I’m so glad you guys are as excited about the makeover recaps as I am! We had so much fun and I enjoyed getting to know the winners.
As I mentioned before, makeover winners were chosen by a panel with consideration given to what each sponsor felt could be done in their particular area (Tease for hair; me for closet and styling) and best fits for the clothing brand sponsors – Miles David, Bonobos, and Monkee’s of Houston. Trust me when I say it was the hardest decision! We received over 70 entries and every single one deserved to win. If you are a clothing brand and want to sponsor some runners-up, I’m game just say the word.
Our next makeover winner is Maria! Maria is a teacher’s assistant in Katy and entered the contest after she saw the How to Wear The Color of the Year Houston Life segment in January. Maria just celebrated a milestone age and had lost a considerable amount of weight in recent years. She was looking for that perfect fresh style that was shape and age appropriate. Aren’t we all??
Can’t wait to show you all the fun! Dozens of photos below. ;-)
Starting with the Basics
Every client completes a questionnaire to help me understand their current style and what they want with their updated look. Maria wanted a stylish, trendy, up-to-date look and nice hair. Spoiler alert – DONE!
Judy Francis was again so generous with her time and took all the before and after shots of Maria’s makeover.
We talked a bit more about face shape with Maria because she was specifically looking for a new hairstyle. Face shape not only dictates what kind of glasses/sunglasses you should be wearing but also which hairstyle is the most flattering for you.
Body shape, color palette, and now face shape! I know I talked about face shape with Kevin’s recap post (don’t forget this handy video for determining your face shape + sunglasses to go with each shape!) but it’s just so important to know yours as it determines best glasses shapes, most flattering hairstyles, and what types of earrings you wear all of which can add pounds to your face if not synced up with your face shape.
On to the closet!
The Closet
We chose Maria because her closet, though organized, was stuffed to overflowing. You’ll never catch me saying organization isn’t important because it absolutely is but the quality of what stays in the closet is just as critical! Side note: if an organized home eludes you I have wonderful recommendations of people who can help whip things into shape in no time.
We had one main goal in her closet: edit with a fine-tooth comb. Luckily, we started with jackets and ended with jeans or she would have kicked me out before we got started. Maria had over 50 pairs of jeans! I mean, when you look good in almost any pair, it’s an easy habit to fall into when your at the store. We’ve all done it – I used to go into a store to find pants and get frustrated because I couldn’t find anything (hello problem areas) and would end up buying a top or two because they were easy and still made the trip feel like a success.
We edited with three simple criteria – anything that stayed in the closet needed to fit her, flatter her shape, and match her personal style. We cut about half! As I mentioned, jeans were the main opportunity for space creation. lol.
Closet Edit Tip
If you also have a large closet category you need to edit, here’s the jean paring down step-by-step. Working with one jean color at a time,
- Remove one jean color (white, blue, etc) from the closet.
- Edit any that don’t fit. Try on as needed.
- Of those that fit, edit any overlapping styles. For instance, only a few frayed hem styles stayed instead of the original six or seven.
- If you still need to edit say, casual jeans. Ask yourself the question: If I have a casual outing with friends which of these jeans will I most likely wear? Those need to stay. The others should be considered for the giveaway pile.
- Repeat as necessary with the remaining styles of a given category.
- If you finish and still feel like you have too many in that category, look at the category as a whole and edit further as needed!
Knowing you paid good money for some of the pieces can make editing hard. Donations or if you have the time, Poshmark is great for selling used clothes. It’s fairly easy to post items for sale and enough are using it that sales can happen.
Another note about finding personal home base brands. Remember a brands’ given demographic. American Eagle targets a younger, straighter demographic; Talbots targets an older, curvier (specifically bustier!) demographic. Obviously both stores are fair game but if you don’t fit a store’s target demographic pay close attention to the way pieces fall on your body, pocket placement, pattern styles, embellishment details, and overall construction because it may not flatter in the same way a brand targeted to your demographic might.
Even with the epic denim purge, it only took three hours to completely edit and reorganize Maria’s closet.
