Before, During and After: Dressing your body for Maternity

YOU CAN BE PREGNANT AND FASHIONALBLE!

Having been there twice, I know how frustrating it can be to attempt to dress this forever changing silouhette. It's as if just as your getting used to your new boobs, the belly pops out and demands your undivided attention, but there is hope, and it starts within us! Women, we need to stop expecting aknowledgement and compliments from others and give it to ourselves!

Here are My 3 Golden Rules for Dressing while Pregnant...

No 1: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

As you feel your breast and belly getting bigger, it is not necessarily apparent to others. Keep dressing up for work in a professional manner "no! being pregnant is no excuse to slack off", just make sure you wear your most comfortable clothes until you start shopping for maternity ones. Avoid tight pants with zippers, and opt for low waist pants with buttons. If your shirts for work are suddenly too tight, go with camis or tees just make sure you wear a cardigan or sweater on top. This mix and match will also make it easier to transition to evening and weekend wear.

No 2: Buying in a larger size does not work for every article of clothing!

As you will probably learn early on in your pregnancy some peices such as t-shirts will fit in large or x-large, but don't make that mistake with your skirts, dresses and pants. The cuts of maternity wear are completely different; in order to fit your body, it must also fit your new curves. If clothing with elastic bands makes you screech, cover them with a nice top or accessorize with an original elastic waist band or belt! Your best purchases will definetbely be part of the during and after collectionsf maternity wear, think about it as your body grows, the clothes can gradually be adjusted as well.

No 3: Embrace your new body and it will embrace you!

you accept your full breasts, this bulging belly, and the rounder hips you will quickly realize how fun it is to dress it and how well shapes look on them. What about colour! Whether it is with a plunging cami this summer or the twill turtle neck in winter, give into it, with your radiant skin and shinny hair, nothing can stop you.

Pamper yourself, do your hair and your nails, nuture your skin so you can feel gooooooood in it! Sport that nice empire waist, those fresh halter tops without any complex since your boobs are faaaaaaaaaaabulous, faux wraps dresses, and flared skirts and I guarantee those 10 months will fly by (yes girlfriend that's right, those books have been lying to us all our lives, pregnancy is not 9 months)!

***So you want to ...

make sure...You AVOID buttons shirts, go for stretchy material but BE CAREFUL with overwhelming patterns.

make sure...Your pants are the RIGHT LENGHT, as your belly grows, you don't want to be walking around like you have water in the cave from constantly pulling those pants up.

make sure...You own a GREAT BRA it is a must, this should really be your first purchase, everything else will fall into placce once the ladies are PROPERLY CONTROLLED.

Here are some stores you should hit for your wardrobe, and think of buying a few peices that will fit you after you give birth:

Apso bibi
located at 6627 St-laurent (between Beaubien & St-Laurent)
budget of 200$ and more

Thyme Maternité
located in all major shopping malls
budget of 60$ and more

Zara
located in all major shopping malls
budget of 60$ and more

Motherood Maternity
located in all major shopping malls
budget of 30$ and more

Old Navy
located in all major shopping malls
budget of 30$ and more

H&M
located in all major shopping malls
budget of 30$ and more

Sears and The Bay
located in all major shopping malls
budget of 30$ and more

And any other place that caters to your needs, such as internet shopping (make sure they deliver to your area and if they do, watch out for hidden shipping fees), have fun shopping!

Until next time,

Classy Sassy

What it's all About!

People have often asked me: "what is it exactly that you do?" Or they say: "is it like What not to wear?" I wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish, my own television show and money that is not yours to give out. No seriously it's more then taking apart someone's current style and giving them a new wardrobe to go home. First and foremost my every day client does not have 5000$ at their disposition to revamp their look, so I have designed different workshops tailored to help, maximise and enhance my clientele to better consume. Here is a sneak peek...

Auto Evaluation Workshop

For this workshop a brief questionnaire is given to the potential client and the ultimate goal is to have them auto-evaluate themselves. Throughout the years that I have been dealing with people's sense of style I have come to realize that a lot of it resides in one's perception of itself, so I like getting it out of the way right from the begining. It can also help indicate how challenging a consultation may be depending on one's resistance to honesly view themselves.

