KLM10 Challenge

Woohoo, a challenge!

The challenge is to dress fantastically for 10 days, and to share your photos as you go. There are up to 3 points to be earned for each day, and at the end, the person with the most points will win a prize (a free guide of your choice or possibly a surprise from me in the mail). 

  1. A point for dressing in a Fantastical Beauty type in a way that is true to type. 
  2. A point for having enough visual interest in your look (color, print, texture, and design detail). Not every piece has to be a statement piece, but no grey pajamas here.
  3. A point for using the right hashtags on your photos/posts so that we can find you (#klm10) and understand what you were going for (#angel #soulguardian). If the garment details aren't coming through in your photo, include them in the description ("Silk cami with lace trim, satin stripe tuxedo pants with contrasting trim")

There is no limit on the number of pieces you can work from from to create your 10 looks. If you want an extra, personal, challenge, limit yourself to a capsule for the duration, and see how creative you can be with few pieces.

Please note: While anyone can play, to be eligible to win the challenge, your posts MUST be public.

If you're looking for mini exercises or more type information to help you on your way, join us on YouTube. The photo above is an example of one of our mini exercises. 

 

The below image is an approximation of my wardrobe. From this mostly Puck wardrobe, I will put together and wear 10 Nymph looks and post them on this blog post as a gallery as well as on Instagram and to the Facebook page as an example and to join in the fun. The only color is in my jewelry, making it even more important to have interesting fabrics, designs, and prints. If you are choosing mostly neutrals, think about these details and about your accessories that much more. 

Do you have your Fantastical Beauty type picked? Do you have your pieces mapped out? Do you know where you will post your looks with the hashtags mentioned above? Will you link your KLM10 challenge below in the comments to this post so we can be double sure we see them? Are you thinking in terms of color, print, texture, and design detail to get enough visual interest in?

 

Gowns to the Grocery Store

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.jpg
By Trailer screenshot - Breakfast at Tiffany's trailer, Public Domain, Link

Do you know where I've seen people wear their pajamas? The grocery store, the dentist office, the doctor's office, to meet with professors, the bank, the bar, an office Christmas party...

Come to think of it, I'm not sure anywhere has escaped the modern entitlement of pajamas in public, and when it's not pajamas, there is sure to be someone in "athleisure" wear. This is not a condemnation of these choices, but a response to the domino effect that hyper casual public dressing causes to the rest of us.

ALL of my clients grapple with this reality. For some reason, we are afraid to look too formal, too out of place, too put together, oo stylish in a world where no one seems afraid to look too casual. Many of my same clients who are nervous in wanting to blend in with the casual crowds also bemoan the lack of opportunity to dress up. I feel you, girl, but I also challenge you- I challenge us all to take every day as that opportunity.

I don't want you to be uncomfortable, but to feel free to dress how YOU want to. Don't let the pajama wearers and pretend yogis set the standard for you. See their choices as opening up the stage for anything goes. They can choose to wear a cartoon animal onesie to the grocery store, and you can wear a gown. If asked what you've dressed up for, answer "LIFE, darling" and toss your wrap over your shoulder as you swish away.

Stepping up your image might create discomfort the first time or two, but after a week or so you will see yourself settling in. This is a better domino effect, eh? Dressing to impress yourself helps to carve out a more comfortable space for others to do similarly. Looking great invites the many women who feel chained to Pajama Land to dress their dreams instead of resignation.

With the advent stretch to all fabrics, dressed up can be just as comfortable as dressed down. However you dress, you are making a statement. Are you declaring that you'd rather not think about the impact of your appearance? That you'd rather go along with the crowd than share your own tastes? Or are you declaring that you will wear what you like for this precious short life that we have to express ourselves?

Push yourself from where you're at. If that means wearing funky shoes with jeggings and a t-shirt, get it, love! If that means wearing a gown to the grocery store, I will hi-five you in my colorful suit and 5" heels as we pass.

In the comments please share where the strangest place is that you've seen someone wearing hyper-casual, and/or what you could do to push your own boundaries in the direction you wish you could go.

Kristina: The Pouncing Courier, an Angel with a Cat Familiar, Client Example

Meet Kristina, a lovely Angel client who was looking for her fantasy type and a bit of an update to her work wardrobe. The primary goal was to find a look that was both professional and vibrant with her personality. The secondary goal was for it to be a look she could easily transition into wearing out for drinks with friends.

 

She had prior color analyses with other analysts that she was happy with,  and I was happy to incorporate. Her light rainbow palettes were a natural fit with Angel. To the right is what I selected as her best. Springy, light, and colorful. 

On the left is a collage of the personal shopping I did for her, in her sizes and with her budget. For Kristina we needed a versatile base piece that could work in a professional setting, and loads of great accessories.

When you're working with more than two colors, it's great when you have a piece that can bring in the other colors. The scarf has a light green and teal (echo the dress and earrings), the earrings have mint and gold (echo the scarf and purse), and the brooch has green, pink, and gold. Kristina is wearing a very cute alternate brooch below that ties in the pink of the coat and belt.

You can see the influence of her Animal Familiar type most in the scale of her prints, the relatively frenetic details, the mix of shapes, as well as the varied vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions in her lines. Animal Familiars and Fantastical Beauty together reaches for the personalized best intersection of both approaches.

If you have the Angel guide, please share all of the beautiful Angel aspects you see in the comment section. There are three or four that especially jump out... 

Perfectly professional and full of personality, she is ready for a day of both work and play. 

I'm biased, but I just love her finished looks! 

In addition to volunteering to be part of this blog post, Kristina also requested that her pinboard be made public. I started it for her during our private services work, and she has done an absolutely smashing job taking it from there. I highly recommend looking through it to see hair, pant, and other recommendations, as well as to take in more of her fantastical, personal style story.

I leave you with Kristina's own kind words:

Working with Kati was truly enjoyable. The analysis gave me both 1) personalized recommendations of shapes, fabrics, contrast levels; all wrapped with 2) Kati's unique view, imagination (that is an essential part of the AF/FB system) and talent for creating cohesive outfits with the right level of visual interest and movement. I especially recommend online shopping/getting a complete outfit put together by Kati. It helped me realize that a list of personalized recommendations is never rigid, there's a lot of room to play/borrow/get inspired, and that the Angel's balance can actually be expressed as oscillation/juxtaposition.