Lucky Dad

I had to call and tease my dad today as Ohio State is in the Final Four and the game is this evening. Dad is a big college hoops fan.

Will he be watching the game?

No.

My mom is dragging him to see Taylor Hicks at the House of Blues. A sort of double date with my aunt and uncle.

Hilarious stuff. Sorry, Dad!

Fun on the Weekend

Thanks to Michelle White-Grady for the invite to her martini party last night. I needed some time off for good behavior! I've been writing furiously lately. We stopped into a fun women's store called Francesca's at Legacy Village and I knew I had to have this luggage tag:

I had two drinks (and snacks - for a $7 cover!) - a blueberry martini (super yummy) and a coconut rum & Diet Coke.

(Yes, it's still March, and yes, I'm still a pirate - as my associate Scott from Tenth Floor pointed out - I am very consistent with my brand. If I say I'm a fashion pirate for all of March, I stick with it, darn it!)

Hmmm...maybe I'm not such a lightweight drinker anymore because I didn't feel anything after two drinks. After one martini, I'm usually falling off the barstool, falling asleep, or laughing inappropriately at anything and everything. Two drinks is usually my absolute limit.

Case in point: At my January party, someone showed Kelly and me that his jacket was from the Wilke-Rodriguez line at Men's Wearhouse and I almost fell over laughing. Why? No idea.

I was putting together an outfit for my AICI meeting tomorrow in Columbus. I am the incoming president in June, so I should probably start dressing presidential, one would think, right? So of course I bought the loudest jacket I could find - it's cropped with a beige background and:
(I am NOT joking)

1) Bright pink splotches

2) Leopard print
3) Zebra print

4) Paisley

I was considering returning it because it is so crazy and the length is weird and it's just wild. But I think I will keep it around and find the right thing to wear with it. I know I'll never find anything like that again. The jacket is pretty much all the accessories one needs, and all you have to do is give it a blank background - black, brown, or beige.

Plus it encompasses my first rule of prints - it includes my hair color - there is a lot of flaxen and golden paisley in it. I love leopard (duh!) and look great in swirly prints.

Perhaps as a backlash to the crazy jacket, I think I will dress unusually conservatively tomorrow. My stylish image consultant friends won't know what happened to me! That will keep 'em on their toes :)

Flat-Out Inspired

We already know that flats are the cool shoe for spring. But, being 5’2, I need heels and I need them to be as high as humanly possible. But – these pics inspired me to buy a couple pairs of flats for running around in the nice weather. Super cute!

A Victim of Gym Hair

I have been taking a lot of spinning classes at the gym recently. It has been a long time since I have worked out with longer hair. It is falling in my face, sweaty, and pretty nasty. When you leave spinning class, you look like you just got out of a pool.

I bought a package of 8 black scrunchies, which has served me quite well, but the top of my hair keeps flopping in my face, à la early Hugh Grant. I like the length of my bangs, which are long are I sweep them to the side, but it’s a free for all for the front of my hair when I’m in that class. It’s annoying.

So I bought some little clips that I can easily put in and take out to keep the nasty sweaty hair out of my eyes.

I know it seems elementary, but this is a major problem brewing here.

Spinning is the most enjoyable (and least detrimental to my knees) cardio I have ever found, so I want to make sure I can continue…comfortably.

Stay outta my face, gross hair!!!

Madonna for H&M

I asked Kelly to review the H&M spring line M by Madonna for our April newsletter. I decided to take a look at it as well. I had heard it was rather blah, which is surprising for the usually controversial Madge. I was shocked that I loved so many of the pieces, which means that, officially, Madonna has gone soft!

The lines are great, even though most pieces are white or cream or black. Very minimalist, but very classy. And always, the prices are great - which is my biggest concern with their clothes - they aren't high quality. I invest in pieces, and the H&M construction is usually poor. Typically they are 'throw away' clothes. And the Madonna line is so classic that they are things I would love to have around for several years.

I am still baffled by the $99.50 shoe price when some of the dresses are $34.50. See? It's all about the quality.

But that's the H&M philosophy and it certainly is working for them.

So who am I to argue?

So You Think You Want to be an Image Consultant?

I receive several calls and emails every month from people who want to do what I do for a living.

People naturally assume that my career involves lots and lots of shopping. How fun does that sound? For most women, it probably sounds like the best job in the world!

While yes, I do provide personal shopping services, there is far more to it than that.

There are several prerequisite skills for an image consultant:

- A Great Eye – This is something that can’t be taught. We look for harmony, balance and visual interest in our clothing and accessories. What flatters our coloring, our body and our face?

