Staying Slim

It's Holiday season and it can be difficult to NOT pack on a few extra pounds with all the amazing dinners, family cooking, and delicious desserts. Here are a couple of helpful eating tips when it comes to holidays.

Worst Holiday Drink: Eggnog
Unfortunately, there is not one healthy aspect of this Holiday treat. It is full of fat from the egg, cream, and sugar ingredients. Opt for a glass of hot cocoa or apple cider instead.

Desserts such as Pecan Pie, Cheesecake, and Fruitcake are full of butter, sugar, corn syrup and fat. Pass on these holiday desserts and opt for desserts such as fruit pie/cobblers and pumpkin pie which has beta-carotene.

Avoid creamed veggie dishes especially when there are fresher options available. Avoid cheese sticks, swidish meatballs, and fried fattening finger snacks and opt for pretzels, chips and salsa, and popcorn.

Lastly, enjoy the holiday food just try not to overindulge. The key is to eat what you want, just limit the portion sizes of the unhealthy foods.

Fashion Tip of the Week
Gift certificates from BJ Wilson & Company make great last minute gifts for the holidays. It is not to late to call and order one for your loved ones, today! 817 763 5081.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Do you have all your Christmas shopping done?

We are here to HELP!!

Gift Certificates from BJ Wilson and Company are available for all of our wardrobe services. With the holidays approaching it is time to start thinking about gift ideas for everyone on your gift list. It can be hard to come up with a creative and useful gift to give to the ones you love. Our gift certificates are the perfect gift for any man or women who needs some help with their wardrobe. They will love it!

Gift Buying services are also available this holiday season. Not sure what to get friends and family members for the holidays? Too busy to even think about what to get for them? Let us help you this gift giving season and buy some gifts for you. We know just the things to please children, wives, husband, parents, etc. You let us know who the gift is for and we will handle the rest including expert gift wrapping and delivery.

Call or email us today to purchase a fabulous gift certificate or to learn more about our gift buying services.

817 763 5081

tbillings@bjwilsonandcompany.com

Wardrobe Malfunction? We've got the Answer.

Everyone has moments where they spill their morning coffee or Diet Coke on them right before a big meeting, or walked out the door to find a run in our hose. There are many different wardrobe disasters that happen to women on a day to day basis, so here are some little tips and tricks to help you out.

1. Little mini sewing kits are great to have. Throw one in your purse or keep at work in case your heel pulls the hem in your pants out or your button falls off. Many kits come with safety pins which are great to help with clothing tears and act as a great jewelry clasp if your necklace breaks.

2. Double sided tape. There are many different brands out there right now of double sided tape but it can be a fashion lifesaver. Use it to cover up a deep neckline of a top or dress that is revealing too much or ever help bra straps stay in place.

3. Clear Nail Polish is the best answer to a run in your pantyhose. The second you see or feel a run, do not pull on the pantyhose in any direction. Instead, get out your clear nail polish and apply it to the end of the run. Let is dry and the run will not spread.

4. Other things to consider are eraser sponges to help remove deodorant marks and scuffs on shoes, super glue to aid in a temporary solution to your heel breaking off your shoe, Tide To-go pen to help with immediate stain removal, and things like extra earring backs are also great to have in time of need.

One more fashion tip

Rub dryer sheets over your pantyhose, tights, and other clothing to get rid of static cling before you leave the house. It does an amazing job.!

Love Live Shop-- Support Women in Retail

Fort Worth for Women, or FoWo for short, is a new women's group designed to support local women retail business owners in Fort Worth, Texas. In this economy it is more important than ever to support the independent local boutiques and shoppes instead of the mass producing chains and large department stores. It can be difficult to maintain and grow business when competing with the large retail moguls. Why not support your fellow Fort Worth Women when you go shopping?

This networking group was developed to help support each other in hopes that working as a group will be more successful than working as individuals. Everyone understands what the other is going though and they can all better network and promote each other's companies.

BJ Wilson & Company along with many other retail oriented companies are joining this group. Boutiques, bridal salons, representatives from TCU, personal shoppers and more have joined to support this group and now you can too! Look to the FoWo website for a full list of members or ask the next time you are shopping if they are part of FoWo. Also, look for the Love Live Shop stickers in any of the FoWo company's windows.

