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Style Motivation Week! Abundant Style Mantras- 10 Ways to Make the MOST of What You’ve Got

Madrid Fashion Week
What a better time for style motivation than a summer spotlight as the fun season wraps up so you have the time to get back in gear for fall?  I've pulled these style mantras to move you back in focus  to feel more inspired about yourself.  If you crave some more style motivation, don't forget to check out my Daily StyleWORD here on FocusOnStyle or on Pinterest. -S.H. Abundant style is having a wardrobe that WORKS for you; not the fantasy you get lost in.   Case in point: Pretty fabulous outfit here. It got your attention. But it is NOT what abundant style is all about. Not in my book at least. The party outfit pictured is gorgeous - and flashy-

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How to Clean Out Your Closet and the Top 20 Clothes to Let Go Of

Dearest readers: As we wrap up our week of Style Motivation to help you look your best at ALL times and look through our archives to bring you smart ideas as we continue to celebrate our 15th anniversary comes a timeless lesson on what to keep, store and let go of. The end of the season is near, get ready to clear out your closet! With a new season ahead comes the perfect time to reorganize, reconsider and purge your wardrobe to avoid the pitfalls of inappropriate age dressing and all that can go wrong when one tends to hold on to too much from the past. That's not to say one must start fresh each season as its near

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How To Find Your Style…

The timeless man-tailored elegance from Ralph Lauren
For this week's 15th Anniversary online post, let's look back at this double-header style motivation post on FocusOnStyle from 1999 on how to find your style. If chic style is what you're after, I can help you redifine what chic is for you in my C'est Chic Crash Course. I hope you'll join me. How to find your style can be perplexing. But not if you simplify what you need to know to look great… Two-Up For Something New: Stymied For Style and Fashion Puzzle [dropcap]D[/dropcap]ear Sharon: I've just switched careers and aside from the obvious more casual dress code, I am having some daily doldrums regarding my appearance. Everything from makeup (or the lack thereof) to the horrific amount

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How to dress French when you are not. Wear a classic jacket or coat

One of the more popular reader questions around here is how to dress French. For this week's FocusOnStyle 15th anniversay online post, let's revisit these very chic & classic jacket and coat tips from 2010 which remain very relevant & stylish today and onwards. That's what timeless French chic is all about... the right pieces in your wardrobe that both endure and look modern.  Would you like a boost to help you get the look? Please add yourself to the C'est Chic Crash Course announcement list. I'll let you know when the program opens! --S.H. French Chic Style Tips: Outerwear Rules 3 Women | 3 Looks | All Classic | How they did it Do you want to know how to

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Growing Older, Staying In Style: Men’s Style Tips for a Fab 50+

This week's look back at favorite posts from my 15th Anniversay of FocusOnStyle online takes a look at age-appropriate fashion for guys over 50. Mens' style-- like women's-- shouldn't have an expiration date, and looking vital, modern, and well, hot, as an approaching boomer and beyond is something that should be accessible for everyone with a little know-how. Have a read at this very favorite post from 2006. The advice is timeless, although the handsome examples are bit older, yet still just as fetching.. -- S.H. Age Appropriate Fashion Tips for Middle-Aged Men Men's style tips for looking fashionably hot after 50 Dear Sharon: I'm a middle-aged man on the cusp of 50 and it doesn't take a fashion genius to

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How To Be A Stylist: It’s All About The Tzuj With Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot Fashion Stylist Tricks

A rare photo of me on a photo shoot and it’s becuase it was in a magazine! New Woman magazine did a feature story about me and here I am in a snippet photo as a stylist on the set with Brad Boles (FoS contributing editor at large) on makeup & North Rebis on hair. Yes, I still wear my Yoji Yamamoto shirt that I have on ! I kept my stylist scissors in a holster belt
I've been lucky enough to be involved in so many aspects of being a fashion stylist during my career that's spanned decades. In my continuing reprise of some of my greatest evergreen material leading up to the 15th anniversary year of FocusOnStyle.com online and the launch of my C'est Chic Crash Course, I want to spend this week's review looking back at what REALLY  happens as a stylist behinds the scenes on a photoshoot.  Read on & revisit... On a professional photo shoot knowing how to be a stylist is a lot more than selecting a pretty dress. Honesty is not completely the only policy when it comes to photographing clothing on a model for a commercial photo shoot and there

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Don’t Miss The TOP 6 Paris Fashion Week Trends + Street Style From Fall 2013 To Wear NOW

Prada Fall 2013 It's French Chic from the runway to the real way! This is your ULTIMATE  PARIS LOOK BOOK TREND REPORT:  Paris closed the season with an extension of key style notes best executed there than anywhere else. Rich, dense textures have been on many Fall runways, and so have big coats and the quiet decadence of the 40's & 50's. But in Paris, those ideas really came to light and pushed the envelope. Lots to take note of here folks.... >> MORE: FASHION SHOWS,  RUNWAY REVIEWS, and FASHION WEEK STREET STYLE Mid Century- Prada goes Mid-Century F/W 2013 Seen at: Rochas, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Prada >> LOOK SEE: Have you been following our Paris Fashion Week  street style reports on how

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Don’t Miss The TOP 7 New York Fashion Week Trends From Fall 2013 To Wear NOW… with lot’s of photos!

