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Apr 28

Polished Professional Image

Julie Lara, Austin, TX Image Consultant“No matter where you are on the career ladder, a polished image will put you a step ahead of the competition.”

Julie launched Lara Executive Image in 2008. This career shift was a natural choice for her – since high school days, Julie’s been the one friends turned to for advice when they needed just the right outfit for a special occasion, a class reunion, a promotion at work or a job interview. Julie loves bringing the lessons learned – through her formal training, her 14-year stint as a business owner, and her corporate career – to her clients and audiences.  She has developed a step-by-step process to move her clients from “before” to “after,” whether mastering wardrobe planning, interview skills, color analysis, or another aspect of image refinement.

Apr 28

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The Power of Color in Business Attire

Color plays an important part in how others perceive you and how they react to you.  Scientists know that color influences our physiology and mental state. Be sure you are using color in your wardrobe to evoke the response you desire from others. Here are a few examples of the meaning of colors and their physiological impact:

Charcoal Grey: Accountable, dependable, and trustworthy. Good to wear when attending to legal or financial matters. A color commonly worn by important leaders and CEOs.

Medium Grey:  Indicates your emotions are under control and you are good at mediating. Dress in this color when you want to neutralize a potentially volatile situation. Read more

Apr 16

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8 Strategies to Strengthen Your Professional Image

In today’s highly competitive job market, you need an edge to stay in the game. Here are a few ideas for strengthening your image and professional presence.

Avoid too much head nodding. Women nod their heads to indicate they’re listening and understand what’s being said. Men interpret head nodding as agreement with their ideas. Too much head nodding may result in miscommunication and may be perceived as weakness since it creates a subliminal message of submissiveness.

Pay attention to vocal inflection.  A rising inflection at the end of a sentence sounds tentative, as if posing a question and may diminish your credibility. Practice bringing your voice down at the end of a sentence.

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Mar 9

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Colorful Spring Outfits to Energize Your Wardrobe

When I was young I loved the bright dresses, lace socks and white patent leather Mary Janes that I wore to church on Easter Sunday. The annual shopping trip with Mom to choose an Easter dress was a ritual as important as placing cookies and milk out for Santa each Christmas Eve. I’ve always been a tomboy, preferring pants to dresses, but I loved my Easter dress and never felt more girly than when I proudly walked into Church in all my finery.  So it’s no surprise that even now that I’m all grown up, I still long for a beautiful spring dress to launch the new season. Read more

Feb 22

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Top 10 Handbag Trends for Spring 2012

Handbags are a great way to add a pop of color to an outfit and an inexpensive way to keep your look modern and current each season.  Like your clothes, handbags need to be in balance with the proportions of your body shape and size. And keep in mind the functionality of your bag. If it’s too small you’re not likely to use it often enough to justify the expense. On the other hand, a bag that’s large enough to pack for a weekend trip isn’t a good choice for day to day use. We tend to overfill large bags, increasing the weight so much that it puts unnecessary stress on our shoulders which may lead to chronic back pain over time. Read more

Feb 20

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Fashion Trends for Spring/Summer 2012

In my last post I wrote about color trends for Spring/Summer 2012 and provided a link to the Pantone Color Report: http://tinyurl.com/7jv94j3.   Now it’s time to take a look at those colors in the multitude of fashions that came down the runway this season.  As usual the list of trends is lengthy, but here are just a few to think about: crop tops, bare shoulders, animal prints, floral prints, chic gloss and the peplum.

If you’re over 40, perhaps the idea of wearing a crop top makes you cringe. I know I certainly wouldn’t bare my chubby tummy but I also realize there are lots of women out there that are still in great shape. Today, 50 is the new “40” and many 50+ women are in the best shape of their lives. If you have the body for it, bare a little midriff in an age appropriate way with fashions like these. Read more

Jan 22

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Pantone Fashion Color Report – Spring 2012

If you haven’t yet seen the new Spring colors, you’ll enjoy the recent Pantone report and be prepared for pulling together your Spring 2012 wardrobe.  View the report on the  Pantone website using this link: Pantone Fashion Color Report – Spring 2012.  In the report, fashion designers like Nanette Lepore, Tracy Reese, Bill Blass and Adrienne Vittadini talk about their Spring collections.

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Dec 15

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What’s in Your Jewelry Box?

I don’t know about you, but as the year comes to a close I feel the need to re-organize everything.  The New Year will be upon us in sixteen days and I’m ready to wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start.  Last night I started with my jewelry collection by pulling out all the broken earrings, watches with dead batteries, rings that need cleaning or sizing and most importantly, all the pieces I didn’t wear this year.  By the time I finished there were about three dozen pieces of jewelry that I hadn’t worn and that don’t fit my style any longer.  I’ll use two of those pieces as stocking stuffers for family members and the rest I’ll donate so someone else may enjoy them.  Now I have room for a few new pieces, perhaps Santa knows just what I want.

If you’re looking for new items to add to your jewelry box, here are some favorites under $50:

Nordstrom’s – Cara Accessories

Crystal Circle Stretch Bracelet @ $48

Casual glamour for everyday wear!

Available online at www.nordstrom.com Read more

Sep 18

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Dress styles to flatter your body shape

Dresses in bright, bold shades are a popular fall trend this season.  Slipping on a simple dress is such an easy way to look stylish and be comfortable too.  If you’re not sure which dress styles are most flattering to your body shape, take a look at my suggestions below.  If you’re really not sure of your body shape, subscribe to my blog and I’ll send you my “Body Shape Tips” sheet.  The email subscription button is located on the right side of my website home page.

For a triangle shaped body, choose styles like this umpire dress in bold purple. The higher waistline, located just under the bust, emphasizes the smallest part of your body and flows gently over the hips. This minimizes the width of your lower body while the deep V-neck brings more attention to your face, where it belongs.      Read more

Sep 5

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What’s a fashionably budget conscious gal to do?

In spite of recording breaking heat across much of the country, the fall season is still upon us and the stores are breaking out the new fall fashions.  If you watch the runway shows and read the fashion magazines, you’re likely to find up to 200 fashion trends begging our attention and, more importantly, our dollars. So what’s a fashionably budget conscious gal to do? First, realize that all fashion trends are not created equal.  You won’t necessarily look great in all 200 trends, so select a handful that work with your personal style and make them yours.

Second, you don’t have to spend a fortune to look like a million bucks.  It’s easy to inexpensively update your existing wardrobe with a few of the fall trends and keep your look modern and current.  Maybe some stylish booties are just what you need to kick your fall look up a notch or two.

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