One commonality between my clients is the desire for comfortable shoes. Believe it. We do a lot of walking in this city. But there's no need to sacrifice your style for comfort when local boutique re-souL is just a click away. I've been championing the Ballard boutique for years and of course, I wear my re-souL shoes on the regular. These are just a few of the reasons why I'm THRILLED that one lucky Poplin newsletter subscriber will win a pair of shoes from the re-souL collection. And, true to your style, the winner can choose from any of the 14 options based on what looks and feels right for you.

So, for the next several days I'll be highlighting a few of my favorite options from the collection. Every one of them is made in Italy using high quality materials and designed right here in Ballard. Want to win? Just make sure you are on the Poplin email list and you are good to go! First up, the Tilda!

What Will I Wear With My re-souL Tildas When I WIN the Poplin re-souL Giveaway?

UncategorizedmelliciaNovember 16, 2016 Comments

Brooches. It's a Thing.

Brooches always make me think of Madeline Albright or someone's grandmother. Either way, it's likely you have one or two sitting in your jewelry box that haven't seen daylight in years. if you've been waiting to feel like brooches are cool again, get ready. As a personal stylist for women, I've noticed that clients often feel like brooches are intriguing and intimidating at the same time. So, I thought I'd help give you a little inspiration with some unconventional options. After all, the purpose of a brooch is to to communicate your personal style in an individualized way. Ms. Albright often used her brooches to communicate her feelings about an event or situation. You can choose to be that specific or just tell the world that you like sculls, for example. The options are all yours. Now, off you go!

Brooches for Cool Kids- That Means You.

Let's Kick Things Off With the Peacemaker- Stunning Pieces Made by Vets & Their Families

Sometimes Veteran's Day can feel like a random day to get last minute childcare for the kids or discover the bank is closed. But, it only takes a minute or two to be reminded of how fortunate we are for the men, women and their families who put our country before themselves. Really. Sure, we thank individuals for their service and are generally referring to their willingness to put themselves in harm's way. But, it goes well beyond that incredible gift they give to our country. The spouses who forgo career advancement because of necessary moves or scheduling to accommodate a spouse who is deployed are only a few of the really impressive choices these folks make. So, in the wake of our recent election and on this national holiday, I thought I'd focus on some fashionable pieces that support our military families. If you have some other suggestions, please send them my way!

Enjoy the day. I hope you get to spend it with someone you love.

Very Hip Products

Made By Vets and Their Families

This Election is Killing Me: 8 Ways to Detox

This year has been unlike any other year. As a personal stylist for women, I've noticed that this fall has been like unlike any other fall. Why? People are stressed. It's tough to fight for equality and feminism and simultaneously be shopping for the perfect metallic ankle boot. Tough, but not impossible, Dear Reader. Let's face it, when we feel good about what we are wearing, we have more momentum to do great things. And, right now, we clearly need a lot of momentum. But, if like me, you feel like this election has gone on just a little too long, it's time to take some time out to give yourself a little love. Here are some suggestions to get you going. Inertia kills.

8 Ways to Give Yourself Some Love

in the Face of this Election

4 Ways to Style Your Legs When Rocking a Skirt or Dress. Go!

Lately, it's been all outfits all the time for me. What do I mean? Well, for one of my clients, I create outfits using anything she owns, take photos and then she can scroll those pictures every morning to ensure that getting dressed takes less than 5 minutes. My husband often refers to this as, "the secret sauce."

This time of year, the inevitable question comes up when I'm chatting with clients about their outfits: "and so, with what? Tights?" Whether you are rocking ankle boots, mid calf, heels, over the knee boots, you name it; you're going to face this question. Here's the thing, your hosiery serves a purpose and communicates your style. So, let's break that down to help you look like the very best version of you everyday. Start by imagining wearing one dress and one pair of shoes. Now that you have that image, picture wearing these different hosiery options with that outfit as I describe the pros and cons. This should help you get a clear view of the effect of various options. Also, these photos are from a site I adore: Celebrity Hosiery Daily. It's a dream. Make sense? Off we go!

Your Legs, Your Style

Two Great Reasons to Head to Target

It's true. You don't really need an excuse to head to Target. But, let's say you are trying to decide if you should hop in and grab basic supplies or linger for a while for a little, "me," time. These collabs might just convince you of the latter. After all, the Target/ Marimekko collaboration was such a strong success, I have a great deal of confidence that these will be equally compelling.

2 Target Collaborations that are Worth Your Time

What to click, what to skip.

UncategorizedmelliciaOctober 20, 2016Comment

Valuable Reminders For Us All Courtesy of Trans Youth.

The Ruby Room Fashion Show is THIS Sunday. The Ruby Room provides prom dresses for girls who wouldn't otherwise have the right dress for such an important occasion. Tickets are affordable, the show will be AMAZING and every dollar goes to this worthy cause. (Plus, I'll be a judge and I've already picked out my outfit. So, there's that.)

It got me thinking about the trans youth that also enjoy this benefit thanks to organizations like The Ruby Room, YouthCar & so many others. So, I'm reposting this from February. I feel very grateful for the opportunity to help trans women cultivate their personal styles.

Chloe + Isabel Ups Your Style Game & 100% of Proceeds During October Go To Fight Youth Homelessness

Without question, my very favorite combination is fashion and purpose. Whether it's the upcoming fashion show for the Ruby Room that raises money to ensure local teens have hip prom dresses or re-souL's generous donation of brand new shoes for homeless youth, looking good makes everyone feel better.

