As a personal stylist for women who’s been blogging for over a decade, we have a sea of quality content tucked away in the Poplin blog. Sometimes, the products aren’t current, but the style tips absolutely are. If you read this blog with any regularity, you might think you’ve seen it all. But, I bet you haven’t. The following Poplin blog posts saw the most web traffic in 2024. Think you know what’s in them? We’ll see…..
Read MoreHappy Anniversary from your very own personal stylist for women. Sure, Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is a special occasion for a huge number of people. But in the Seattle area, we think of this as a hometown holiday. That means that every year I put together a collection of blog posts featuring my favorite products from Anniversary. With thousands of items on sale, it’s helpful to have a cheat sheet. And I have the time of my life digging into the year’s deals.
If Anniversary is new to you, it’s essential to understand the approach. It is unique, to be sure. Rather than kicking off fall in September, then marking down items late in the season, Nordstrom puts a collection of fall items on sale in July. Then, the prices GO UP when Anniversary is over. Nordstrom card holders get “early access,” meaning we can shop before non-card holders. And the sizes go FAST. So, if something is speaking to you, dive in before it’s gone.
Here in Poplin-land, we like to help you shop according to your authentic personal style. While each woman has her own unique style, typically at least one of five archetypes resonate with her. That’s why we have Pinterest Boards for those archetypes and many, many Pinterest boards organized by personal style keywords, body types and more.
So back to the archetypes. They are: Classic, Edgy, Creative, Boho and Effortless. As is our custom every year, I’ve created a blog post filled with my favorite items from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale organized by personal style. You can access each blog post below. Sizes are selling out quickly, so don’t delay. I was just in two Nordstrom stores yesterday only to discover sizes and items disappearing before my eyes.
Fun Fact: Pieces can be categorized in multiple styles. Rather than repeat a product in multiple posts, we give you the most bang for your buck. So, even if Classic, for example, isn’t exactly your thing, you’ll likely find pieces on the list that resonate with you. Okay! That’s it. Now, have a great time shopping and once again, Happy Anniversary!
Read MoreHappy Anniversary from your very own personal stylist for women. Sure, Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is a special occasion for a huge number of people. But in the Seattle area, we think of this as a hometown holiday. That means that every year I put together a collection of blog posts featuring my favorite products from Anniversary. With thousands of items on sale, it’s helpful to have a cheat sheet. And I have the time of my life digging into the year’s deals.
If Anniversary is new to you, it’s essential to understand the approach. It is unique, to be sure. Rather than kicking off fall in September, then marking down items late in the season, Nordstrom puts a collection of fall items on sale in July. Then, the prices GO UP when Anniversary is over. Nordstrom card holders get “early access,” meaning we can shop before non-card holders. And the sizes go FAST. So, if something is speaking to you, dive in before it’s gone.
Here in Poplin-land, we like to help you shop according to your authentic personal style. While each woman has her own unique style, typically at least one of five archetypes resonate with her. That’s why we have Pinterest Boards for those archetypes and many, many Pinterest boards organized by personal style keywords, body types and more.
So back to the archetypes. They are: Classic, Edgy, Creative, Boho and Effortless. As is our custom every year, I’ve created a blog post filled with my favorite pieces and give you ideas for pairing each. Now, it’s time for pieces that communicate your Creative Style.
What is Creative Style? Well, in my mind, these pieces are unique, expressive, unconventional, just unexpected. Creative pieces are often pushing the envelope and pairing multiples together can take things even further. So, opt for one creative piece in an otherwise classic outfit, go full force with all creative options or find your happy place in the middle. Either way, I’m a superfan of Creative style and I can’t wait for you to find some favs in this list.
Fun Fact: Pieces can be categorized in multiple styles. Rather than repeat a product in multiple posts, we give you the most bang for your buck. So, even if Creative isn’t exactly your thing, you’ll likely find pieces on the list that resonate with you. Okay! That’s it. Now, have a great time shopping and once again, Happy Anniversary!
Read MoreAs a personal stylist, my primary goal is to help every woman in my community have the knowledge and confidence to communicate her authentic personal style with pieces that flatter her frame and communicate her values. For over a decade, I’ve done this by offering up a framework for harnessing your unique personal style. Of course, an essential component to my work is illustrating my aesthetic. This is integral to growing my community and client base. After all, who wants to work with a stylist who doesn’t share your taste?
And what better way to share my point of view than with social media? In the first six years of my business (2013-2019), Facebook was a key component of my outreach efforts. I used it to grow my email list, promote blog posts and offer giveaways. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to market directly to my ideal client thanks to Facebook ads. I selected her gender, age, location and other brands she followed. Being a stylist based in Seattle, Nordstrom is the go-to for the majority of women here, so marketing directly to women who followed Nordstrom on Facebook was a no-brainer.
