After a long and distinguished career, my mom retired at the end of this school year. As a reading specialist for decades, she taught countless children to read or improve their reading skil… Read More
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Bridgette Raes Style Expert Blog
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What to wear, how to wear it and why. Daily fashion, style, shopping and wardrobe advice from fashion and style expert and author Bridgette Raes
Fashion has always been incredibly out of step with the times of year. It’s July and early fall fashion is starting to trickle into retailers slowly. By August, coats will… Read More
Who doesn’t love a sale? It’s such a satisfying feeling to get something for less than its original value. To this day, when I get a steep discount on clothes or acce… Read More
I don’t think it is a stretch to say that America has been a little confusing and tricky to navigate lately. There was a meme I saw recently that said the last time we were all unite… Read More
It’s safe to say that button-up shirts (button-down shirts, for those of you who don’t know that button-down technically refers to the buttons that secure the collar of a shirt… Read More
One-and-done dresses are fantastic work items to have on hand for those busy days when you need to get out the door quickly. Their nature makes it so all you have to do is zip them up… Read More
Even though we’ve resumed a normal post-pandemic life, the five-day in-office work week went by way of COVID. Few people are in-office all the time, or at all, with most people engagi… Read More
I have bulbous thighs. I’m not shaming my body, it just is what it is. We get some physical features we like and others we’d trade in a heartbeat. During the summer… Read More
William Morris, artist, poet, and leader of the arts and crafts movement of the late 1800s, once said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be b… Read More
We’ve had a bit of a rocky start to spring in the northeast, which is not uncommon for most spring seasons here. It’s hard to know when exactly the sweaters can be packed a… Read More
Another staff meeting conversation inspired this week’s post. Rachel, Beth, and I got to talking about some of our favorite products and realized that a lot of our choices centered aro… Read More
Coming up with post topics can be the hardest part of maintaining this blog. I prepare everything I need for a post the week before it is published and spend Mondays writing and publis… Read More
Ever since the ramping down of the skinny jeans trend a few years ago, I feel like trends in pants have been changing at a breakneck pace. In a short period, we’ve seen rises increase… Read More
Did you know that April is Financial Literacy Month? There are some of these symbolic months and days that we celebrate, like National Handwriting Day on January 23rd, May’s Wate… Read More
Even though we live with the pandemic long in our rearview mirror, there are some holdouts from living through that time that remain because the pandemic fundamentally shifted our thinking a… Read More
Last week, I worked with a client whose workplace dress code changed from sneaker-friendly to no longer allowing shoes with white soles, a.k.a. sneakers. Even though my client is a lawyer, s… Read More
Two Fridays ago, I was out running errands. Despite being in the upper 60s that day, in early March, it felt weird leaving the house without some form of a jacket. I popped my navy blazer… Read More
This summer, you will see many platform sandals to choose from. I enjoy wearing them because the platform mitigates the heel height so I can wear taller heels without them being too tall… Read More
Last week, I was shopping for a client and took notice of all the green, particularly brighter, saturated shades of the color. It got me curious and I popped over to the Pantone website and… Read More
Lately, I feel like the trends coming down the pike are more like a speeding train that has gone off the rails and can’t be stopped. I’m still refusing to embrace bootcut j… Read More
While on the hunt for some blog topic ideas, this Vogue article listed ’90s Redux as one of the trends for the upcoming season, describing it as “discreet chic.” The trend… Read More
The grand majority of our clients have foot issues. Figuring out how to work around these issues is just a part of my job. It’s part what always makes me chuckle a bit when… Read More
Recently, I was speaking with a client of mine who is a cancer survivor. We got to chatting about the difference that comes from feeling good about your appearance. She mentioned… Read More
If you were to read this article, written by a man, in Medium, you would never wear red to work. While I often find some truth in what is said about color psychology, I had a hard time swal… Read More
While brainstorming blog post ideas during a weekly staff meeting last week, we all agreed, that winter brights can be a great antidote for the bleakness that the season brings. With this i… Read More
The holidays are over and we’ve reached the less fun part of the winter journey. It’s cold, dark, and grey, the sun sets early, and without any holidays or festive events to loo… Read More
Since 2021, instead of New Year’s Resolutions, I have been choosing a word of the year as an alternative. This practice is relatively common and one that I find quite effective… Read More
About two years ago, I made a goal that I would not spend my 50th birthday in cold weather. If you have a winter birthday and live somewhere seasonal, you understand my pain. My… Read More
This will be my last blog post until I return from the New Year on the week of January 8th. We always shutter the blog over the holidays but usually stay open for clients throughout.&n… Read More
Every year, I look forward to the announcement of Pantone’s Color of the Year partly because it’s a nice distraction from the holidays and second, because I love color. The… Read More
It’s not uncommon for our clients to ask for help putting looks together during the holidays. This year, if a client came to me for holiday styling it was pretty much a guarantee I wa… Read More
How much is having great style worth to you?
