'Re-Dress Every day': (RE-)DRESS For Success

Zebra patterned blouse,
PERFECT!
Sophisticated and Powerful.

Cream Pumps are a must
for every ladies closet.

RE-DRESS has always been about using what you have. The idea to take the existing business wear in your closet and completely re-imagine it into fresh new outfits is the essence of the RE-DRESS(ed) man or woman. Usually I have my clients closet to work with. A closet full of clothing that generally fits well and look good. These are usually the people I work with in my day to day at RE-DRESS. Today was very different, but before I get into that let me back track a little and fill you in on what happened prior to today. About a month ago I reached out to Dress For Success (DFS) through there website and on facebook in order to find some way to give back. If you don't know DFS helps under-privileged and under-served women from all walks of life. A DFS office can be found in nearly every community around the country and most parts of the world. Their reach is huge and thank goodness for that. Job training and business wear are just the tip of the iceberg at Dress For Success. They not only help a women to build her wardrobe they help her to build her confidence and self reliance. Teaching them office skills and interview skills. Giving them their first business suit ever in some cases. Showing them that they matter and what they have to offer matters. There are no invisible people at DFS. It's because of that and so much more that I wanted to give and give hard. I decided that my workshops, “Get Your Power Look” & “Get More From Your Business Wear”, may be a good fit so I presented it to the

White pin striped
slacks.
Lavender pumps.
Fantastic.

A little cuff roll
so we can
see the shoes.

powers that be at DFS and was so happy when I heard back from Michelle Chin, Development Manager for DFS Worldwide, that I would get a meeting with Jocelyn Green, Queens Program Coordinator and Shandeeyaky Shabazz two wonderful ladies in the Queens, NY branch. After chatting for a few minutes I think we all felt a connection and now it was just about scheduling. They asked if I was willing to speak at their regional Power Women's Group event and I immediately said YES!!! I was so thrilled and honored to be asked to speak at such a big event I was speechless for a moment. Imagine that! The night of the meeting I was presented to sixty alumni of the program. These are the women who have been working with DFS for at least a year and were now called associates. The whole thing lasted almost two hours and was just fun beyond belief. The questions that were asked and the conversation we shared was just amazing. Talking of Image and Branding and Clothing was never more fun for me and I believe it was fun for them as well. A special treat that I knew about but the ladies didn't was that there would be a raffle after I was finished. The winner would receive an hour with me and the DFS closet in the Manhattan location. I must admit I think I was pretty excited by the prospect of having to create outfits from donated clothing. Not knowing what I would come up against made my imagination run wild with possibilities. After the event was over I stuck around to meet as many of the ladies as possible and answer any questions that weren't addressed during the workshop. All in all it was just the perfect night. So back to now. I met the winner at the Manhattan location. To protect her privacy I'll call her Jane. When Jane came in I was waiting for her ready to get to work. We sat down along with Amy Tashjian, Employment Coordinator for the Manhattan Branch. Now was the fun part. I start every session no matter who you are or what closet we're in with questions. Questions that will ultimately lead us to finding the image you're looking for. After that was finished Jane and I got busy. Jane had a couple of challenges. The first being that she is a size 0-2 Petite. Normally if her and I were in any department store in NYC finding Petites would be a breeze, but here we're working with donated clothing so there may be a chance of not finding anything in her size. That's exactly what happened. We first went for the suit because that is the

Fuchsia is so
beautiful on her.

Still loving the
Black and White.
Perfect all season look.

staple of any business wardrobe but given the size constraints suits/blazers were a no go. After that painful discovery I flipped everything around and really got down to the nitty gritty of what Jane already had in her own closet. I found out that she had enough of the Basics and what was missing was COLOR!!!!! I know many of you think that it's okay to just wear black and dark colors for business but honestly don't you find that a little boring and easy? I do. And the myth that wearing Black makes you look thinner is just a myth. Anyway this was something I could change and make a huge difference in her closet. I started pulling blouses and slacks in Spring and Summer tones along with some beautiful cream and lavender shoes and then sent her to the fitting room. I know some of you are thinking isn't Fall/Winter right around the corner? Shouldn't Ben be dressing her in those tones? Under normal circumstances I might do just that. But these aren't normal circumstance. Thinking outside, on top of, near and around the box is what's called for when putting outfits together with so many variables. What's amazing for me is to see the look on a persons face when they're wearing something they love and looks good on them. If you look at the photos I took at the beginning middle and end of our hour together you'll see how Jane goes from stiff corporate worker bee to relaxed powerful woman who can do anything and although we didn't add much color I think her look definitely suits her. It was beautiful to see.