Truthfully, I only used the ads a few times because word of mouth was working well for me and, frankly, I felt a little uneasy about the whole process. Then I moved on.
When Instagram popped up, it was the ideal medium to highlight my activities, showcase local brands and boutiques and discover new makers. It was a lot more appealing to me than Facebook and by that point and I had cornered the market on #personalstylistSeattle without spending a dime.
But as the years went by, I became more and more concerned about the effects of social media on society. When the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, I started to realize that the average person in my world had not considered the amount of data that Facebook was accumulating about them. My ability to perfectly target my ideal customer thanks to Facebook ads suddenly seemed a little shady. Certainly, targeted ads are a given but in light of Cambridge Analytica, things seemed different. I mean, of course an individual knew that following Nordstrom, sharing her age and favorite hobbies was public. Right? But had it ever occurred to her that this information would be shared with advertisers? I don’t know. Is it wrong? I don’t know that either. Targeted ads do make life easier. How awesome is it for the internet to shop for me without me having to do a thing? But what happens when information is shared when we don’t want it to be or with folks we’d rather not share it with?
I started marinating on all of this and was less and less enthusiastic about Facebook and Instagram. In the early years, my business was also on Twitter. Though I never really got into it, I typically shared the same content I was sharing on the other networks in an effort to get the business out there. It served me well when I was featured in a Microsoft Office ad campaign, a huge boon for my business. If I hadn’t been on Twitter, I would not have been featured.
But, when Donald Trump was elected president, I left Twitter.
I wasn’t a fan of the new normal of allowing our elected leaders to communicate in 140 characters rather than being held accountable in interviews or press conferences. To me, being on the platform signaled my support for the company’s approach and I felt complicit in it. So, I left.
I’ll stop here to say it had literally no impact on anyone that I left Twitter. I doubt anyone noticed. That being said, I knew that doing so meant that I might miss a future opportunity, like the Microsoft campaign, that was so beneficial to the business. At the time, I concluded that making that decision was worth the risk.
So as the years went on and Facebook’s behavior became more and more concerning to me, I already had experience leaving a platform. Sure, leaving Twitter wasn’t a huge shift like leaving Facebook and Instagram would be. But, it was something. And when my concerns started piling up, I knew leaving social media (except for LinkedIn and Pinterest, two sites that were not complicit in the way that Facebook and Instagram were) was becoming more inevitable.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women based in Seattle, I have had a hybrid work situation for over a decade. Some days, I’m out and about meeting with partners and colleagues, other days I’m with a client at her home and still other days, I’m at home with or without Zoom meetings throughout the day.
Now that a much larger percentage of the population is in a similar situation, I find that my learnings from years of choosing what to wear while walking this tightrope are more relevant than ever.
Read MoreBefore I became a personal stylist for women, I loved clothes. I had an ever evolving wardrobe and would vacillate between joyful exuberance and overwhelm as I’d feel guilty for spending money, using resources, consuming, you get the idea. Then, I’d buy some new pieces and the cycle would start again.
This eternal inner conflict was a driving force in creating Poplin Style. Over a decade ago, I developed a clear system to help clients simplify shopping. As a client, she now knows how to find pieces that flatter her body type, focus her choices on colors in her color palette, stick with decisions that communicate her authentic personal style and when possible, opt for clothing that aligns with her style.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women based in Seattle, I get an endless number of requests to write guest blog posts. Truly. So. Many. Requests.
I take our relationship very seriously, Dear Reader. You trust me with your time and my commitment is to give you quality content that helps you transform your authentic personal style and feel good about getting dressed everyday. I like to write those myself.
Simultaneously, I absolutely LOVE connecting you with other amazing folks. It’s great for you, great for them and frankly, makes my heart swell, too. You can find several of these guest posts in the In It Together Series that we launched in early lockdown.
One of my clients asked me for tips on taking a great selfie and I immediately knew who to ask. My friend and branding photographer, Suzanne Rothmeyer, generously agreed to share her tips and tricks and they exceeded my expectations. Let’s face it. We all need this skill. I expect you’ll be bookmarking this one- or pin it on Pinterest! Have fun with it and as always, let me know what you think. -Mellicia
Read MoreAn essential component of being a personal stylist is listening. It’s vital that I really see my client then we create a strategy to harness her authentic personal style using that information. Buying the perfect gift takes the same skill. It can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t need to. Really, it’s about paying attention to the recipient AND having a list of potential gifts so that you can match his/her/ their desires with something you can deliver.
