Lifestyle and Personal Style Evolution

Last October, my husband and I traveled to Italy to join my friend Theresa for a special couples’ retreat at her stunning villa experience, Retreat to Tuscany. We spent a magical week with four other couples, enjoying wine tastings, delicious meals prepared by our personal chef, Nora, and breathtaking excursions led by our private guide, Antonella.

It’s an interesting thought when you begin thinking about, “How do I want to spend my time and with who, in the last chapter of my life?” 

• I’ve been told by several people that you need to travel when you’re young.  I’ve asked, so what is considered young? The eighty-year-old woman I was golfing with told me, “Of course, it’s in your sixties.” 

• It’s all perspective, isn’t it.

• Loving life and having fun is something I embrace daily.

One of things I’m constantly thinking about when I shop is, “Where does that piece fit into my current lifestyle?"

• Is it for work?

• For play?

• For travel?

I would rather have that great outfit for my current lifestyle and be style-ready than buying something on a whim because it’s fantastic or the salesperson insisted you have to have this -  but you have no idea where you’re going to wear it.

I realize sometimes when I’m shopping, I have a very practical side to me when it comes to adding new pieces to my closet and expanding my style..

Think about your lifestyle and the things you love to do.

• When you go to your closet, do you have that great outfit?

• Do you have the right shoes?

• Do you feel you’re missing accessories and don’t know how to complete your outfit?

Life isn’t a dress rehearsal—every day is a gift to be embraced and fully lived.

Are you ready to get your personal style figured out?

Let’s have a casual conversation so I can get to know you and learn what’s keeping you stuck.

Schedule your one-to-one time here https://www.annettebond.com/contact

💗Annette

Why you feel uninspired with your current wardrobe, and it doesn’t feel like you have anything to wear.

There are times when you go to your closet, and everything seems “old” and it’s missing the pizazz you think you want at the moment.

I get it – it happens to all of us. Some days it just feels hard to get dressed.

Recently, I had a gal reach out and ask about what she should wear to an upcoming business event.  

She wanted it to be put together, with a great first impression, and most importantly stylish.

And she didn’t want to dress like the 30-year-olds she was seeing in the fashion images.

She wanted to look on-point with her style but didn’t want to wear the off-the-shoulder look, or show her tummy, or the super dramatic flair leg pants.

If you are a woman in your 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s and all you see is the young models in their 20’s wearing the styles that are on-point, it’s confusing.

1. You’re wondering, can you pull that off?

2. Should you be wearing the latest on-trend styles?

3. Does it look appropriate for your age?

I get it.

Sometimes you’re looking for rules or right or wrong.

When you’re struggling to dress yourself, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of looking to others to see “how” you should dress.

My specialty is helping you look at personal style from a lens of AUTHENTICITY. 

Honoring who you are, the real you.

If you are a woman who loves classic and timeless styling, you’re probably someone who isn’t drawn to the off-the-shoulder or tummy showing tops.

Honor that. Don’t get drawn into styles that don’t represent the AUTHENTIC you.

It’s so easy to look at all the shiny new styles for the season and wonder what to purchase, and then decide if it’s AUTHENTICALLY you.

You may be a classy lady who loves a little sexy in your wardrobe. The off-the-shoulder style is perfect for you.

You may a creative woman who loves the dramatic flair leg pant. Embrace it. Wear it.

Instead of looking at age appropriate or what everyone else is wearing, begin looking from the lens of what is AUTHENTIC to you.

1. Add one on-trend piece. Style it with your existing pieces in your closet.

2. Understanding your personal style is part of being a confident woman.

3. Give yourself permission to dress and feel AUTHENTICALLY you - whether that is creatively, sporty, wild and sassy, traditional, or a simple polished style.

Own Your Style. Love Your Wardrobe. Be Your Best Self.

With Your Definitive Style in Mind,

❤️Annette

P.S. If you’d like to dive deeper into what AUTHENTIC style looks like, sign up for my FREE 4-day Style Experience coming August 26th. You will LOVE it.

Sign up: https://www.womenofdefinitivestyle.com/style-experience

Me: I’m really excited, I just bought a Peloton.

Response: “Nice! Wow, those are really expensive.”

We’ve all said it, or at least thought it when a good friend shares their excitement about something they’ve just bought or invested in.

Secretly you’re thinking, “I wish I could buy a Peloton.”

Is it affordability or is it worthiness?

I had a client bring this to my attention recently.

She shared; “Annette women need your help.”

• They’re busy.

• They can’t do it all.

• They need help from a professional like yourself, on how to dress and represent their best self.

And you’re thinking, “Oh that’s ridiculous, I can dress myself.”

