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tie. Remember to wear the cummerbund with the pleats facing up (which catches the crumbs). Check out tuxedo shirts and accessories at lordandtaylor.com. Accessories include cuff links, button studs and patent leather shoes (afterhours.com). In the absence of formal wear, a solid black suit can pitch hit with a tuxedo shirt or vest. For women, black tie calls for an evening gown, tea length dress or fancy cocktail dress. Black tie doesn’t have to mean a sea of black dresses. Make an entrance in color such as holiday red, emerald green, rich burgundy, shimmering gold or chocolate brown. Fabrics such as velvet, satin and silk are luxurious and dress up the silhouette. This is the time to bring out your best baubles – be it diamonds, rhinestones, pearls or precious gems. A plain dress can go from boring to a show stopper with the appropriate diamond brooch or dangling ruby earrings. Accessorize with dressy shoes and bag in velvet, peau de soie (satin) or metallic. Couples can coordinate their outfits by matching the man’s bow tie and cummerbund to the color of the woman’s dress.
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“My greatest fear about starting my new full-time job was WHAT WAS I GOING TO WEAR? I knew my jeans and golf clothes wouldn’t cut it in the corporate environment, and the rest of the mish-mash in my closet was just a mess of bad on-sale decisions, motivated by price and desperation, not good parameters for choosing a wardrobe. After discussing my needs, body type, face shape and coloring, Paula lit into my closet like a whirlwind. Once she re-organized, she began pitching items I was happy to see go. Paula persevered with the same energy while putting outfits together, complete with accessories and shoes! I was absolutely amazed at the business wardrobe Paula was able to manufacture out of what seemed to me to be a bunch of nothing. By the time she left, I felt confident that I had a working wardrobe to get me started at my new job. I met Paula for a shopping excursion to pick up the relatively few items she had identified that I needed to give me more flexibility to mix and match. After another round with Paula, the Ever-Ready Bunny, I left the mall with all the missing pieces that we had identified, along with a few extras. Paula was absolutely amazing at finding just what I needed well within my budget. My husband was happy to hear that I spent half of what I had anticipated. He commented to some friends, ‘Mary looks really good every day when she leaves for work’. I cannot believe the complete wardrobe that Paula was able to manufacture from my closet with very few additions. As an added bonus, I feel so much more confident wearing the outfits that Paula has put together for me, accessorized, and given her stamp of approval (some combinations I never would have thought of). With the education and tips she gave me, I feel comfortable now making those decisions myself. Rather than having that constant feeling that I should be scouring the sale racks, looking for something to wear, I can relax, knowing that I have more than enough pieces and combinations to see me through, and I cannot wait to tackle next season with Paula’s guidance, of course.” ■ - Mary B., Robbinsville, NJ
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