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Executive Presence for Women: How Your Wardrobe Builds Your Brand with Melanie Lippman · Loud & Lifted

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Welcome to loud and lifted the show where we
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turn career volume up without turning ourselves
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down I'm your host Betsy Hamm. Today, I sit down
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with Melanie Litman, image strategist, executive
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presence whisperer, and the woman who will politely
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pride the black boxy blazer from your I'm being
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appropriate hands. She impacts how we have to
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build our brand before our closet. And no, this
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doesn't mean you have to go on a major shopping
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spree. Sorry. We discuss your Zoom presence and
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Matt Melanie style code so you know exactly what
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to wear. whether it's in a boardroom or just
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in the office. This isn't about being cute, buying
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expensive clothes, or even being on trend. It's
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about being credible, consistent, and magnetic,
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and using your clothes as a tool to do so. Melanie
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Lippman, welcome to Loud and Lifted. Thank you
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so much for being here. Thank you for having
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me. I'm so excited about this conversation and
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I'm also very excited about your blue blazer,
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but we'll get into that in a minute because I
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want to read for our listeners the best intro
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to you is your headline on your LinkedIn. You
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weren't made to blend in. I help women and male
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dominated industries ditch the corporate armor,
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build an unapologetic personal style brand that
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commands authority, power dressing, leadership
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presence. That's amazing. How in the world did
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you get into this job? Interestingly enough,
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I worked corporately for about 10 years. I was
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in the fine jewelry industry. Most people don't
1:40
know that the fine jewelry industry is run by
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men in gray hair and navy blue suits. Even though
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I was born and raised in the fashion industry
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and was always obsessed with personal style and
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what was going on, I found myself in this place
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where I was dressing to prove and I so working
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in luxury, really high end. I was always the
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shortest woman in the room, usually the only
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woman in the room and typically the youngest
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person in the room. And I would find myself before
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all of these major trade shows or major meetings
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in this like shopping frenzy. And my shopping
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friends who was really expensive because I worked
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in luxury. So like it included Chanel bags and
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like really I went into serious debt trying to
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look the part and that didn't feel good. But
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not only did that not feel good. I had my boss
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one day we were in a meeting. We were planning
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for a huge trade show every year. And she made
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this comment to me of like nice like clothes
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and all. Why don't you try being more you? And
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I walked out of her office like literally like
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the wind got knocked out of me because number
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one I thought I was doing this really good performative
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job of wearing all the right things and I was
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spending all of this money. And the idea of why
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don't you be more you like it really hit me because.
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I, I'm sure like most of us, I was in my mid
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-20s, like I didn't know who I was. I thought
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I did, like on paper. But like every single thing
3:27
that I thought did was probably my parents and
3:31
society's idea when it came to like politics,
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religion, what I thought, what I ate, like who
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I was supposed to marry, like all of those things.
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I didn't know who I was, so the clothes and this
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thing that I thought I was being so self -expressive
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and someone saying to me, why don't you be more
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you? And I'm like, huh? It really got me. So
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that's where my journey to figuring out who I
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was through my wardrobe really started. And I
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then started to experiment and figured out what
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I liked. And then I had a really amazing opportunity
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when my son was born. I tried staying in corporate.
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and being at Fashion Week when your kid's taking
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his first steps is not really a fun thing. So
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I took a step back from my corporate career and
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then found myself in my friend's closet putting
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together outfits and then started working with
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women in male -dominated fields and then had
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that whole situation happen all over again where
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these women were being very performative. dressing
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from the shoulds of this is what success looks
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like. And I'm like, this feels familiar. So what
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I really realized is my mission in life is to
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show women how to be more of their selves in
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all aspects of their life, but through the lens
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of their wardrobe. I love that. And you're right.
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I mean, pretty much all of us are in male dominated
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industries. So when you look around what majority
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they're wearing, I don't really want to wear
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black suits or just white button -down shirts.
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And when you're young, you're not really sure
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how to balance that. Am I professional? Am I
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fitting in? I don't want to stand out too much.
