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Welcome to this issue of Tips & Teasers!

Quote
“Keep putting things together and enjoy it. Play. Don’t give up.”
Diane Keaton recently interviewed in San Francisco as part of the City Arts and Lectures Series. Someone commented on her style and her love for clothes and she enthusiastically shared her fashion advice to others.

Happy February!
Hello everyone! If you’re like me, you may still be getting acclimated to the sound of 2012. I think it’s going to be an awesome year. As usual, I start the year out by creating a collage or soul-searching for some words that will be my guiding light throughout the year. I started collecting some images before the year was out but I only just got my collage started a couple of weeks ago. I thought I’d share some results with you. If you haven’t created a collage in awhile, I highly recommend it!

Saturday’s play
One of my favorite Saturday activities is to page through home decorating magazines. Some of my favorites are Traditional Home, Veranda, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Country Living. and Architectural Digest. I rip out things I love – phrases, design elements, color combinations – that sort of thing. These are my inspiration touchstones. I keep them in a folder until I’m ready for step two, assembling the collage.

A couple of weeks ago, I started making my collage for 2012. I reached for my recent picks that were waiting in my folder. But for good measure, I went through a couple more magazines – not fashion magazines, though. Why? I like to save that kind of collage project, one that’s just focused on fashion, for spring and fall, the big fashion seasons of the year. For now I’m just interested in broad themes for the year. I’ll start the fashion collage in March.

I have an 18” X 24” artist’s pad that I use to group my images on a page. I lay the pad on a worktable, pull out the glue stick and scissors, start trimming images and arrange the pieces according to my whims. I like to stay open and curious as to how it will look in the end and just enjoy the process.

I may not understand all parts of it when I do it but I know that time will reveal more. That’s why we trust this process, right? 

The Modern Edge section

Keeping an eye on what makes something modern

Here’s one corner of my collage. There’s so much I love about this image. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a foyer to a shop in New York City that sells accessories. But I loved the title, “Modern Edge.” I always want to look modern and I counsel a lot of women about how to look modern as they age. I love seeing this theme holding center court for 2012.

Being modern doesn’t have to mean indulging in trendy looks that are worn best by 20-year-olds. We can be modern and age appropriate at the same time. I think being modern is sometimes about taking a chance with a color or an accessory. I can’t wait to explore what it will mean in 2012.

The softer side of 2012

Bring on the femininity!

I’m not sure how this image will move me this year but I really loved the feeling I got from it. It has sensuality to it. I loved the casualness of the white jean (and the great fit!) and the total femininity of the sheer loose top with sleeves. Am I ready to express more femininity in my style? Maybe! And with the spring trends getting ready to bloom, this could be a lot of fun!

The words that I glued near the top resonate with me too. Relaxed Glamour. That could be my fashion theme for the year! And “Simple Luxuries” could refer to careful shopping, looking for that one great necklace, scarf, watch or handbag that works with everything and adds quality to any outfit.

Working with a buddy

Two generations enjoying each other
The last few months, I’ve enjoyed having an assistant with me on shopping trips and closet appointments with my clients. My assistant does the heavy lifting (clothes racks and bags of weeded out items being recycled), the charting of outfits (her handwriting is better than mine), the running around for other sizes during a shopping trip – things like that. Who is she? She’s my daughter Erin.

When I came across this image (it’s an ad for watches) of what looks like a mother and daughter, I was smitten. When I found the phrase We complete your look, I saw the future! Erin and I so enjoy working together and get so excited about fashion and all things style. Having an assistant seems like a great new adventure in 2012. It makes me so happy to see this in my collage.

So my dear friends, what are your ideas for your year? I hope you’ll leave some comments over on my blog as I’d love to hear all about it! Together this just might be our best year ever! And our collages may show us the way.

What Were They Thinking?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????
How funny to be with my girls at Peet’s, my favorite coffee shop when they noticed how little I was paying attention to them. “What are you looking at?” Caitlin asked? “Check out that woman over there with the guy and the dog,” I said. I LOVED what she was wearing. She had on brown boots to the knee, dark washed skinny jeans tucked into them and a great large-scale cable knit cape. It was so cozy and cute for a chilly day.

“Oh, I thought you might be looking at that person,” Caitlin said, and directed my attention at someone else. This woman had on purple leggings under a pair of men’s knee-length khaki-colored cotton shorts and a matching purple sweatshirt on top. Yikes! Talk about a hit and a miss! I’m not sure what each of them was thinking when they got dressed that morning but to see the intersection of a “wow” with a “whoa” within about ten seconds was quite spectacular!

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Have a great month, Everyone!
Until next time, have fun!

Best,

Need a fashion fix between issues of Tips & Teasers? Check out my blog! http://www.brendakinsel.com/blog/.

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Tips & Teasers is written and produced by Brenda Kinsel. Your email subscription is not used for anything but announcements of new issues or eBooks. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to: bkinsel@brendakinsel.com. Copyright © 2003-2012, Brenda Kinsel. All rights reserved. For your privacy, your email address will not be shared with any other parties, not ever!

About Brenda:Brenda Kinsel has been matching people's clothes to their looks, personalities, passions and lifestyles for over 24 years. She is the owner of Inside Out, A Style and Wardrobe Consulting Company, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brenda is the fashion columnist for the Pacific Sun newspaper. Brenda’s the author of 5 books on fashion including 40 Over 40 and Brenda Kinsel’s Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style! Her tips and expertise have been featured in such magazines as In Style, Real Simple,Shape and AARP The Magazine and newspapers including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, Detriot Free Press, Denver Post, Chicago Tribune and many more. Brenda has appeared nationally on radio and television, most notably on The Oprah Winfrey Show, HGTV, Canada AM and on NPR. She is a regularly featured guest on her segment called Wardrobe Workshop on the ABC Radio Network.

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