aici installation dinner & melissa fleis...

last nite aici (association of image consultants international) san francisco chapter held their annual installation dinner...it honestly was such a fun & stylish evening...it was a wonderful nite of seeing colleagues...

here is adena...our president (and wonderful friend) thanking me for my service on the board as treasurer...don't we look all serious?

obviously...there was fun involved...adena and i have been friends for many years...AND share the same birthday...and of course...we both have our love of fashion...here we are a little less serious...

and thanks were given to the board who served 2012-2013...we welcomed the new board for 2013-2014...and here we are...being sworn in...looking forward to working with this wonderful group of women...
 
                                      

the evening honored some members who more then deserved the awards they received...lots of mingling...and then we had a wonderful guest speaker...the lovely melissa fleis...project runway season 10 finalist...and although she did not win...she was always my favorite...so it was quite a delight to meet her in person...

she talked to us about her time on project runway...and yes...tim gunn is really that wonderful...upcoming trends...showed some of her fabulous designs...

her leather work is amazing!  

all in all...quite the fun evening...

a nite of fashion with melissa fleis...

won't you join us?

aici (association of image consultants international) 

san francisco chapter 

is pleased to announce...

a nite of fashion 

with the lovely 

melissa fleis...project runway season 10 finalist...

NOT YOUR MOTHER'S LITTLE BLACK DRESS: AN EVENING OF FASHION WITH AN EDGE - BY SF DESIGNER MELISSA FLEIS, SPONSORED BY AICI 
HELD AT BLOOMINGDALE'S

(San Francisco, CA) The little black dress is newly reinvented for today's confident woman who knows her strengths and isn't afraid to show both confidence and charisma.

AICI SFBA presents a night of fashion on the fast track with Bay Area designer Melissa Fleis, a Project Runway Season 10 finalist, who casts her design magic with an emphasis on supple black leather clothing and accessories. The evening begins with a private members-only installation-of- officers' ceremony followed by an exclusive fashion event open to the public. The fashion-filled evening, Wednesday, July 17, begins with a champagne reception at 6:30 p.m. and followed by the fashion presentation at 7:00 p.m. at Bloomingdale's, 845 Market Street, San Francisco (Mission View Room, 3rd floor) 

   Cost: $45 Registration 

Fleis, a young designer on the move, recently signed an exclusive with her custom leather fashions and accessories at NWBLK, a fashion, South-of-Market design incubator. "I create for the self-assured woman in her 20s to 50s who seeks the simple sophistication of black leather designs,' says the slender couturier, who received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from Academy of Art University.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 

$45.00 per person.

Check in and champagne at 6:30 pm.
Program 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

click here to register

hope to see you there!

come meet melissa fleis (project runway season 10 finalist)

aici (association of image consultants international) san francisco chapter is pleased to announce a fabulous event that is taking place next month...and you are welcome to join us!  for those avid project runway fans...you may remember the lovely melissa fleis from season 10...she was the runner up...and yes...she was my top choice for that season...i absolutely loved her style of design...

melissa will be our guest at an exclusive event...and we are opening it up to the public...just know...space is limited...so if you are interested in attending...click here...and register...

here are the details:

Join the Association of Image Consultants International-San Francisco Bay Area (AICI SFBA)

and Bloomingdale's for a very special evening with

MELISSA FLEIS, 

 finalist from Project Runway Season 10. 

 Melissa will talk about her experiences on the show, 

as well as share and show us her latest designs

Wednesday, July 17, 2013
$45.00 per person.

Check in and champagne at 6:30 pm.
Program 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

register here

space is limited...

let me know if you plan on being there...

would love to meet you as well!

aici international conference 2013...

the last post of mine was titled "packing anxiety"...written right before my trip out to arizona for the aici international conference...once i started focusing...i was able to complete the packing...and make my flight...phew!  

arriving in arizona...there were 5 of us from different areas meeting up to drive over to the hotel...here is our rental car...5 women...a few tries...and we finally loaded up the rental...we were pretty proud of ourselves...

the week was full of many great classes...meeting colleagues from all around the world...and sharing ideas with each other...there is always new things to learn...we must keep ourselves fully trained...fully updated with the latest & greatest in presentations...applications...tech devices...etc...and i'm no different...i want to be the best i can be when working with my clients...

and the packing anxiety...what packing anxiety?  i packed what i needed...and being that it was a conference of image consultants from around the world...i needed my options...so here is a fun pic we took in our hotel room...1 conference...3 image consultants...6 days in arizona = 20 pairs of shoes!

packing anxiety...

