Bethany Siggins Image Consulting | Personal Stylist | Dallas, Texas

Bethany Siggins | Personal Stylist | Dallas, Texas

trends

The Vibe of Fall 2017

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Before I run down the list of the Fall 2017 trends (in a follow-up blog), let’s talk about the mood of the season. It is helpful to lasso the season’s energy, its vibe, because each fall you will find your favorite trends in someone’s collection whether it’s fur, leopard, tweed, trench coats, etc. The trend list may look the same year to year, but the mood of the season is what truly defines it.

Here are the biggest feels from Fall 2017:

  • Dare to be noticed.img 0723 - The Vibe of Fall 2017 Red is once again the color of the season. Red never takes a fall season off. However, it is a bolder, brighter shade of red this year, and it is ubiquitous. It is on bags, boots, tops, and head-to-toe outfits. On top of red’s popularity, yellow is fast on its heels, and if there are two “hello, I’m here” colors in this world, it would be red and yellow. Pick one and rock it. There are many ways to stand out this season beyond color. Designers outdid themselves with carefully and intricately designed boots, bags and clothing, mixing textures and colors in new ways. If standing out to you is more about the design than a color, you will find many choices this season.

  • Dare to be different. img 8832 - The Vibe of Fall 2017This season has thrown fashion rules a giant curve ball. We are wearing sequins to the office, leather to the grocery store and velvet from sun up to sun down. Rules?! Please, those days are over. We make our own rules now, and we wear what pleases us. What have you always wanted to try but have dared not? Well, this is your season to step up and give it a go! Fall 2017 is playful and happy. There is no room for rules when you’re having this much fun.

  • Dare to be kooky. img 0806 - The Vibe of Fall 2017This vibe builds upon the two above. Designers are asking us to get a little bit crazy. There are countless wacky combinations this season: tweed and feather skirts, head-to-toe denim (in the same shade of denim) and all-white outfits (including white boots) to name a few. I love what Simon Doonan wrote for the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar, “Strange is the new black. When you dress strangely, you keep the spotlight where it should be – on YOU. Everyone else on the planet is so busy trying to look normal that you, with your eccentric fashion choices, are able to be an utter raving, screaming standout.”

If all of this sounds and feels a bit overwhelming, take the advice of Lisa Armstrong, also in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar, who wrote a piece on the season’s trends, “The Best of What’s New.” Lisa wants us to look at trends in a new way. Rather than viewing trends as those things you have moved beyond with your style, think of them as your updates for the year, the wardrobe refreshers. Lisa wrote, “Trend awareness is not about being a literalist but about tapping into moods and keeping current in your own way. You don’t have to radically upend your style each season. Sometimes the subtlest switch is all it takes to reset.”

img 0823 - The Vibe of Fall 2017As you approach the new season, keep these things in mind. Let’s make this the season of “make you smile” style! Lastly, if you need help navigating the season, call me! I am always ready to help! Have a fabulous week. Fall Fashion Trends 2017 is up next…

Thank you to the amazing Jenna at Styled Out West for the photos of me. xo All other photos are by me.

Street Style – Two Style Lessons

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img 3886 - Street Style - Two Style LessonsHere are a few more snaps from our evening at Casco Antiguo earlier this week. Style Lesson #1: If your top is long (longer than where your leg breaks when you lift it), you must wear a heel to create a longer leg. Otherwise, your body is cut in half (50% torso; 50% leg), which makes you look short regardless of your true height. Our lovely, leggy model Amanda here asked me about cuffing her jeans. If she had been wearing a top with a hem around her hip bone, I would have told her to go for it as she has plenty of leg to sacrifice. However, because her top is longer than the leg break, I advised her to keep her jeans un-cuffed. If you can visualize her in flats with a cuffed hem, she would have appeared overlong on her top half and, thus, out of proportion.

img 3903 - Street Style - Two Style LessonsStyle Lesson #2: The more leg you show, the more of your top half should be covered. I do wish I had a tan for this lesson – ha! Wearing shorts that hit at mid-thigh or shorter calls for a top that is either a half sleeve, 3/4-length or a long sleeve as I am wearing. Short shorts and a tank top is provocative and not very classy. Leave a little to the imagination, and keep it classy, ladies. It is what men prefer, actually.

img 3902 - Street Style - Two Style LessonsLastly, if you have silver and/or turquoise jewelry, now is the time to wear it. The cool tones of the silver has an overall cooling effect on your look, which is just right during our warmest season. Ditto for turquoise. The light, soft green/blue goes with all your spring/summer clothing without having to think about it. Don’t worry if you have none of this color in your outfit. Adding a new color to your look via accessories is totally okay and encouraged, actually. Happy Weekend!—Bethany

Fall 2015 – The Confident Woman

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menswear - Fall 2015 - The Confident WomanIf you were to look at a list of fall trends year over year, you would notice a lot of repetition: leather, fur, black, gray, red, tweed, belts, boots, smoky eyes, etcetera. To get to the heart of the season, you must look beyond the list. The wide array of designs which walk down the runways of Milan, London, New York and Paris magically come together each year to convey an overall mood. Fall 2015 is all about confidence.

