREE Lash Extensions from the Lash Factory

Earlier this week, I was in a women in leadership session listening to an incredible executive coach talk about the word, "busy." I think about this a lot, because as a personal stylist who is on the interweb, lots of people can see what I'm up to. So, when we run into one another, I often here, "how's it going? It looks like you are super busy."

I take this as

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Win a FREE Set of Lash Extensions ($250 Value) from the Lash Factory

As a personal stylist for women, I spend my days offering tips and tricks to make lives easier. Who doesn't want the mornings to run more smoothly? Who isn't looking for easy ways to keep her style game elevated without having to try too hard?

There are a few easy ways to do this, depending on your lifestyle. I, for example, tend to

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Win $300 at Universal Standard and Shop Sizes 6-32!

If you loved the styles I've featured over the past year or so at Universal Standard but didn't happen to fit into the clothes, this post is for you. If you love US as much as I do and DO fit into their pieces, this post is for you. And, if you have never heard of this groundbreaking brand out of Seattle and NYC, this post is for you, too.

How Do I Win a $300 Gift Card for Universal Standard?

As a personal stylist for women in Seattle, I've spoken with hundreds of women about their style and inevitably that means their size and challenges that they face with finding clothes that fit their bodies and their sizes. That's what led me to develop a comprehensive system to dress your body type and identify your personal style. That's also what led me to write this post back in 2016: The End of Plus Size.

So, you can imagine how elated I was to discover Universal Standard. The brand offers hip, high quality pieces sizes 10 and up. Amazing! After all, I work with a lot of women size 12/14/16 who struggle when they can no longer shop at their favorite retailers. Over time, I've shared pieces I adore from US, held an event at the local showroom and have taken clients shopping there. Now, things are getting MUCH more interesting.

Universal Standard is expanding to offer sizes 6-32. What?! Believe it! And to celebrate, I'm giving away a $300 gift card to use as you please online or in the NYC or Redmond, WA showroom. Here's what you need to know.

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Your Must Have Colors for Spring

Oh it's happening. Spring 2018 is upon us and that means new colors to introduce into your wardrobe. Introduce? Meaning I don't already have them in there? Indeed. While it's possible you have a few of these beauties floating around. It's likely that you don't have many, whether or not you love them, simply because we haven't seen this color palette in a while. And it's not surprising. Fashion and style are combatting tough times with playful, happy pieces to help us wake up, smile and fight the good fight.

As a personal stylist for women, I'm always reminding clients that just because you don't think a color is flattering, doesn't mean you can't wear it. So let's dive into the colors of the season and the next post will focus on how to wear them. Off we go!

2018 Spring Color Palette

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32 Minutes With Poplin Style- From Dressing Your Age to Communicating your Style and More

When the good people at Genneve reached out to me about becoming a guest on the brand podcast, I was intrigued. The company focuses on providing tools for women in mid life. And, I'm all for more resources to face daily hurdles. As a personal stylist for women, my job is an attention getter, for sure. And, it's pretty common for folks to have questions about my work and more likely, to pick my brain about their style challenges.

I had no idea how

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Let's Hear it for Love & Simply Matchmaking.

One advantage of my job as a personal stylist, is that I often have the pleasure of being the go-to person for my clients on a wide range of topics. Whether they are looking for an aesthetician, a hair stylist or an interior decorator, I’m often asked for referrals. This has become especially fun as so many new people are moving to our city. Because so many folks arrive telecommuting at the job they had before they moved or happen to be following a partner, it’s common for me to the be one of the first people they meet.

I describe the consultation as an opportunity for me to try to get inside a client’s head as much as possible. Using that information along with her budget, her body type and her lifestyle, we create a strategy for her personal style moving forward. Really, my job is to see people. And part of that is understanding where someone is in her life and where she wants to be.

Commonly, this includes conversations about

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Need Some Beautiful & Powerful Signs for the Women's March?

Hello Dear Reader!

I'm looking forward to seeing so many of you at Saturday's Women's March. It sounds like we'll have a large turnout for equality. I'll be in the front of the march in support of

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Giving Tuesday- Helpful Tips About Giving Including What to Wear.

I trust these last few days have been a whirlwind of making lists, buying things, getting geared up to give them and the realization that there's much to do in these next few weeks. A treasured holiday season tradition is to donate to your favorite nonprofit organizations. Whether you do it on Giving Tuesday or some other time this year, I thought you might enjoy some guidance on giving from your very own personal stylist for women (who happens to have also had a career in giving, does philanthropic consulting and serves on a nonprofit Board.) Please enjoy and hey, let me know what you think.

What You Need to Know About

Giving Back

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