Head to Toe Stylist-Colleen Abrie

✨🎨 Personalized Color Fans are not just for your closet!

You can use your fans for choosing your vehicle color (you’ll never guess mine 😉), interior decor, floors, walls, furnishings, lighting, & as illustrated here, the exterior paint on your home!

This lovely Crystal Spring is keyed to green bcuz she has olive green eyes.

Her paint choices for the slightly contrasting greens are subtle yet brilliant & the blue-green-blue garage door is just spectacular!

Your home is your sanctuary. Creating spaces that reflect you from the inside out is nurturing to your soul.

Whether you fancy lux & drama, peaceful & serene, outdoorsy & natural, or classically elegant, it’s all a part of the color season language & personality types.

Note from my client:
“Can’t tell you how many times I went to the lovely palette you created for me. It kept me sane in sorting through the paint colours and developing a paint scheme.“

Message me anytime for your complimentary discovery call. 🎨✨

Sea spray, ocean treasures, open-face spring flowers, misted forest meadows, all reflections of this particular Spring client.

She’s a Crystal Spring meaning she’s gloriously grey in her natural colored hair, & she has the most fantastic sage, jadeite, tourmaline green eyes!

Until now at 70 years young, color & style have been off her radar & elusive in where to begin until her lovely daughter found me & put us together.

We started with a salon makeover, a makeup audit & application, a color analysis, & eventually, a closet audit, figure analysis, online shopping & outfit mixing.
This lovely woman is transformed!

All of this is new & leaving old habits behind can be mind bending. A recurring theme in mixing outfits was, “This doesn’t match.”
Spring types can easily wear two or three colors together if they choose. Monochromatic is great for elongating & slimming but for a Spring type it works as long as the outfit is still fun & encompasses one of their style goals.

Additionally, it takes 3-5 years to replenish most closets after having colors analyzed & an understanding of your personal style & which designs are the most flattering. The whole process requires patience to let go of old ideas, as well as, retailers offer very little in-store merchandise. More than ever, we’re forced to buy online.

But the compliments are flowing in & the ease of putting new looks together has become a fun creative experiment. She’s going to be packing for a pending holiday which will be so much easier & have her looking exactly as she wants to but in her palette head to toe.

Message me directly to find out how you too can experience the joy of transformative color & style at any age!

✍🏼 Client thank you notes & greeting cards are GOLDEN. Little treasures that mean everything to me. I’m so grateful for such wonderful clients. You all are so appreciated. Thank you

Thank You Note from a Lovely Client

Dear Colleen,

Thank you for everything you’ve done to help me get ready for my son’s wedding.

You shepherded me through the entire process - every detail with skill, care and patience.

I looked & felt great!

Your guidance, eye for detail & calming presence made all the difference. I couldn’t have asked for a better parter to walk me through it all.

With deep appreciation & a big hug,

Sheryl K

🍓Strawberry Spring!🍓

This lovely woman was gifted a color analysis for her birthday!

Much to my delight upon seeing her with this glorious & explosive head of strawberry red hair, I was EXCITED!

Like all red-heads, as hormones change & time goes on, her red color begins to fade more towards strawberry-blonde. But in person, she’s still a ginger! 🧡

She has the most electric green eyes I’ve ever seen. Yowza! I had to customize that color stick bcuz they are so bright & beautiful.

Green-eye palettes are keyed to lots of shades of green & their blue selections are most often blue-green & green-blue options, never true blue.

A makeup audit was also done with some links for skin care, & basic makeup. 💄

This process has inspired her to present herself more polished for every day (Yay). Even a busy mom can wear t-shirts, jeans & sneakers with a touch of makeup & look vital & pretty in their palette. 🎨

And if there any doubt she’s a Spring, just look at the joie de vivre that shines thru her face & smile! Light, warm, bright, & youthful. We need Springs in this world to remind us, the sun will always come out tomorrow! 🌻🌞

Vivacious Spring!

This lovely client challenged me big time!

Brunette hair
Olive-Green eyes
Fair, skin with pale-rosey-peach

She is a knitting aficionado 🧶, & a seamstress & makes a lot of her own clothing 🧵🪡. And it’s fabulous!

She loves Chanel & various couture designers from yesteryear. She enjoys a retro style & wears it well. Feminine, romantic, & loves pattern & lots of texture & mixes it all up in her outfits. She’s super creative which made me really think, “What is her season?”

Is she an Autumn? Absolutely not. Too warm, too rich. Winter? Too harsh & intense. Summer? Too muted & too quiet.

When you bottom line her energy, it’s light & bright. She laughs easily & her face crinkles up in girlish charm, even at 52.

Vital Spring is her category but Vivacious is her title because she is!

Choosing her red was the hardest & after that, everything flowed. Every now & then you meet someone who doesn’t fit the mold completely & it takes a high level of discernment to decipher.

Upon delivery, we triple checked everything & it’s perfect. She was so delighted & the best part is she understands her particular Color Quality. ✳️ This is the biggest gap in translating a color fan.
🎉Happy client & a happy Head to Toe Stylist!

