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

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

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.

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.

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

Win a FREE Pair of Shoes from the re-souL Collection!

If you read this blog with any regularity, thank you. AND, you must know how much I adore Ballard's own re-souL. My first big post focusing on the brand went live in November, 2013. Wow. How time flies. Now, I'm a dedicated re-souL enthusiast. The extremely well made shoes are designed in Ballard and made with supple Italian leather. Plus, each pair is equal parts fashion and function with special care given to ensure every pair is crazy comfortable.

Since that initial post, I've been fortunate to become friends with the brains behind the brand (Legh and Maggie) and partner up with Maggie on the YouthCare Styling Sessions. In short, I couldn't be happier to introduce the shop and this crew to the world. If you are already a re-souL fan, you'll be especially excited about our giveaway.

Here's how it works. Simply sign up for the Poplin newsletter to be entered. If you are already on the Poplin email list, yes, you are entered. But, wouldn't you like to increase your chances? Simply enter again and be given all sorts of options to increase your likelihood of winning. Tweet, share, post. Whatever you do. It will get you closer to a pair of shoes of YOUR CHOICE from the re-souL collection.

The winner will be announced this Friday. So, don't delay. Enter now! Until then, how about some suggestions for styling these gorgeous shoes?!

Off we go!

The Perfect Mule is a Part Timer

3 Brands Reinventing the Way We Shop

Things are getting crazy in fashion land. Just when you think you know how to shop- in person or online- brands continue to innovate. That means lots of fun for me. Here are three fresh approaches to shopping that you just might love.

Three Innovative Approaches to Shopping. Go!

So What's the Deal with Amazon's Echo Look?

If you haven't already heard, Amazon just launched Echo Look. The goal is for Alexa to act as your fashion assistant. I've had all sorts of questions about the product and what it means both for Poplin and for clients. As a personal stylist in Seattle, the home of Amazon, it's clear I'll have an opinion. So here it is.

First up, what is it exactly? Here's a video to explain.

Echo Look and Current and Future Poplin Clients.

If Alexa is already a big part of your life, you may see the Echo Look as a natural fit. My goal is

Best Gifts EVER.

I recently had a conversation with a client about gifting. She said, "I wish you did wishlists for gifts because I know you'd have great suggestions." That naturally led to a conversation about finding the perfect gift which leads me to this blog post. Yes! Of course I have ideas! And you, my Dear Reader, are about to hear/ read all about them. Off we go!

My Favorite Gifts for the People You Love.

Everything You Need to Get You Into the Pool in the Perfect Swimwear for YOUR Body

I recently had some readers mention to me how much they love insight about finding the ideal swimwear. We started chatting and it occurred to me that I've written quite a bit on this topic over the years. As a resourceful personal stylist for women in Seattle, I decided to Google PoplinStyle and Bathing Suit. Remember- if you have questions, Poplin probably has answers. And three years in, there's a whole lot of content on the interweb. So, here are some tips I thought you'd enjoy. Feel free to Google PoplinStyle and any topic and let me know how it goes. If you still can't find what you need, please reach out. Perhaps a blog post is in order!

Enjoy the sunshine!

4 Helpful Resources to Help You Find the Perfect Swimsuit

Club Monaco is Moving & Marimekko is Closer Than You Think.

Two of my favorite brands are even easier to try on in person!

First, Pacific Place is host to the only Club Monaco in Washington state. Looking for another? You'll need to go to San Francisco or Vancouver, B.C. The local is store is truly one of my very favorites to bring clients. The clothes are gorgeous, high quality, staples and the service is top of the line. The brand

Do I Need to Buy Something New to Work with Poplin?

I get this question a lot, so I thought I'd address it directly in the blog. After all, what better way to communicate with you, Dear Reader? Often times, when looking at our budgets, prospective clients may wonder how to cover the cost of services plus new clothes. "Should I wait until I have a sizable budget for clothing," one woman asked.

Well, it all depends. Here's the breakdown.

Planning Your Clothing Budget for

Working with Poplin

7 Designer Collaborations You Won't Want to Miss.

Are you sensing a trend? Designers and celebrities have discovered that they can monetize their style by collaborating with brands. This development is especially fun for the rest of us as these bring fresh energy to existing brands. Collabs inspire us to try new labels, revisit some favorites or just put together our existing pieces in new ways. All hail the collab!

Here are a few of my favorites and of course, there are more coming everyday. Keep in mind, many of these are for a limited time as brands and collaborators expiriment. So, if you see something you like, don't wait.

7 Designer Collabs to Check Out Now.

5 Comfy Trends that Could be Sloppy or Chic, Depending on Your Pairing.

It's true. Sometimes you just want to wear something soft and cozy. The danger is that once you know the bliss of old sweat pants, you'll have a hard time convincing yourself to change out of them to head to the market. Thanks to fashion trends, there's some great news for those of us who would like to be comfortable and still fashionable.

5 Comfortable Trends that you can Elevate.

Stop. It's Slipper Time.

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know how much I adore my rubber Birkenstocks as the ultimate, "house shoe." After all, in the Pacific Northwest, most people don't wear shoes indoors. But, because we have wood floors, going barefoot simply isn't an option for me. The Birks provide support and look adorable.

Well, times are changing, my friend.

I have become completely enamored with CP Slippers. Let me tell you more.

Why I Heart CP Slippers.

Menswear, My Favorite Things, Women's fashionmelliciaFebruary 15, 2017CP Slippers, Handmade slippers, Spanish Leather SlippersComment

You, Your Personal Stylist & A Tailor Trained in Design.

As a personal stylist, I spend a great deal of time helping my clients strategize. The goal is for her to know why she's making each purchase and how each piece helps communicate her vision. If you've ever started at a dress in your closet that still has the tags on or looked at the shoe box in your closet with unworn shoes, you can relate to the need for strategy. If you don't use the clothes, the money is simply wasted.

But, you don't always need to toss the item and start over. Many pieces can not only be salvaged, they can be celebrated. In fact, I've been thinking a lot about this lately as client after clients reaps the benefits of working with my tailor AND me as we bring new life to their existing wardrobes.

5 Reasons YOU Need Time With Poplin andMy Tailor of Dreams

How to Inject Your Personal Style into your Work Attire

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Ever since I saw this photo of Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar, it's been on my mind. It can be very difficult to communicate you personal style while wearing your work clothes. In my experience as a personal stylist for women, this is especially true for women in male dominated industries. Technology, government and executive level positions can be particularly challenging because a woman often wants to be taken seriously and may worry that being perceived as feminine or fashionable somehow takes away from the content of her message.

Because of this, I'm always on the lookout for high profile women that can serve as examples to other accomplished women, when it comes to finding strength and self expression in their personal styles.

In the category of fashionable women in government, Representative Ilhan Omar is at the top of my list. Here are a few lessons you can take from her when getting ready every morning.

Lessons for Powerful, Fashionable Women from State Representative Ilhan Omar

Introducing Very Well Designed Gear to Communicate the Resistance.

Local designer Lauren Wallace is a friend, an immensely talented individual and a force for good in this world. With all the upheaval as of late, Lauren decided to channel her art and make things to make the world better.

If you've been struggling to style up your inner activist, worry no more. From totes to tees and everything in between, Lauren's looks are just for you.

AND.... 100% of the profits go to organizations that protect the health, safety and security of women, the LGBT community, immigrants and the long term health of our planet.