The Fall 2015 woman blazes her own path and she calls her own shots. She wears what she loves, and she masterfully combines masculine with feminine in a way that makes sense and looks very relaxed and easy. She is not trying too hard. Rather, she is perfectly imperfect. The Fall 2015 woman is returning to a more sensible way of dressing, as well. We are seeing large tote bags to hold our stuff, a relaxed fit so we can eat lunch and not pop a seam, and chunky heels so we can stand comfortably for long stretches and not tip over in a strong gust of wind.

For the most part, the fall woman is covered up and she leaves much to the imagination, yet she remains extremely sexy. How is this possible? In short, sexy is all about attitude and presence. A confident woman is a sexy woman.

Several trends which are newer to this fall season (though they are not completely new) include long vests, stocking boots, chokers, flares, high waist and pastels. The Pantone 2015 color of the year is marsala, an earthy brown-red. Thus, it should come as no surprise that red is a standout (yet again) for fall from bright red to deep, dark tones. Red fits perfectly into the fall 2015 mood since it is without a doubt a color that conveys confidence and passion.

Style confidence is easy to achieve if you are willing to forget about the expectations of others. There are many who are more than eager to advise you on what to buy and where to invest most wisely for your fall wardrobe. Instead of listening to them, focus on what you want and focus on the woman you are. Greek philosopher and mathematician Thales is credited with saying, “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” I hope it will not be the hardest thing you have ever done, but it does take much effort.  Check in with yourself often and trust your gut regarding what is right for you and what is not. The more you trust yourself, the more skilled you will become in choosing pieces that speak to your heart and work for your life.

Have a great fall season, and call me if you need a confidence boost. I am here to help!

Fall Trends 2014

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orangedoor - Fall Trends 2014At the end of each summer I produce a card of fall trends, a reference of the biggest trends of the season, in anticipation of fall fashions which begin hitting the stores at about that time.  I simply love fall fashion, the rich colors, the textured fabrics and the beautiful leather goods.  To me, fall fashion is worthy of investment.  Trends come and go, but if you purchase wisely (read: not too trendy) and you take care of your things (yes, pay attention to care instructions), your investments will last you several years (at the least!). 

If you love something but cannot afford it, look for the best version of the knock off or scour vintage stores for something similar.  As you know in fashion, everything old is new again, so it is quite possible what you love has been done before in a previous decade.  One fall I really wanted a moto jacket, but I did not have the budget for a leather jacket.  So, I purchased a pleather version and wore the heck out of it.  A few years later, I got the real thing.

My fall 2014 trends card does not cover all the trends, so below is an extensive list .  If you would like a trends card and a couple of extras for friends, message me.  I would be delighted to send them to you!

Colors:  cobalt, steel, dark red, moss green, pastels, orange and jewel tones

To see a list of the Pantone fall 2014, click here.

Fabrics: shearling, leather, tweed, knits, fur, metallic and velvet

Prints/Patterns: plaid, abstract, color blocking, patchwork and diagonal lines

Oversized: coats, collars on coats, dresses, sweaters (including turtlenecks) and pants

Office:  midi skirts, pant suits, sharp blazers, pin stripes, menswear and neck tie blouses

Details: feathers, accordion pleats, fringe, sequins, western and puffy sleeves

Top layer: ponchos, capes, varsity jackets, bombers, blanket coats and fur-trimmed parkas

Bags: bucket, totes, jeweled clutches and fur top-handle handbags

Shoes: sneakers, flats, ankle boots, brogues and ankle-strap heels

Beauty: ponytails, braids, oversized buns, colorful cat eyes, nude and berry lips and nude and Bordeaux nails

Whew, I probably missed a few, but not many.  If you need assistance finding what suits you, call me.  I love making the shopping experience quick and easy.  I especially enjoy helping people find pieces they would have never considered if they had shopped on their own!  Happy Shopping!

Be A Red Tulip

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RedTulip3 300x225 - Be A Red Tulip
My family and I enjoyed a lovely outing to The Dallas Arboretum last Saturday to view the annual Dallas Blooms.  The flowers were out in full colorful force, and everywhere you looked the view was breathtaking.

One Tulip Stood Out

On the way out of the Arboretum, I was stopped in my tracks by a red tulip blossoming in a sea of yellow daffodils and tulips.  It made me smile. The tulip was not concerned about its color being different from the others. It simply bloomed. The red tulip struck me as proud of not looking like the others.

You Are a Red Tulip

Each of us is a red tulip in a field of yellow flowers, beautifully created as a unique individual unlike any other person in the history of the universe.  Despite our fine, special design, we often cover up the things that make us unique to look like the yellow flowers around us.  Why do we do this?

Celebrate You

Downplaying the things that make us different is counter to the greater plan for our lives.  When we celebrate ourselves just as we are, we are opening ourselves up to the opportunities we were made for and the people we were meant to know.  When we relax in our skin, we feel better, we are happier and the result is evident to everyone around us.  To make ourselves into the yellow flowers is a wasteful exertion of energy and, quite frankly, a sad way to live one’s life.

Embrace your differences. You look like you do on purpose. Embrace being a red tulip!