As someone who takes a lot of pride in my gifting abilities, I can assure you that giving the right gift feels SO good for the both the recipient AND the giver. So, let’s give you some ideas, shall we?
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women and small business owner, I’ve met an array of really wonderful women through the Ellevate Pacific Northwest Community. I leave each event with more knowledge than I when I arrived and equally important, a little spring in my step. The community is filled with energy and light. I am THRILLED to be a mentor in the 7th Annual Speed Mentoring Event.
It’s easy to remember that I’m a personal stylist. So, of course, I’m all about answering questions on that front. When I’ve mentored at similar events in the past, I’m often discussing a wide variety of topics. From various aspects of running my own business for the past decade, integrating giving back into my work and so much more.
Now multiply that times a panel of glorious women- each one a wealth of knowledge on various topics and you’ve got the Ellevate Speed Networking Event. I hope you can join! Details below.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women everywhere, I’ve spent over a decade working with hundreds of women to harness their style. At a Poplin client event a few years ago, we took a group photo. It wasn’t until looking at the photo that I realized how many of my clients are petite. Of course, it makes sense. Finding pieces that fit your body is an essential component to feeling amazing in your clothing. And whenever retailers and brands make that process difficult, the result is often negative self talk and always frustration. This can happen thanks to the limited number of pieces available in certain size ranges- petite, tall, plus and especially petite plus.
Whether or not you are petite, defined in the US as 5’4” or below, you’ll find some real gems in this blog post. (As an added bonus, this post also features petite Poplin clients so you can dive into each woman’s style and see the magic of great fitting clothing and hear her perspective on working with Poplin.)
Before we begin, it’s helpful to truly understand the impact that having limited options has on a woman’s approach to personal style. Over the years, I’ve discovered that when a woman is limited to a small selection of pieces because of her size, she has often closed herself off to the idea of truly wearing what she wants. (This can also happen for women who don’t have access to desired retailers or brands because of their location or Trans women who are new to women’s clothing altogether.) Regardless of the reason, when a woman can’t even SEE the clothes she is interested in available to her, she an easily internalize that those styles aren’t for her. So, when I ask her to think aspirationally, if she could have any style without concerns about budget or lifestyle, she has no idea how to answer.
This is only one of the many reasons that fashion’s more inclusive approach to showing models of all body types and sizes is extraordinarily beneficial. Of course, there’s a long road ahead. But, we’re absolutely seeing progress.
Now, back to our original question: Should I buy petite clothing or buy standard sizes and have things tailored? The answer is: it depends or both, depending on who you are. Let’s dive in!
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women, sharing client stories with the entire Poplin community is one of my very favorite things to do. Personal styling is an intimate business and I have been extraordinarily fortunate to work with hundreds of truly inspiring, kind, brave women who are beautiful on the inside and out. They say that things will happen when you need them to and Bridget was the perfect client for me at exactly the right time. A Creative who exudes generosity and strength, Bridget lives with intention soaking up every day. She went all in with the Amplified 360 Package. It includes the traditional services: Closet Edit, Uber Wishlist, Tailoring, Virtual Styling and Outfit Creation PLUS an Intimates Wishlist and a Photo Shoot. This is my attempt at making you feel like you were with us along the way. If you find half as much joy as I did, it will be a success.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women based in Seattle, I’m all about teaching my clients how to dress themselves and leveraging technology to make getting ready as easy as possible. It’s true, technology can be a blessing and a curse sometimes. But, it’s all about how (and how much) we use it. Is it making our lives better? My goal is to ensure that when it comes to harnessing your authentic personal style and getting ready every day, the answer is a resounding, “yes!”
Each Poplin client has a password protected webpage just for her. It tells her instantly what pieces flatter her frame, what colors make her look her best and more. Her profile defines her authentic personal style, shows photos of outfits made from her new and existing pieces and is a vast resource for her moving forward. It includes a list of brands a retailers that are ideal for her and a collection of Pinterest boards that can inspire her when she’s ready to dream or to shop. Sure, the online profile is only available to Poplin clients, but if becoming a client isn’t in the cards for you right now, you still have access to those magical Pinterest Boards. They are organized by body type, personal style key words, values and a few bonuses just because. (I’m looking at you undergarments and loungewear boards.)