❤️‍🔥 Ella es muy caliente!!! ❤️‍🔥

She is hot! Gorgeous, vibrant, sweet & kind. What a combo!

This lovely young woman has a phenomenal mother-in-law who gifted her a color & style package!

She’s a pre-med student & her aim is for Pediatrics. Couldn’t you just see her with the kiddos?

The color session was eye opening to say the least. And the style session too bcuz like many women, she didn’t understand her body particulars. She’s Petite & curvy so that requires self-knowledge on how to shop & put it together.

Her business looks need to mesh with Florida heat & sun. That means no dark neutrals most of the time.
Florida isn’t a place for black blazers.

I selected a camel blazer & coordinating pants in a similar warm hue. Perfect for her year round.

She’s also a newlywed so there’s got to be plenty of dresses for date nights. She’s a Sporty, Romantic, Alluring which confirms she prefers dresses to jeans. How lovely is that? Looking feminine & sensual is her sweet spot.

I’m thrilled for her transformation & that she will be ready for interviews in the coming fall season for residency. She’s got an advantage with her palette & a basic wardrobe that supports her hard work & goals. 🎉

And her color season is…?

For more info on my color & style sessions, PM me directly.

LA-Lady Shopping UPDATE!

Well Friends, we pulled it off!

7-shopping bags of clothing went home with my new client ALL in her Autumn palette (except for the blue jeans…)!

A cute faux suede moto jacket in her dark rusty red, an autumnal paisley quilted snap-front jacket, this cute featured jacket, sweaters, cardi’s, pants, Tees, different color denim jeans, it was miraculous!

We didn’t pause for footwear, bags, jewelry or undergarments bcuz she will use her palette to fill those in.

We began with makeup. Bobbi Brown eye shadow color sticks in Cinnamon & Gold Light were gorgeous on her. These sticks are some of my favs bcuz they’re creamy & easy to use & last all day. Chanel red lipstick in her shade, & beautiful complimentary foundation & blush straight from her palette. Brows, eye liner, bronzer, & voila, a gorgeous complexion & a look that’s enhanced but not over done.

We shopped from 12:00-6:00 non-stop. This gal is on the border of Petite & sometimes uses regular Misses sizing in bottoms. She’s 5’5” so tops & jackets were better in Petite.
Once I determined her proportions, we were able to skip styles that weren’t the best length or proportion without “simple” alterations. This is key. It’s not just about color. It’s not just about style. It’s how it all comes together on one’s body.

How does one pre-shop 13 stores in 3 hours?

WITH A CUTSOM COLOR FAN!

Seriously, I preshopped 13 stores in 3 hours flat the day before & settled on 4 retailers to hold items. The one & only way to cut thru the overwhelming noise of retail is with a color fan.

Once I walk into a store, I start scanning for color. If I see anything I move toward the items to check for style & sizing. If it’s not there, buh-bye, moving on. Save $, save time, & whatever you decide to invest in becomes your “capsule wardrobe” bcuz everything is color coordinated.

For more information on my color style process & fee structure, send me a PM or give me a buzz.

Thank you for following LA-Lady’s wardrobe rebuild!

She lost everything in the fires.

Her family is safe & she is safe. But, like thousands of others, she will be starting over rebuilding her home & her life.

I had the privilege to meet this lovely woman-of-color who is a dear friend of a client.

She came up from the Los Angeles area & was open to having a color & style assessment!

Much to her surprise, blue, cool reds, pink, & other familiar tones are not on her palette. These tones couldn’t be further from her inherent beauty.
She was disappointed to not have blue, so we tried the Teal Blue stick & it worked! Often times, people of color can have a range of various warm & cool tones unlike their fairer skin toned fellow humans.

She’s mostly charcoal in her hair but has some warm brown bits in the front. Her skin tone is golden Caramel. She’s a Dynamic Autumn.
She LOVES patterns & texture which is so perfect for her teeny tiny spiraled hair & the soft freckles across her cheeks.

She’s a successful business owner, volunteer, mother, sister & friend. She’s got the most adorable sense of humor & is taking her circumstances in stride.

Her Universal Style is Sporty, Alluring, Creative. She uses a bit more Traditional style for certain types of business.

We are shopping this week to fill in some basics as she literally has two pairs of jeans & one other pair of pants. We’ll also be doing makeup shopping based off her color fan.

I’ll be working hard to help her launch into her new color palette & give her the fresh start she needs & deserves.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Growing out hair color?
Smoothing treatment for grey-hair frizz?
Makeup updates & hands-on lesson?
New palette to replace the one from 30 years ago?

Y E S to all four questions! This level of investment for yourself is life changing! 🙌🏼

A lovely lady who was ready for an image boost & encouragement to grow out her hair color.

Her previous palette was with rich brown hair & typed as a Brownette Autumn (not created by me). Beautiful palette that’s simply outdated. We all change as the years progress so keeping things fresh keeps our skin glowing & our eyes shinning.

