I know I do.

And rarely does it make any difference in my life.

This past year was a little different, though. And I hope to keep it up in the 2012.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty much the last person to give advice about exercise. But for some reason this past year I started walking and then, recently, with winter around the corner, I joined a gym.

What was key to my success (so far! this could change at any time!) was to have pretty low and flexible expectations for myself. Instead of resolving to exercise six times a week for an hour each time, I just tried to get out and walk as fast as I could for as long as I wanted. Usually it wasn’t even that much!

The effect has been great for me. I feel much more energetic and happier as a result. (And I’m told I look better, so maybe that’s true, too.)

So I guess the lesson is to start small and be reasonable about what you can accomplish. Those of us with work and family commitments need to try to squeeze in what we can, when we can — and then congratulate ourselves making such efforts to be kind to our bodies.

That in a nutshell is my exercise resolution for 2012.

What’s yours?

Recently, I came across a website that I just love.

I love it so much I bought the book, too: Operation Beautiful, one woman’s mission to change the negative self-talk so many women have.

I mention this because her message and movement dovetail perfectly with what I try to tell my clients: Embrace who you are right now. Stop believing you need to wait for something to happen in order to feel beautiful.

Here’s a nugget from Caitlin Boyle, the woman behind Operation Beautiful:

And my favorite (of course):
“Take pride in your physical appearance, no matter what your size, age, look, or shape. It can feel so wonderful to wear a flattering shirt, a beautiful necklace, or a killer pair of heels. Take the time to choose outfits that makes you feel special or treat yourself to small pleasures, like facials or manicures. This is about defining your own version of beautiful and celebrating your body….”

Does this message resonate with you? How do you keep this kind of positive self-talk in your head? I’d love to hear about it — leave me a comment here and tell me what you think!

(Photo courtesy Stacie Mooney, available here.)

The issue: holding on to clothes from 20 and even more years ago.

Have you faced this? Clothes from college (when you are more than a couple years out of college)? Your letter sweater, but now you’re 40 (or more)?

What’s really going on here? It is the actual piece of clothing that’s so hard to part with? No, of course not. It’s all the feelings it represents — who we WERE when we first wore that piece of clothing. It’s that nostalgia for a past self that’s difficult.

I never, ever push a client to get rid of these pieces. It would be like asking her to part with a treasured photograph. Instead, we talk it through … what was this piece for? What does it mean to her? Will she ever wear it again? If not, would she want to store it somewhere out of sight? Together, we find a solution to the problem of clothes front and center in the closet that she’ll never wear again. The idea is for her to feel lighter, freer, happier without them … never to feel regret over something she loved and let go and now misses.

That’s why she has a gorgeous watermelon vintage coat hanging in her closet, even though she’s given away a dozen or more now-oversize sweaters. She just loves it so much and can’t let it go. And if it makes her happy to look at it in her closet, then it makes me happy, too.

The Concrete Catwalk

A few months ago I did a round-up of some of my check-everyday style blogs, but of course I’ve discovered some new ones since then. Here are some of the blogs I check every day:

InsideOutBlog

I met Imogen, Inside Out’s blogger, at the recent AICI conference in Orlando. She is funny, smart, and articulate! She’s got concrete, actionable style advice for real, grown-up women. Check it out!

Atlantic Pacific

For styling, this is my absolute, hands-down favorite right now. This young woman is an amazing source of styling ideas and inspiration.

The Concrete Catwalk

I love her inventiveness and creativity. The blog name is great, too.

Cupcakes and Cashmere

If there were a personal style blogger whose life looks pretty perfect from the outside, this woman is it. She shares recipes, entertaining tips, interior design advice, and her personal styling (which seems to be some sort of blogging formula these days).

Sterling Style and The Glitter Guide

A woman named Taylor Sterling is the blogger behind Sterling Style, which I also like and which is very similar to Cupcakes. She’s also soon launching something called the Glitter Guide — not clear exactly what it will be and which now exists as a Tumblr. The pictures are all things fabulous and sparkly.

Bellini, by ETCETERA

This piece is top of my list for Spring. It has all the attributes I want: a simple shape with fantastic, interesting details; a beautiful, rich color; and the versatility to dress up (worn as a dress) or down (as a jacket/coat/topper over jeans and a T-shirt). Love it!

Monumental Collection, by ETCETERA

I’m super-excited to be a new sales consultant for a great company, Etcetera. Here are some sketches of the Spring 2011 collection. Each piece is designed to go with several other pieces in the same collection.

