Skiing and Shopping ~ Two of my favorite sports

Hi, it’s me again.

I’m writing to you today from the SF Bay area where the rains have resulted in green rolling hills and flowers blooming everywhere I look. It’s glorious!

I flew into Oakland from Denver on 2/17 and headed  straight up to Lake Tahoe with my stepson, his wife and my two adorable grandsons ages 6 and almost 4. After the blizzard abated, we spent four days skiing at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley USA. Parker, the 6 year old, is a very fast and efficient “pizza and french fries” skier. And Skylar, almost 4, skied on his own for the first time which was thrilling for all.

I am mostly grateful to be healthy and in shape such that I’m able to ski down steep blue and black (albeit groomed) runs in my mid 60’s!  And, I’m so lucky to be a Grammy!

After our ski trip I had the pleasure of shopping  with a client here in Oakland. Last year we audited her closet using my Clothing, Confidence & Charisma workbook as our guide. Though she had a few pieces, they didn’t necessarily work well with one another, thus were “orphans” in her closet. Truthfully, her wardrobe was not up to who she is!

I took a huge pile to Good Will for her, and we made a list of what she needed to have tailored to enhance her look and and help her feel congruent with the responsibilities in her profession as a successful coach, mentor, and speaker, both online as well as on stages.

While she can afford to shop retail prices, I knew we’d have better luck at consignment boutiques, as she needed absolutely everything from beautiful ensembles for all areas of her life ranging from work to yoga classes and everything in between. She’s in her 60’s, a successful coach, and is speaking at conferences as well as posting on social media. Definitely time for a style upgrade!

Before I continue, here are a few distinguishing factors about consignment boutiques:

• Consignment stores offer gently used items that range in colors and styles spanning a wide genre of looks. A savvy boutique owner will be very discretionary on what she accepts to consign, as they will know what styles are current and what will sell which are usually classics and designer clothing representing recent years and styles.

• Key word: Boutiques. They are usually well organized, everything is neatly displayed sorted by colors, sizes, styles. They are NOT to be confused with Good Will or thrift stores (though of course great finds can be discovered anywhere).

• If you’re committed to a lighter footprint on the planet, gently used/reused items is are in alignment
• You’ll save a ton of money! Ie. a cashmere sweater with a designer label might cost $250 new and it will be somewhere between $30 - $125 depending upon the label and its condition

I researched which stores would  be best for her, thinking we’d be getting a few items in each of 4- 5 stores over a 4 – 5 hour period.

However, as has been customary for the almost 4 decades (!!!) I’ve been in business, the shopping gods were with us. We walked out of that first store 3 hours later with four shopping bags filled with gorgeous items ranging from cashmere sweaters, to lovely earrings and necklaces, some jackets for business presentations, shoes, boots, etc. We had a blast, enrolling the store owner and another customer in our process.

I love this work, as it’s so tangible!

She now has dozens of looks to choose from, and we’re not done yet!

I’m continuing to send her links for the items still needed to complete some of her looks.

One thing is for her to find a gorgeous backpack/computer bag, as she prefers that to a tote bag. Something like a that is worthy of an investment as she’ll be using it all the time, amortizing whatever the cost might be.

I’d be happy to jump on a call with anyone ready for some tips and tricks for a style update.

And if you live in the Boulder/Denver area we can easily get together in person (I’ve already found some wonderful consignment stores there!)

Plus, I plan to visit the Bay Area every couple of months and will offer individual as well as small group shopping excursions. They are soooo fun!

Remember, we don’t get a second chance to make a great first impression!

To your shopping pleasure!