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I'm just going to keep buying everything that's
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black. Seems very neutral. So when somebody comes
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to you, what's the first step? How do you even
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go down this journey? When we were all seven
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years old, we didn't give a crap what anyone
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thought of us, right? So if we step into that
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energy of whatever you enjoyed, either wearing
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or doing or being, I tap into that. Because what
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I found through this work, so besides being an
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image coach and working in the wardrobe aspect,
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one of the other things that I did is I got a
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neuro coaching certification. So I realized that
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a lot of the way that we dress and the reason
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why women we took these roles in male -dominated
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fields is because it's very much in line with
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our behaviors and being a good girl and doing
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the right thing and success so we need to prove
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ourselves and so like the clothing probably was
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something that came up over and over again throughout
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our childhood our upbringing middle school high
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school our first job that we were always trying
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to square peg round hole and prove So, my first
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step is to help my clients figure out what they
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actually really like, because they haven't done
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that since they were seven, of really figuring
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out, like, what makes me feel good? What can
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I wear that activates something inside of my
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personality? What is the things that excite me
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when it comes to showing up? What messages do
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I want to send? And you'll see all of these things
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are like feeling things and who I be things,
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not anything to do with proving or what's expected
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of me. So I help them go back and figure out
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what about style or clothes. And sometimes we
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have to not even talk about clothes because it's
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so sensitive, just about aesthetic or what things
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or values you like to help them figure out who
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they are. And then slowly in a way that feels
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safe, start to integrate parts of that into their
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wardrobe. So it doesn't feel like all of a sudden
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they're showing up as a different person or feeling
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like, is this too much? Is this a lot? But really
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slowly integrating certain aspects of them into
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their wardrobe and how they're showing up. That's
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so interesting. Going back to... when you were
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little. And as you were saying that, I'm picturing
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my daughters who are teenagers, but when they
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were seven or probably even younger than that,
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the way that they liked to dress up and shop
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was in the little Cinderella dresses and the
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costumes. And they put on these Disney character
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dresses and they were unstoppable, their confidence
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level and just their excitement to go out. when
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Erin's a target with a Cinderella dress on. So
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it's funny thinking back to that from their perspective.
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I can't really think about that quickly on my
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own, but just it was that how they showed up
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and how they felt. Now, teenagers are not rocking
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any Cinderella dresses. Nope. But interestingly
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enough, a lot of the journey that happens within
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my clients that work in male -dominated fields
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is finding their femininity. Oh. Because they've
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been shown or thought or came up with this concept
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that being a female in a male -dominated world
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is not safe. And so I need to cut parts of myself
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off to look and act like I belong in this room
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that wasn't potentially made for them, where
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I then... you know, get to show them and through
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conversations is that they're different leaders
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than their male counterparts. And how can they
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soften some of the things that they're wearing,
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as opposed to leading with that aggression and
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that fierceness. And so not and this is why every
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single journey with all of my clients are different,
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because this is not my idea. It's their idea.
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And I'm the guide. But a lot of what what my
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clients crave is being more feminine through
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their wardrobe. And it's interesting because
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most people have that princess play or this is
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what pretty because again, a message of you can't
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be both smart and pretty has been put into someone's
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mind is how do you be powerful and also feel
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like you can be either feminine or beautiful
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in a way that feels authentic to you? And how
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do you balance, and I especially remember this
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when I was younger and I was in a very conservative,
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I would say, work environment, you know, the
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whole like, oh, is my neckline too low? Is my
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skirt too short? Like, and I think that comes
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up a lot of times where then women get paranoid.
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So then everything is like turtlenecks and long
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dresses or whatever it is. So how do you kind
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of balance that piece of the femininity of not
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feeling like, oh, these men are checking me out
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now because my skirt's too short? I think that
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if you're thinking it, you're not doing it. I
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always will say to my clients like, is this too
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much? And I'm like, can you hand that over to
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me? Because the fact that you are concerned about
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being too much is you're over correcting. Interesting.
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And you're probably doing it too much where there's
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clients that I have to be like, okay, we need
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to tone this down a little bit. So just know
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if you're thinking that you probably have to
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worry about it. It's the people that aren't thinking
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about it. But the great thing is our clothes
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are sending all different types of messages.
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So I will say like, What's the one focus thing
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that you're going to be? So I know in banking,
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you can not wear a low neckline, but your skirt
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could be as short as you want. But it's always
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like, let's pick the one thing. So it's really
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that focus on what's the thing that's going to
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be a little bit more feminine, not like, I'm
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going to wear five inch heels and a low coat
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shirt and this and this and this. It's like,
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what's the one thing that's the softening? Right.
