 Is your mother of the bride dress blocking your enthusiasm for the event? After ordering and trying on more than 20 dresses - YES 20! (For my son's upcoming wedding.) I've learned that MOTB dress anxiety is real! As the mother of the bride/groom, it's so easy to say, “It’s not about me, it’s about the lovely couple and what they want”. But if you’re feeling insecure about your fit, it may distract you from your fabulous support role. How to find the right look for you? Here's the system I've come up with to ensure you are appropriate, in harmony with the wedding vision AND magnificently you! But first, here are the typical suggestions that may or may not be helpful.... The color PALETTE. We want more than a single color here. Be sure to ask for color choices. It’s typical to be told the wedding colors, and often this is where the direction ends. It is important to know color choices. Ask for options - if you are assigned one single color, that may or may not work with your personal coloring. And if the style options available in that color don't work for your figure type, you will be limited and left feeling insecure. Ask for more than one color option to give yourself more options to be confidently you.  Formal, semi-formal, casual dress, etc. This is helpful in knowing the length of the dress, but doesn’t paint a complete picture. Once you’re able to answer the questions below, the formality of the event will be crystal clear. For now...
Questions to ask beyond the typical suggestions...
The satin bridal gown looks harmonious with satin wedding party dresses.
Repeating the floral or lace pattern in the bridal gown is beautiful in a mother of the bride dress.
One last tip...
Yes, it’s hard to jump aboard the fun wedding train when fears about your dress are making you feel more like a train wreck. Now that we’ve established what the dress should look like, actually finding the dress will be much easier. And lucky for you, I'm happy to help you find the perfect fit! Contact me HERE or click BELOW. 
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 What’s your secret pleasure? Chocolate, sauna houses, binging holiday movies with one of those huge bags of Boom Chicka? One of my secret pleasures in life is to sing, high and loud. This practice started for me when I was 5 years old and would climb to the top of our metal swing-set and sing through the hollow tube the chains for the swings hang from. I would sing at the top of my lungs and loved every second of it. As it turns out, that A-frame swing set was a dynamic megaphone, and the neighbors loved it as much as I did…well I’m pretty sure they loved it…actually who knows, my mom may have received a few complaints but she never mentioned them to me. Now that I’m an adult, it’s a little awkward to stand and sing at the top of a swing set. Yes, there’s always the shower but somehow it’s not the same. I’ve recently discovered that our community has a choir that sings Handel’s Messiah at Christmas. It’s a perfect fit for me, I can sing loud, and the soprano part is oh so high! The rush I get from singing loud and high about Christ helps me reclaim the joy in Christmas. We recently had the Messiah sing-a-long performance. This is where the audience sings with the choir. One of our conductors, the founding father of this community singing adrenaline rush, has been doing conducting for over 40 years. These days he leads the last couple of songs. During the Hallelujah chorus, he has been known to get emotional. It’s as if every ounce of energy is being poured into his heart and out through his arms and into the little stick he holds in his right hand. Often the tears start to well up in his eyes as his love for the spirit in the music manifests itself. This kind of emotion is contagious. It can be difficult to hold back your own tears just watching him, and before you know it, the entire choir is mirroring the passion of the conductor. Then the beauty of the moment fills the room as you notice the eyes and hearts of the audience begin to well up also. The influence one person can have over how you feel is amazing and unforgettable. What does your influence look like? Because what you wear significantly impacts how you feel and then how others feel, being strategic about your appearance is an easy way to hit the right note when connecting with others. When you’re balancing work deadlines, family, social plans, and self-care (those nails won't paint themselves), who has time to think about influence? I do, I've done the thinking for you. And you don’t need a major closet overhaul. In fact, you may already have many of these key pieces in your closet just waiting for you to tap into their potential. Lean on these smart pieces to transition from conference calls to dinner plans, with just a swap or two. Below is my curated cluster/capsule for outfits that feel effortless, polished and a little festive - your inner choir will be singing hallelujah. And those in your sphere of influence will catch onto your joy as if you were the conductor. 9 pieces + accessories for your day to evening glow up! You may have something similar at home? Pro Tip: Include at least 3 tops, 2 bottoms and a third layer piece that all work together. Be sure to include the colors of the season (aka reds & greens with navy, black and/or gray below or chocolate brown with burgundy and hunter green / navy). Well chosen accessories include a scarf and shoes for walking, and at least one pair you can dress up or down. Click on any of the images below for shopping links.
