Katerina Bocci

Weddings are easily one of the most anticipated events in a person’s life, and it’s normal to want everything to be perfect. However, though perfection is not usually possible, the correct details’ alignment can bring us closer to our desire. Such features would include the wedding venue designs, the menu, and various outfits. One essential element of the bride’s attire is the use of accessories.

The Need for Accessorizing

People say that accessories are secondary aspects of clothing. However, we believe that they are essential to make up an outfit. Hence, the look is barely complete without them. Fashion designers and bloggers like Katerina Bocci can’t overstate the need for accessorizing, especially for a bride on her big day. One fashion blogger likens them to punctuations in writing.

Punctuating your clothes with the right accessories highlights the details and accentuates your style. It’s easy for the brides to focus more on the dress and overlook jewelry until they finalize everything. However, that shouldn’t be the case as they contribute to creating a unique presentation for each bride. Hence, it’d be best to consider them with the dress.

Various Bridal Accessories

To be an excellent stylist or run a fashion store successfully, you must appropriately combine various bridal accessories. That’s because there are several of them, and it’s possible to lose their essence while trying to use too many. In no particular order, the first category contains the headpieces. They include decorative combs, fascinators, tiaras, and veils.

The second category is that of jewelry like earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Many other essentials can’t necessarily be categorized. They include the shoes, garter, lingerie, and, most importantly, the bridal purse. Your purse mustn’t be too small to be easily misplaced.

Bridal Accessorizing Tips

The fashion market is replete with exquisite bridal jewelry and accessory collections. Nevertheless, the key to getting the best out of them is to know how to use them appropriately. As a bride or bridal stylist, figure out what works for you or your clients and build on that. Remember that it’s the little details that complete the overall beauty. To help you, we’ll discuss some tips below.

1.   Have a Budget

For any project, budgets are essential considerations, and an example is your wedding. Some people get scared of making a budget because they think it limits the possibility of achieving their dreams. Yet, that’s not necessarily true. Instead, it gives a target of the price range you’re working with and helps you maximize it to get the best. Even if your wedding funds are large, allocate a budget to accessories to prevent splurging.

2.   Complement the Dress

Every bride knows how difficult it can be to find the right dress. Hence, it’s essential that once you have it, you don’t do anything that’ll mar its glory on that day. They should complement the fabric, neckline, shape, length, and style to bring out the best dress and not outshine it. Having them struggle for attention individually creates a chaotic look.

3.   Hairstyle is Important

By now, you should understand that every area matters, including the hair. Hence, it’s best to decide on the hairstyle before concluding on jewelry. That’s because certain hairstyles can determine the type you’d be able to use. For example, wearing your hair down or loose would call for smaller earrings while updos require drooping earrings.

4.   Factor in Comfort

As with most fashion items, you should be comfortable in them. Making a statement is nice, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your contentment. Depending on the venue and type of wedding you’re having, it might be a long day. Therefore, you’d want things that you can wear for an extended period without getting irritable. However, you could arrange to have something more comfortable to change into much later.

5.   Consider Colors Carefully

Color coordination is essential to create aesthetically pleasing effects. Hence, there must be appropriate color matching for all the accessories chosen. Consider the wedding theme colors, the bouquet, the color of your dress, and all the other peripheries. However, while trying to coordinate, ensure that you don’t end up with a matchy-matchy theme.

6.   Go with the Current Trends

This tip is vital because trendy things are easier to find when shopping. That doesn’t mean it has to be fresh on the market, but something that’s befitting for the period you find yourself. Hence, it’s best to look up fashion and trends for the current year. For example, someone planning a wedding this year would check out the bridal trends for 2020.

7.   Read Bridal Magazines and Blogs

One of the primary things brides do is get a collection of magazines for inspiration. So this tip is something most people already do as an unwritten rule. However, the emphasis is necessary because it’s from these magazines and blogs that you get ideas. It’s those ideas that you then build upon to decide what accessories you want and work for your style.

8.   Use the Accessories at Your Dress Fitting

As said earlier, it’s a fact that most people value the dress above all else. In line with that, they believe that dress fittings should only be for the dress. However, it would be best if the final dress fittings simulate your wedding look as much as possible. You can skip the makeup, and you don’t need a professional hairdo for the fitting. The aim is to get the overall look and be sure it works.

