It’s that time of year ladies! Graduation parties, weddings, proms – celebrations for various occasions where at some point you ask yourself: what am I going to wear???   Are you there yet? Well, I am here to help!

As you might imagine, there have been many times when I have been pulled in by a family member or friend to assist with an outfit. It brings me great joy to see someone looking their very best and even better than that: to see how it makes them feel.  So if you have an outfit question, there are three ways you can reach me: 1- Leave a comment at the end of this post. Yes, it will be public, but others could learn from your question. 2- Leave a question on my Instagram page, @ ginger_bred_style. Still public, but more likely nobody will know you. 3 – Email me privately @ canmango2@aol.com.

Now for some general advice for all…here is what I consider to be the 5 BIGGEST MISTAKES of making outfit choices:

1 – Waiting until the last minute.   Are you guilty of waiting until the week or two before an event to decide what you’re wearing? Did I just hear you say the DAY OR TWO BEFORE?!!! Omg, no. Unless you get very lucky you will be stressed out and likely you will settle for something that is just ‘good enough’. YOLO! You deserve to LOVE what you’re wearing.

2 – Go shopping for “a dress”.   Sure, wearing a dress is certainly an option, but there are other great options too: pants with a blazer, skirts, jumpsuits, suits, etc. Keeping an open mind can save you money and will also give you more ‘standout style’ than just buying ‘a dress’ off the rack. OR: You might already have something great in your closet that would be perfect simply by updating it with a new shoe and/or new accessories. You might need less than you think!

3 – Bad shoe choice.   Shoes can make or break an outfit. Choose a ‘wedge’ with a more casual outfit, not necessarily with a dressy outfit. And beware of black shoes! Just because your dress is black does not mean you need to wear black shoes; black drags the eye to your feet and it is heavy and predictable. Try nude, metallics, even colors.

4 – Not having a ‘look’ in mind. Whenever I plan an outfit for a special occasion I always think about all the circumstances and what image I want to portray. What you might choose for a destination wedding with friends will be different than what you would wear to the wedding of your niece. Serious? Sexy? Fun? And what is your personal style preference? Do you like feminine styles or a more tailored, minimalist look? If you don’t have a look in mind you can end up looking very blah.

5 – Trying to be too different.    Don’t be afraid to wear classic styles or basic colors because you are afraid you will blend in with the crowd or that it’s boring. With black, white, and navy you can never go wrong. While it’s fun to be creative at times, there is nothing more chic than classic, simple styles that fit you perfectly, worn with the right shoe and accessories.

Yeah, and sometimes your accessory is more than an accessory….:-)

Let the season of celebrations begin!

Well, ladies? Let’s hear your questions! I am AT YOUR SERVICE!