“Who am I kidding, I don’t need to pay someone to help me shop and style my outfits, I can do that myself.”

Truth, you don’t feel worthy of investing in a professional image consultant.

• The guilt and shame of thinking you can’t dress yourself appropriately.

• That’s not a good use of your money.

• The truth is, you waste so much time trying to figure out where to shop.

• Wasted mental energy trying to figure out what looks good on you since you’ve gained a few pounds and are getting older.

• You’re winging it, you don’t have the time or talent to do it the way a professional would do it.

I get it, investing in yourself can be scary. “You’re asking yourself, are you worth it?”

Come on’ we women were born to shop. Wrong!

The hardest part, taking the first step to say YES to you.  Raising your deserve level.

After you make the commitment to invest in your image, the dominos begin to fall.

• You realize the time you save by no longer needing to spend endless hours shopping.  

• Money saved on shopping mistakes.

• You feel this amazing peace and effortlessness when getting dressed every morning, you have the right pieces, the perfect colors, and styles for your body type.

• The daily compliments that come your way.

• And the ease you feel when packing for your next trip.

• Everything mixes-and-matches. It’s now fun and easy vs. dread and painful.

Oh, and that expensive Peloton that I bought.

It has saved me hours upon hours of driving to the gym.

It gives me instant access to support my health and wellness.  

I have so much fun riding with the world class Peloton instructors.

Oh, and I’ve not paid that $150 gym membership every month for the last 4 years.

If you are tired of doing it alone and know that style and fashion are not your gifting and strength, and want some help. I’m here for you girlfriend.

With Your Definitive Style in Mind,

💗Annette

We can have a relaxed chat to see if working together is a good fit for you, and if so, you can get started right away!

https://calendly.com/annettebond2/30min

Download FREE Style Catalog:Create 14 Polished Outfits with ONLY 7 Pieces of Clothing, instantly!

https://hueandstripe.com/catalog/159H&SOmJu

3 Ways to Style Your Timeless White Blouse  

You may be thinking, white….it's a little boring?

Maybe you’re thinking you prefer a timeless blouse with more color or frill?

However, the white blouse is a wardrobe staple that is: 

• Timeless

• Versatile

• Luxurious

1.Let’s talk Timeless

Begin styling it with your classic black jacket. Simple. I'm sure you have one in your closet. Showing up professional and put-together is going to give you the confidence that you need as you head back to the office or begin in-person meetings. 

Add pearls, gold, or silver accessories to make it your own. 

2.Let’s talk Versatility

Style your timeless white blouse with a beautiful sweater or even a denim jacket. 

There is no one way to style your white blouse. The options are endless. 

As you are investing in the timeless white blouse, think of the various jackets you already own.

The timeless white blouse now becomes an investment piece into your wardrobe.

3.Let’s talk Luxury 

The color white denotes clean, crisp, and organized. 

Is that how you want others to perceive you?

Will you choose a beautiful Italian pima cotton fabric that says bespoke?

Luxury and custom. 

Let Your Timeless White Blouse do the Speaking for You. 

HERE ARE 3 WAYS I CAN HELP YOU DRESS WITH EASE, BE ON-BRAND, & GET NOTICED:

1. Capture my BEST style strategies and image advice that include secrets to honoring your inner beauty, to what style basics are a must, to creating a color wardrobe capsule – Get Your Ultimate Style Guide: 7 Ways to go from feeling ‘off’ to rocking a signature look that is uniquely YOU!

2. Work with me privately to take you from questioning your clothing and style choices to creating a signature wardrobe that is uniquely you. Schedule a 30-minute Get Dressed with Ease Breakthrough session to share a little about your image challenges and what you’re envisioning for yourself, and we’ll devise a strategy, so you are ‘stepping into your excellence’ and showing up as the powerful woman that you are and dressing with ease. https://www.annettebond.com/contact

3. Join other like-minded successful smart women in my Style with Significance Facebook Group! This is a place to share personal styling ideas, get advice from a professional stylist, and meet other powerful professional women who value looking as good as they feel

Do you tend to question your style, your fashion sense?

As you enter your closet, you are always wondering, what should you wear?

Asking yourself, does this look good?

You’re in a dressing room and can’t decide, “Should you buy that?”

What if…you could decide in seconds if this is a heck no or an absolute yes!

By knowing definitively, how you want to show up, how you want to be seen and ultimately feeling like a million bucks.

So often business coaches will say to me, “Annette your business is 100% visual, you need to do this.”

I agree it is visual.

But what most don’t know, confidence begins with your non-verbal style.

I believe and teach; style begins with the woman and not the clothes.

