The Poplin Style Community Hits the Universal Standard Showroom First.

This has been a jam packed month with not one, but two Poplin events in one month. First, the Poplin Client Party and then a very special gathering for anyone in the Poplin Style community who's interested in pieces starting at size 10.

You can see photos from the Client event in a previous post. Now, you can also see just a sample of the women at Sunday's Universal Standard gathering. Each attendee received a personalized tour of the showroom and selected her desired pieces from the samples available. Then, she tried them on in the comfort of a showroom filled with supportive, enthusiastic Poplin subscribers and clients. As it turns out, it was a sea of women making a huge impact on the world. I heard from several attendees that it turned out to be an incredible networking event, too!

Please enjoy some

Hey! What are you Wearing?

Hello, Dear Reader!

I'm still feeling the glorious effects of the Poplin client party. As you know, Naked Truth Beauty and Everling Jewelry were really the stars of the show. Over the summer I've become completely enamored with NTB and have been wearing the lips, eyes and beam (or just the lips/cheeks) plus moisturizer with SPF everyday. That's it. No foundation. No concealer. NTB really swept me off my feet.

I had become pretty comfortable with

7 Ways to Do the 80's Right. Seriously. Trust Me.

Here's the thing, how many times have you said (or heard someone say), "I only do a decade once. I wore X the first time, so I'm not doing it again?"

As a personal stylist for women, I've heard a collection of those fashion "true-isms." Get rid of something that you haven't worn in a year (myth). Plus size women shouldn't wear X (myth). And, of course, you can't do the same decade or piece twice (myth). I say all of this to encourage you to believe that yes, my Dear Reader, whether or not you lived through the 80's, there are ways you can integrate 80's inspired trends into your modern wardrobe and love them. Here are just a few.

7 Ways to Integrate 80's Inspired Trends

into Your Modern Look

UncategorizedmelliciaAugust 17, 2017Comment

Awww, Shux.

UncategorizedmelliciaAugust 16, 2017Chamonix Films, Chamonix Thurston Rattue, Everling Jewelry, Naked Truth Beauty, Poplin Style Client Event, Poplin Style clients, Poplin Style Video TestimonialsComment

A Big Night for Poplin Clients, Everling Jewelry & Naked Truth Beauty

Sometimes you just want to scan a photo gallery. Lucky for you, I just posted two galleries from last night's client event featuring Naked Truth Beauty, Everling Jewelry AND a

A Wishlist for the Reader

accessories, Body Types, Designer Label, My Favorite Things, plus size fashion, Poplin Events, Shoes, shop local, Style Tips, Women's fashionmelliciaAugust 12, 2017Personal Stylist Seattle, Personal stylist women, Seattle Wardrobe ConsultantComment

Naked Truth Beauty is Finally Available in Seattle!

Let us begin with my obsession with Naked Truth Beauty. The founder, Lauren Evashenk, makes luscious makeup for lips, cheeks & eyes that is totally 100% natural. No chemicals. No words you can't pronounce. Only quality ingredients that you feel good about on your body. Plus, they look great!

In fact, I haven't worn makeup all summer (shhh) except

It's on! Exclusive Event for Poplin Readers at Universal Standard's Showroom. RSVP Now.

Are you kidding me?! One of my favorite brands, Universal Standard, opened a showroom in Redmond. What's a showroom you ask? It means that it's not a standard retail store. You make an appointment for a visit and expect to find a wide variety of pieces that aren't available on the website. This is VERY exciting because the only other showroom is in New York City.

If you think that's exciting, there's MUCH more.

Say, "Hello!" to New Packages and Extra Love

Who could have ever imagined that this business would be so empowering, creative, gratifying AND give me the opportunity to interact with such incredible women? Okay, well, I imagined that. But, it actually came together! Woot!

As a personal stylist for women, I'm continually working to improve my process for my clients. I solicit feedback and experiment. If you subscribe to the Poplin newsletter, you know all about my experimentation. Right now, you're receiving my favorite things in your inbox every Friday. I stumble upon loads of pieces I adore that just aren't right for the client I'm working with at the time. But, I hate to keep them to myself. This new approach allows me to share those finds with you, Dear Reader, and gives me the unending joy of telling someone about a glorious piece. This makes me very happy.

Something else that makes me happy is ensuring the Poplin packages are the absolute best they can be. This leads us to today's announcement: new and improved packages.

Brand Spanking New Poplin Package Upgrades

UncategorizedmelliciaJuly 28, 2017Comment

Guest Post: Best Selling Author Julie Pierce's New Program to Attract the Love of Your Dreams

I've mentioned this before, but I'm continually astonished by the incredible women I've met thanks to Poplin. In fact, I'm hosting a private client event soon to get them all together because let's face it: amazing women simply must be connected to one another. For those of you who are part of the larger Poplin community via social media and the blog, thank YOU. It's important to me that you also have access to some of these women who inspire me to dive into new things everyday. This is why I'm sharing a guest post from international best selling author (and Poplin client) Julie Pierce. Julie is intuitive, direct, creative and savvy. In short, she's all the things. Please enjoy and let me know what you think about hearing from clients.

No brainer:

Feel good = Love life

How you dress impacts how you feel about yourself, which permeates how you show up and how you are perceived. This is also true

UncategorizedmelliciaJuly 26, 2017Comment

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Without Compromising Your Style.

As a personal stylist for women in Seattle, I hear a lot from women who love shopping but feel guilty about the impact on the earth. Not to worry. There are ways to supplement your wardrobe without sacrificing our environment.

1. Sustainable Textiles Don't Have To Mean Hippy Style.

Below are a few retailers working to decrease the impact on the earth while still keeping you looking your best.

