Ways to save on Designer looks

It's that time of year to go through your Spring wardrobe looking for ways to fill in the gaps. So what  about designer looks. We all know we love the new looks but can we afford then. When was the last time you paid $500 for a pair of shoes or $4000 for a all cotton tee-shirt. If you are like me the answer is never!
So where do you go for something delicious to wear,  soft to the touch and show stopping.

Girl Talk at Haverford Square

 

Come to Hope Chest of Haverford Square for some tantalizing girl talk tonight beging at 6 p.m.  Author Karen Jayne  will be apppearing  to talk about all things intimate at this Lingerie Boutique. Here's your chance to get into the spirit of Valentine's Day with the ladies so that big night is extra-special. Jayne, writer of 3 Down Pillows is a professional life coach. She helps clients attain their personal fulfillment by attracting what they truly desire.

Jayne's book takes you through a three-month life coaching journey for Vivian, a middle-aged, married, mother, who finds she is disconnected from herself, from her husband and from her sexuality. Her life feels devoid of pleasure and passion. Intimately experience the process leading to her transformation as she learns how to connect to self-love and inner fulfillment by shifting perceptions, interpretations and language while becoming present and empowered.

Hope Chest has been aa premiere lingerie store in the Main Line Philadelphia are for 20 years.  They feature the finest lingerie from Europe and America for over 20 years,specialing  in bras, sleepwear, shapewear, and sexy lingerie. Hope Chest was  voted  top lingerie store in the world by Travel and  Leisure Magazineson what they want, and identify how current patterns of behavior are encouraging or inhibiting them Leisure Magazine.  For more information, please visit www.hopechestshop.com and Facebook.com/HopeChestHaverford.  If you want to take part in this thought provoking night of girl talk  RSVP via Facebook, click here: tinyurl.com/girltalkhaverford

Women in Paris can wear pants legally



Photo by Brisbane Times.com au



The French have finally allowed women to wear trousers. The French Minister of Women's Rights, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem repealed the law which is over 200 years old. and was created during the French Revolution.  The French government amended this law allowing women to wear trousers while riding  a bike or a horse.  Before this repeal police could arrest women for dressing like men according to the Telegraph, a British publication. 

Fascinating especially when you think it was a French designer, Paul Poiret who was the first to design pants for women.  In 1913 Poiret was inspired by Eastern culture and created Harem pants. Then came Coco Channel. a fashion icon who liberated women with her trends of casual looks and created a new silhouette for women out of jersey materials  in the 1930's. She created the riding pants so women could ride without wearing dresses and riding sideways. In the 1950's she introduced pea jackets and bell bottoms for women.

 But as all things come out of necessity, women wore trousers to work on farm work and then to help during World War I in the factories. So trousers on women though a novelty were worn.

Actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn were often photographed in trousers from the 1930s. Looking fantastic they  helped make trousers acceptable for women. During World War II, women in Britain wore their husbands' trousers while  working in factories and serving in the war effort. Who can forget Rosy the Riveter standing proudly dressed in a shirt and trousers showing her  loyalty to her country and working to free the world. Little did she know she was freeing herself to put on trousers. Trousers became acceptable for casual wear, for gardening,  at the beach, and other leisure pursuits during the post-war era.

 With the fight for equal rights, women wore  trousers more and more in the work environment during the 1970's.  In the United States the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which made public education treat males and females equally. Dresses could not be required of female students and dress codes changed in public schools across the United States. Today we have the right to wear pants, long skirts, short skirts and shorts.  So let's open a champagne bottle and toast  Najet Vallaud-Belkacem for taking a step forward and letting go of a law no one styling would take seriously. " Bravo!!!"
Keep Styling in Delco.

Makeovers change lives!




Photos By Anita Coppens



Style Me Hired Makeover Show gives free monthly makeovers to women who are currently unemployed and seeking employment.  For the past two years this small business, created by salon owner Marc Voci, partners with other small businesses to give a free monthly makeover to a woman who is unemployed and seeking employment.  Each makeover includes a haircut, color, makeup and a new outfit. 



Women who are unemployed and actively looking for work are encouraged to go to www.stylemehired.com and submit their story to become a Style Me Hired Makeover Winner. Each month the team at Style Me Hired selects a story, and then tries to surprise the makeover winner at home.  The lucky lady is then chauffeured to the salon for her transformation.

Many makeover winners are also presented with a job opportunity after their complete makeover.  Last Sunday the women came together to speak about their experiences and the confidence they gained after the makeovers. 

When you read this today maybe your lucky day.  Go to www.stylemehired.com  and tell Marc Voci and his team your story,  you might be surprised one morning and start on a new journey that will impact your life. Keep Styling in Delco.

Staying toasty and Stylish in the Winter!