heading out for a week to scorching hot lovely arizona...aici (association of image consultants international) will be having our annual conference...while i have attended the san francisco chapter conference annually...this is my first international conference...and i'm excited...

what i'm not excited about is packing...last i checked weather was about 104...eek!  now if i was going on vacation...packing would be a bit easier...and i wouldn't be having much anxiety...but this is a business trip...and while the outside will be hot...and i'm sure there will be plenty of activities outside...the conference rooms in hotels tend to be cool...even freezing at times...

so yes...even i go through a bit of packing anxiety...so i figured i would do what i do for my clients...put the outfits together...planning each days events...and the key to this wide gap in temperatures?  layer layer layer...

truth be told though...i am a wardrobe consultant...and this conference will be 100's of image consultants...so i'd be lying if i said that i wasn't going to over pack just a wee bit...i want to keep my options open...

what i do know...is that my suitcase will be full of color...full of accessories to help in changing up outfits...and the shoes...well the shoes are always numerous...that is just me...

so...i will most likely not have time to blog while there...so i will update you on all the wonderful things i pick-up from various speakers when i'm back...until then...keep it stylish!

photo source

gearing up for a weekend of learning...

every year...i attend our aici (association of image consultants international) san francisco chapter education conference...lucky for me...they are fairly close to home...and so...easy to get to...i really look forward to this time...not only to talk to colleagues of mine...or learn new marketing ideas, networking...etc...but i get an extensive three days full of educational classes...in many subjects...so for the next three days...i will be taking lots of notes!

and then bringing it on back to you...

take for example my hair stylist...i love that she is always educating herself on the latest and greatest techniques on hair cutting, coloring and all...because then she passes on that knowledge to me...when she is working on me...

let's face it...we are always calling on professionals for help...and whatever professional we are looking for...a plumber, a hair stylist, a therapist, a wardrobe stylist...we want to feel that they are always improving their own skills...aren't we?

so i am gearing up for a weekend of learning...taking lots of notes...and educating myself on many subjects...such as...bridging the cultural gap...looking your best on camera...liberating your use of color...to name a few...and with that...i will be able to come back to my clients...and you...my dear readers...and share tidbits of what i have learned...

so stay tuned...and have yourself a fabulous weekend!

photo source

christmas at the rotunda...

one of my all time favorite places in the city...the rotunda in neiman marcus...so imagine my excitement when announcements were made that the aici (association of image consultants international) san francisco chapter christmas party would be held there...squeal!  

i have always been fascinated by the enormous tree in the store...even more so then the one in union square...something about this tree is just SO beautiful...and every year...i need to go check it out...at least once...maybe twice...how do they get that massive thing in the store?

the tip of the tree in the rotunda...isn't the ceiling amazing?

and yes...this was our amazing view for the evening...over looking union square on a most perfect nite...

and some of my friends and fellow colleagues...being in a room of image consultants...i knew that everyone would be looking pretty sharp in their holiday best...

we had a "fashion" ornament exchange...well not really an exchange...but a white elephant gift exchange...where the idea is to "steal" from others...rather then swap...this was the beauty i ended up with at the end of the nite...love the color...

aici september kick-off event...

a few weeks back...i attended the aici (association of image consultants international) san francisco chapter september kick-off event...the event was held at one of my favorite places...bloomingdales in san francisco...thought i would share some of the highlights...like our lovely centerpieces...courtesy of bloomingdales...these were my favorites that i was lusting after...

and of course...how appropriate that the pair at my welcome table...was a polka dot dream...here i am preparing to welcome the guests...and doing my other "treasurer" duties...while admiring said shoes...everyone was convinced that they would be mine by the end of the evening...but alas...they are still at the store...

the evening was all about fall trends...and some of us were coerced volunteered to share our favorite fall trends...i decided on three...at one time...but it worked...without being a trend over load...
i chose fur...which you see on my vintage 80's jacket...sleeves trimmed with a luscious fox fur...a cluster of brooches on my jacket...and my "oxblood" booties...

most of the "models" like me...had pulled items out of their closets...which is always fun...when you can see what trends are coming out...what will work for your specific body and life style...and then have it already available in your closet...

the jacket i purchased about 2 years ago...great find at a church rummage sale...the brooches...i've had forever...picked up at flea markets...and my fun ankle booties...i purchased 3 years ago...so...look in your closet for those forgotten pieces that may be "just right"...right now!

and here i am with our lovely speaker...brenda kinsel...whom i love and adore...

learning...