The Hair
Brandi at Tease was all over Maria’s look! You know I’m a little bit obsessed with color. I love sharing what colors mean and how to pair them, but I especially love showing which colors look most flattering on. Your hair color might be fighting with your skin tone, making you look older, tired, severe, washed out, or even sickly. Hair color is important!! It frames our face and immediately sets the tone for the rest of our look. Well Brandi has the color eye. I just love the team at Tease because they care more about making the person look amazing with a great hairstyle than just putting a great hairstyle on someone. Brandi immediately started with color, recommending a warmer chocolate tone to soften Maria’s facial features and complement her deep, warm coloring.
A trim and reshaping here, a trim and color there, and Maria looked so chic! And at least five years younger!
A little boomerang fun of the final ‘do. ;-)
I could not get over the difference. She looked FABULOUS! With her new style we headed straight over to find her perfect reveal ensemble.
Shopping Tip
Go with hair done and little bit of makeup (not so much that you smear your foundation on the clothes with every try-on) – it’s a lot of mirror time!
The Clothes
Closet? Check. New Hair? Check. On to the clothes! One thing I noticed as we were editing Maria’s closet was the lack of dresses. With Maria’s blessing (because the client needs to be willing to try something new otherwise I’m just helping them find more pieces to gather dust in their closet!), I paired her with Miles David to find the perfect dress for her. Even if not worn often, a woman needs to own at least one dress to grab when the need arises!
Local designer David Peck is the generous and talented man behind the Miles David brand. He is also the King of Dresses! Miles David has a wonderful ready-to-wear line but if you fall in love with a fabric or just can’t find the dress you’ve envisioned in your mind, come here. Custom bridal, ball, and everyday dresses are his specialty. Don’t worry, there are some wonderful top, skirt, and pant options as well. Everything is manufactured in-house, literally right next to the showroom. Any piece can be custom fit – which you know I love. Fit matters!
The Perfect Fit
I’d found the perfect dress but there was only one left and it wasn’t Maria’s size! Benefits of in-house manufacturing studio? David practically reconstructed the dress for a perfect fit.
Why did this dress make the cut? The color was on point, the structured shoulders gave the illusion of height, it had flattering side ruching, and all in a great knit fabric.
It’s also the perfect example of needing to know the style rules, so you can skillfully break them when needed.
Maria is 5’2″ and doesn’t wear dresses because she’s not a fan of her “thin calves.” Typically, you wouldn’t put a dress that cut a petite frame mid-calf for two reasons: one, it shortens the person; and two, anywhere a line in your ensemble cuts your body, it adds visual weight to the area.
The asymmetrical hem kept the silhouette high, but the drop added just the right coverage and visual weight to her calf that we were looking for!
Paired with a deep v-front bootie for a leg-lengthening edgy yet dressy vibe (see them at the reveal) and viola!
We were in business. <3
How It All Came Together
We revealed the makeover winners’ final looks at our Makeover For Life 5yr anniversary celebration and benefit for CURE International Clubfoot (this is our campaign-specific link if you want to contribute! The Tease crew was on hand for photo-worthy hair and Brandie Seifert with Hollywood Hippie Cosmetics did the makeup for Maria and Amy. It was such a fun evening!
In Person
Ailee Petrovic with Snapshots and My Thoughts took all the photos for the event. You’ll be seeing more of these in future recaps and on our Instagram feed! It’s just getting started but you’ll also see photos on the Makeover for Life Instagram account. Give us a follow there to see more party shots and how we are partnering with CURE.
In Her Closet
Talking pattern size for petite frames is apparently very serious and worrisome (my face!). Giving away a Jord Watch on the other hand… lol.
What She Said
“How lucky and blessed I am to be chosen for the Signature Style Makeover! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate winning this amazing prize package. And to top it all off the night of the reveal was the most spectacular way to end the experience. It was an unforgettable night and the most fun I had had in forever!! Thank you for this unique opportunity! ” – Maria
What do you think? She looks lovely, doesn’t she?! Judy Francis shot the before and after photos and treated us to a dramatic studio shoot. Can’t wait for you to see the final winner and the anniversary party fun – coming soon!
And the winner of the JORD $100 gift card and 10% off promo code is Josh Strong!! Josh – if you need help picking your watch, I’m here to help! Congratulations!
Leave A Comment