Elite Image Fashion Blog

Wall street may be the talk of the town in 2009, but this fall is all about Main Street.

Every business person should be looking at their Fall Wardrobe collection, the same way they are looking at their Investment Portfolios – Invest in what will still be here next fall. Fall 09 shopping should be about purchasing key pieces that can carry over into multiple seasons, and be interchangeable with other wardrobe pieces.

Women Fall 2009

1. Investment. You can build any wardrobe with trends but it has to be built around multi-functional classic pieces.  The two most important fall wardrobe essentials are the “black suit.” and the “trench”.  Your suit should fit tailored on the waist and have a nice lining to flip the cuffs up on a more casual day. Pinstripes can add some spice to the suit as well.  Your ‘trench’ can be single or double breasted. Stick to blacks or taupes for all seasons.

2. Biker Chic. Biker jackets aren’t just for riding motorcycles anymore. These fitted leather jackets create a chic look over a hot dress, layered T’s, and look great with denim. Biker style leather jackets are A MUST!!  This dynamic piece can be utilized with a dressy or casual piece, and is guaranteed to add a more chic look to your outfit!

3. Wrap it up. Fall 09 is about Scarves, Scarves, Scarves.  Thin or thick, casual or dressy they complete any outfit. This accessory is for indoors and outdoors.  Have fun with colours, patterns, and materials and this piece will kick any outfit up a notch!!

Men Fall 2009

1.Boho Man. A wool blend tweed blazer can be worn with jeans or trousers. This look can represent a bohemian style, with a scarf wrapped around and cashmere sweater, worn as an under layer. If you’d like to carry this trend to the office, wear it with a wool blend trouser and loose cotton shirt underneath.

2. On the job.Work boots are not just for construction sites! Whether you shower before or after work, Boots can be an important part of any workplace wardrobe.! Wear them to the office, night club or just day to day.  Round toe, scuffed up, rough looking lace up boots are hot. David Beckham is always seen strutting in this hot trend!

3.Good trends come in Three’s. A Three piece suit can carry you over all Holiday occasions, working with all three pieces.  Lose the vest for day’s at the office. Lose the suit and wear the vest with jeans and a fitted T-shirt for weekends. You can’t get a more multi-functional trend for all season. Stick to grays, and blacks to make the 3 pieces a lifetime investment!

Happy Shopping ~

Alicia & Lindsay

This  site is amazing for showcasing inspiring outfit combo’s!

As well as the newest trends happening!

Showcased Instyle September ‘09.

www.whowhatwear.com

Lindsay Wilkins works with Kellan Lutz on August 13, 2009 dressing him up in Armani Exchange clothing on Robson street in Vancouver BC.

We’ve been recording little white dress moments all summer long, waiting for just the right time to declare it an obsession. Now, thanks to Eva Mendes, we can! She stepped out in Italy over the weekend in aperfectly chic white frock, joining the ranks of other LWD-wearers like Demi Moore and Cameron Diaz. The genius of the little white dress is that while it’s completely chic alone, you can jazz it up with superhero-sized cuffs(near left) or a pop-of-color belt (far left) for a instant update.

Shop all little white dresses atinstyle.shopping.com.

—Joyann King

Hello… It’s Mike Lloyd at News1130 Radio.  I’m hoping to talk to you about some of the federal candidates ahead of our coming election… in particular Mr. Stephen Harper. It seems he’s lost weight, perhaps gone a little greyer and is maybe tailoring his image a little as we get ready to vote.
I’d just like to talk about revamping or tweaking images, what it can do for you, how it’s done (and maybe get some friendly suggestions for the PM and the other leaders).

- Mike Lloyd – On the Offbeat 1130 News Radio

The Elite Image response… It looks like he got hit with an oil slick of subsidies wearing all those black and blue suits. What he needs is some green in his wardrobe, a skinny tie, and some fashionable boots. Then maybe he will bring some fresh ideas and a new look to a progressive wardrobe… after all new styles and new cloths change, just like industry. It’s important to be a leader in style, sometimes when you’re stuck in a rut it can be hard.  When you look at your closet only to put on the same suit (or sweater vest) day in and day out, brush your hair the same way, it can be very hard to try something new.  There’s nothing wrong with being fiscally conservative, but if you want to be a leader with style you have to mix in new ideas every season. If there’s one thing to learn from great fashion designers, it’s that they always think ahead, encourage new concepts, and develop new ideas with style.  For the fall Season Steven needs to come out of the closet with a fresh new look, something that will make other leaders green with envy. Then with that one little step, he could work towards a new style for each season and make Canada a leader in new technology for the green economy. After all, you can still be fiscally conservative when you need to clean out your old cabinet and bring in new ideas… you just have to know the right ladies to look too.

Women’s fall/winter 2008 is very understated with emphasis on neutrals. The key to make this collection ‘pop’ is adding the must have accessories of the season.

EI’s top ten must haves.

#1 – Belts

#2 – Almond toe boots

#3 – Tuxedo blazer

#4 – Scarves

#5 – Double breasted coat

#6 – Trouser jean

#7 – Clutch

#8 – Chunky jewels

#9 – Opaque nylons

#10 – Defined collars

Men’s fall/winter 2008 collections promise to bring strong contrast in
styles. Mixing modern classic pieces with casual smart wear. Neutrals
will be set apart from the tame women’s collections by adding plaids and purples to the chilly season.