did you miss me? did you think i disappeared? did you even notice i was gone? this past weekend i attended a three day aici conference...and because of that...i decided...to take a few days off from blogging...but boy do i have a lot of "stuff" to share with you in the upcoming weeks...

it was really great to see other wardrobe/image consultants...many of which have become great friends...and meeting some fabulous new friends...and as you can imagine...a conference full of fashion consultants...well it was a regular old fashion show...

i will be back to regular blogging tomorrow...

photo source

of a certain age...

about a week ago i attended a weekend long conference for aici (association of image consultants)...i knew going into it that i would walk away with some great new ideas...and a refresher...which is always good...added to that...i met some pretty incredible women (and men) that, obviously...being in the same business...brought about some wonderful conversations, tips, ideas...etc...

and then...there are the new friendships and relationships that are formed...one of which was karen...my first interaction with karen was me walking out of the conference room...hearing someone behind me saying "leopard coat...leopard coat" to which i turned around...and karen says "i NEED to take a picture with you...i love your outfit"

who wouldn't love an introduction like that? so here we are...in our first pic together...of course...i was lusting after karen's outfit as well...her top she got in paris...love! don't you love how she put her outfit together? so chic!



over the weekend...karen & i spent a lot of time chatting it up...come to find out...she has got an excellent blog...of a certain age...and she is a fabulous writer...i highly recommend hopping over to her blog...with humor and relevance...she brings the reader in...

as karen & i spoke further...we came up with several similarities...in that "what a small world" kind of way...she is two years younger than me...we went to the same high school...and we know alot of the same people...crazy...no?

karen wrote a nice post about me...lovingly called it "a fabulous new kid on the blog"...thank you karen!

throughout the weekend - the more we talked...the more we realized how alike we were...that i basically started saying that she was my sister from another mother...and by the end of the weekend...well...we were fast friends...

the making of couture...

i spent the last three days at an aici (association of image consultants)conference...what a great educational conference! the classes were incredible...and i was able to meet some fabulous women and men...from other parts of the states as well as other countries...all with the same passion that i have in making my clients look their best...

every class ended with me walking away with so much information and tips/tools to use with my business...and more importantly with my clients...

i have to say...the one class that i truly could have sat for hours more to listen and learn from...was on the history of haute couture and its influence today...taught by melissa leventon, who is a professor at the california college of the arts in the fashion design and visual studies department...her master's degree from the university of london is in the history of art/history of dress...she has curated costume collections at museums around the world...

a few months back i posted on what is haute couture...i have to admit that the whole history of it...and even more...the making of it completely fascinates me...

and melissa had fabulous pictures... =)

i came across this clip in the making of chanel couture...sometimes comments and such are made in the pricing of garments...not necessarily couture...but even in just a good quality jacket...for example...often times...people do not realize the work behind the scenes that happen to make a quality piece of a garment...i have seen this same attitude in jewelry..in fact...wendy brandes wrote an exceptional blog post on get smart (about manufacturing) with several links to prior posts she did along the same lines...

you want good quality...you are going to need to spend a little more...

take a look at this fun clip...in the making of a chanel couture...how fascinating is that??

dressing in your closet...

a few nites ago...i attended an AICI (association of image consultants international) meeting in san francisco...the theme of the nite was fall trends with a fabulous fashion show...the models were clients of some of the image consultants there that evening...the fashion show was about "dressing in your closet"

as the models came out...the stories played out...of which items where hidden in the back of the closet...or hanging with the tag still on...or the fit wasn't right...or the item that was bought...and then nothing ever went with it...or...it was just an old item...years old...needing somehow to be revived...

many have a hard time with this concept...of taking something that is in your closet and somehow reviving it with some of the new trends of the season...i am a firm believer of this kind of dressing...i do not believe that every season...a woman (or for that matter...a man) needs to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe...the key is to take those pieces...those quality pieces in your closet...and by adding a new accessory...or a new blouse...a new scarf (or tie)...completely change the look of that "old" item that has been sitting in your closet...and not getting used...

i have to tell you...i was pretty inspired by the event...and it even got me charged up to go "dressing" in my own closet...to see how i could revive some old pieces...

for those that are challenged...there is help! a wardrobe consultant is able to come into your closet and show you numerous ways to wear each item...to suggest missing pieces that would help in creating multiple outfits...

i get the most joy...when a client has called me after wearing their "new" outfits out of only pieces in their current wardrobe...but in a new way...this is what i love to hear...
"everyone thinks i got a whole new wardrobe!"

ahhh...music to my ears...my job is done...

i am here to help...use me!!

adena, me & margaret at the lovely soiree