- Knowledge of Color – There are many facets of this. Personal color is just one of them. Which colors look best on a person? While this skill is entirely learnable, one must also have a great eye to put colors together to create visual interest and harmonious outfits. There is also the psychology of color and the use of color in creating slimming body lines.

- Understanding of Proportion – How do you make a long torso balance with shorter legs? What size print should a petite woman wear? Why are horizontal stripes almost always a bad idea? Again, this falls into the “great eye” category. You can learn this, but academic image training can only take you so far before instinct needs to kick in.

- The Art & Science of Shopping – This doesn’t mean if it’s pretty, you buy it. Shopping is easier said than done in most cases. Can you build a wardrobe from the ground up that looks like it was created with a master plan in mind? Can you help someone shop in their own closet – seeing new ways to use what they already have?

- Do you understand Fit? You don’t have to be a master tailor to know if an article of clothing needs a mere tweak or if it won’t fit properly regardless of what work is done to it.

If you want to be a working image consultant and do this full-time, it is imperative to have a good business mind. I spend the majority of my time – probably 80% - marketing. Networking, speaking engagements, my newsletter, the articles I write, my blog, and even my forthcoming book are some of the ways I market what I do. I have relationships with the media and with people in related professions who refer me business. I am in the paper, in magazines, or on TV on a regular basis.

I choose to work more with women’s groups and in the corporate realm more than doing individual one-on-one consulting right now. I market that part of my business more, so when someone chases me down for one-on-one services, I know they are really serious about working with me.

To be a full-time image consultant is a challenge, especially if you live in a market like Cleveland. We are naturally not as image-conscious as say, LA, Miami, or New York. And that’s one of the good things, quite honestly. To me, it means our people are more authentic, although sometimes they need to brush up on their fashion sense, or learn a thing or two.

But it’s also one of the bad things. It means there isn’t a lot of room for a huge number of people in this field here. With all things being equal, it’s those who do the business side of things best who rise to the top.

If you live in Ohio or PA and are interested in this field, please connect with me and you are welcome to join us for an AICI meeting. Our next events are April 1^st and June 3^rd, both in Columbus, Ohio.

http://www.aici.org/about/chapters/ohio_penn.htm

http://www.aiciohpa.eventbrite.com/

To learn more about becoming an image consultant, contact my mentor Lynne Marks at the London Image Institute in Atlanta. Or you can do an independent study course with me from the Institute of Image Consulting.

KK: Media Ho

I emailed Dan about one or more of my recent appearances in the media. His response was “Media Ho!” which I thought was supposed to say “Media, Ho!” with a comma in there. But I decided to make a joke of it and say, “Who are you callin’ a ho?”

Turns out it was me. Really funny, Dan :P

Incidentally, I will be in the Plain Dealer’s Opportunities section on 4/1 – did the interview this week about the field of image consulting.

And I will be teaching a class to my fellow image consultants in June called:

So, I guess I am a media ho. And I’m pretty darn good at it.

Client Praise

I was delighted to receive this email today:
Kristen:

I just wanted to let you know that I'm wearing the navy sweater and boiled wool jacket with the grey pants and necklace that you assembled (complete with safety pin to make the necklace shorter). Not only do I feel like a million bucks today, but I also feel a lot more interesting. I'm looking forward to Saturday. Thanks again!!

J.W.

Tired & Sore :(

Wow! I am sore! And tired! After a brutal spinning class at the gym on Sunday and several hours working inside a client’s closet in high heel boots yesterday, my legs feel like Jell-O! The challenge is that I have to get back to spinning right away or I will get super sore and miss the rest of the week. I’m debating right now about what class to take, 10am or 6pm. I may do the later one since the rest of my week is filled and I have to use today to fine tune a college program I’m doing next Tuesday.

But life is great and only getting better, so I’ll persevere!

Keep on spinnin’!

KK

Quoted in today's Plain Dealer

A branding opportunity
When it comes to online personal ads, folks generally don't buy generic
Sunday's PDQ article

***

Be unusual, said local image consultant Kristen Kaleal, who helps make over local singles and their personal ads.

"Let a little quirkiness come out, so that you're not the same person they see 10 times," she said.

***

I have two minor issues with this:

1 - I don't usually make over people's ads unless I see a glaringly bad faux pas! I deal with how they look on camera and in person.

2 - I think I gave Mr. Campanelli about half of the content of the article and was only credited with one quote. No surprise....

My Inspiration

What is inspiring me as I write my book? The movie Down with Love is!