How many looks can you create with 9 well-chosen pieces? Here's a start...
Are you wondering what it looks like to be more influential, charismatic and confident at Christmas and beyond? Check out my best deals, wrapped up for Christmas, HERE. Need An Easy Halloween Costume? Here's how to take the trick out of getting dressed for Halloween10/23/2025 Express your creative dress and channel your inner hero at the same time? Welcome to costume season! While costuming is fun, it can also be time consuming. Here are a few non-tricky costumes you can pull off quick. Many of these looks can be inspired by what you already own. Do you have a silky robe? Turn it into a boxer. Crazy red pants? How about Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Pick out that piece in your closet that is a little out of the ordinary, search the stereotype related to it and turn it into a costume. Easy-peasy trick-or-treatsy! Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark - I picked up these wild red pants and top at H&M this summer, thinking it would be the perfect fit for our trip to Greece. Who knew it could also double as Marion from the first Indiana Jones movie. Add a black belt and monkey or frying pan and you're good to go. Turn it into a couples costume - Every Marion needs an "INDYYYYYY". Khaki pants, off white or white (Preferably linen) button up shirt, add a hat and whip or even a leather bomber jacket if you have one and channel your inner-adventurer.
Boxer - my kids happened to have these fun boxing gloves that became the inspo for this costume. Add a silky robe, tube socks, maybe a black eye...can you say, "cut me Mick"? Turn it into a couples costume - Your partner could be the wild haired boxing announcer with a microphone and black suit. Or turn your guy into the boxer with the lovely lady wearing a sign with the boxing round number on it in high heals and a swim suit!
Dia de los Muertos (aka Day of the Dead) - take any black dress or black and white (even better) and add a mask. Amazon shipped this one overnight. Turn it into a couples costume - put your companion in a black suit and tie and boom you're set!
Last but not least... The Not-so-ugly Halloween sweater - for the more mellow approach to Halloween.
Turn Halloween into your version of fun that's also not so complicated! Need help? Contact Dani to take the Trick out of getting dressed for Halloween and every-day life!  We all love the cozy vibe of autumn - the pumpkin spice, the crisp air, the leaves crunching under boots. But here’s the thing: not everyone feels amazing in traditional fall shades. Rust, mustard and olive might look dreamy on some people…and make others feel a little blah. If “fall” isn’t your personal color "season", that doesn’t mean you have to sit out on the fun. You can absolutely enjoy autumn tones - and still enrich your personal coloring. Here’s how: 1. Find a pattern that has the colors from your season combined with fall colors.
