Beauty
Silicon Valley men tell me that they need to be attracted. Men are wired to quickly size a female up. He’s either going to be attracted or not. On a first date, as a female, you have about 30 seconds to either fall into the attractive bucket or friend zone. It’s unfair but true. If attracted on some level, then they size up according to the next point….brains. There is a broad definition of beauty for men. Some desire petite, curvy, blond, Asian, Indian, Caucasian, African American, short, tall…you name it!
Brains
Silicon Valley men need to be pushed intellectually. Beauty fades but not the mind. So they tell me when they are 90 years old in rockers on the porch sipping lemonade with their wife, they want to be able to talk about something interesting. It has been one of the most refreshing “revelations” in running my business that these men really do desire someone who is incredibly bright. She will teach him, inspire him, push him cerebrally and vice versa.
Balance
Silicon Valley men work hard but they also like to shut it off at the end of the day and indulge in their greatest passions and hobbies outside of career. They desire a mate who can match them on this and she has her own life, autonomy, hobbies, and interesting ways she stays busy and active outside of the domain of day-to-day work life. She has balance and isn’t necessarily on the huge hamster wheel of life working 24/7. This also signals she has time for a relationship!
Happy 4th of July!
Time flies considering we are quickly approaching November. We had so much fun doing a wardrobe consultation for our male client at Neiman Marcus, Palo Alto a couple of months ago that we had to pay them another visit. The demand for ladies wardrobe consultation is high, especially with the holiday season approaching.
Every woman regardless of age whether she is fresh out of undergrad at Stanford or planning her 50th birthday wants to look fabulous.
What we love is that today’s modern woman doesn’t need to spend a fortune on looking good. She can incorporate a few key pieces into her wardrobe to spruce it up and feel confident in her everyday life.
Today, we are doing a wardrobe consultation for a woman in her late 40’s. She is an executive by day for a conservative financial firm and typically opts for business suits and closed pumps. Yet don’t let her fool you. She has a little rock ‘n’ roll going on with an edgy hair-cut and a wardrobe at home with some quality edgy yet sweet pieces. When she came to us for matchmaking we thought it would be a really nice change of pace to bump up her wardrobe with date appropriate clothing. Think…Confident. Sexy. Colorful. Fearless. Feminine.
When we mentioned doing a wardrobe consultation with her in our initial meet and greet she was very excited at the opportunity admitting she has very few date clothes. Like so many of our clients, she has been focused on work and her kids, placing dating on the back burner.
Neiman Marcus, Palo Alto graciously extended themselves and introduced us to one of their premier stylists, Dean Taylor, who radiated enthusiasm and expertise through and through.
Leading up to the consultation we worked behind the scenes with Dean to provide him with our clients’ measurements as well as her sense of style, comfort zone and general lifestyle. We agreed to nothing baggy and instead to focus on clothes that will instantly attract and importantly make our client feel totally gorgeous. In some cases elegant knee-length sheath dresses, trousers, pointy-toe heels, and playful details. Admittedly, we directed most of our energy on this session with lovely dresses.
Upon arrival at Neiman’s, Dean had put together an exquisite wardrobe filled with a wide range of different looks (rich jewel toned colors, lots of great figure flattering items, tasteful dresses for evening, pretty classic pumps, and playful colorful accessories from their new department CUSP.)
The way that Dean hand-picked the styles is to be able to have each piece seamlessly work together. In other words, a perfect marriage between day into evening clothing. Dean was spectacular to work with and totally “on it” from beginning to end, very responsive and professional.
We had so much fun sipping cappuccinos in a private consultation dressing room and watching our client transform before our eyes. Our client has a rockin’ body- a tiny little waist, no hips, long slender legs…that she was the perfect model.
She isn’t the type to necessarily opt for figure flattering clothes but we discovered Helmut Lang was the designer of choice for many her top picks. Two in particular worked amazing on her (one sleeveless ‘folded wool knit’ dress in red and one long sleeve print Helmut Lang asymmetrical dress which fit her body like a glove.) Accented with gorgeous mary jane Manolos..she looked like a million bucks. Here’s another Helmut Lang we love- ideal for after hours. Remember men go crazy over a woman in red! Juxtapose this look below with an edgy leather clutch and metallic heels. You will have him calling mama from the bathroom that he’s met ‘the one.’
Elie Tahari also provided to be a winner for our client on many levels. We’d place Tahari in the safe category- demure, ladylike, sweet, and slightly more conservative. Here is a Tahari we love….pair this with yellow satin heels for a seriously romantic, feminine look. What we love from CUSP by Neiman Marcus- great for any Linx lady’s wardrobe……
Triple Drop Thread Earrings – $68.00
Agate Pendant Necklace – $30.00 Amy’s top pic! (“This is ideal for a first date. Use it as an ice breaker in conversation, play with it, flirt, and allow his eyes to gaze in the ‘right’ direction. How can you beat $30.00?”)
Got the goods and are fearless fashionista? We love….
Robert Rodriguez Sequined Sleeveless Dress $295.00
Amy suggests pairing with a gorgeous velvet blazer such as the Alice + Olivia ‘Elyse velvet blazer’ or Elie Tahari ‘Bethany velvet blazer’ (below) with closed toe pointy pumps or round toe pumps.
“This velvet blazer is so rich in color, jewel-like. Blend with everything from your fav jeans or jazzed up with your date dress. Be bold and mix with all colors- reds, blues, etc. Don’t limit yourself just because it already has color in it. And don’t be scared to pair it with a different blue hue. Keep re-energizing your fashion by mixing and playing with the unexpected.”
After reading this, our hopes are you have a date in with yourself and your current wardrobe. Sometimes there is nothing better than a night in. Forget all the silly boys emailing you pointless things on Match. Shut down the computer and silence the phone. Light some candles. Pour a glass of great champers, turn up some Miguel, and play with some looks.
Maybe you have a velvet blazer from years ago that you never wear or perhaps you have a lady-like dress that you haven’t found the right occasion for. Call your best girl up for a night in with fashion. This is your time to mix, match, play, and have fun.
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If you like this song by Miguel, we recommend checking out Maxwell. In the music business, very few songs are actually original.
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