Happy New Year!

It’s 2009 and we’re hearing a lot of “new year, new you!” proclamations. Some of your clients may be feeling the same way. Just in time, we’re starting to get a feeling of what trends are going to be hot for springtime. Vibrant and bright, canary yellow will be this season’s “it”color, and speaking of things vibrant and bright, jeweled shoes also got strutted down the Spring runway shows. Clutch bags will be a hot accessory, while oversized hoops will bring attention up to the face. Hemlines were shown to be short in everything from shorts to dresses and worn with heels that have ankle straps.

We’d like to remind everyone that our chapter is hosting “An Evening of Fashion History” this coming Wednesday, January 21 in Salt Lake City. We encourage you to attend and bring a friend! RSVP instructions are posted under the “January Event Announcement” post in this blog.

We hope that 2009 will be a happy and prosperous year for all of you!

Sincerely,
AICI SLC Chapter Board

Tie One On!

Scarves are a huge fashion accessory right now, and why not? They are wonderfully versatile and can add pizazz to any outfit by adding a splash of color, a beautiful pattern, or a different texture. Since scarves are available in a variety of price ranges, there’s no reason for anyone not to be able to enjoy this trend. The other wonderful thing about scarves is that while they do experience a fluctuation in popularity, they never truly go out of style. Especially as the economy is heading down, why not get the most out of every dollar by buying items (and recommending them to clients) that will be able to transition through multiple seasons, and even years?

Scarves may be a little intimidating, especially for someone who has never worn them before. The good news is that it is hard to mess up tying a scarf, because there are probably as many ways to beautifully tie and arrange them, as there are scarves! Here are a few variations on a few of the more common ways to wear a scarf.

• Hanging on the inside of a jacket creating a vertical line.
• Hanging on the outside of a jacket, under the lapels.
• Wrapped around the neck loosely (this a great one for casual days with just a simple shirt or sweater underneath)
• Tied behind the neck with the tails trailing down your back.
• Tied in a slipknot and then adjust the knot to the length you like best.
• Fold the scarf in half and pull the ends through the loop to make a hacking knot (this one is better with thinner scarves because it can get bulky).

This month we also have a few dates to announce for chapter meetings and events! The first is January 21 in Salt Lake City. Come join your fellow chapter members and guests at “An Evening of Fashion History.” You should have received an invitation by email, but one is also posted below. The second meeting scheduled is a teleconference on March 11. There is also an April event in Salt Lake that is in the midst of being planned. More information will be announced and posted here as it becomes available.

Sincerely,
AICI SLC Chapter Board

January Event Announcement!

Steppin' Out

It’s that time of year that produces an abundance of parties and get-togethers. Both guests and hosts have many roles when attending a party and below are a few do’s and don’ts to take into consideration.

• Do mail out invitations early and be precise about the time, place, and purpose.

• Do RSVP to invitations you receive promptly.

• Do remember that the invitation is only meant for whom it is addressed, unless it states “and guest.” If it is a dinner invitation, call and give the host the name of your guest.

• Do make a point to chat with every guest if you are the host.

• Do work the room initially without your spouse or guest at a social get together. This gives you a chance to greet others you wish to speak with and allows another guest to share information with you that they may not wish to say in front of who you came with. After you have both greeted and chatted with everyone you wish to separately, you may stay together and rejoin any group.

• Don’t cluster with only people you already know. Make a point to introduce yourself to strangers.

• Don’t drink too much.

• Don’t be late. If something unexpected pops up call and let your host know. Otherwise, plan ahead to arrive on time.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
AICI SLC Chapter Board

Out With The Old, It's Time To Organize!

Autumn’s cooler weather may encourage you to stay inside and accomplish a few tasks like cleaning out and re-organizing your closet. While clothes may be at the forefront of your (or your clients) mind when doing a closet audit, now is also a great time to organize other areas that relate to image. The accessory drawer can easily become an entangled mess. Silver jewelry can tarnish and earrings may lose their partner. Taking a few minutes now can give you a shopping list of trendier items you’d like to buy and can make getting dressed in the morning faster and easier. Because jewelry may be worn across seasons or years, take stock of pieces that look out of date and remove them from your collection. It helps to hang necklaces or lay them flat to keep them from entangling. Organization stores sell many neat and cute divided boxes that stack or sit out to help keep pieces with their partners and handy to grab the perfect touch in a hurry.

Throw out old cosmetics or colors you don’t like or don’t wear. Think about storing similar items together, rather then mixing everything in a single bag. This will help keep stock of the lipstick, eye shadow, or nail polish colors that you have so that you don’t buy duplicate colors. Organize your cosmetics in a drawer or a basket with compartments to keep them neat and easily accessible. You may even decide to store them in the order you use them, to make getting dressed in the morning that much faster and easier. And don’t forget to swap out old sponges and clean brushes! If you have any organizing tips you’d like to share, then please do! Make a comment to this entry or login and create your own post (the login info is listed in the first post) and start sharing. Happy organizing!

Sincerely,
AICI SLC Chapter Board

Getting The Word Out!

Marketing is central to any business, and is especially important when just starting out. Though referrals are the heart of any service business, what do you do while building your clientele to get those referrals? The following are some ideas for you to brainstorm about while you create your marketing plan.
1. Understand your target market to keep your message consistent. While it’s tempting to try to be everything to everyone, it’s better to outline who you want to reach and find out as much about them as possible. This allows you to convey a message that will resonate with them and be consistent. If your message changes too often, you may end up causing more confusion then recognition. Who is your target audience and what do they want that you can offer?
2. A potential client will probably need to see or hear your message more than once. E-newsletters, mailings, no-fee speeches, volunteer work, the list is endless for you to reach potential clients. What are the ways that you can reach prospective clients repeatedly for them to begin to feel comfortable about hiring you?
3. Strategic Partnerships can be a great way to allow two (or more) businesses to promote themselves and reach new clientele. Examples could be doing a trends presentation at a local boutique, joining with a salon to do a makeover package, or anything that allows both partners to advertise together to reach each other’s markets. This is most productive if both partners have similar target markets. Who do you know that you could partner with for a one-time event?

Hopefully, this gave you a little food for thought. Enjoy these last few days of summer!

Sincerely,
AICI SLC Chapter Board

Fall Make-up Trends

While we all peruse the new fall collections that have been coming out, let’s not forget that cosmetics can be an easy, and inexpensive, way to update a look. This fall nude faces are popular and great news for those who dislike or don’t want to spend a long time doing their face in the morning. To transition to night, a swipe of eyeliner, extra mascara, and a little lipstick is all you need. Shades of pink are popular for the lips this fall. Gold is another option and is being seen on the eyes or on the lips. Use a dry brush with eye shadow for less intensity during the day, and use a wet brush to apply a more intense color for night. This is another great option for someone who wants to look polished, but doesn’t want a lot of color. For the more adventurous, bold color is also popular, think purples and greens to create a smoky eye. A colored liner can be another way to experiment with this trend.

The education day in Salt Lake City has been postponed indefinitely. If anything changes, we’ll let you know via the blog.

Sincerely,
AICI SLC Chapter Board