I’m sure you’ve been told a time or two, you have to buy that, it ‘looks’ so good.

Of course, your stylish bestie knows best, right?

And then unconsciously you submit to the opinion of the salesperson because you are in this massive doubt moment.

You arrive home with the beautiful shirt that you were told looks amazing on you, you neatly hang it up in your closet or maybe it doesn’t even make it out of the shopping bag.

And it hangs in your closet for months.

You take it out, try it on again, look in the mirror.

And wonder what the heck were you thinking?

You thought you loved it in the store.

What you didn’t realize was your stylish bestie and the salesperson, were looking at the outfit from their visual perspective.

You are wondering, if it looks so good, why don’t you like it?

But you know there is something about the way it feels that is important.

Know one else can make that decision for you but you.

One of the first steps I teach in my students and clients in the Reveal Your Radiance Style Academy is to identify your strengths, your values, and your essence.

Most people don’t understand that when you honor what you value, you will always feel comfortable in your clothing.

Your sparkle will naturally shine.

And ONLY you know that about you. Yes, there needs to be self-awareness.

The outside world is looking at your outfit from their perspective and their checklist of what they like.

I hate to tell you this, but they are not thinking about how you feel, only how you look.

100% Visual.

HERE ARE 4 WAYS I CAN HELP YOU DRESS WITH EASE:

1. Capture my BEST style strategies that include secrets to honoring your inner beauty, to what style basics are a must, to creating a color wardrobe capsule – Get Your Ultimate Style Guide to Feeling Confident and Empowered with Ease.

2. Join my upcoming FREE 60-minute Style Strategy and Confidence Masterclass. Register at: https://www.annettebond.com/masterclass

3. Work with me PRIVATELY to take you from questioning your clothing choices to creating a signature wardrobe that is uniquely you. Schedule a 60-minute Get Dressed with Ease session to share a little about your image challenges and what you’re envisioning for yourself, and we’ll devise a strategy, so you are ‘stepping into your excellence’ and dressing with ease. https://www.annettebond.com/contact

4. Join other like-minded successful smart women in my Style with Significance Facebook Group! This is a place to share ideas, get advice, and meet others who value looking as good as they feel!

Have you wondered if you could pull off a specific look?

But you stopped yourself because you were afraid of what others were going to think?

In Part 2 of the 5 Part series, we’re going to talk about Courage.

You may be thinking what does courage have to do with style and image?

More than you think.

The dictionary defines Courage as bravery, which is also the opposite of fear.

Thirty years ago, I learned a concept from the book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways.

The ‘bullseye’ of a target was a metaphor of staying inside your comfort zone.

When I learned that, it was a picture I wanted to change.

Are you someone who tends to wear the same styles and same few colors all the time?

If you knew that you would not be judged, what would you love to wear? What image would you like to project?

If you never go outside the ‘bullseye’ circle because you are afraid of what others are going to think, how long will you stay in your bullseye style comfort zone?

What if you took one small step towards a style that made you feel like a million bucks?

One small step to the next circle.

Observe your comfort zone of style growing as well as your Courage and Confidence.

You may be thinking, it’s time to be more visible online or when you enter a zoom room.

Try one NEW accessory piece. Maybe a statement necklace. How does it feel?

One baby step leads to the next big step of courage.

Instead of a head-to-toe red dress, maybe it’s a red shoe. A red necklace.

One step of courage leads to increased confidence which then leads to elevating your Style Confidence.

It’s time to look as good as you feel!

If you are feeling stuck in your style comfort zone and not sure how to get out of it or where to begin, I’m here to help.

Let’s Chat, https://www.annettebond.com/contact

Does RED make you feel uncomfortable?

Do you get bothered by the intensity that RED signifies?

Cause you to feel self-conscious when you wear it?

Or maybe you can't find the right RED with your personal coloring?

As a More Alive With Color Expert, I find that many women don't always feel comfortable with the color RED.

Color does have a personality and there are pros and cons to what the color elicits.

It definitely speaks bold.

It's the color of love.

It's the color of February, Valentine's Day.

It's the color of Heart Health month.

Subconsciously, most of us associate a memory or feeling with a color.

That feeling can be negative or positive.

What feeling do you associate with RED?

If you'd like to learn what are your most flattering colors, I invite you to have a conversation.

Book a consult:https://www.annettebond.com/contact

September is here and I have to say I absolutely LOVE the Indian summer were experiencing in Seattle or some call it second summer.

Also, the fall catalogs are coming in the mail, a little smaller than normal.

The stores have opened.

Curious, are you shopping in the mall, boutiques, or online?