Is it worth having more time to devote your mental bandwidth to th… Read More
When discussing what our Black Friday post would be about, Rachel, my assistant, and I talked about how Black Friday has become less about shopping for gifs and more about finding great deal… Read More
A few weeks ago, my sister, Beth, texted me and asked if I’d like to join her on a road trip with her youngest daughter, Avery, to visit her oldest daughter, Morgan, a third-year colle… Read More
In January, I wrote a post about my menopausal hair. I had lived through a heck of a time when it seemed like overnight my hair went from smooth, sleek, and straight to frizzy, dry, an… Read More
My first experience with double-face wool was in the late 90s when I was still a fashion designer. For most of my design career, I worked in what was known as the bridge market of the indus… Read More
This season, I have selected faux or real leather pants for nearly all my clients. In some cases, these pants have been pulled for weekend wear but in many cases, my selections have been fo… Read More
As they say, it’s sweater weather, or, if we’re quoting Saturday Night Live, “sweatah weathah.” After a long, hot summer, the crisp, cool sweater-requiring climate i… Read More
Unlike other seasons, autumn is the one where we truly remark on the colors. The shades are rich, vibrant, colorful, and brilliant. They’re hard to resist. It’s a visually st… Read More
I have always said that in order to be a good stylist, a person who does this job needs to blank out their personal style preferences. I constantly put clients in things that I would never… Read More
Last week I was making shopping selections for a client for work who has a preference for color. During my pulls, I kept asking myself if I was selecting enough color for her. Color for th… Read More
About a year and a half ago, I started working with my client Ms. Astounding who would be the first to tell you that when we met, her wardrobe needed a lot of help. Having just lived t… Read More
Plaid is an interesting and versatile pattern. On the one hand, you could say that plaid, which has Scottish roots, is very preppy, traditional, and classic (golf pants and parochial s… Read More
After what feels like the shortest August that I can recall, I’m back. The final month of summer was, well, stressful. While I didn’t expect that I would coast… Read More
Every August, our blog goes dark. While we do continue to see clients, we use this extra bit of free time away not just to take a break but to use the opportunity to regroup, reflect and str… Read More
It seemed like everyone I spoke to this weekend had plans to see the new Barbie movie and I don’t think it was just because it was blazing hot and the movie theater is a popular place… Read More
Despite it being women’s winter, otherwise known as meat-locker temperatures in the office, it’s still blazing hot outside. I don’t care where you live in the northern hemi… Read More
I have a feeling that if Sandy, this month’s member of the month, lived in the same city as me we’d totally be friend… Read More
It’s time for the sale of the year, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, which dates back to the early 1960s with Nordstrom’s acquisition of Best Apparel, which had been running an &l… Read More
It has been said that the coldest winter is an office summer, known as Women’s Winter. Anyone who has worked in an office environment will likely attest, this is incredibly accurate. E… Read More
Like it or not, cardigans are critical players in a summer wardrobe. The hotter it gets outside, the colder it becomes indoors, making cardigans—unless you want to die from hypothermia… Read More
One of the good things that came out of the COVID pandemic was the collective abandonment by women of wearing uncomfortable clothing to work. Pre-pandemic, women were more likely to pour the… Read More
Not all members of our Facebook Group are clients but many are. While we are prohibited from identifying our clients, they… Read More
Last week, my client, Mrs. Wonderful, who is now living in Paris, was in town to do some shopping. As always, we stopped by one of our favorite shops, Meg. In the past, I have written about… Read More
Last week, I worked on pulling shopping selections for a client with ‘coastal grandmother’ style. This client is in fact a grandmother, aged 74, and let’s just say coastal… Read More
Conceptually, white jeans are awesome. Wearing them, on the other hand, can be tricky. Being potential stain magnets aside, the idea of fitting your bum into a pair and what it will look l… Read More
Who doesn’t like the ease that dresses offer in the summer? You throw them on and you’re out the door. Easy peasy. Well, it’s not always easy peasy; not if you have a s… Read More
Jona, May’s Facebook Group Member of the Month, is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. With her permi… Read More
As not to offend, I want to preface this post by saying that I completely get that all moms are technically working moms. I… Read More
The first thing most people think of when they think of linen pants is easy, elastic waist pants that are fluid, and drapey. Well, first they probably think wrinkles. Linen is the perfect… Read More
See what I did there with the header photo? Trapeze, trapeze dress? In case you don’t know, that person swinging up there is me. I took a trapeze class for my 46th birthday in 2020… Read More
Once the weather gets warm, the desire for more color in our clothes increases and, certainly, wearing colorful pants during the spring/summer is nothing new. However, this season, I’… Read More
My Facebook Group has been around for a few years now and what has come as a result has been the familiarity that has been formed… Read More
There is a reason why the combination of blue and orange is used so liberally in packaging. Advertising with complementary colors, or colors that sit directly opposite the other on the color… Read More
Before we dig in too deeply about today’s post topic, I just want to, yet again, clear up a few things about my feelings about wearing black. There is a belief out there that I have s… Read More
When the utility jumpsuit trend became a thing last year it perplexed me. The coveralls look is so specific and utilitarian in appearance that I couldn’t figure out who would want to… Read More
Last week, I shared my post about using photography as color inspiration to create beautiful looks. You can read the blog post here and see the outfits I created. When I do posts like this… Read More
One of the posts I like to share is the use of photography as an inspiration for putting looks together. It has been a while since I shared one of these types of posts, so I thought it would… Read More
Despite our Facebook Group being a friendly and welcoming place, it takes courage and a willingness to be vulnerable to share out… Read More
There has always been a general reluctance toward the color yellow. Given the natural cheerfulness of the color, you would think there would be more love for the shade, but according to one… Read More
I was home with a cold all weekend and I’m still feeling a bit blechy and cranky, so I’m going to cut right to the chase: I don’t like ruffles and I hate puff sleeves. It&r… Read More
In honor of Black History Month, I am lifting up the contributions to the fashion industry made by women of color. Not only are t… Read More
If you’ve been shopping online, you may have noticed how many bright colors are out there. Often, when I find myself with writer’s block and can’t figure out what my blog p… Read More
I have known Alex, February’s Facebook Group Member of the Month, for a long time. She is one of my earliest clients who hi… Read More
This post is not sponsored and is an honest account. All products were paid for. This post, however, does include some affiliate links.
