Had another fabulous networking night out, this time with my WEBB ladies at On The Border in Plano!  It’s such a great way to spend time with other women businesses in our community.  Loved learning about The Cerebellum Center during one-on-one time with Ms. Sara – you’re one amazing girl!

Since it was a more relaxed, happy hour environment I decided to throw on a new maxi dress from JC Penney.  Who wouldn’t spend $5.00 on this tropical pink pleasure?! :)  All I had to do was sew one side of the metal embellishment back onto the strap, add a cropped Old Navy clearance jacket, and I was all set.  Fantástico!

What did you wear as your last Festive Fashion statement?

MsMona

Seriously, a DRAGGING pant hem?!

As a woman in business, I network in many circles, especially with other women in different communities.  I’ve seen fashion ranging from the good, the bad and the questionable, but when I see this I have to ask myself:  beside the fact that it’s a potential hazard, does she realize how this makes her look from a business perspective?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a long leg line.  Trust me – I’m a whole 5 feet tall and even the “Petite” length is several inches past my toes. :)  But this is just sloppy and, honestly, makes it look like she’s too lazy to go to her local tailor for a $10.00 hem job.  So what does your appearance say about you?

Research shows 60-90% of communication is non-verbal.  This includes eye contact, haptics (touch), body language and what we wear.  Remember the phrase, “Looks aren’t everything”?  Well, there might actually be more to that statement when it comes to dressing the part.

I totally get the cute jeans and flat sandals trend, with the intentional fraying of a hem line.  And if that’s what you’re selling, fantastic!  However, whether you are visiting an office environment to call on a client, or meeting a colleague for lunch, think about their first impression before you choose your wardrobe.  Will your pant hem communicate “mess” or “success”? 🙂

If you’d rather D-I-Y this project, a variety of snaps and bonding seam tapes are available in the fabric stores.  What others have you tried?

MsMona

Most of you already know about our photography & event design business, CLM Creative.  We are used to being behind the lens, so when it comes time for our own family photos, we trade services with our photographer friends and bring our girls, Miso & Mochi, into the picture. 🙂

For this session, we wanted to experiment with the colorful backdrop of Deep Ellum, downtown Dallas.  The graffiti art alone makes for a truly amazing landscape!  I’m a huge fan of contrast, so we dressed in classic black with a rocker edge to pop off of the gorgeous scenery around us.  You probably have those basic layering pieces in your closet – pants, dress shirt, leggings, skirt, sweater – but if not, check out your local discount and resale stores for inexpensive additions to your wardrobe.  I found the cropped faux leather jacket at Ross for only $9.99! 🙂

Have clothing choices ever been your family photo nightmare?

MsMona

Do I LOVE me some costume jewelry – it’s one of the simplest, and least expensive, ways to accent your outfits!  And when I find a funky little piece with a super clearance price tag?  Feels like I hit the fashion lotto!

I visited Charming Charlie during their $1 jewelry sale and found these sweet bracelets.  Both of the cross cuffs had rhinestones missing, as well as the vintage cameo charms.  Can you believe the rhinestones were the same size for both?!  God is amazing.  So I put my crafting hat on and went to work removing stones from one of the cuffs to add to the others.  Just a few sticky fingers later…Voilà! 🙂

Is it worth putting in some elbow grease?

Let’s see:  the cuffs were originally $14.97 each and the charm bracelet was $12.97.  Hmm…I would have to say YES, definitely worth the small amount of time and effort.  Two bracelets as good as, well, from the manufacturer! 🙂

When was the last time you crafted a special piece back to life?

MsMona

Happy New Year from beautiful Dallas, Texas and welcome to MsMona.net, a blog with tips and tricks to discount shopping for the so NAUTE couture. 🙂

Now, let me preface this by saying I am absolutely not against couture shopping – some of my favorite stores carry the most gorgeous name brand pieces.  However, not everyone can afford boutique, or even some department store, pricing.  If it’s in your budget this year, fabulous!  If not, don’t worry – stick with me and you’ll look just as amazing!

Let’s start 2011 off right with a hearty “Congratulations” to our great city.  Check out this link:  Forbes names Dallas #2 in their list of Best U.S. Shopping Cities!

Rock on, Sisters! 🙂

MsMona