It’s one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It’s also about a woman who writes a book – in 1962, of course. But I just love it and hopefully my experience will be just as fun and exciting. Writing a book is such a fabulous adventure that most people never get to experience – having your greatest thoughts and ideas published for the world to read.

How funny is it that I mentioned this to Coach Joelle and she said she uses one of the lessons in Down with Love in her relationship coaching. I thought everyone but the Oxygen channel had forgotten about it.

I simply can’t wait to get this book written and meet a cute astronaut who really isn't an astronaut but writes for a national men's magazine! Whoo hoo!!

(ha ha)

Crazy Cleveland Weather

Ah, yes, the crazy Cleveland weather. Tuesday - mid-60's and sunny, Wednesday - 40's and rainy, and Thursday morning, you wake up to an inch of SNOW on the ground.

Grab me my mittens, please.

At least I won't need them when I move to Cali.

An idle threat, but a threat nonetheless >:|

I want spring!!!

KK mentioned on the radio

Got a call from my Aunt Carol waaaay too early this morning. She said Kim Crow (left), the Plain Dealer style editor, mentioned me on a morning radio show.

My aunt thought Kim was talking about a movie about dating – she only caught the end of the interview – but I’m pretty sure she was plugging the PDQ article coming on Sunday about online dating profiles, which I will be quoted in.

I don’t help with resumes (that's Chris Brondel territory), nor do I recommend ever putting a picture on a resume. But it’s always nice to be mentioned anyway.

KK in the CC Blog

Cool....I think.

I made it into Peter Chakerian's Cool Cleveland blog this evening.

Fashion Week Cleveland is seeking models and designers, esp. Latino & wearable art: http://www.fashionweekcleveland.com/ Is Kristen Kaleal all over this one already? She had bettah be.

Hmmm.....
Sent him an email and attempted to post a comment that I am decidedly NOT all over Cleveland Fashion Week.

Here's my response:

Hey Peter -

I just saw this….

No, I am not doing anything with Fashion Week!! I don’t have time for the fashionista fluff right now.

I’m heavily involved in writing my book and getting it onto the market in ‘08 -

http://kristenkaleal.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-book.html

(I have even stopped being the networking and party queen of Cleveland - that is how serious I am to finish this!!)

I am also working on image enhancement and personal brand building for professional athletes. And I’ll be quoted on the front of the PDQ section this Sunday about online dating coaching, which I’m also doing a little bit of….

So the KK 3-ring circus, I think you called it, just keeps on going…..but Fashion Week Cleveland is not even near the tent

Uninspired Spring Shopping

It’s a gorgeous day in Cleveland, so I got up this morning and washed the dog. She now smells like a pina colada. (That’s the shampoo scent – I did not wash her in rum, coconut, or pineapple juice!) She must have liked it - she was later seen licking her paws.

After the pooch bath, I decided to take a little shopping excursion to get away from the book writing for a little while.

My mission: Buy a top in a color I wouldn’t normally buy

(I become quite adventurous when it’s sunny and spring-like outside!)

Three stores later, I returned home with nothing. Why? Because I have representatives of every color already in my closet. And I know my taste so well that I will often pick something up off the rack that I absolutely love and then I realize “no wonder I love it – I already have its twin in my closet!”

Hence, the classic “I couldda had a V-8” moment where I hit my forehead with my palm and feel like a dork.

Thus proving that I have to shop when I’m truly inspired, not when I have given myself a mission to accomplish.

I was chatting with my friend Dee as I drove home and she was laughing at how silly I am.

But hey, I’ve built a career on crazy shopping habits! So it’s good to be this way…..sometimes!

Gramp's Birthday Turkey

Gramp carving his 90th birthday turkey

Gramp, me, Gram

My mom and aunt said I looked like Anna Nicole with my faux-perm. Lovely...thanks guys :P
Even the disclaimer "she was very pretty" did not help matters.

That is a birthday candle in Gramp's mouth - NOT a cigarette!

Tar-zhay Totally Gets It

I rarely go to Target. There just isn’t one close by. But there is one by my parents’ and I will stop in there once every couple of months.

I had some free time last night and was passing by, so I stopped in and just allowed myself to explore for a little while. Target has never been a destination store for me. If I need to buy something, I don’t go there. Instead, it is someplace I go to browse. They do what they do so well that no one can compete.

My top priority was to take a look at the much-hyped Proenza Schouler line. Its purpose is to let designer looks trickle down to the masses and Target has the right idea. The line definitely isn’t for me. One of my pet peeves is people knowing what designer I’m wearing and where I shop. That may seem strange, but it’s simply a statement of my individuality. This line is a really unusual case due to the extreme publicity it has received. The concern I have is this: anytime and anyplace you wear pieces from this collection, for the rest of eternity, people will know they were from the 2007 Proenza Schouler line at Target.