Recently, I launched the sign up for the 10 Days FREE Reveal Your Radiance Style Academy. To enroll, I ask two questions to give me a better understanding on what you need help with.

One of the attendees shared...

I'm tired of using my wardrobe as a confidence crutch.

She said, "I want to use my wardrobe to "enhance" my confidence.

That is such a great thought, wouldn't you agree?

I believe whole heartedly, your wardrobe is there to "support" you. To align with your values, essence, what you stand for, brand, lifestyle, body type, and personal coloring and whatever else that might be for you.

As a brand, isn't that what a website is supposed to do?

Or your LinkedIn profile?

Wouldn't it be AMAZING every time you went to your closet and pulled a piece, knowing it had a purpose; to support you in whatever way that is?

Guess what, it is 100% possible. I do it every day.

How?

You must take time out to define what does "support" look like to you in your wardrobe?

Begin the habit of asking yourself, "Does this clothing piece support the wardrobe I'm trying to create to support the various endeavors in my life?"

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MORE Inside the Brand. Day 21

"Moving Away From, Moving Towards"

In order to have a wardrobe that is just right for you, you need to know from where you’re starting and to where you’re headed. Think about your style, your closet, getting dressed, and the variety of things you have to choose from. What are the things you are having a difficult time with? These are what you want to move away from. And if those obstacles were gone and your wardrobe worked for you 100%, what would it look like? This is what you want to move toward.

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I’m hoping you had a great summer, were able to relax and have some family fun. My husband and I took a little 4-day trip to Bend, Oregon to celebrate our 39-year wedding anniversary. We had a great time exploring the city and enjoying all the various outdoor activities like bike riding (I love by the way), golf and kayaking.

During the last 6 months with COVID-19, I realize there has been a lot of mixed emotions regarding dress and style.

You may have been thinking over these last 6 months, does it really matter?

I’ve definitely seen a lot of turbulence in my industry along with small retailers.

To continue my love of helping women look and feel their best, I began the Q+A Style Chat in May 2020.

Many women are feeling perplexed when it comes to style and success.

The discussions have ranged anywhere from what to wear on a zoom meeting, to what do you think about color, to how do you dress when life has become so casual now that you’re working from home and still feel successful.

You may have been wondering the same thing.

Recently, I was chatting with several women who referred to their current image status, as abandonment.

They felt like they had lost a piece of themselves in the COVID-19 months.

When they looked in the mirror, there was unsettling feelings of desertion.

When COVID began, style, first impressions and one’s image fell by the wayside for many.

If your inner image isn’t feeling so great, it begins to affect your self-image. Which can lead to a not so great attitude, how you interact with others, and eventually leads to the quality of your performance.

Two years ago, I began putting together a virtual style program. At the time, that is how I looked at it, virtual and online. Not super personalized.

I put it out to the marketplace, no one bought it. I was told by many women that they only wanted to work 1:1 in person.

Late in 2019, I decided I was going to relaunch the “Reveal Your Radiance Style Academy.” Having no idea what 2020 would bring us.

On March 15th, I immediately realized this was my golden opportunity to dig deeper into refining the Reveal Your Radiance program being I had some extra time in my office and I was not working with 1:1 clients in person.

June 2020 came, I did a soft launch of the Reveal Your Radiance Style Academy.

And it was a huge success!

I poured my heart and soul into this program. This was not going to be just an “online virtual program”, but a program that I gave the absolute BEST of me so that you could achieve exceptional results.

I always knew I loved teaching – my superpowers we’re exposed. I loved every minute of the academy and so did my students.

The Reveal Your Radiance Style Academy is designed and mirrored after my #1 selling 1:1 program: Reveal Your Radiance Signature Program that sells for $3495.

The #1 feedback I received: they loved being part of a community with women who were on the journey with them. The collaborative approach brought new perspectives. The program is simple to follow, providing amazing results, and each woman had a newfound personal awareness that gave them the confidence to show up 100% authentic.

I also learned from my clients. For example, that achieving a personal style can feel “high level fashion” or dressing your best is to “fix” your flaws.

The Reveal Your Radiance Academy has now become the foundation of my business. And I will be offering it again beginning September 22, 2020.

Until then, If you feel like you would like to reclaim your outer fabulous and step into your excellence that got abandoned back in March 2020, you’re going to love what I have to offer. Or maybe you just need to elevate and refine what you're already doi

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MORE Inside the Brand. Day 19

"Are You Ready to Raise Your Standards and Stand in Your Excellence?"

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Happy February! It’s the month of love, passion and Valentine’s Day! Are you a woman who loves to wear a flicker, bonfire, or forest fire of RED?