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That makes sense. I know you work a lot with
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executives. So from like an executive, from a
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leadership standpoint, like what do you focus
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on with women to have them have that presence
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when they walk into the room and just sort of
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show up and have that confidence, but then also
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again, just not wearing all the all black, boring
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clothing to sort of stand out and own their own
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image. The first thing that we really do is discuss
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like what their values are and what they want
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to be known for, because your clothes are sending
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a message. whether you like it or not before
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you even realize it. Like Princeton just did
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a study, like first impressions are now formed
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in one tenth of a second. When I did my image
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coaching classes 10 years ago, it was 10 seconds.
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You have seven to 10 seconds to make a first
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impression. But now with our lovely cell phones
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and you think about how we scroll through social
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media, that's the amount of time span that we
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have to decide if this is someone that we want
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to pay attention to or if we're going to go and
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look at our phone or be distracted by the 7 ,000
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other things. So it's really about what is that
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first thing that I want people to think or feel
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about me when they interact with me and then
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have your wardrobe represent that. So a lot of
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my clients really want to come across as an authentic
11:53
leader, or they want to come across as someone
11:55
who is sophisticated or someone who is very,
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very innovative. So we quickly will figure out
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what are those visual cues that we could make
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sure that their clothing is sending. So that
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first step I would say is just to really know
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that your clothing is sending a message and what
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is that narrative that we want to have there.
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And the interesting thing that typically happens
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is I'll explain, typically their narrative that
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they want is the opposite of wearing all black.
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Yeah. Is wearing all black. So there's a reason
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why there's black tie weddings. There's a reason
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why judges wear black. Like judges wear all black
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because they're not supposed to have an opinion.
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There's black tie weddings because you're supposed
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to be on your best behavior. Black puts up walls.
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Color creates connection. So when you're kind
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of like, oh, I'm a leader that speaks about authenticity
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and really being in community and having conversations,
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but I'm not showing up as that person. They're
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like, okay, cool. Now what do I do? So it's really
12:55
about like, what's that first thing? And then
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we really focus on that and then sort of iterate
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from there. I love that. And I am a hundred percent
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guilty. I definitely had a lot of black going
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on in my closet. And one time I went to a local
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boutique and Margaret, we actually did an episode
13:09
with her early on and she's like, I picked out
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stuff and she's like, seriously, stop with your
13:14
black. She was like, you're done. And then, you
13:16
know, she was great. And she helped me to sort
13:19
of get outside my comfort zone. And she picked
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up colors and clothes that I wouldn't have necessarily
13:23
thought of. But then I was like, no, wait. yes,
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I like this, I feel comfortable. And it just
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kind of was like, we get so stuck and we find
13:30
one style, at least I do that, and then I'll
13:32
just buy multiples of it. So sometimes it's having
13:35
that outside perspective. It can be like, hi,
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what are you doing? Let's try this purple, this
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blue. And I guess also part of that, too, is
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what colors look good on you and play into that.
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So it's like, I think we just don't think about.
13:48
clothing. Because you have a million other things
13:50
to think about. It's really interesting because
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the reason when I kind of will ask clients, like,
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how did we get to wearing all this black? And
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it's normally like, I need one less decision
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to make. And when I start going into my closet
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and trying things on, there's so much friction
14:05
that it's easier to grab hold of that. But then
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knowing that it's not sending the right message.
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So what I help clients with is let's create your
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own brand. So let's make wearing the three colors
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be easier than picking out that black because
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you know how to wear the colors. You know the
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emotions that the colors are evoking. It actually
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is going to be easier for you to do that. than
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to fall back into the black and then with also
14:30
knowing this is the message that it's sending
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and this is who I am and what I want to be known
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for is also making it so it feels really methodical
14:40
and specific so it doesn't feel like this like
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heavy thing. That's awesome. So just take your
14:47
typical corporate businesswoman. What do you
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splurge on and what are bargain items? You reset
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your closet. What's the system? How do you even
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approach that without going out and spending
14:59
thousands of dollars to reset? The first thing
15:02
is that it's super, super interesting is most
15:05
clients come to me and they're like, oh, I have
15:07
to throw away my whole entire closet. I hate
15:08
it, da -da -da -da. Actually, you're not as bad
15:12
as you think you are. you usually know what colors
15:16
look good on you. You may not always gravitate
15:19
towards them and black bees easier. And you also
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sort of have this concept of what flatters you.
