My name is Melissa Kaplan Guarino. Welcome to my blog! It’s a place for sharing fashion tips & stories that will help make each one of us shine brightly. What is your story?
Clothes from my closet – a floral print a-line skirt with neutral pumps
I’m 5/4.5. There was a short period when I reached my full height at thirteen and I thought that I wouldn’t stop growing. But I did. Bottom line: I’m petite. It’s taken me a long time to figure out what I can and cannot wear and what trends will never work for me. In general terms, I think I do best when I keep it simple and uncluttered.
Some tips that work for me:
- keep pants fitted and flat. When Kim came for my closet audit, she recommended that I have a tailor remove the inner pockets of several of my pants and sew them up. It created a more fitted and flattering leg.
- choose a-line dresses and skirts. Skirts with tucked-in shirts and sweaters is a flattering shape and most often I look for knee-length or just above-the-knee. Skirts for petite women are better if they hit at your natural waist.
- choose a neutral shoe to elongate my legs.
- stay with pops of color, especially around my neck and face. Prints are fine too, as long as the proportion is in keeping with my size.
- turn to a well fitted blazer/jacket to complete a look. But stay away from over-sized and loose styles; in fact …
- stay away from loose-fitting clothing in general.
I also stay away from:
- Bermuda shorts and longer-length shorts and
- loose, blousy tops
Helpful tips? What do you think?
Teen Talk with Catie
I’m back with my girl Catie. It’s been a year since we sat down and much has happened in that time. Catie graduated from 8th grade and is about to complete her freshmen year of high school. We caught up and talked about fashion, friends, and self-image. Once again it was illuminating. Here is Catie …
“I’ve noticed that in high school there is much more freedom to go your own way. It’s okay to be yourself. Styles are more purposeful and the girls take it more seriously …
People aren’t as interested in looking like everyone else as they were in middle school; in high school they are coming out of their shells. They are more experimental and creative in the way they dress. You can tell someone’s personality by the way s/he dresses and individuals are accessorizing in a personal and identifiable way …
I am more experimental, too. I don’t stick to just one style. I’m less afraid to be myself now. I dress for myself, and I feel welcome to be myself.” ~ Catie
Let’s do this again soon Catie!
Chaz Dean: photo credit – Richard Guaty
I, like many of us, am very sensitive about my hair. If I am having a bad hair day it is hard for me to think of anything else. And so a few years ago when I discovered WEN cleansing conditioner for my hair created by Chaz Dean, I started to view my hair in a whole new light. My hair began to feel softer and as my hair became bouncier, I felt lighter and better about myself. It’s as if I turned back the clock and gave myself the gift of younger-looking hair. I know I’m not alone. Many people are waking up to the joy of WEN hair care. Chaz has a vision to help more people feel like me by creating chemical-free, healthy products for our hair. Here is Chaz …
MKG: What has been the driving force behind creating WEN?
CD: I believe everyone has the ability to have beautiful, healthy, shiny hair and with WEN everyone can attain their best hair. Giving everyone the hair they have always dreamed of is one of the reasons I created WEN and continue to do so.
MKG: Why is our hair so important to us?
CD: Hair and skin are really important to how a person feels about him/herself. It is how others see you and how you present yourself to others. Having beautiful, healthy hair and skin is a confidence booster and helps build positive self esteem.
MKG: What happens when someone uses WEN for the first time?
CD: The first thing that most people notice the first time they use WEN is how soft and shiny their hair is. With continuous use they say their hair has never been more manageable, healthy, soft and shiny. It just gets better and better.
MKG: What is your vision for the future of WEN?
CD: My vision for WEN is to keep educating, motivating, and empowering people by enhancing their natural beauty.
MKG: What is something about you that most of us wouldn’t know?
CD: Most people know I travel a lot; what they don’t know is that I bring my own blanket and “My Pillow.” ~ Chaz Dean
Chaz Dean is dedicated to helping each of us feel and look our best. I think I’m lucky we met …
What do you think?