This two-piece outfit is a stylish, versatile daytime outfit, great for work, an after-work affair, or a daytime networking event:

Springtime Collection, by ETCETERA

I love this dress for a brunch or other daytime event:

FirstClass Collection, by ETCETERA

This is a fantastic casual outfit for the weekend or even a dress-down workplace (and the tunic would be a versatile pick to wear over leggings and boots when it is cool and then with capris or linen slacks — or a bathing suit! — when it’s warmer):

Vista Collection, by ETCETERA

I love this for a dressier work environment, a day-to-evening situation or a casual but stylish evening dress code. (The skirt in particular — love it! It’s super-versatile.)

Uptown Collection, by ETCETERA

The clothes are beautifully made and I can’t wait to show them to DC-area readers in February. Please contact me for details or to make an appointment.

The Spring 2011 collection will be on the ETCETERA site soon, so keep checking it!

Doubly Wise, from Elva Fields

I find that some pieces of clothing and, especially, accessories, are so wonderful that they would work for a variety of women (with different styles, lifestyles, and budgets). Here’s what I find myself recommending:A necklace by Elva Fields. I discovered this fabulous line of jewelry when shopping with a client at the new Anthropologie jewelry and shoes store in Friendship Heights, in Washington, DC. (Although I actually think it is just over the line in Chevy Chase, Maryland — but you get the

Your All, by Elva Field

idea.) There were a couple stand-out necklaces, and my client got one to wear with a lace dress to a cocktail party. Fantastic combination. (Hers looked a bit like this.) These are pieces that are exactly what I look for in jewelry: a piece that won’t break the bank, is unusual, and will “finish” any old outfit you’re wearing. Taking my own advice, I had to buy one (pictured). Final note: The kind folks at Elva Field are adding length to mine before sending it, so I can adjust it to suit whatever neckline I happen to be wearing.

Next up are the most perfect pair of boots. I find that boots are one of the most important purchases for a winter-time outfit. They can be tough, though, if a woman has skinny calves. I don’t love how a boot that’s too wide on the calf can kind of stick out from the calf, thus

Stuart Weitzman Legging

destroying the whole sleek-line-thing that is the point of a boot in the first place. Here, then, is the perfect solution — and it ain’t cheap. But consider cutting back on a few of the other purchases you might make and go for these (or something similar) instead.

If you have a pretty wide calf, as I do, these may fit the bill. They are so comfortable and great, I bought one this Fall in each color.

What else am I recommending? A wrap or great cardigan or pretty much anything that elevates a basic jeans-and-T-shirt outfit, which is what many of my clients seem to live in (and even

Bright and Bold Sweatercoat, from Anthropologie

those who work wear that if they work from home and on the weekends). A client this week bought this wrap from Anthropologie, and it is great over any pastels or anything beige or brown. Love it! This red one would work with a ton of different types of outfits.

And I have also been telling my clients — many of them in their 30s and 40s — that yes, they can wear skinny jeans. All of them? No. But many of them, especially when styled appropriately.

To pull everything together and give a little pop of color and interest, I have been pushing clients toward colored and patterned tights.

Lightweight Merino Wool Dahlia Shawl, by Virginia Johnson

To top it all off? A Virginia Johnson shawl, of course!

(Ketura Persellin is an image consultant in Washington, DC, and surrounding suburbs. She empowers women to look and feel their best with support and tools including closet editing, style assessments, and personal shopping.)

Jericho tote (J. Crew): A great bag upgrades your style

It’s a big night out. You’ve got your new little black dress all ready to go. You reach for it in your closet … and realize you don’t have any jewelry to go with it.

You’re going to have to fake an evening bag, too, apparently — because the only one you own is for summer, and it’s now well into Fall. And, darn it, you just realized the shoes you wore with your old LBD are looking a little, well, down at the heels.

Sound familiar? You bought a new dress and put the accessories on the back burner. And maybe you do that not just with that one outfit, but maybe with your whole wardrobe.

But accessories are what makes the different between “I have no style” and the compliments every woman wants to hear. (And they get you a whole lot more mileage out of the clothes already hanging in your closet.)

Here are 5 ways to transform your look  with accessories:

1. Find  a signature accessory. Find a necklace with a stone in the same shade as your eyes and could be worn every day. Or pull out your grandmother’s watch for cool retro look. (Note that this signature doesn’t have to be expensive! It could be something from an inexpensive mall store … it just is something that really flatters you and expresses your personality to a T.)

2. Add a scarf or shawl. The extra detail of a scarf at your neck will add color, pattern and even texture, which are great for adding interest. (Plus, it will keep your neck warm when it’s cold.) This blogger’s style may not be yours, but she is a master at color and pattern, and here she offers two scarf-tying tips.