If you check out the Poplin Pinterest Boards regularly, you may think you’ve seen it all. But, with 45 boards, it’s easy to have missed some. So, here’s your chance to find some inspiration, outfit ideas, product options and just all around eye candy. And remember to pin from the blog to help drive more traffic to Poplin. Every action makes a difference, my friend. Thanks very much for being here and have a great time.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women, I get lots of questions about style from clients, readers, friends and members of the Poplin community. Recently, someone shared with me her struggles about brands. Here’s her question:
For people like me who have never really paid attention to brands but are now starting to get pricier/nicer clothes, I'm super curious about brand ethos and what it says if I wear that brand.
For example, I was out shopping for a winter coat to replace my beloved Michael Kors one that I got at Costco before I knew anything about the MK brand. Now I'm trying to replace it and wondering what an "Eddie Bauer" logo says about me vs... I don't know, a Kate Spade or a Eileen Fisher or a Canada Goose logo.
I'm starting to learn some brand ethos (Kate Spade is young but classic but colorful! Eddie Bauer is for people who actually go outside, Mark says!) but I have no idea about so many of them, and I'm hesitant to buy anything with any brand identifier in case I accidentally wear something that is not the vibe I want to convey! I envision myself going to a business meeting with the equivalent of JUICY on my butt and not realizing it ha! But so many clothes, especially outerwear, have some kind of identifier.
Excellent question! Fortunately, there are answers. Off we go!
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women, I’m all about giving each client concrete tools to help her look and feel her best every day. Her clothes should communicate her authentic personal style and give her confidence. Each piece should flatter her frame and whenever possible, align with her values.
My client, Jane, was ready for a change. It was time to elevate her look and embrace her feminine side in a sophisticated way. After going through a divorce, she was ready to wear clothes that made her feel confident, sexy, edgy and still functional for life with her little one. As a woman in her early 40’s, she opted for pieces that felt appropriate and pretty, but often ended up feeling forgettable. Her closet edit revealed 50’s inspired fit and flare dresses with some bohemian pieces thrown in.
Giving her both the permission and the tools to embrace her feminine side and celebrate her figure transformed the way she showed up at work and in life. In her words,
“Working with you has given me so much confidence. I wore one of the All Saints dresses yesterday to work. OMG. I could have hugged you, I felt so great.”
In the case of this All Saints dress, the secret is ruching.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women based in Seattle, I spend a great deal of my time creating online shopping lists for clients. We call them Uber Wishlists. If you haven’t already seen them, check out some samples from real Poplin clients.
Yes! We create lists that supplement her existing collection and create a cohesive, user friendly and inspiring wardrobe. Fun Fact: We also create Intimates and Loungewear lists. When the weather is cold, those are some of my favorites. The past few months I’ve become completely OBSESSED with Negative Underwear. The pieces are luxurious, super soft and equally sexy. Most of them are sheer! Yes, you can. The colors are spectacular and I’m personally VERY enthusiastic about the Whipped Collection, especially the base layers.
I recently recommended them to my client Isa. At first she was apprehensive because they are an investment. Then her order of a handful of items came and she sent me this text.
OH MY GOD THE NEGATIVE UNDERWEAR…. OMGGGGGGG OBSESSED.
And then she ordered lots more from the company. I had Negative Underwear on my Christmas list and was ELATED when my husband got me a loungewear set. So, it’s only right that I share this magic with you, Dear Reader with a discount code of course. Enjoy!
Read MoreI like the idea that COVID won’t permeate every aspect of our lives, especially when it comes to the holiday season. Based on conversations with clients and friends, it’s clear that trying to find the ideal gift often also means considering how that relates to our current very strange state of being. As a personal stylist for women, I often tell people that my job is to “see” people. When I meet a new client, I listen to her and try to see what she sees as her aspirational style. Then, using her budget, body type, lifestyle and personal style, I translate that into a strategy to help her embrace her authentic personal style. Uber Wishlists are a solid representation of how I translate her words into actual items. This, my Dear Reader, is essentially spending 8 years of my professional life gifting.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women, it’s my job to stay on top of trends, but also to guide each client to stay true to her authentic personal style and choose pieces that flatter her frame. This can be a major challenge for a woman as the new shiny objects are so alluring, but can also end in disappointment. If you have tags on clothes still in your closet, I’m talking to you:)
Not to worry! The key is to choose pieces that communicate your authentic personal style while also staying current. One way to do that is to see what’s out there right now, then narrow down your choices to see what’s right for YOU.
This fall, it’s all about the 1970’s or the 1990’s. If you lived through one of both of these, you’ll likely have feelings about both. But just remember, inspired by doesn’t have to mean pieces that are literal copies of items from the past. Avoid costume-like looks by including vintage inspired pieces with more modern touches. To get you started, here’s what’s happening right now in Fall Fashion. As always, I’d love to hear what’s resonating with you.
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