Love where you live.

Live where you shop.

Shop where you love.

Fort Worth for Women

Visit www.fortworthretail.org for more information.

Holiday Gift Idea

Happy Holidays!

Gift Certificates from BJ Wilson and Company are available for all of our wardrobe services. With the holidays approaching it is time to start thinking about gift ideas for everyone on your gift list. It can be hard to come up with a creative and useful gift to give to the ones you love. Our gift certificates are the perfect gift for any man or women who needs some help with their wardrobe. They will love it!

Gift Buying services are also available this holiday season. Not sure what to get friends and family members for the holidays? Too busy to even think about what to get for them? Let us help you this gift giving season and buy some gifts for you. We know just the things to please children, wives, husband, parents, etc. You let us know who the gift is for and we will handle the rest including expert gift wrapping and delivery.

Call or email us today to purchase a fabulous gift certificate or to learn more about our gift buying services.

817 763 5081

tbillings@bjwilsonandcompany.com

Seriously Fashionable

Our consultant, Misty Kimbrough, sells the Etcetera clothing line. These clothes are absolutely fabulous and she only has the collection for a limited time. She is holding her show at April Lane on Camp Bowie on the west side of Forth. Stop by and see the collection any time during regular store hours of Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5:30pm from now until October 28th.

You will love the Herringbone pants, fuchsia tunic and ruffle skirt, chunky sweaters, cute dresses, metallic trench coat, velveteen pant, special holiday outfits for anything from a casual get together to a cocktail party. Check out their website at www.etcetera.com or contact Misty for additional questions or to set up an appointment.

Warning: You may want to buy everything! Let Misty help you with what pieces fit you and your lifestyle the best.

Misty Kimbrough

mkimbrough@bjwilsonandcompany.com

c: 817 793 7838

o: 817 763 5081

Tip of the Week: Outfit Shopping

As mentioned before, when you are shopping for separates it is important to stay on a wardrobe plan and designed shopping list, but when it comes to the holidays, it is all about the outfits. It can be fun and much easier to shop for specific events or occasions that are more prevalent during the holiday season. Anything from cocktails dresses to a matching pant suit can be purchased without worry or hesitation because the only thing they need to match are themselves. It is important to have a couple fun matched outfits for the the upcoming season. Etcetera can help with all of your outfit needs.

Party Season Has Begun

For all of our clients and viewers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you are probably well aware of all the Debutante parties, Balls, and other events going on this time of the year. With the Zoo Ball a couple of weeks ago, there are a number of dates coming up that you need to be prepared for. Steeplechase will be the next Debutante Ball which will occur on October 31 this year. Exactly one week later is the Fort Worth Assembly Ball for the upcoming debutantes. On November 19th the Jewelry's Party will take place at the Fort Worth Club and finally the Jewel Charity Ball will be held on January 9, 2010 at the fabulous Omni Hotel in Fort Worth.

This is always a fun time of the year for us as we enjoy looking for and buying wonderful ball gowns for our clients for all of these upcoming events. If you have any of these events to attend or other holiday parties or events, let us help you find that perfect dress to make you the belle of the ball. We know which events to wear short dresses to and which to wear long to. Have a wedding to go to and your not sure what to wear? Email us at askbj@bjwilsonandcompany.com and we will help you depending on the event's location, date and time of day.

Tip of the Week: What is Black Tie?

When an occasion is defined as Black Tie, the men should wear a tuxedo and the women should wear a long gown or special short party dress. Black-Tie Optional and Semi-Formal allow the men to either wear a tuxedo or a dark suit and the women to wear party dresses or dressy suits. When an invitation requests Casual attire, refer to the invitation. The hostess should provide information regarding the theme time and location of the party, which let's you know what is appropriate for the occasion.

The Black of Night-- NO MORE

Evenings for Fall and Holiday 2009 are filled with color! Although the little black dress is still flattering and appropriate, there is an overall anti-black feeling among designers this year. Especially for black tie events, why should we wear black when there are so many men already wearing it? It is time for us women to stand out!