This lady is moving towards Pewter Autumn & I absolutely love her colors!

Makeup shopping straight from the palette is a game changer to your look & your wallet.

And grey hair manifests its own unique texture! Most of us get frizzy, wavy, bumpy bits, & even curl. Curl is great but the in-betweeners can create a look like feels old & haggard.

A Keratin smoothing treatment is a life altering service that makes blow drying at home much easier. New technologies make it conditioning & even color safe. Smooth grey hair is not only more youthful but elegant.

Treat yourself, or share with a friend who could use a BOOST! Discovery calls are complimentary.

Message me here or on Facebook. Why wait?

🎉Purdue Bound!🎉

This handsome young buck is off for his graduate degree at Purdue!

After a Zoom meet & discussion on likes & preferences we hit the dusty trail to Stanford shopping mall.

📌6’4”
📌Size Large-Tall
📌 Fair cool skintone
📌 Cool medium-Green eyes
📌Spring type - no palette…yet😉

Large-Tall options are not in-store, only Big & Tall. Another deficit in the retail industry. We tried regular sizes & then ordered missing sizes in-store online.

📍Tommy Bahama for Tall sized camp shirts, shorts & raffia hat.

📍LuLuLemon for those terrific navy pants (& in black). Yes- those pants w/the sport coat are LuluLemon! The inseam on these is 38” for you tall guys. 🙌🏼 Stretch, easy care & have the appearance of a khaki pant without the bulky cotton fabric.

📍Nordstrom for a light Navy suit (Ted Baker), blazer (also TB), dress shirts, leather belt, slip-on woven leather sneakers & leather sandals.

Footwear options are shown on each look, lace ups for the suit. Shoe trees, tie boxes, quality hangers & dry cleaning religion—covered.

Summers are blistering hot in ID & freezing in the winter. Sweaters, long sleeve shirts, outerwear & weatherproof footwear will fill in the seasonal gap until next year.

His mother joked that I had more fun than anyone else. The answer to that would be YES! Start them young & keep it fresh for success! Go get’em Tim! 🙌🏼📚

💯 You’re never too old for style

❣️ Your lifestyle is never too casual for style.

💯 Your mobility is never too limited for style.

❣️ Rural, suburban, or city life at any life stage is always the right time for a style update.

Tomorrow I have the privilege to shop & style a gentleman in his 80’s.

He is of course long since retired but still has social & volunteer committments with a desire to appear put-together & well groomed.

He’s had a weight change & is dealing with some physical limitations but here we are, off to Nordstroms.

His wife knows from past experience in working with me in the dressing room, it’s more than worth it to hire a pro to:

⁃ Prepare the dressing room with preselected items
⁃ Make suggestions that don’t come from your spouse
⁃ Have alterations taken on the spot
⁃ Create total looks while in-store

I’ve met countless retirees who say, “My life is so casual, I don’t need someone like you.”
This couldn’t be further from the truth.

We all know color makes a HUGE difference even in the simplest of wardrobe pieces.
In our golden years, we absolutely need to wear items that ensure a glowing complexion to reflect vitality & life!

And closet clean-outs from years gone by free-up not only space but energy.

Having looks that can work for dressier occasions will always reduce stress & win praise from friends & family.

Septuagenarian’s & Octogenarian’s can revitalize their energy, youthfulness & fun-factor with a style update.

📫 Message me today for a complimentary discovery consultation.

Wedding season is here!
 
Are you an attending guest? A parent of the betrothed? Or a family member of the wedding party? Whatever your role, it’s time to think about your outfit – STAT!
 
Before you think about what to wear:
 
·      How formal is the wedding? This info is on the invitation.
·      What time of day is the event?
·      Where is the location?
·      What is the predicted weather forecast?
·      Do you have significant travel time by car the same day as the event?
·      Will there be a hotel overnight?
·      Is it a destination wedding with a flight involved?
 
If you’re a mother of the betrothed, you will have several outfits needed for the event. No less than rehearsal & dinner, wedding day, brunch or breakfast the day after. For some, these activities go on for a week!
 
Tips for Head to Toe:
 
Footwear: Break-in new shoes early. Pointy heels are a disaster on grass, gravel & cobblestones. Block heels, wedges or flats are safer.
 
Legwear: Most people think they can go without stockings with knee length skirts/dresses. I disagree. If you can wear short shorts right now & look terrific, you qualify. Other than that, level up your sophistication & choose stockings.
 
Bras & Shapewear: Make sure you have something comfortable. The pieces from 5 yrs ago have been upgraded in fabric & construction. When you’ve selected your outfit(s), try them on & make sure your bras work with each look.
 
Handbags for the wedding day: If your outfit has flowing fabric, choose a bag that has folds, ruffles, rounded edges, ½-moon, beadwork, or feminine details. If your outfit has more structured fabric, you can choose a bag that is more structured. Trapezoid, box, rectangle, pleated.
 
Not sure how to put it together? Special event styling is my superpower including makeup down to the perfect nail polish.
 
Message me via FB, IG or via email: [email protected] & find out more.