15:24
It's just you haven't been doing it in a way
15:26
that's strategic. So it's like you buy one shirt
15:28
and you always wear it with the same pants. You
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haven't been pushed out of it. So I would say
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the first step is always like, let's figure,
15:34
let's just do the branding. And the way that
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I approach that with my clients is we do it from
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like consider it done. So like, what's your big
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audacious goal? how does that woman show up?
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So if you're like, you know what, I want to be
15:47
in the C -suite or I want to be a professional
15:50
speaker or I want my boss's job. Like, how does
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she show up? Because she doesn't show up being
15:55
reactive and twisting herself into a pretzel
15:58
and taking three hours to pack for a business
16:01
trip. Like, let's paint the picture. Let's put
16:04
together what are the tangible things that are
16:05
associated. Let's figure out in your closet what
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speaks to that. And then where are the gaps?
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And so typically, when I work with a client,
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they typically are, let's say, 75 % there. I
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help figure out where are the big gaping holes,
16:23
and then what are the things that we need to
16:25
be doing to elevate what they're already doing.
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So maybe it's like a power piece or something
16:30
that feels like a little bit more statement -y
16:33
than they would typically wear or something that's
16:35
tying it all together like a common thread. So
16:38
it's hard to say these are the three things that
16:40
you should have because that's where I feel like
16:42
we end up with a closet full of white button
16:44
-downs and trench coats that none of us wear.
16:47
It really comes to what things am I utilizing
16:53
and what things do I really need to enhance what
16:56
I have that's sending that right message. That
16:59
makes sense. Maybe it was just my switch in industry,
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like I said, when I first... the first 15 years
17:04
of my career was very like professional dress
17:06
skirts and nylons and tights and all that fun
17:08
stuff. And then when I switched to the restaurant
17:10
food industry and franchising, it was much more
17:13
casual. So making that shift to, and I think
17:15
some of it's just kind of timing, right? Like
17:17
I would have never wore jeans back in the day
17:19
to work, but. now that was acceptable. So when
17:22
it comes to that, like a little bit more of a
17:23
casual environment, how do you even approach
17:26
that? Like how do you and business casual, nothing
17:28
panics me more than when I see an invite to an
17:31
event and it says business casual, you know,
17:33
how do you, how do you approach that? The reason
17:35
why business casual feels hard is because there
17:37
is no real definition for it. Like it's, you
17:39
know, guys have you wear Poles and a khaki or
17:42
you wear this and that. And for women, it's a
17:44
little bit different. And then there's this like,
17:46
trying to compensate. But what the reason why
17:49
it feels hard is that we feel that we feel complete
17:52
in that formal. So like that feels polished,
17:55
that feels sophisticated to us. When we go out
17:58
of it, we feel frumpy and sloppy. And that's
18:00
the word or dated or matronly. And that's like
18:03
the opposite of what we want to do. So we need
18:05
to figure out what are your benchmarks for polish
18:08
and pull together. So you could still feel like
18:11
you are elevated and putting your best foot forward,
18:15
even if you're wearing something that's a little
18:16
bit more casual. And for each person, it's different.
18:19
So some of my clients really feel like their
18:22
outfit is complete when maybe they are wearing
18:25
a blazer, so they're going to wear jeans and
18:27
a blazer. Or maybe they feel like they're pulled
18:30
together when everything's monochromatic or super
18:32
coordinated, or they're wearing a nice handbag.
18:35
So it's also like a little bit of knowing what
18:38
is those things that feel really polished. The
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other way I always say to approach business casual
18:44
in a way that you feel like you're quote unquote
18:46
wearing the right thing is through juxtaposition.
18:49
So if you're someone who really likes wearing
18:51
a blazer and that feels polished for you, maybe
18:54
you're going to pair it with either like. tennis
18:56
sneakers, or you're going to pair it with a t
18:58
-shirt, or you're going to pair it with jeans,
19:00
or if you're someone who's like, you know what,
19:02
I really like wearing heels, then you could take
19:05
off that third piece and wear the blouse. So
19:07
I would say playing with formal versus informal
19:10
is going to give a really nice balance in there.
