Sunday, February 20, 2011

It's All a Balancing Act

Balancing our lives is similar to balancing our body shape. You can have too much of a good thing or not enough of a good thing. It's all a matter of balance.

Enough! I took a break from work....This weekend was full of having FUN!
Who could resist with warm "spring-like" weather and 74 degrees!

I'm actually sitting in a screened-in porch Friday night at a local restaurant
with hubby and some dear friends.


Why stop now?!?
Saturday I couldn't resist the beautiful weather!
Why not take the bike out on a local trail? And so I did!


And now it's time to get back to the computer and do my thing!
I am refreshed now and ready to work. Lucky for me I LOVE my "work" too!

With life we have to balance our "all work" mentality with having a little fun too! With balancing our body's shape...if we don't keep our shape in check we will dress off balance and not get a pleasing look.



The scale, size and proportion of your clothes are not normally what you think about when you dress in the morning. But if I have anything to say—I’d like to change your thinking. These are the MAIN elements to dressing well and they are important to know about.


Balancing Your Proportions...The wrong proportions can make you look heavy or not quite right. The correct proportions can change you into a well “put-together” woman.

What hem length is MY best?


Understanding whether or not a new seasonal trend is for you...means you won’t throw off your shape will an unflattering style!

Proportion is the way parts of your body relate to your body as a whole. My MissusSmartyPants system of Personal Profiles helps you achieve the right proportions and balance with your own body shape.

The object of proportion is to make your body (regardless of its shape) appear to be as close as possible to an “hourglass” shape. This is where certain styles of clothes either work for YOU or they don’t.

Have you ever seen a woman that appeared poorly dressed—but you didn’t know why? Chances are she was wearing the wrong proportions for her body type. By knowing how to highlight and minimize with the right clothing proportions, you will never have this happen to you! EVERY woman can look stunning and stylish when they have selected the right proportions.
Here's how to “put together” your proportions:

Scale and size—Wear the right size. This is about fit, not label size. Sometimes women get caught up in “vanity sizing”. This is when you get excited about the “number” on the label. Manufacturers know this and are making clothes larger in each size. This psychological ploy often makes women buy the item! You should really get more excited about a terrific fit and remove the label! Fit is everything!
Stay on scale—Keep in mind your body size. If you are petite, your accessories and prints should be smaller. If you are a petite-plus size woman—your accessories can be larger. If you are tall and statuesque or are a larger woman, your accessories and prints should be larger and in scale to your body size.
Watch your horizontal lines—Almost every body part on your body has the potential to create a “horizontal line”. The human eye is drawn to lines or color changes. Where your clothes stop on your body creates horizontal lines. Think about it, your ankles, calves, knees, hips, waist and neckline, sleeve length—all are horizontal lines. When you wear dark blue jeans and a light pink tee-shirt, the place where the two meet is a horizontal line.
There’s more but…These are a few of the main factors that help balance your body’s proportions. There are other things to take into consideration when dressing, the length, the color (how light or dark) exposed skin, etc. Dressing well is an art form and when you discover its beauty…yours will shine through!

Love, Leslie

Monday, February 14, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

How to Finally Have a Fabulous Wardrobe

Do you have BASIC jackets, pants, jeans, shirts, skirts, dresses and accessories?
Or is your closet made up of trendy odds and ends?


The main reason I started my MissusSmartyPants website is to help women get the wardrobe of their dreams. Great style starts with a fabulous wardrobe. It's the "how to do it" part that seems to continually elude so many women.

Here are a couple of my style tips to help get you started. You do deserve to have a fabulous wardrobe..so let's make it happen...

Start by cleaning out your closet. Purge everything that doesn't fit or that you haven't worn in a year. You've got to remove the clutter FIRST before you can start planning a good basic wardrobe!

Client's "before" and "after" closet purge photos...



Do it again. A week later or so, go back into your closet and get rid of stuff you didn't. You know the stuff you told yourself you still might wear. I know it was just too scary to let it all go at one time. Get real now so you can start making a list of what you do need and take it from there.




Stop impulse buying--it sabotages you from ever getting a good wardrobe together. Every $20 "bargain" could have gone to a really great wardrobe basic that you still don't have.

Decide on three colors that either match or will coordinate with what you own and buy only those three colors for apparel. It may sound limiting, but actually it will give you more outfits by having a color theme to your base wardrobe.



Decide on a do-able wardrobe budget. When you set aside a little money and purchase only what you really need...you'll end up spending less in the long run. The real plus is everything will go together making more wearable combinations!




Make a list of the items you still need in your wardrobe. (For example: still need dark wash jeans, white fitted shirt, a denim jacket, a LBD ) Keep your running list in your purse so you have it with you every time you shop.

Set aside time to shop either online or at the stores. A fabulous wardrobe takes time and is a continual process. Don't try to buy everything in one day. Concentrate on what you need, quality of the garment and the fit of the garment. Don't compromise.

Before even stepping foot into a store...make sure you've taken the time to write a list of what you really need...

Avoid trendy items. You need to build a solid foundation of basic pieces first.

Buy classic and seasonless pieces. Buy fashionable, yet classic clothing that is mostly in seasonless fabrics like gabardine or matte jersey. More wear-ability is what you are after.



Purchase clothes that work with what you already have. I always say, "Buy one item you can wear three different ways--or don't purchase it".

Pass on anything that doesn't fit -- no matter how great a buy. Great fit sets a woman's style above the others. There is NO compromising when it comes to good fitting clothes.

Yes, you must try it on! (It will save you time on the long run)


Add slowly. Rome wasn't build in a day...nor is a fabulous wardrobe. Try adding only one or two well-thought out items per month at the most.

Use accessories, shoes and handbags to add more style, trendiness and color to your wardrobe. It's the best way for a grown woman to look stylish and "on-trend". The trendy youthful clothes styles make you look desparate...avoid them and stick with the classics.


If you really start with the basics like I suggest...your wardrobe will give you that fabulous style you've always dreamed of. Great dressed women have a fabulous core wardrobe and now you'll be one of them!

Here's to finally having a fabulous wardrobe! Come join me at MissusSmartyPants.com and get weekly style help! Love, Leslie

Friday, February 4, 2011

I'm back and planning my spring wardrobe!

I've been out of commision for the last couple of days...I've been so SICK! Yuck. But I'm back and finally feeling much better and ready to start planning my spring wardrobe!

Are you ready to loose the heavy coat and embrace warmer weather and pretty spring fashions? I sure am!


Here are a couple of "new" spring fashions that tickle my fancy that I'm considering adding into my spring wardrobe...


I love the mix of styled and fitted on top and fun, full and flirty on the bottom. I would not wear a skirt quite this short...but I like the mix of proprotions here.



70's inspired high-waist flare jeans. Are you ready to start tucking in your shirts again? I'm loving this and thinking I'll give it a whirl! When you wear a flare jean or pant make sure you wear a heeled shoe to get the look right.


Mixing prints. Lately I've been facinated with mixing prints. I'm usually a gal that wears mostly solids (except for an occasional print scarf). So mixing prints like florals with stripes has caught my sense of adventure. 

There are a couple of "rules" that you should follow so you don't look like you dressed in the dark....like making sure both items have one color in common and mixing the scales.

Anybody care to join me? Are you ready to try mixing prints this spring too?



What are you looking forward to this spring? You you ready to peel off the layers and lighten up?


Photos: Glamour.com

4 Steps to Chic

1. Start with a feminine top 2. Pair with classy slacks 3. Ground with bold shoes 4. Finish with statement earrings ...