Contrary to what some believe, I don’t have… Read More
I’ve always been a producer at heart. I love the process of taking an idea and crafting it into something tangible. As frustrating as I often found my job as a fashion designer, seein… Read More
In terms of preference, everyone wants an easy-to-navigate wardrobe instead of one that is chaotic and hard to manage. It’s such an accomplishment when you can open the closet door and… Read More
I have encountered the styles of many women over the years where I know for a fact that I would never wear one item they have on, yet, at the same time, find myself absolutely drawn and insp… Read More
It is such a pleasure to feature Sarah Blunkosky as our first Facebook Group Member of the Month for 2023. With Sarah’s per… Read More
If you ever needed evidence that choosing a word of the year works as an alternative path to setting resolutions, the outcome for me in 2022 is all the proof you will need to understand the… Read More
This will be my last post before we wind down for the holiday and the year. When I look back at 2022, I am blown away by how it started and how it ended. If you recall, my word of the year f… Read More
It’s rare to see one of Pantone’s Colors of the Year be so widely embraced, but Viva Magenta, their color of the year for 2023 seems to be the great unifier. It stands to reason… Read More
There are two colors I have an inexplicable obsession with. Neon coral is one of them, not coral, neon coral, and magenta. Both shades give me visceral reactions which include immediate feel… Read More
If there is one vivid memory that stands out when I think of Kris, our Facebook Group Member of the Month for December, it was ba… Read More
When it comes to choosing the best colors to wear, it’s not uncommon to rely heavily on whether a color is warm or cool. Once someone silos themselves into one of these two temperature… Read More
It’s unbelievable to me that the holidays are here again and that this Friday another holiday shopping season will be kicked off with Black Friday. Although, it’s been a few yea… Read More
Last Friday, I closed my week working with one of my regular clients whose wardrobe I’ve been developing over the past year. The transformation has been astounding, and so is my client… Read More
It was a mid-winter evening in 1992, my senior year in high school. I remember this moment so vividly because I owned this buffalo plaid boyfriend coat that I loved and because it was the fi… Read More
There is a really cool aspect of my Facebook Group that I don’t feel I can take complete credit for. It’s the s… Read More
A few weeks ago, I had my assistant, Rachel, in stitches when I said, “people in New Jersey don’t wear coats.” The whole conversation started while she and I were reviewing… Read More
If you would have told me a few years ago that the shoe I’d wearing most often in the fall of 2022 would be the chunky lug sole loafer, I would have laughed you out of your chair. Year… Read More
It’s official, I love Boston. Wow, do I love it. Every time I travel to a new city, I ask myself if I would live there. Not only did Boston make the list, but it also jumped to the top… Read More
It’s interesting how you can develop a sense of knowing a person despite the fact that you will never be in the same room w… Read More
A trip to Boston this weekend was a somewhat last-minute plan. Since my niece, Morgan, headed up there last year to attend Emerson College, there, of course, has always been an intention to… Read More
At some point, you have or will receive an invitation to an event with a dress code specification. Most often, the dress code is casual with an adjective or descriptor in front of it. The wo… Read More
In last week’s post about my fall fashion plan, there was a resale Rag & Bone blazer on my list of things I intended to buy. I loved the blazer for its cool seaming, the bright ora… Read More
I found great success in making plans for my spring wardrobe. It’s funny that after years of helping my clients manage their wardrobes, I never really considered being as thought out a… Read More
I know this month’s Facebook Group’s Member of the Month really well. Jamie is a client and let me tell you som… Read More
Every week, the topic of what my blog post will be about hangs over my all head until I come up with it. I don’t mind writing a blog post weekly but until I figure out what the topic w… Read More
Every year when I return from my August blogging hiatus, I like to come back prepared with an insightful or reflective topic that opens the new season off right. I don’t go seeking out… Read More