19:13
I like that. Yeah, sometimes I definitely have
19:15
done that because it's like, well, then it can
19:16
go either way. If you're not really sure how
19:18
other people are going to be dressed up and you
19:19
don't want to feel like you're underdressed or
19:21
overdressed, that's kind of a nice hybrid, I
19:23
think, from an approach. But here's the thing,
19:26
and just not to call you out because it's what
19:28
everyone else is wearing. We so care what everyone
19:32
else is wearing. Oh, totally. Yeah, you're not
19:34
calling me out. That's true. Because we're looking
19:35
for the memo and whatever. But that's why I love
19:37
the work that I do, because when you have your
19:39
own brand and your own aesthetic, you don't care
19:43
what everyone else is wearing. You're wearing
19:44
the right thing for you. So I have clients that
19:48
crave to be the most overdressed person in the
19:51
room. They're like, that is me. That is my brand.
19:54
I am so polished. I am so this. I'm this fancy
19:58
pants and I don't care. And if that bothers someone,
20:01
that's their problem, not mine. But they've done
20:02
the work to get there. Yeah. Where someone would
20:04
be, I'm so sorry that I'm wearing this. And then
20:09
you immediately take your power. And then I have
20:11
other clients that are like, I don't give a crap.
20:14
I'm wearing sneakers. Right, right. Yeah. And
20:17
that is their brand. Think about Mel Robbins.
20:20
Mel Robbins got to the sneakers because she was
20:23
standing on a stage and she was supposed to go
20:26
speak on a stage and her heel broke and she went
20:28
into a store. They did not have the right shoes
20:31
for her, so she said, screw it. I'm wearing sneakers
20:34
on the stage. That's awesome. And that became
20:36
her brand. Yeah. With anybody who's stood on
20:38
a stage, you know you want comfortable shoes
20:40
on to begin with because standing in one spot
20:42
for a long time is, the wrong shoes on is literally
20:45
torture. That's so funny. Exactly. Be you because
20:48
here's what ends up happening. If you were dressing
20:51
for someone else's standard, you're in a room
20:53
that you probably don't want to be in. Clothes
20:56
are a magnet. Have your people find you. If you
20:59
are like love leopard and all of that stuff,
21:01
your leopard ladies are going to go find you.
21:03
I used to do this all the time. I remember having
21:06
this internal dialogue with me. I was going to
21:08
speak at a law firm and I have this leopard pink
21:11
blazer and I had it on and I took it off and
21:13
I'm like, If they're not going to take me seriously,
21:17
because they are a white glove law firm, because
21:18
I'm wearing a leopard blazer, then they're not
21:21
going to listen to a word that I'm saying anyway,
21:22
and I'm not meant for them, and I'm not here
21:25
to go find them another navy blue suit. So let
21:30
them have them log off of this. Right. Before
21:34
it even starts, that's the standard. This is
21:37
who I am. I love that so much. That's so true.
21:40
And you're right. I think I've gotten better
21:41
at that with age and even probably as I had higher
21:44
positions. But man, I remember that at the beginning
21:46
being so panicked about being dressed wrong,
21:49
like in those situations. Because we were shamed.
21:52
Yeah. Someone was shamed at some point in time.
21:54
Not us, then someone around us. And there's nothing
21:57
worse. than when you wore an outfit that you
21:59
thought was good, but you're just not comfortable
22:01
in it. Like you felt like you're doing to fit
22:02
in and whether it's not your style, maybe it's
22:04
too big, too tight, whatever. Like there's nothing
22:07
worse than that feeling of just sitting there
22:08
and not being confident because you're uncomfortable.
22:10
Like it just, you don't feel right. So let's,
22:14
let's avoid that as much as possible. So speaking
22:16
of casual, I want to also talk about this is
22:19
obviously branding and presence is just and how
22:21
you show up. Let's talk about virtual meetings
22:24
because I think obviously over the last what
22:26
five years we're up to where that has become
22:28
so commonplace and you know I remember early
22:32
on in the COVID days and even after people would
22:34
show up for meetings like not the way they show
22:37
up to work right like ponytail on top of your
22:39
head, hot mess like sweatshirt hoodie like just
22:43
not how you would show up in the office and it
22:45
was kind of Like, okay, how do we handle this?