So, I am THRILLED to partner with Mitra Ramen from Chloe + Isabel for the month of October. If you haven't checked out Chloe + Isabel, now's the time. Representatives host pop up shops each month that bring stylish, classy accessories into your life. Mitra is an engineer who channels her love of fashion through her work making us all beautiful with Chloe + Isabel. AND she donates 100% of her profits each month to a different nonprofit. Seriously.

This is officially the perfect time to check out the brand, up your style game in a way that is authentic to you AND help end youth homelessness. Every dollar counts and it feels amazing to show off your pieces while sharing a few words about the impact you've made. Enough talk! Below, I'm highlighting some of my very favorite pieces. This is only the beginning, be sure to peruse the site on your own. No special codes needed. Every purchase supports YouthCare. Happy shopping!

Some Things to Keep in Mind When Doing Your Shopping With Chloe + Isabel

You Asked. I Answered. Welcome to the New Products Page!

I'm so grateful to you, Dear Reader, for completing the Poplin Survey. Thank YOU. You offered up so many fresh ideas and I've been having the time of my life implementing them. For example, quite a few folks asked for more packages at various price points AND a discount for existing clients. Well, I have great news for you.

New Poplin Packages to Fit Your Needs.

Dear Etsy, It's Time to Make Art Out of Headphone Wires

I finally upgraded my iphone last night. Hooray! Huzzah! During the purchase, I told my salesperson all about my idea for making use of the soon to be useless iphone cords. It occurred to me, I should get the word out with your help, Dear Reader. If you like it, please share.

Dear Etsy (translation genius makers who sell via Etsy),

accessories, DIY, Giving BackmelliciaSeptember 19, 2016etsy, Personal Stylist Seattle, Personal stylist women, recycled iphone headphonesComment

My Favorite U Village Shops Including Joie!

Let's face it, Nordstrom plays a key role in Seattle style. As a personal stylist, I find that the vast majority of my new clients use the retailer as an easy way to learn about new brands. As a result, Vince & Joie are two of the most popular brands that come up in conversation.

So when I discovered the new JOIE store at U Village, I had to share! The ladies are lovely and the selection is much larger than you'll find at a larger retailer. This got me thinking, there's some pretty stellar shopping at U Village. Let's make sure you know some of my favorite places to go.

15+ Shops Worth (re)Visiting at University Village (in no particular order)

How to Wear a Long Vest.

As we welcome fall, we also say, "hello," to some new styling challenges. As a personal stylist for women, I'm hearing a lot of questions about vests. Should I wear them? Can I wear a vest indoors? What's the point? After all, there are no sleeves.

And the list goes on. I fell in love with vests a few years ago with my first leather vest. I picked it up on sale at Nordstrom and wasn't sure if it was for me. Quickly, I discovered the magic of vests and have been rocking them on the regular ever since. Here are a few tips if you think you are ready to try out this trend. (If you think you might be, that means you actually are, by the way.) FYI- Vests of all lengths are pretty spectacular, depending on styling. I'm focusing on long vests in this post and will offer up suggestions on shorter options in future posts.

6 Ways to Wear a Long Vest

Must Have Now: Metallic Ankle Boots

I've been searching for the perfect pair of metallic ankle boots for over a year. If that seems excessive, I think so, too. But, first, I imagined metallic ankle boots without having actually seen a pair. This is a common approach of mine. Dream it. Then find it. As a personal stylist for women, I do this for my clients, too. That's part of the fun of the job.

My theory was that metallic ankle boots would be an amazing neutral. After all, you've likely heard me champion mixed metals for a couple of years now. Metallic ankle boots seemed like the ideal completion of an outfit with metal accessories. To be true to my personal style, I have been looking for a pair that are show stoppers, but not too over the top, reasonably priced (because this is an experiment) AND had a heel height lower than 3 1/2 inches. That's a tall order.

I finally found a pair

Labor Day Sales!

If you subscribe to the Poplin newsletter, you saw these deals on Thursday. Not a subscriber? Jump on!

Without further delay, my favorite retailers with deals for your holiday. Happy Labor Day! The hammering man is taking a break today, so should you.

UncategorizedmelliciaSeptember 5, 2016Comment

3 MAJOR Announcements

Happy Thursday, Dear Reader.

I have MUCH to tell you.

UncategorizedmelliciaSeptember 1, 2016Comment

What to Wear Wednesday with re-souL

UncategorizedmelliciaSeptember 1, 2016Comment

Last Chance to Enter to Win My Favorite All Natural Makeup Primer!

We're holding the drawing tomorrow, Thursday, September 1st. So, if you'd love to win a bottle of my very favorite makeup primer (it makes your skin so silky and is the ideal canvass for makeup), now's the time to enter!

UncategorizedmelliciaAugust 31, 2016Comment

Seattle Boutique: Foundation Fits Your Style & Your Budget

I had a client tell me that she loves the idea of boutiques, but she doesn't love the price tags. There's a common misconception that shopping at local shops translates to high prices. I'm always excited to share boutiques that fit every budget without sacrificing style. Queen Anne's newest shop, Foundation, does just that.

I went to the grand opening, hoping to get ideas for clients and walked out with a bag of pieces for myself. Naturally, I raced home to update you, Dear Reader on Seattle's newest option for the stylish woman on a budget.

How Do I Make Functional Undergarments Look Sexy?

Let's be real. There are undergarments (we're talking about panties, bras and the like) that are crazy sexy. When you were them, you feel desirable, powerful, gorgeous.

Then, you try to layer those under your clothes. Lacy bras result in bumpy t-shirts. Low waisted underwear means a muffin top. And the list goes on. Of course, thongs are the exception. But, I'm willing to guess that most women aren't wearing those everyday. So, what to do.