Betsey and Lulu Johnson
You may want to spend part of your Mother’s Day with designer Betsey Johnson and her daughter, Lulu. Tonight the Style Network will launch the season premier of: xox Betsey. A little over a year ago Betsey Johnson filed for bankruptcy but as she herself says, “The stores are gone, but I’m not!” Which is a very good thing, and I can’t wait to see more of Betsey Johnson! She is a fashion favorite, ever since my mother introduced me to her in the mid 1970s when she took over the fashion label Alley Cat. I will never forget (and I wish I could find) the red plaid corduroy Alley Cat blazer designed by Betsey Johnson. It was divine. I borrowed it from my mother and she never saw it again.
I imagine xox Betsey will be a loving tribute to mothers and daughters everywhere and a lot like Betsey Johnson-the-designer herself: bold, bright, edgy, cooky, a lot of fun and original! I’ll be watching!
What do you think?
Rachel Zoe
“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” ~ Rachel Zoe
Bergdorf Goodman – courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman website
I love a good story; I especially love the story behind the story. It’s the reason that I started writing this blog. Because I believe that we all have a story and that magic happens when you look behind the curtain. And I love to peak – especially when it’s about fashion! A few months ago I saw a documentary about the legendary editor Diana Vreeland; today I watched an intriguing documentary – more of a love story – about New York institution and luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman. Scatter my ashes at Bergdorf’s tells the story of Bergdorf Goodman; why designers want to showcase there, why people want to shop there, and why employees love to work there. And oh yes, there is a little history about the two men who started it all …
New York tailors Edwin Goodman and Herbert Bergdorf joined forces and founded a luxury store, Bergdorf Goodman, in the Garment District in 1901. The business moved in 1914 to Rockefeller Center and again in 1928 to its present location, 5th Avenue and 57th Street, the corner of luxury-and-everything-elegant-in-New York. The site was originally the location of the Vanderbilt Mansion, which occupied the entire city block. When Andrew Goodman inherited Bergdorf Goodman from his father, he took the department store to its almost-mythic heights. Too much, you ask? Those interviewed contend that we need stores like Bergdorf Goodman to foster the American Dream.
Top fashion designers both domestic and international, including Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Diane Von Furstenberg, Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi, and Giorgio Armani, shared their voices and love for Bergdorf Goodman. But it is the stories of the internal Bergdorf family that I found the most inspiring: a family that includes senior vice president and highly influential buyer Linda Fargo, creator of its world-renowned windows David Hoey and spot-on, outspoken personal in-house shopper Betty Halbreich. These intimate glimpses give Scatter my ashes at Bergdorf’s its true appeal. Amy Fine Collins, special correspondent to Vanity Fair describes the glamour and allure of this one of a kind icon: “Bergdorf Goodman has decades and decades of accumulated history. Every nook and every cranny is a story.”
What do you think?
The Goodman Family. Courtesy of Entertainment One Films US
Photo credit: Visage/Getty images
On the heels of a proposal for more conservative uniforms, there is now news from Turkey that Turkish Airlines will ban flight attendants from wearing red lipstick and nail polish. Although the airline contends that the ban is aimed at keeping its crews “well-groomed with makeup in pastel tones” and that it simply prefers neutral tones, many are concerned that this is another step to move the country closer to the ruling Islamic party.
What do you think?
Accessorizing: daytime
Today was my day for wearing fringe: Lissus Fringe by Daniel Silverstein, 100%NY. A great accessory can add dimension and drama to your wardrobe, take you from day to night, from casual to dressy. And add a little whimsy.
What do you think?
Accessorizing – evening
Photo credit: Robb Carr/Getty Images
In the category of: In case you missed it, this fashionista-in-the-making wore her bonnet beautifully at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. We are never too young to be stylish and fashion forward.
What do you think?
Rene Dailey, from Wilmington NC, at the 2013 Kentucky Derby Photo Credit: David Goldman – AP Photos
“Kentucky woman she shines with her own kind of light – She’d look at you once and a day that’s all wrong looks all right – And I love her – God knows I love her – Kentucky Woman …” song and lyrics by Neil Diamond
The Kentucky Derby is an American tradition and one of the few times that we collectively dress with pomp and circumstance. Splendid hats rule the day and we get to be like our British friends across the pond. This particular chapeau caught my eye!
What do you think?