22:48
Right? Or I'd be like, dude, show up to work
22:50
like you show up at the office. Like how, if
22:53
we want to have that good brand and that good
22:55
presence, even through all the virtual meetings
22:57
that many of us sit through, what's your recommendation
22:59
for that? It's, it's funny. I just saw, I reposted
23:03
something on LinkedIn. A woman fired someone
23:04
because they were wearing a hoodie and it wasn't
23:07
It was, they had multiple warnings and it was
23:10
just sort of like, it was the straw that broke
23:13
the camel's back. But here's the thing we all
23:15
need to realize, the most important person we
23:17
get dressed for is ourselves. Is that going through
23:20
that process of figuring out what you need to
23:23
happen throughout the day, how you're going to
23:25
show up as your best version of yourself, like
23:28
do it for you, like put perfume on, wear shoes,
23:30
like go and play full out. And then the other
23:33
thing also besides doing it for you is that if
23:37
you were someone who only goes into the office
23:39
maybe once or twice a week or once in a quarter
23:42
like this is your FaceTime and this is your showing
23:45
someone that I am. coming here and I'm, I have
23:49
a full day's worth of work. If you look like
23:51
you didn't take a shower, like people are going
23:53
to think that you literally were playing with
23:55
your kids two seconds before you hopped on that
23:57
call. So really being like, I'm using my wardrobe
24:00
to show people that I'm taking seriously. I'm
24:02
telling myself that I'm taking myself seriously
24:04
and I'm not saying you need to go sit in your
24:06
house in a blazer, but that just means like being
24:08
polished and refined and also having that presence
24:11
that you really are wanting to take up space
24:15
and really being someone who, you know, is coming
24:19
to work and also being more magnetic. So think
24:22
simple things like I have a few clients that
24:24
what we do is we have like a few go to zoom outfits
24:28
that they feel good. We know that they like look
24:31
good on camera. So they're like in good colors
24:33
because you think wearing black in person is
24:36
bad. Wearing black on a camera is the worst thing.
24:38
You look like you got absolutely no sleep. So
24:40
wearing maybe like a jewel tone. Um, if you are
24:43
wearing a print being, making sure that it's
24:45
like a bolder print, like you can get someone
24:47
real dizzy real quick by wearing a polka dot
24:49
or something, there's some weird stripes. And
24:51
just being really specific about like your necklines.
24:53
Like you can look real, make it real fast. You're
24:56
wearing a v -neck. So just kind of those three
24:58
things is like color, print, neckline. Like though,
25:01
like just thinking about those before hopping
25:03
on a Zoom is going to really solidify and have
25:05
more of a presence for your, your virtual wardrobe.
25:09
If that makes sense. And lighting too, right?
25:11
I think that's such a big piece of it. As I said,
25:14
my little light makes me look a little lighter
25:17
and brighter. I think it's important that, you
25:19
know, I look like I'm awake and paying attention,
25:21
whether it's recording a podcast or I'm eating.
25:23
I think it's just feeling that you're here and
25:25
present. You don't want to give people the impression
25:26
that you're just disengaged or it's not important.
25:29
I think that's the balance. Right. And it's funny
25:31
too, because now that I work 100 % from home.
25:34
I'm like some days if I don't have any calls,
25:36
I definitely am like super casual But then I
25:39
feel like I'm sitting there in my in my hoodie
25:41
and my you know yoga pants and I don't feel as
25:43
I don't know Professional or I'm not sure like
25:46
I feel like if I get a little bit more dressed
25:48
up So I have to leave the house that I feel like
25:49
I'm more in my mode and that's just me everyone's
25:52
different studies done that if you go and go
25:54
through the motions of Getting dressed and putting
25:58
your clothes on that you perform better. You're
26:00
gonna ask the harder question like we act Like,
26:04
people don't realize this. Like, clothes are
26:07
the only physical form of, like, manifestation.
26:09
Like, we've all heard, like, dress for the job
26:11
that you want, not the job that you have. But
26:12
no, like, it's not performative. It's like, I'm
26:15
taking myself seriously. I've taken the time
26:17
to pick my clothes in and feel good about myself.