EI’s top ten must haves.

#1 – Scarves

#2 – Plaid skinny tie

#3 – Tweed sports jacket

#4 – Anything purple

#5 – Plaid sports shirt

#6 – Military style boot

#7 – Three piece suit

#8 – Modern leather jacket

#9 – Narrow black denim

#10 – Chunky sweater

A pair’s passion for Fashion

Stay out of it

Wilkins and Churchill advise that individuals

looking to make a career out of image consulting

should be careful not to let their own styles

interfere with that of the clients.

“Each individual has their own style

and you need to focus on what works best

for each person,” said Wilkins.

Image consulting proves enjoyable career choice for stylistic duo

KRISTA MARTIN FOR METRO CANADA

July 24, 2008 07:44

If there is a dress for success then Lindsay Wilkins and Alicia Churchill know where to buy it.

Wilkins and Churchill work together as fashion and lifestyle image consultants for their Vancouver-based business Elite Image.

Theirs is a passion that involves changing the personal or professional outlook of their clients by changing their wardrobe.

Wilkins and Churchill schedule shopping days and conduct one-on-one coaching sessions, but their role is constantly changing with each client.

Churchill, 32, went into retail to become a buyer, but her passion for fashion and people drew her into this career.

“It was a natural transition into sharing this skill with others,” she said.

Wilkins, 27, moved to Vancouver six years ago to complete a visual merchandising diploma from Blanche Macdonald and a marketing diploma from Camsoun College.

“I have always dressed my friends and shopped for them. I thought it would be an exciting career to do this for a living,” she said.

Managing Elite Image, Churchill’s expertise is for those looking to excel in the young conservative and business world, while Wilkins’ is geared toward young and creative fashion.

While both say a career in fashion and image consulting is not an easy ticket, the rewards are found in helping clients establish a sense of self.

“I am fascinated by people’s styles,” explained Wilkins.

“It’s an opportunity for us to express our identity as individuals,” she said of fashion and why it is so important.

For more info and updates on EI,

you can visit our FACEBOOK page.

You can join our group at Elite Image.

Alicia

Fashion – Too many weddings, not enough dresses

Dressing for the occasion gets tricky when invitations outrun your fashion budget

Sarah Petrescu, Times Colonist

Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2008

This year I am gearing up for the mother of all summer missions: Seven wedding invitations.

Forget the gifts and travel plans, I need to figure out what to wear without going broke. The nuptial and reception settings range from gardens and Catholic churches to community halls and hotel ballrooms.

Wearing the same outfit is out of the question, since many of the guests are going to the same weddings. Plus, by the fourth time you’ve busted a move to YMCA in the same

I’m not the only one in a wedding-wear predicament this summer. Several friends and colleagues have gone off about their bumper year for weddings, asking, “What am I going to wear?”

Boutique owners guess “Need a cute wedding outfit?” when I walk through their doors.

Erin Weir, who runs Violette Veldor jewelry store on Government Street said women come in and say, “This is what my dress looks like, please help me.”

Even my yoga teacher, Wendy Crowther, mentioned the four weddings she’ll go to this summer. Her wardrobe plan is to work with what she’s got, she told me.

My plan is to diversify.

I’ll admit, I already wore the same $40 dotted retro swing dress from Bryan’s to two weddings in a row last month. But for the second event, I changed the buttons and added a metallic blue obi belt from Smoking Lily — a totally new look.

This leaves five weddings to go. No problem. On a recent trip to my mother’s house I foraged through the basement to find a box of long hippie dresses I wore in high school (conveniently back in style). Luckily, my grad dress — admittedly, a little bit ’90s with black lace layered over red satin — still fits.

I did splurge on getting one dress handmade. Tailor Megan Presnail at Cassin on Douglas Street turned a sentimental batik from Mozambique into a versatile halter dress for less than $200. I plan to get the most out of it by dressing it up — and down — with jewelry.

Using accessories to change a look — even if you don’t change dresses — is what fashion consultant Alicia Churchill recommends.

“The key to looking good at weddings is in how you accessorize,” said Churchill, from Elite Image Consulting in Vancouver. “Focus on shoes — we recommend a heel, even a small one. … The clutch is the new must-have day bag and the right jewelry can make something dressy or casual.”

Spending a lot of money on something you’ll wear once is a major wedding-wear no-no.

“The biggest misconception is that you have to buy this fancy dress you might never wear again,” Churchill said. “That is why we recommend investing in a nice wrap dress you can wear whenever. They are figure-flattering and very comfortable to wear all day.”

Churchill said that while weddings are not as formal these days (black is in vogue), there are some do’s and don’ts that stand firm.

Avoid the Jennifer Lopez plunging neck- lines and the Britney Spears short skirts.

“You never want to look like you’re going to a bar or a lounge. That could be very uncomfortable around certain relatives,” Churchill said. “A little bit of cleavage is OK if it’s hard to cover up, but you don’t want to be overexposed.”

Men can be the worst offenders for inappropriate wedding wear, especially when it comes to sloppy style.

“A lot of men think it is appropriate to wear a T-shirt, jeans and flip-flops to a wedding. It’s not,” Churchill said. “They should invest in a suit. If they already have one, they should try it on to make sure it still fits.”

I have one friend who is attending a wedding that makes the clothing choice clear and easy: Elvis costumes. When to wear it again will be the problem.