Ugh I hate the winter. I hate to bundle up but what’s a girl going to do if she has to scrape the ice from her car windows or walk a few blocks to shop.
So here are some tips I found to make you feel gorgeous during these winter months.

• First to stay warm find some thermal underwear to put on under your clothes. It used to be thicker and very manly. Remember those red fire engine longjohns. Today you can find thinner silky thermals that are pretty in all colors and even prints. Underneath do as the French do; wear warm sexy lingerie.
• Wear lots of color; nothing brightens up beige, gray or black coat than a scarf, great gloves or a cool hat. Colors lighten our hearts. When you think winter you just think dark and dreary. Well wear that bright hat and scarf and I bet people will smile at you even if the temperature is below zero.

• If you don’t want to wear a dark coat opt for a winter coat you love in a color you love.
• Wear lots of layers but think thin instead of bulky. Wool, cashmere or specialty thermal wear is great. Wool is bulky but oh so warm. One wool sweater is worth three cotton sweaters you layer together. One wool sweater might be a bit more bulky but not as bulky as wearing much more clothes that won't keep you as warm.

• When you wear a blouse or shirt make sure your long sleeves fit tightly on your wrist. Don’t want wind to come up your coat sleeves and give you chills.

• Wear black trousers and dark stockings when you want to wear a short dress. Thermal stockings will keep you warm. Black is always slimming. Underneath those trousers wear tights for an added layer of warmth.

• Find a coat that will fit over your layers without being too tight when you button or zip it up. Coats that are too large will make you look bigger; tight coats will show off the bulges. You want to make yourself look as tall as possible because bulky material cuts you in half. Remember we are layering which will create lines less smooth as you would like them to be.

When you buy gloves look for the warmest thinnest gloves possible. You will be able to use your hands and if they are snug your hands will feel          warmer. We want your feet to stay as warm as your hands. So make sure you buy great lined boots.

• Keep your head warm. Find something that says you and that you love to wear. Have fun. Keeping your head warm, keeps the whole body warmer.
• Wear makeup so you look sparkle during these dull days. Accentuate those lips, keep them soft and smooth. And yes comb that hair even if it gets a little windblown.
• Most of all though SMILE. Spring is coming soon.Just keep counting the days till the dreaded bikini season.  Keep styling in Delco!

Compendium: A Collection of Style

Looking for something original, Compendium is the place to go. Emily Scott, a designer always wanted to have her own boutique. She opened Compendium in August, 2012 in Swarthmore making her dream come true.


Scott began sewing when she was young. She started designing in high school for private clients. Today she still works with private clients and has managed to put some of her classic designs on the rack in her own boutique.

Designers local and global are featured in this new boutique at 23 S. Chester Road in the heart of the shopping district of Swarthmore. Here you will find dresses, pants, skinny jeans, jewelry and even handmade shoes.

Scott got her degree in business from Arcadia University in 2009. Scott found trying to launch her own dress line proved to be a bit more difficult than she thought. She found that competing against fully established designers to get rack space was tough, so she decided to open her own boutique .She not only wanted to sell her own clothing but also feature other small and independent designers.

Supporting independent designers like her became an important aspect of her business plan, thus Compendium was born.

  

Her carefully selected inventory is a collection, or a compendium, of independent and emerging designers. It is these independent designers that truly make the clothes unique,

Great style doesn't mean breaking the bank, either; Scott prides herself in carrying a wide range of amazing merchandise with a variety of price points, from the affordable every day dress and fabulous pair of earrings to that one-of-a-kind jacket and silver necklace for a special night out. Check it out you definitely will find styling items at Compendium. Keep Styling in Delco.

Scott believes fashion should be fun and an expression of yourself...and not everyone else should be wearing the same thing as you! After all, you are one of a kind. Scott is always looking for new designers to work with and help gain exposure. If you are an independent designer and are interested in having your line in Compendium, please contact Emily at co-op@compendiumboutique.com

Keep Styling in Delco!

Poco Loco a World of Fashion

In the heart of Swarthmore you can fine one of the most unique boutiques around, Poco Loco at 19 S. Chester Rd.

If you are looking for the perfect gift for your best friend,

 your mom,

your sister and even your little sister,                                             look  here. 

It’s filled with great items from hand-woven belts to a Picasso Vest by Dilemna.

This is the place that speaks to your inner artist and your international awareness as so many items are from all over the world.  

 Beverly Scarani has owned Poco Loco for over 22 years and has traveled the world for her finds. You can find hand-woven sweaters from Yasku Kurisaka of Japan, handmade pocketbooks from Erda of Maine and Tabask of Peru sweaters.  You can find socks, sweaters, scarves, hats and jewelry, pants, skirts and even Winding River jackets.   Check out these items I found.

     

Keep Styling in Delco!!!