New York Fashion Week Trends From Fall 2013: SCULPTED FORMS
This is your ULTIMATE LOOK BOOK TREND REPORT (with lot's of photos) of Mercedes Fashion Week New York Trends, to covet and wear now. Wear Fall 2013 New York Fashion Week Trends now? Of, course!  >> MORE: FASHION SHOWS,  RUNWAY REVIEWS, and FASHION WEEK STREET STYLE Style the essence of each of the 7 seasonal fashion trends into your wardrobe right this minute and be ahead of the fashion pack!  All you need to think about are Sculpted Forms, Chest Pieces, Fabric Mixing, Pattern & Crazy Color Fur and Faux Fur, Updated Sweatshirts, Quilting, and lot's of Color. Take a look at our trend report below and go get inspired… SCULPTED FORMS- New York Fashion Week Trends From Fall 2013: SCULPTED FORMS No longer just limited to A-line or fit

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French Chic at a Certain Age: The power of black a la Juliette Binoche… not so basic!

Basic black becomes beautiful black when it's worn in the right French Chic way... It's funny how there are photos of us that almost instantly look dated and others that have timeless perfection. What we are wearing plays a huge part in what sustains looking chic and vital rather than overdone and garish. Take for instance, the style power and endurance of perennially black clad Juliette Binoche and Malgorzarta Szumowska pictured here. >> Day One of the three-part FoS series Ageless & Age-Appropriate French Chic At A Certain Age Let's think about this: every season there is a trend color; something eye-catching to refuel your need to buy something new. You wear that color. Like this season's trendy shade of coralish-roseish-tangerine formerly rightly reserved

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Senior Style: 65 Things to Do When You Retire, My Essay On How To Master Your Look (book excerpt)

When editor Mark Evan Chimsky asked me to write a 'Master Your Look' essay for the anthology 65 Things to Do When You Retire, 65 Notable Achievers on How to Make the Most of the Rest of Your Life (Sellers Publishing), I couldn't refuse. Besides having the opportunity to share my senior style tips for a time in your life when coveting the latest it thing is not as relevant as revitalizing your most age-appropriate personal best, my essay would be in the book along such esteemed notables as my feminist idol Gloria Steinem, former President Jimmy Carter, Jane Fonda, John E. Nelson, (What Color Is Your Parachute?), and a host of other experts and achievers on how to make the most of the rest of

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How to get wavy, curly big hair gorgeousness from hairstylist Paul Labrecque

Romantic hairstyle how-to's to make every day Valentine's Day! From runways to the red carpet, beautiful wavy hair and voluminous curls are the modern big hair trends. We have some exciting and easy hairstyling how-to tips from top hairstylist Paul Labrecque, who shares his styling secrets to get muse-like curls and seductive waves at home. >> Get more fabulous hair tips on FocusOnStyle! Glamorous and romantic loose waves are always a coveted hairstyle and a very modern change from pin straight, flat-iron hair that is really reaching its style expiration mark. Hair Tip: Make sure hair is very wet before you begin styling... Apply a curl activating gel and a leave-in conditioner. Paul is partial to his own Paul Labrecque's

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The Secret of French Chic Do’s and Don’ts

French chic do's and don'ts -Paris street style photo video, come on and get inspired... watch our Paris street style photos video! Let us take you on a walking tour of what's in the Paris store windows and how the fashion looks are interpreted on the street-- without even leaving your computer! The Secret of French Chic do's and don'ts... Dear Sharon: I recently returned from my first trip to Paris and was amazed at how the French women really do have that certain something that you always hear about. I felt that my wardrobe obviously looked different and my clothing style didn't do justice by comparison. My husband says I'm nuts and not to worry, but looking at those women in Paris

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French Chic Fashion Tips – What to wear in Paris

What to wear in Paris can be a challenge. Follow my timeless French chic fashion tips and you can master Parisian style, where ever you are… French chic… What to wear in Paris (our Paris inspiration shopping guide is at the end of the page) Dear Sharon: I'm going to Paris for vacation and don't want to look like a tourist. I'm not familiar with what is acceptable to wear in such a chic city for touring around. I'm thinking the usual American customs of wearing shorts, T-shirts, sweats, tennis shoes, UGG's, or flip-flops probably won't go over well in Paris. What should I wear to a dinner cruise on the Seine or trolling about Paris to visit museums, shop,

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