3. Step into great shoe style. A shoe in an unusual style or color can alter an outfit in two seconds by turning a day outfit into an evening one or a serious outfit into a playful one. Shoes and boots have personality and can upgrade a ho-hum outfit into something special and uniquely you. Why settle for a plain pump when you can get one that is ruffled, studded, beaded, sequined, wrapped with buckles, or in a print?

4. Find the right bag. Maybe you’re into recycling and that’s a great thing, but you won’t be showing off your great style if you shlep your lunch and extra shoes in an unbleached-canvas bag you got last year at a conference, or a nylon version in a garish print. Those bags should be at the ready to perform their duty — holding groceries. As for your purse: It’s as much a part of your outfit as your skirt is. Most of us always have one with us, so it should be in great shape — no scuffs, no worn edges, and no broken stitches in the handle. Does yours need updating?

5. Make it personal. You might be lucky enough to have inherited some wonderful accessories from a grandmother, aunt or mother. What better way to honor them than to wear these unique treasures? If you can work them into an outfit, you’ll enjoy them twice as much as something you bought new at a department store. It’s fun to look at your wrist and see the Bakelite bangles that were popular in the 40s and worn by your grandmother.

If you’d like help finding your signature style, let me know. I can’t wait to help you discover it! (Or maybe you have a friend who would like help — make sure to let her know!)

(Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and personal stylist in Washington, DC. She’s pretty sure she was wearing earrings before she could walk. Contact her for a complimentary strategy session to help get you out of your style ruts.)

I get why you’re nervous, I really do. Some websites are truly awful. Every ask someone where she got a great new piece of clothing and then sit there, astounded, because the website she refers to is just a little … well … cheesy-looking? So cheesy, that without this vote of confidence (and your own eyes), you’d never buy something from said website?

Cosmic dress (igigi.com)

That’s how I felt about this site, for plus-size clothes. The clothes and styling are just eh. So I have passed until now, despite seeing the always-fabulous image consultant Catherine Schuller wearing a dress I liked from the site back in the spring.

But recently I needed some new clothes and couldn’t find a lot I liked at the price point I wanted (read: inexpensive). So I tried this one, and I really like it. It’s got plenty of great colors in it, including both brown and black. I wore it this weekend with brown textured tights and brown boots and this necklace. I might wear it to a client meeting with a teal camisole underneath and a long, belted cardigan. Or it could be dressed up with heels.

My point: Whatever your size, try to buy from new sources. Not everything will be to your liking, but that’s why most online stores have a return policy.

(Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and personal shopper in Washington, DC, and surrounding suburbs. She’ll help you get rid of those 15-year-old jeans and find you an alternative to your college sweatshirt. Find out more here.)

A jacket can really pull together an outfit

It’s pretty common. Some experts say women wear as little as 10% of what’s in their closets. That’s a whopping 90% that isn’t getting used! That’s a big waste of money, and even worse is how frustrating it is to get dressed every morning, riffling through shirt after shirt and jacket after jacket to find the one you like and that fits and looks current.

Bracelets pop with a T-shirt and jeans

This problem can be fixed but it will take a little bit of time and effort. Your best bet is to pick one or two pieces you love and that look great on you. Pull them out and then go through your wardrobe, piece by piece, to find the items that work with it. So, say you’ve got a blouse you love but you never wear because you don’t know what goes with it. Take a half-hour to build three new outfits around that blouse by finding a skirt or pair of trousers or jeans. And don’t forget the accessories — what jewelry, belt, bag, jacket, and shoes will you wear with this outfit? Experiment until you get an outfit that makes you look your best.

Botkier "Maddie": Don't forget the accessories

Once you’ve nailed that outfit, make sure to take a picture or make notes — you think you’ll remember it, but you won’t. Then move on to the next item in your closet that you love but don’t wear a lot. Repeat the process.

Sometimes you’ll see that the addition of one great, new piece will “connect” a lot of the pieces you already have: a leather jacket, a bag in a rich color, a textured shoe, a top in a pattern with certain colors. Start a list and resolve to look for those pieces.

And don’t expect yourself to blast through this exercise and create 20 outfits in 20 minutes! It takes longer than that. And a secret of many well-dressed, stylish women is that they put in a little time to get it right, so when they’re in a hurry, they can grab a great outfit and get out the door!

What’s holding you back from doing this? How much of your wardrobe do you think never gets worn? Leave a comment and let me know!

(Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and personal stylist in Washington, DC, and surrounding suburbs. Need help with your wardrobe? I can help you get it in shape, so it works as hard as you do. Contact me to arrange for a complimentary get-acquainted session.)