At 6 o’clock on April 26, 2011, 26 women from BOND gathered at an amazing store to see, learn and hear about Fashion in our own personal lives. The store, STYLEDLIFE, is located at the Galleria in Edina. We were warmly greeted by wardrobe experts Tim Creagan and Allison Werthmann-Radnich.
Babe Wartnick, Tim Creagan
Each of us was given a gift bag, sparkling wine and chocolates and we were told that we should just take our time and look around. Tim told us that STYLEDLIFE has been in operation for 5 years but only at the Galleria for 2 years.
WOW!!! They had purses of every color, every style and every design; jewelry to make your mouth open; scarves of all textures, patterns, and shapes. They also had men’s accessories like ties, wallets, small briefcases and jewelry such as cuff links.
After being totally impressed with all of their beautiful merchandise, we divided into two groups. One group went with Allison to learn about Key Trends for Spring and the other group went with Tim to see a Scarf Tying Demo.
Allison showed us how to mix and match outfits. Color on color is popular this year and taking a top from one outfit and mixing or adding it to the bottoms of another. Patterns can also be mixed, starting with the biggest pattern on top and working to faint small patterns. A lot of the trend is going back to the 70’s. She was teaching us to make the most of the wardrobes that we already have in our closets.
Jeanne Prawer, Judy Sherman, Allison Werthmann-Radnich
Tim showed us some amazing ways to use scarves from tying knots to wearing as belts and everything in between. It was extremely interesting and we all learned a lot.
The groups talked about “personal styles personalized”. We talked about those of us who are not able to wear the popular cropped tops and bare midriffs and were given alternative suggestions. It was mentioned again that the spring season will bring out lots of color. We were also encouraged to make sure that when we buy a trend, “the trend is right for each of us personally.”
Lastly, they told us “Focus on clothes that you feel most beautiful in.” STYLEDLIFE does not sell women’s clothes, only accessories, but the information Tim and Alice shared with us will make us be better and more economical shoppers. They were presenting a new way of thinking about how we can create “new” outfits that are fashionable but not entirely “new.”
The business is a unique combination of retailing and consulting. People can make an appointment to bring in their own clothing to get advice on how best to use their own items and/or accessorize them.
A drawing for a Door Prize took place, and all in all Carole Bender-Resnick did a marvelous job of arranging this event.
Because of the good turnout from our regular participants and all of the new faces, we were able to contribute $280.00 to our Scholarship Fund. We certainly had a wonderful evening and gained a lot of insight on “how to make fashion work for each of us!!”
Sheri Steinman, BOND's incoming Compass Editor, wrote this article.