A lot of the collection reminded me of Kelly. I bet she would like a number of the pieces. She has a funky sensibility that I lack. I do funky in my own controlled and classic way. The SoHo designs (left) are definitely not me! I could do the other two (Couture Class, center, and Museum Mile, right) but the jackets are unusually boxy, and not flattering to a lot of women. When you see me, you will notice that I wear jackets with a definite shape, whether they have a nipped-in waist or a belt.

I really love the Isaac Mizrahi clothing and accessories line. I think it is right on the money, and I’m so glad it has been a longstanding success at Target. Every season, great stuff comes out for that line. I noticed that both O Magazine and InStyle showed a gorgeous Isaac Mizrahi for Target belted raincoat with cut-outs on the bottom. Beautiful, classic, and only $49.99!

The Mizrahi line also has fantastic shoes for $24.99. Love that!

Since I don’t do any clothing shopping there, I was imagining putting together a wardrobe for a client there if I needed to, and had no problem visualizing clothing selections from an interview outfit to business and weekend casual.

And Target is fabulous for accessories. I’ve purchased several of my unique necklaces and earrings there as well as some fun socks and interesting scarves and gloves for winter.

Hmmmmm…..since I sound like a total Target shill right now, I’m thinking they should pay me for this kind of propaganda!

If anyone ever thought I was a label snob or worse, I hope this puts that rumor to bed right now. I will buy anything anywhere and I’ve pretty much convinced myself to buy a piece or two from the Mizrahi collection next time I’m in Tar-zhay!

(They are building one 3 minutes from home at the moment, right on my route to the gym. That will mean serious trouble for me as soon as it opens!)

Happy 90th Birthday to my Gramp!

Today is my grandpa’s 90^th birthday.

Although he doesn’t know what a weblog is, I would like to immortalize him here in mine.

My beloved grandpa is Cleveland native Alex Jasin (wisely shortened from Jaczynski). He was born March 9, 1917. He survived the Great Depression and was a factory worker until he retired.

Never one to sit around – he gets more antsy than anyone I have ever seen – he has been a school crossing guard for the past – geez, I don’t even know how many years it has been.

He has not one, but two workshops – one in the garage and one in their basement. He invents cool stuff and does some woodworking – anything to keep busy. I compare him to a working breed of dog, perhaps a border collie, which is happiest when it has a job to do, whether it’s herding sheep or playing Frisbee.

Gramp and Gram celebrated their 60^th anniversary in June. Then we almost lost him in November through a series of bizarre events starting with a leg artery angioplasty and a fall while gardening, and ending with congestive heart failure and two extended hospital stays. I believe that thanks to his level of activity, general good health, and stubbornness, he made it through a health crisis not many others his age would have survived.

While he was in the hospital in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I would visit him and tell him he had to get out because “who will carve the turkey?” That is his job, and his alone. Regardless, we had to postpone our family Thanksgiving celebration this year, and my aunt has had a turkey sitting in her freezer since then.

So we are having Thanksgiving this Sunday in his honor. Thanks for Gramp Day. But this Turkey Day will involve a birthday cake instead of pumpkin pie.

Anyone who knows me well knows the iconic status my grandparents have in my life. They are a model of a successful marriage (even when they used to argue in Polish in front of my brother and me), and are truly good, well-adjusted, and happy people.

Never one to sit still, today on his birthday, Gramp will do his morning and afternoon school guard duty, probably log some time on the exercise bike, and watch the Price is Right and Judge Judy. Hopefully he will wear his favorite plaid shirt I bought him from Old Navy about four years ago.

Here’s to many more healthy and happy years, Gramp!

My Book

Haven’t talked about my book for awhile, but rest assured it is currently in the works. I can’t give too much info on it to the general public (including the title) for obvious reasons. Only about a handful of my closest friends know the details.

General thoughts on writing my book:

In my industry, there have really been two truly groundbreaking books from the standpoint of being highly regarded, widely successful, and having staying power. One was John Molloy’s Dress for Success (and its sequels) and the other was Carole Jackson’s Color Me Beautiful, now in its 55^th printing.

There have been countless books on personal style written over the years. Some memorable, some mundane, and many have been rehashings of the same material that has been written over and over again.

I'm writing a book that is the best of both worlds – a compilation of the tried and true from over the years, but with a fresh and contemporary spin for the younger generations.

So I’ve had to think about:

- What sells to my target market?

- What