Wardrobe Shape-Up

Now here is something that all men and women should do at least twice a year, it consists in re-evaluation your wardrobe content and determining what should be tossed aside or kept in order to add some new pieces. This is almost an essential step in the consultation process as the number one complain is often not having anything to wear. This is simply because the basics are lacking in the wardrobe; feel free to consult the previous blog posting to assess whether or not you are on the right path for yours.

Shopping 101

I know we all hate it when we let some sales person convince us that "it suits us so well", only to get home and realize that it's not completely true. This is simply a few workshops to give the average shopper some efficient tips and tricks to enjoy shopping and be more productive at it as well. This workshop is often offered in parallel with the wardrobe shape-up as some individual may require some guidance in purchasing the missing elements.

Personal Shopper

This Workshop (one of my favorite) is essentialy to assist the client into their shopping trips until he or she can develop the reflexes and patterns needed to acquire the independance needed to shop on their own. The goal is to make all shopping trips or purchases productive and rewarding.

Special Events or Service of MakeOver

This service is strictly offered on demand for events such as a special outing, graduation, christening, engagement party, wedding, etc. It may also require services that Simply Nefi does not offer, therefore outside collaborations are available in order to guarantee the success of this experience (hair and makeup).

keep in mind that all my workshops are designed to suit one's needs, sense of style and budget. So now that you know what I do, if you just had a promotion or looking to get one, perhaps you have something special coming up in the next few months? Don't wait till the last minute, if you want to look the part I am your girl!

Until Next time,

Classy Sassy

Expand yourself and your Wardrobe!

Soooo it's a new year and perhaps you took some resolutions but with all this snow you may have some unexpected free time on your hands! You could make the inventory of your wardrobe. No big deal! However it's more then seperating work clothes from going out clothes.

THE SECRET RESIDES IN HAVING KEY PIECES AND MAXIMISING THEM.

As far as work is concerned, I say it all the time to my clients, you should dress for the job that you want and not the one that you have; within reason of course. That does not mean your look should be stiff and boring nor revolve around the same pieces... You should also upgrade your wardrobe gradually in order for it to remain both current and cost efficient.

SO WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIALS THAT BOTH WOMEN AND MEN SHOULD ACQUIRE?

For my ladies

• A classic yet fitted white shirt (front and back darts will accentuate your shape as opposed to a man's type shirt)
• A pencil skirt (if they aren't flattering for your figure an A-Line skirt will do)
• A suit (purchase pants and skirt if possible)
• A casual structured vest (Jeans, velvet or tweed)
• A fitted turtle neck (avoid the ribbed ones, they tend to expand and add volume)
• A casual dress (on that can be worned at the office but dressed up for an evening look)
• A camisole (opt for one with trimming or visual details)
• A dark wash pair of jeans (a nice straight leg will automatically elongate your body)
• A cardigan or long coat
• A signature piece (anything that will set you apart from the crowd, but still represents you)

For my fellows

• A white classic shirt (pay special attention to the lenght of the sleeves)
• A coloured shirt (neutral color that will go with your suit)
• A casual but structured vest (velvet, tweed, corduroy)
• A suit (if you can find one with a nice waist vest go for it you will be able to break it up for a more casual look)
• A dark wash pair of jeans
• Two pairs of casual pants (kakis or cords will add a nice twist to a wardrobe)
• A fitted turtle neck (this will elongate your torso)
• A couple of short sleeves polo
• Sweaters (opt for a few without sleeves that way you can layer up with a polo or a shirt)
• A signature piece (Just like the ladies, you are entitled to your sense of uniqueness, somake it count)

REMEMBER FOR YOUR BASICS TO GO FOR NEUTRAL COLORS AND SIMPLE CUTS, THIS WAY YOUR PIECES WILL TRANSITION EASILY FROM ONE SEASON TO THE NEXT.

Then the fun part, trust me, is to add to your wardrobe, but please remember to gradually replace your articles; there is nothing trendy in wearing worned out clothes, no matter how nice they used to look...

Until next time,

Classy Sassy