The fabrications are luxurious with gowns in satin, silk, velvet, and chiffon. Beading, rouching, draping, feathering and sheer details were popular looks on the runway that give this year’s gowns a special touch. Long dresses are the strongest look this season and the ball gown is the number one choice for holiday parties and other special events. The menswear inspired tuxedo jacket and smoking jacket are fashion forward and can be ultra feminine when trimmed in fur or worn with a pair of bright high heels.

With plenty of sparkle, sugar, and spice, stock up on dresses for the upcoming holiday season. Go racy in leather, romantic in ruffles, luxe in texture, and flaunt your fashion savvy. If you need help with your holiday attire, contact us 817 763 5081 or send your questions to askbj@bjwilsonandcompany.com

Body Type Style Guide

Everyone seems to out and about shopping for their new fall wardrobes right now. There are a lot of fun trends and wild looks. I will going to dispense a couple tips on what to buy depending on your body shape.

Full Figure: Vertical patterns are slimming as are clothes with inverted pleats and slits that also have the vertical effect. All dark colors, not just black are all slimming colors and this fall you can choose from browns and grey to deep purples and burgundy. Asymmetrical designs and draping effects also compliment this body type.

Busty: Stay away from tops that are too tight; they will only make your bust look larger. Tailored button down shirts and jackets fit larger busts better. They allow for more room without looking oversized and baggy. Avoid skinny leg pants and narrow bottom that will just emphasize your bust and make you look top-heavy. Pants with wide legs, and cuffs that have more substance are a better fit for this body type.

Petite: Solid color silhouettes are best for you to help elongate your body. The worst thing to do is break your body up with horizontal lines and color breaks. Belts should be subtle and not contrast with what you are wearing and it is best to wear shoes the same color as your bottoms. Items with pinstripes and small vertical lines extend height. For this body type avoid overdoing the jewelry. Bold accessories are popular this season but petite girls should pick earrings or a necklace and not do both.

Pear-Shaped: Avoid skinny leg pants and skirts that hug your hips too much. A wide leg pant is going to be more flattering and allow for more room through your thighs. Wear tops that have pleats or ruffles that add volume to your smaller upper body. Adding belts and items that accentuate the waist are usually beneficial and bring the focus away from your lower body.

Pregnant: You will have to invest in some good maternity jeans and other pants but you do not need to purchase maternity tops. There are plenty of blouses and tunics that allow a lot of space in the waist for your belly bump to fit. Consider buying some long cardigan sweaters-- there is enough fabric to cover your belly and they can be worn post pregnancy too. Buy tank dresses and shift dresses that are also looser fitting through the tummy instead of a sheath dress that is more structured. Wrap sweaters and oversized chunk knits will fit your body through pregnancy and can be worn post baby bump.

Mad for Plaid

One of the hottest new trends for fall is plaid. Wearing a little touch of plaid will help you look current and up-to-date. For the more conservative and traditional, add a burberry scarf or a plaid shoe to your wardrobe. It will help make all those basics in your wardrobe pop. For the more fashion daring, invest in a plaid dress or skirt. The british rock look is popular this fall so use this plaid trend to add a funky edge to your wardrobe.

With plaid being so popular this season, I though it only fitting to discuss the whereabouts of this fabulous pattern.

Plaid, more traditionally called Tartan, can be traced back all the way to the 5th century in Ireland, the home of the Scots. It was originally a type of uniform that the Scots wore to help associate them to their specific clan. Although we can trace tartan back so far, it looked very different from what we think of plaid today.

The first piece of tartan clothing was a long shirt, almost to the knee called a léine probably made of linen. The colored stripes were later added to help indicate the rank of the person wearing it. The more stripes equaled the high the power. Tartan grew from a shirt to a large piece of fabric that the Highlanders would wear like a hood with pleats around their waist for warmth at night. By 1730, the pattern had evolved into something what would resemble today's plaid.

After becoming a staple garment in the Highlands, during the battle of Culloden in 1946, the English Army invaded the Highlands, destroying textile production and banning clan tartans. Facing the consequences, the Highlanders insisted on wearing their tartan which became a large part of the Scottish culture signifying the fellowship of the Scots.

It's time to switch out your SEASONS!!