UncategorizedmelliciaJuly 13, 2017Comment

What I've Learned from Styling Homeless Youth.

Below is a blog post from 2014. Several media outlets are sharing stories about efforts to end homelessness throughout the day as part of the Homeless in Seattle Project. The goal is to encourage policy makers to see this issue as a top priority. There's so much good work happening in this area and yet so much more is needed. Share these stories, donate to organizations doing this work, reach out to your electeds about this issue- share the articles with them. If nothing else, when you are out and about today,

Must Know Now.

Man, my life is filled with hot tips. As a personal stylist for women, I'm fortunate to learn about all sorts of innovative, surprising and delightful things. Thanks very much to those of you who send info my way and to all of you for listening when I offer up ideas. My list of cool things is getting too long to manage, so I'm going to share it with you here and recycle the piece of paper. Let's hear it for efficiency.

Super Cool Things That are Top of Mind Right Now.

Crazy deals from my favorite retailers right now

UncategorizedmelliciaJune 23, 2017Comment

Styling Up Your FREE Geneva Dress from Universal Standard

Let's begin with the reason I'm such an evangelist for Universal Standard . (In case you are wondering, these aren't sponsored posts. Poplin just gets a dress to give away.) I really just love this brand. As you likely know, we're giving away one Geneva dress to a lucky Poplin email list subscriber. You can increase your chances of winning by sharing the giveaway and can have an even greater shot by entering multiple times. So, why are we doing this?

Well, US starts at size 10 and let me tell you, as a personal stylist for women, that space between size 10 and 16 is a tricky area. It's pretty common for our weight to fluctuate (mine certainly does) and when your fluctuation causes you to go from "straight sizes" to plus sizes, that often adds a layer of judgement, defeat and frankly, fewer fashionable choices. I'm not a trainer or a nutritionist, etc. Therefore, my general feeling is you don't need to change your body, you just need to change your clothes. Should you choose to tackle weight loss, you are more likely to succeed when you feel beautiful everyday in your clothes. Should you choose not to go down that path, you'll still be happier looking beautiful everyday. In short, it's a win win.

Universal Standard allows women to stick with the same great brand they love even if/when their weight fluctuates past 14. Even better? If your size changes within a year of purchase, you can exchange your piece for your current size. Seriously. Yes, US is everything.

We're looking forward to the brick and mortar store opening in the coming months. At that point, keep your eyes peeled for a Poplin event at the shop. For now, it's all about winning this Geneva dress! So take a look below at my suggestions for styling, just to get you started. Have thoughts, feelings, or questions? Please share! And remember to enter and/or share with a woman in your life who'd love to win!

How to Style the Geneva Dress from Universal Standard

Last Minute Father's Day Gifts/ Glorious Gifts for the Fellas. Go!

As you know, Dear Reader, I'm a personal stylist for women primarily in the Seattle area. But, that certainly doesn't keep me from diving into all sorts of super cool menswear options. I'm always keeping a list of noteworthy options for the men and at some point is just gets too long to keep to myself any longer. Lucky for us, Father's Day is a nice excuse to share a sea of awesomeness that will be helpful to you now and in the future. Let me know what you think!

10 Places to Shop and Things to Buy for

the Fella in Your Life.

Win the Geneva Dress From Universal Standard!

If you read the blog with any regularity, you know what a big fan I am of Universal Standard. The fashion forward brand makes high quality pieces that are functional and fashionable beginning at size 10. They are amazing.

In the next few months, US is setting up shop in

More Client Photos: Swathy: Elegant, Sophisticated, Fun

Swathy and I hit it off right away. She's in grad school, studying to be a school counselor. On any given day she can be working at a school, in class or meeting up with friends in the city. When we started working together, she was engaged and now she's married. So, I've had the pleasure of watching her go from rocking leggings and a top on the daily to the stylish, confident woman who is diving into the next phase of her life.

On a budget, we worked with

UncategorizedmelliciaJune 12, 2017Comment

Who Knew? THIS Brand is Making Fashion Forward Shoes at a Great Price point?

I've spent full days going through the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale inventory. As a personal stylist, I create wishlists and Uber Wishlists for my clients on a regular basis. Each consists of a list of pieces that fill a need for my client right now. Uber Wishlists (20-30 items) are a one time purchase whereas wishlists (8-10 items) are available individually or on a subscription basis. The beauty of each list is that it takes into account my client's lifestyle, budget, personal style, body type AND the pieces she already owns. After all, why start from scratch when you already have a closet filled with pieces.

While wishlists allow me to recommend pieces from a wide variety of retailers, the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale and Anniversary are times when clients specifically request items from the sale. So, I've been living on the Nordstrom site.

And, during this adventure I've discovered something thrilling.

Conquering Chafing, Sweat and Other Undesirable Issues that Come with Hot Weather

Finally, sunshine. As a personal stylist for women, I'm keenly aware that warm weather is both a blessing and a curse for many among us. If you find that your thighs rubbing together is not only undesirable, but actually hurts, you are not alone. How about sweat from the girls up top? These are especially common issues that up until now have been "solved" with baby powder or simply toughing it out.

Enter Megababe Beauty Products. Designed by the woman behind the 12-ish style, these all natural products are aimed at solving these ever present issues. I heard about it and had to share.

7 Ways to Integrate 80's Inspired Trends

into Your Modern Look

Brand Spanking New Poplin Package Upgrades

No brainer:

Feel good = Love life

1. Sustainable Textiles Don't Have To Mean Hippy Style.

Super Cool Things That are Top of Mind Right Now.

How to Style the Geneva Dress from Universal Standard

10 Places to Shop and Things to Buy for

the Fella in Your Life.

Megababe Products that Address Your

Summertime Challenges