26:20
If you've gone through that process in the morning
26:23
of, like, I am someone who... you know, works
26:26
hard, who takes myself seriously. When you're
26:29
having a difficult conversation with a colleague,
26:31
you are going to do the thing that feels much
26:33
more aligned with you if you're not in sweatpants.
26:36
That makes sense. Okay, good. Then I'm not just
26:38
making that up. All right. So tell me about your
26:41
style code. Yes. So the style code really is
26:46
just your own personal brand for getting dressed.
26:51
So it really is like, it feels like getting dressed
26:54
is all over the place. And this is really a methodology
26:58
for you to know what to wear in each and every
27:01
situation that you're wearing the quote unquote,
27:04
right thing for you. So it's going through the
27:06
process of like, what makes me feel confident
27:08
in my clothes? What colors do I wear? What fits
27:10
and flatters me? What are my outfit formulas?
27:13
And then also just knowing like, I'm speaking
27:15
on a stage, I'm wearing this, I'm doing a zoom
27:17
call, this is what I'm wearing. It takes that
27:20
like friction. out of what to put on for those
27:23
things and just know that you're wearing the
27:24
right thing in each and every situation. I love
27:27
that because let's count how many times I sit
27:29
in my closet and be like, what am I going to
27:30
wear? What do I want to deal with? Like you just
27:32
kind of get stuck in these ruts of not knowing
27:35
what to grab or I just grab the same three things
27:38
sometimes too. So it's kind of balancing that.
27:40
Or saying that your closet that I have nothing
27:42
in my closet when I need to go shopping. That's
27:44
the other one is like we need to figure out a
27:46
system to make our closet work for us because
27:49
you've spent enough money. Sure. And then when
27:51
you do go shopping, it should be something to
27:53
enhance and elevate, not just buy the same thing
27:56
that you already own and, you know, a different,
27:59
not different, it's really just the same thing.
28:01
Right. So how much do we let trends influence
28:04
what we buy from season to season professionally?
28:07
Sort of zero. But when you know what your style
28:11
code is and how you add interest, you can quickly
28:13
look at something and be like, ooh, that feels
28:16
like part of my brand, or I'm excited about that,
28:19
or this is how I would do it, bring it in. I
28:22
think the reason why trends exist, and this is
28:25
what I went to school for, I went to school for
28:26
fashion merchandising. And the reason why a trend
28:29
exists is that so every 15 days we could be selling
28:32
something, someone different, and it keeps you
28:34
on this hamster wheel in there. But when you
28:36
have a strong sense of self, you aren't being
28:39
swayed. I need to wear lime green pants tomorrow
28:43
sort of thing. So once you have that, you could
28:45
be like, oh, that feels like that would be something
28:48
I'm intrigued by because the way that trends
28:51
work is you see them five to seven times and
28:53
then there's a foam of I don't own it because
28:55
it makes you feel familiarity really, really
28:57
quickly. And then it's like, oh, I'm not part
28:59
of the trend. But once you have this internal
29:02
dialogue to be like, Oh, I really like that color
29:05
or that's never going to look good on me. It's
29:07
a very quick cutter drive. I think the women
29:10
that I work with, they don't want to look dated.
29:13
They want to look up to date and current. So
29:15
it's a way to like How do we add things to our
29:18
wardrobe that we can wear for a few seasons,
29:22
but are a little bit more through the lens of
29:24
updating than trendy? And that's where I think
29:27
that it's either like, let's buy something from
29:29
Zara because I'm going to buy it and I'm going
29:32
to go through it real quick, but I have all five
29:34
things coming up, I'm going to wear it. Or like,
29:36
you know what? I actually really like this and
29:38
it is in a color that I would enjoy wearing.
29:41
Maybe I will buy a $200 blazer on it. Yeah, that
29:45
makes sense. Is there any pattern or texture
29:47
that you think is just underused by senior women?
29:51
I love leather. Oh. And I know it's like a lot
29:56
of times. My clients are like, they get a little
30:00
bit like, I don't know. Going clubbing? They're
30:03
like, I can't wear leather. That's not allowed.
30:06
And, but it can be weird in such a sophisticated
30:09
way. And I love the way that leather is forgiving,
30:12
but also has some great structure to it. So like,
30:16
I love a leather blazer or I love a leather pencil
30:19
skirt. To me, most of my clients are like in
30:24
automotive or an aerospace industries. Like they're
30:27
in like very technological, like innovative spaces.