Translation - take the colors that are in your “seasons” pallette and find a pattern that combines them with traditional fall, earthtone colors such as rust, brown, camel, black, olive green etc. 2. Add your personal coloring—your hair, eye, skin, and cheek/lip color—to an outfit that includes fall colors. In other words, take your personal coloring down into your clothes. You can expect these colors to look fabulous on you AND you can wear virtually any color if you just add your colors to any outfit.  ​Do you have rich brown in you hair? Accessories in this color will instantly give you the look of fall, especially if you combine them with your season’s colors.  Blonde streaks in you hair? Add gold jewelry to bring your golden hair down into your outfit. Camel boots also tie your blonde locks into the look. Repeat the dress color with makeup (lipstick in this example) to appear more in harmony with your clothes.  Blue eyes? A blue matching set is great. Dusty blonde or taupe hair? How about grey? The sweater and earrings include all of these colors. Adding your colors and a bit of nubby fall texture in the sweater is not only harmonious but very much in season. Translation - by focusing on repeating your personal colors, instead of your “seasons” pallette, you create visual harmony between you and whatever colors are popular that time of the year. Allowing you to truly be present and enjoy the season you’re living in. Are you wondering which colors are so unique to you and yet so adaptable that they weather all of the "seasons"? Then you will love my Brilliant Coloring session. Check it out HERE. Get your fall on! Click below for my top picks.  Jorts are back. Love it or hate it - they have returned. And with every new trend you really do have a choice about whether or not you want to adopt it. Just because the teens and twenty-somethings are wearing it, doesn’t mean you have to. The problem with a new trend is that it often favors the ideal figure type. Once the trend becomes more mainstream, manufacturers modify the design to work for more than just the ideal figure. This baggy denim short trend is no exception. Ideal figure or not, here are a few ways to wear jorts and still look slim, chic, and comfortable without looking broad as a house or sloppy. Give it a try and see if it’s something you want to adopt. Here’s how:
 All of the sources for images above can be found in my online catalog HERE. For a more customized approach to know the best fit for your figure, you'll love my Fabulous Fit session. You'll know your figure type and love the many options you'll have to create your illusion of the ideal - looking true to you gorgeous!
 I hear this question throughout the year, but more often in the summer. That's when you’re wearing less clothes and everything you wear needs to work a little harder to make your outfit feel complete. I was recently camping with a friend who is a foodie and great cook. For a picnic at the lake, she hand delivered 15 of us sandwiches. Not just any sandwiches...grilled salami, cheese, olives and lettuce on croissant sliced bread. The sandwiches were good, but what made them great? The bottle of Mike's hot sauce to dip them in. It's a spicy, vinegary concoction with enough heat to make it interesting without overpowering the other flavors in the sandwich. It made the sandwiches spicy, magical and memorable. In a summer world of tank tops, t-shirts and jorts, it's fairly easy to look and feel ho-hum. Here are a few ways to spice up your look as if it were Frank's hot sauce. Adding brighter colors sends youthful energy. Even a touch of bright colors will communicate first to your mind and then to other people fun, playful vibes. Which takes even a basic t-shirt from blah to h-e-l-l-o. Try adding a touch of bright with jewelry, sunglasses & lipstick, or an entire outfit. This is a very simple way to up your summer game. Accessories play a key role in finishing off your outfits. Coordinated accessories can be the completer piece your look is begging for. A few tips -
Add more textures to break up the mundane. Natural fibers such as cotton and linen are popular in warmer weather as they tend to dry quickly and feel cooler. They can both be included in fabrics that have some textural interest. Try them in monochromatic color combinations that would otherwise seem a little boring. Non-summery colors in the summer are another way to spice up your summer look. This is my favorite strategy for dressing in late summer - when we start looking forward to cooler weather while the temps are still high. Wearing darker colors in light weight fabrics is a great way to start feeling like fall but still be comfortable in the summer heat. Still not sure how to put these strategies into action for yourself? Allow me to style your looks AND get your closet organized so that you can get out the door quick, looking AMAZING, with a wardrobe evaluation. Details HERE or click below.   When a friend asked my husband and I to spend a week on a boat in the Caribbean docking at a different island every day to beaches only accessible by boat, our quick answer was yes! When the offer came with the request to just bring a single small carry-on? Pause….longer pause….the answer? "Emmm sure." Packing for a week in a small bag takes a little more thought, but is 100% doable and eliminates the stress of lost luggage upon arrival. (I'm sure you or someone you know started the first 3 days of their vacation having to wear what they wore on the plane because their bag wasn't there upon arriving at the destination - worst start to a vacation ever!) Shopping links below. So can you pack for the beach in a backpack without looking like a hot mess every day? Yes, you can. Here’s how… 1. Start with the sandals. Nothing is worse than having a blister or aching feet on the second day of vacation because you didn’t take care of them on your first day of vacation. These will be your one and only pair of shoes, so they must be…
2. Plan 5-10 pieces that coordinate with your sandals of choice. Here are a few suggestions
3. Add minimal make-up, sunscreen, and hair products.
Pro stylist tip: zip-lock bags are your friend for any liquids or items that are wet once traveling. A friend of mine showed up at the hotel on the first night of vacation, and opened her bag only to find her bottle of lotion had exploded inside the suitcase and had gotten on everything. What a mess! And what an easy way to ruin your first night of vacation. This could have been avoided by putting the lotion in a zip-lock bag to contain a potential spill. Be sure to put your sunscreen in a zip-lock bag! Packing cubes are also great to contain dirty clothes. 4. Add a sand-free towel and light-weight beach bag.
