Color can be used in full force if the style and cut of the clothing item works. You can even wear the same color top to bottom!

Michelle Obama, the former First Lady has been on a whirlwind. 99% of the time she wears a suit (Yes!) in an array of colors from a metallic cyan-hue suit to a multicolor strip golden suit. Material chosen, cut, and styled, plays a major role in expressing a powerful statement with color. It also needs to be the right occasion.

Her stage presence has always been as a dynamo!  This includes her book tour presence which has been a showstopper and fun to watch. Her suit colors and choices accent her brilliance.

The last two years have trended toward lightly unshaven men’s faces. It began with actors, and then moved to younger men in the fashion and art field. In professional settings, beards and goatees are trending.

For years, Larry Ellison, now, the Chairman of Oracle, has worn a goatee. Facial hair kept neat and cut close to the face can look attractive. If you’re not sure how it looks on you, take a selfie and ask yourself – is this the look for me? Also, solicit an opinion from your partner.

Here we go again with the eye brows – eye brows should accent the eyes, not create a strong reaction like – what the heck is that on your face! Eye brow shapes including no eye brows, depend on the total face and how the hair frames it. The best eyebrows enhance rather than take away from the eyes. Do a test by taking a quick look in the mirror. Do your eyes blend in or shout out?

A recent photo of Megan Markle wearing a dark nail polish at a formal event spurred the question- why not a neutral color? I believe she wanted to make a statement focusing on the nails rather than the dress.

However, for an accent, my preference tends toward a less dramatic color, maybe a gray a neutral one (OPI sells very popular nail polish in these color tones, for instance). This brings up the dramatic nail color changes from multicolor to dark to sparkles to even different nail colors on each finger of the same hand! If you live in a fashion environment, wearing dramatic nail colors are the norm, it works. Perfectly groomed, neutral color nails, always make an elegant statement in any setting.

Holidays can be overwhelming with additional events added to an already full work and social life. Businesses rush to end the year on a good note, individuals work diligently to ensure all the festivities and related activities are completed.

Recently, a client who is a also a friend, took his wife away for a long weekend. I thought, what a great move. When they returned refreshed, they might find the holiday stress a bit easier to handle. So, take a pause, go away, and just chill to ease the stress.

For those who cannot get away, outsource gift giving. Amazon is great for gifts, especially if you include the gift wrap and delivery in the purchase. Harry and David, with their wonderful pears and other goodies also make gift giving a fun task, not a stressful one.

In choosing clothing items to wear, remember the visual pause of giving the eye enough time to absorb the image in mind. For example, there needs to be a backdrop or a visual point when wearing prints, to ether focus on the print with the other pieces remaining as solid colors. When there is no visual pause in the total outfit, the eye cannot take it all in, and the impact will be confusing.

The moment one walks in the door, before any words are spoken, folks will have decided unconsciously to remember or not remember you. Working with executives, they want to know: Do you represent the professional, personal, and the organizational brand well? Can you be a face of the organization?

To burnish your brand, Here are some items to keep in mind:
• Projecting confidence is number one. This includes the walk, posture, facial expression (smile), and a sense of where you are going.
• Clothing choices will connect you the audience through a choice of familiarity or for a shock effect.
• Elegance is a critical component.

Also, assume the audience will know nothing about you.

I wear color brights when working out because it is fun and most athletic shirts are found in multiple colors. Interestingly, my professional clothing tends to be in grays with a touch of a primary color. The dramatic colors come out when presenting in a large venue.

Nikki Haley, the recently resigned US Ambassador to the United Nations, is a fabulous role model for using color to her advantage. When speaking or representing the US she wore navy and gray colors, suggesting a most valued player. When speaking to the press or moving around New York, Niki wore her famous bright dramatic pink in a dress or coat combination. Remember, as you select dramatic color clothing pieces, the fabrics and cuts must possess high quality and design, or they will look cheap and costume like.

Years ago, while working an all-day women’s event at a fortune 100 company, women and men stopped by for a tip on their image. The number one item was the lack of attention to their eyebrows. They were mostly unattended. The purpose of eyebrows is to capture the eyes and enhance facial expressions.

Twenty years later, the proliferation of new products to add color and boldness to eyebrows may have gone too far! Most eyebrows look very painted on which is fine for television but not for everyday wear. The tip is to brush the eyebrow out, so it will look more natural. Also, when using these new tools, stay within the arc of the brow. Too many touch ups look like they belong on a science fiction character!

Recently while out with a client, I noticed her straight full leg pants were short and not short enough to look fashionable. They looked like a fashion snafu. This is a challenge because many new pants shorter while the pant could be wide or narrow. The problem is that the look is dumpy if not worn correctly.

The issue is also based on the color and style of the pant especially around how it falls on the ankle with shoes on. For women, the hem should just lay on the ankle of the leg. The only time you can play with this guideline is by wearing a boot or hose that matches the pant and shoe. With men, the slacks with suits tend to be very narrow and do not break, so they never touch the shoe.