The end of August through the month of September is the time to switch out your Spring and Summer wardrobe with your Fall and Winter wardrobe. While doing this, take the opportunity to let go of items you no longer need and help de-clutter and organize the worthy wardrobe pieces.

Now that we have gone over the "When?" let's focus on the "Why?"

Do you ever walk into your closet and feel overwhelmed? Does it seem like a burden to have to get dressed in the morning? Does the depleted energy from having to figure out what to wear start your day off on a negative note? These feelings are signs that your closet is not serving its purpose and may be in need of some revamping. Chances are your closet is not organized properly making it difficult to find what you even have in there. In addition to a lack of organization, clutter is a huge problem that lingers in many closets. Clutter is simply defined as unnecessary items; ideally, every item in your closet should serve a purpose and benefit you in one way or another. Once you organize your closet and purge yourself of the clutter, you will feel a sense of serenity and help start your day off right. Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to organize and de-clutter other parts of your life.

The "How" of closet cleansing can be a bit more difficult to explain. This is where having a wardrobe consultant is handy because we know exactly how to organize closets based on the individual person, their lifestyle and their wardrobe needs. But there are some tips to help you get started with the cleaning and de-cluttering part.

1. Pick a Good Time-- You need to have energy to be moving, cleaning and lifting heavy clothes. Weekends are usually are great time to do this instead of after a long day at work. Set some mood music, make yourself a drink and have fun with this.

2. Evaluate-- Go through each piece and ask yourself important questions: Does it fit? Is it current? Is it flattering? Does it project the image that I want to project? Does this item have more value to me than the wonderful cleared space it would leave behind?

3. Discard-- Whether is being donated to charity, given to friends or family, or being dumped in the trash, all items that received a "no" to any of the questions above need to be evacuated from your closet. The empty space can be overwhelming and you may be inclined to fill the space with some discards that you are second-guessing or anything new, but resist. This feeling will pass and leave you feeling confident and free from all the crap that was weighing you down.

4. Hire Us-- We will help organize everything into sections based on season, occasion, garment type, and colors in a way that makes it easy to find what you want and get dressed in a hurry.

Fall Fashion Tip of the Week: Cut down on overspending.

Make a shopping list of all the necessities before you go shopping and stick to it. This will help minimize spontaneous splurges that benefit you in no way. Also, try paying in cash. You will evaluate the worth of the purchase more when you see the bills fly out of your wallet.

ETCETERA is coming to town!

One of BJ Wilson & Company's all-time favorite clothing lines will be having its show August 20th-25th in Fort Worth. This show will feature all of its 250 pieces for our viewing pleasure. There is a dynamite giraffe print pencil skirt, a bronze velvet ruffle dress, and some of the cutest coats you have EVER seen! Check out www.Etcetera.com to view illustrations of the full line of clothes.

Come see the fabulous collection, try on samples, and see what the top looks are for Fall 2009. No appointment necessary. Oh, and did I mention it is being held at chic shoe boutique? It just doesn't get any better!

April Lane

3911 Camp Bowie Blvd

Fort Worth TX 76107

August 20th-25th (closed on Sunday)

10:00am-6:00pm

Fall Fashions

Interested in knowing what the hot looks are going to be this upcoming Fall 2009 season??

I will let you in on some fun trends that will add a special flair to your wardrobe. After purchasing your basics, look for these trends to update your look this fall.

- Motorcycle Jacket: leather is big and so are edgy details like grommets and spikes.
- Ruffles: Find a top or dress with a special femimine ruffle texture.
- Fur Vest: There is a lot of fur to be seen this winter and a vest is the newest way to rock it.
- Dresses: They were popular in the spring and summer and will remain popular through the winter.
- Boots: They can be short booties, knee boots, or the newest over-the-knee boots, but make sure you have yourself a pair!
- Oversized Necklaces: They come in all different shapes and styles but every one of them is bold and beautiful.

Any questions about the upcoming fall trends? Email me at mktadmin@bjwilsonandcompany.com

That was then, this is NOW

Welcome to the new BJ Wilson & Company Blog. We will be updating and adding blogs on a weekly basis so check back for fashion updates, wardrobing questions, or to get to know us a little better.