5. I even had space for a snorkel and travel water colors - because it's fun to feel like a mermaid and capture those magical moments with paint. And also, the water is so lovely you tend to float without the need of swim fins. Enjoy your beachy vacay in an itty bitty bag without sacrificing style or comfort! If you're looking for a little assistance on how to maximize your style with minimal space, I'm just a click away.  If your closet is constantly in chaos and you never have “anything to wear”, you can build a new wardrobe one piece at a time that will make your closet a place of joy – not frustration. Here’s how to go from clueless to charmed in your closet:
 Who's that person who always seems to look put together? The one who has instant charisma with seemingly little effort? Many of us have a style icon, whether it's a person we actually know or a famous person we wish we knew, there are those in your life that influence the way you dress. For better, and sometimes, for worse. While having a style icon - someone whose style you admire - is helpful, it's most effective when that icon has similar features to yours, which is why it's so hard to replicate other's style to a T. Spoiler alert: there's no one else like you! The way you dress is as complex as you are. Which is why, it can be challenging to mimic another's style entirely. And why some are choosing to create a personal uniform that takes the daily guessing out of dressing. Here's how to zero in on your personal uniform...  What do you spend most of your time doing? This is the starting point. There's no sense in having the majority of your closet filled with clothes that don't get worn because they don't fit your lifestyle. And yet....it happens. Sigh. If you're not sure where you spend most of your time, use a calendar to block out the amount of time you spend on activities that call for a certain style of dress. Color code each style. For example, yellow for work out, red for business, purple for date night, blue for at home casual. The goal is look and feel confident for each activity. Ask yourself, if I were to run into someone out of the ordinary today, would I feel self-conscious about my appearance? Or feel inappropriate? And yes, even if you are working from home, you mental health will thank you for looking great and being comfortable. For a few WFH suggestions, check out my cool, comfy & chic tips here. You do want enough variety in your clothes for a variety of occasions, so keep the LBD or black suit that fits amazing even if you only wear it once year. Just don't keep a whole closet full of them if you don't wear them often.  Evaluate your "classic you" pieces. Which clothes have you kept around forever because they were so great you just couldn't let them go. What do they have in common? This is what a pro would ask when evaluating your faves:
Yes, this could be where the experience of someone who has worked with hundreds of different people comes in handy. (Feel free to contact your friendly pro stylist here for your personal style defined.) Build 5-8 pieces around those key "classic you" items. This may require an update to those inspiration pieces if they are looking too tired and worn out, or if the fit your classics just isn't what it used to be. However, that doesn't necessarily mean buying a whole new wardrobe. I've heard many a client say she/he wanted to light a fire in their closet and burn it all, but when we actually get into evaluating what they do own, we find enough to build a working cluster/capsule around. Here's what to look for:
Creating your personal uniform doesn't have to be boring, it should be as unique are you are. Use the formula above to uncover the secrets to your stylish personal uniform. I'm happy to assist - and just a click away. Looking to add an extra half hour to your day? With a professional wardrobe evaluation you'll experience efficiency & inspiration that puts time back on your side!  I’ve heard it over and over in one form or another. “I feel absolutely clueless in my closet”, or “if my closet magically combusted it would be a relief”, and the oldie but goodie, “I hate everything”.
Here's how to go from clueless to charmed in your closet:
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Dani SlaughImage consultant and personal stylist. Dani is happily married, the mother of 3 charming children, and an Aussie named Josey Wales. Archives
January 2026
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