30:31
So having that like interest in there. Like shows
30:35
like, Oh, I know what's going on. And so I personally
30:38
think that it's underutilized. I also think that's
30:42
like things that are like self and are a little
30:44
bit more feminine or a great way to add like
30:46
some interest in there. And I'm always a fan
30:48
of like Tweed. I like the being able to have
30:52
multiple colors in something. And really, like,
30:55
I feel like there's certain like blazers you
30:57
could wear like 15 different ways because of
30:59
the few different colors that are that are in
31:01
there, but not like old lady Tweed. the new cooler
31:05
tweet. I know what you mean. I do have one of
31:07
those. Yes, I have one of those blazers. Is there
31:10
any items that you think instantly level up authority
31:13
for women? I think that wearing things monochromatic
31:18
and not feeling like you always have to wear
31:21
that blazer. Like I think women feel like blazer
31:24
security blanket. So I would say if you could
31:27
find ways to feel like you have a complete outfit
31:30
without necessarily that third piece, sure. If
31:32
you're leading a meeting, like that's your power
31:34
piece, wear it. But I would say like the monochromatic
31:38
or like colored pants. because that's another
31:41
huge thing that maybe you've launched, branched
31:44
out from the black when it comes to a top, but
31:46
you're so dead set on your black pants. So like
31:50
one of the other things that I quickly do with
31:52
my clients is like, let's get some burgundy pants.
31:54
Let's have some hundred green pants. Like this
31:57
season, like brown is really, really big. Like,
32:00
so like to kind of start introducing some colors
32:03
in some other ways, I think is a really strong,
32:06
powerful look. Oh my gosh, this is so good. Melanie,
32:09
this has been so awesome. So if people want to
32:12
connect with you and work on their brand and
32:14
their image and how to show up, how can they
32:15
find out more? Yes. So I am on all the places.
32:19
I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on Instagram. I am on TikTok.
32:22
I have a free master class that really walks
32:24
you through that style code. really figuring
32:27
out what are those key components and how to
32:29
figure them out for yourself. And the one thing
32:32
that I know about all of this work is that definitely
32:34
go check out the master bus. It is amazing. However,
32:37
having someone walk you through this process
32:40
and stretching you is more powerful than you
32:43
ever realized because there is enough information
32:47
on TikTok, on YouTube, whatever thing, you could
32:49
all figure this out yourself. Like this is not
32:52
like if you wanted to, but you need the implementation
32:55
and the tweaking and the feedback and making
32:58
it you. And all of the information is actually
33:01
really overwhelming. You need the right information.
33:04
for you in a way that feels a little stretchy,
33:06
but not too scary. And that's really where I
33:09
come in and I do like those little like baby
33:11
steps and that like portability and like, let's
33:13
try this next, let's try this next. And that
33:16
is really that beautiful process of you finding
33:18
yourself through your style. I love that. And
33:21
I think there's so many things that we get too
33:23
close to, and this is one of them. I think you're
33:25
too close to it. You're too in your closet. You
33:27
need that outside perspective of someone who
33:29
at least helps you. make you take a step back
33:32
and like, okay, let's look at this. By the way,
33:34
women are so self -critical. Oh, totally. I was
33:36
like, I'll have a client and they're literally
33:38
going on and on and I'm like, I don't notice
33:41
your stomach. I'm like, I'm saying this with
33:44
so much love, but you've just went on for three
33:46
minutes about your stomach and I don't see it.
33:51
No one is looking at it. So true. We are very
33:55
critical. That's so good. Well, thank you so
33:57
much for being here. We'll link everything on
33:59
our website. And this makes me want to go check
34:02
out my closet and give you a call. My pleasure.
34:05
Thank you. The importance of building your brand
34:07
continues to be reinforced. And as Melanie shared,
34:10
people form an opinion about us in one tenth
34:13
of a second. One of the quickest ways to influence
34:15
and start building your personal brand is by
34:18
being intentional of the wardrobe you are wearing.
34:22
Because as we know, if you don't build your brand,
34:24
somebody else will do it for you. For more leadership
34:27
development for women and career growth, please
34:29
subscribe to this podcast and follow us on Instagram.
34:33
Keep climbing the space you've earned and stay
34:35
loud and lifted.