Decorating my studio...

"30 Lipsticks," by EmmaKisstina, on Etsy

I’ve been having a crazy fantasy lately…. It’s the one where I take over the huge walk-out (more…)

Transitional dressing...

It can be pretty tricky getting dressed this time of year!

I confess that when it is 45 in the morning but the mercury will rise to 65, I dress for the warmer time of day. Then I head out and am really, really envious of the women I see walking along (more…)

What’s YOUR fashion direction?...

New fashions come from many different sources of inspiration. That inspiration could come from a piece of fabric, a movie, a muse, or some other source. Let’s take a look at some of the directions designers took this year. One (or more!) may speak to you!

Minimalist meditation
Fashion as serene as a Zen garden, this is pared-down design with little or no embellishment for quiet understatement. Try:

• straight-line dresses
• jackets with shape but no details (like showy buttons, zippers, or other hardware), and
• a neutral color palette including winter white, rose beige, dove gray, and black.

Future focus: Bundle up, urban warrior

Futurama

Sparkle lights up military drab

Inventive individualist

Jessica Schroeder of WhatIWore.com, working her oxfords

Menswear mashup

Fourth of July style: What will you wear...

My family is traveling to San Antonio on Friday for our annual so-hot-we-might-melt long weekend in honor of my dad’s birthday. In his tony, tiny suburb, there’s a really cute small-town parade. It’s homey and adorable — everyone walks, there’s a pick-up band that plays “When the Saints” and if you don’t wear red, white, and blue, you’ll be kicked to the curb.

Last time I was caught by surprise and wore, at the last minute, my red-striped thermal pajama bottoms and a white gauze tunic.

This year I was going to try to do something a little better.

Alas, I don’t have much red in my closet. Not a lot of white, either.

But I just came across this pithy but inspiring post from the blogger behind What I Wore. With Jessica’s advice in mind — not to mimic the flag slavishly — I am going to wear that same white tunic, a denim pencil skirt, turquoise ballet flats (or black patent Gizeh Birkenstocks or old, old pewter sandals), and sparkly silver headbands from Anthropologie. (To me, the Fourth begs for silver rather than gold.)

Another option is to choose one of our flag’s colors and stick to that, and I like this option, too. Here’s Michelle Obama from last year, looking festive and appropriate, but not over-the-top. (This dress is described as black and white but I’d like to think it was really dark navy.)

And it’s not necessary to pick bright white, navy, and true red — as Jessica points out, variations of those colors look patriotic without looking goofy. This dress is one example, and you could pair it with an orange silk scarf, like this one by Eileen Fisher, for a festive, cool look.

What will you wear? Leave a comment and let us know!

(Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and fashion writer in Washington, DC. Sign up for her free email newsletter here and find out what satisfied clients say here.)

Fall 2010 trends: Red velvet...

I love velvet.

Here’s how much I love it. When I was pregnant with my first child, the labor class teacher recommended bringing talisman-like things into the labor and delivery room with me. At a bazillion months pregnant and in the heat of Washington, DC, summer, I shlepped to a fabric store in the suburbs to buy a couple small swatches of velvet. I did bring them with me, and  stroking the soft, comforting velvet helped me get through contractions.

Of course, comfort isn’t the first thing we think of when we think about velvet. No, we think: luxury. Elegance. Royalty, even. And that’s the vibe of this fall’s trend of velvet, especially velvet in the entire spectrum of rich, royal reds. These velvets also conjure images of early Stevie Nicks, with a little patchwork bag and a cape thrown on. But the look is a little more streamlined, a little cleaner — 2010, not 1975.

If you’re looking to get a jump on Fall (and yes, stores are starting to receive Fall shipments already), put “red velvet” at the top of the list.

It’s very wearable, especially in small doses. Just remember that red is one of the most important colors to make sure you get in the right color for YOU. Women with warm complexions will want a coral/brick red; those with cool undertones will do best in burgundy and fuchsia shades.

Click here and here for a portfolio of clothes in red velvet for Fall.