9.   Strive for a Personal Touch

Though we advise following trends and drawing inspiration from others, it’s crucial to put your spin on things. The fine details matter, and it provides you with a uniqueness that adds memorability to your wedding. Choose pieces that mean something to you, your significant other, the both of you, or even your family. That way, you make it something that’s yours alone.

10. Buy Items with Significance to You

Beyond complementing your dress and making a fashion statement, the accessories you choose must be significant to you. What we mean by that is they must be things you like and can reuse after the big day. Also, people believe that wedding attires are automatic heirlooms, so yours must be things you can preserve and pass down someday if you wish. When buying online or using your cards or even cash, be careful with what you are using as identity theft is now rampant. It would really if you have the best identity theft protection for safety. You would not want your buying experience traumatic, don’t you?

For a long time, models have been known to be small in size. That is a myth. Anyone can be a model as long as you have the passion.

Although some modeling agencies are specific depending on the purpose in which they want the model.

 It doesn’t mean people with meat can’t slay in heels. Whether you are a plus size or a small size, modeling is a career for all.

The difference is in your mind. Now the big question is, how can you stay fit as a model?

That healthy body is a result of healthy living. You must be in shape to be attractive in a cover magazine.

Moreover, it would help if you also were fit to swing in heels on the dais. To achieve all these, you need a wholesome approach to healthy living. Your emotional, physical, and social health need to be on point.  

Healthy living is not all about diet. A lot comes with it. Some include

• Lifestyle
• Level of knowledge
• Passion for fashion 
• physical activities
• Social circle of friends

With all these characteristics, what will you achieve as a model?

• Toned body
• Glowing skin
• Great posture
• Maintain a natural size
• Always looking young

Let’s go straight to the point …

What you need to know about healthy tips for models

1. Enroll in a workout program

Plus-size models tend to work hard to have a standard size of a model. Some of the bodyweights could be genetic making, and the more you train to lose it is, the more you gain.

Therefore, talk to your fitness instructor and have an intimate discussion on what is workable for you.

You don’t do this for the modeling career; it’s for your good. Don’t overstrain in the name of modeling.

• Eat a balanced and healthy diet

Most models starve to prevent excess fat on their bodies. Some go an extra mile to swallow slimming pills for the same purpose.

 Is it worth it? Nutritionists advocate for other dietary tips rather than the crash weight loss programs.

You need the energy, and the only way to get it is from the food you eat. Models should exercise proper weight loss measures to have the desired weight. Here are a few of them

• Minimize intake of fast foods, keep it once a week
• Avoid the soft drinks
• Replace refined snacks with fruits and vegetables
• Exercise portion control
• Eat proteins for energy instead of carbohydrates
• Cook from home and avoid restaurant foods
• Carry homemade meals to work to prevent temptations

• Engage in activities that improve your mood

Did you know that when you are in a bad mood, it reflects on your body? Leave the physical outlook; you can’t get that desired glowing skin when not at peace with yourself.

Life can be hard. Models get it rough. The high expectations and the hassle of getting the desired brand ambassador deal are enough to destroy your mood.

Such scenarios are unpreventable, but you have control over whether it affects you or not. The best thing is to relax and meditate on the positives about the career.

Get enough rest, when in that mood, switch on the fan. The cool breezes you want to get to the beach have it at home.

The excellent air circulation is a feel-good stimulant. Get one with a sleek space-saving design with LED lights of different colors to boost your mood.

• Minimize stress and anxiety

What is beyond your control, leave it for the Supreme Being. Models should invest in a sound social support system to offer a shoulder to lean on to reduces stress levels.

Counseling psychologists better handle the anxiety associated with models; it has a way of affecting your performance as a model.

You can’t give your best when you are stressed.

One side effect of stress is the ability to drive you to other unhealthy lifestyle practices, which further cause an emotional drain.

Models need proper emotional health to think straight and also to have that lean body.

• Get enough sleep

As simple as it sounds, sleep is vital in any human, not only models. The reduction of stress and relaxing experience models can be achieved through a kind and sweet sleep.

It comes with many benefits relevant to a model. Here are but a few

• Reduces stress levels
• Improves one’s mood
• Aids in maintaining a healthy weight
• Boosts one’s memory- emotional health
• Allows the body to rejuvenate after a hard day’s work

What hinders you from achieving the desired weight either as a small size or plus-size model?

Is it your lifestyle or poor choices you make in life? Whatever the reason, it’s not yet late. You can still be your model dream girl and appear in top fashion magazines as a cover model. You have the keys to be what you want to be in the fashion industry.

Running a fashion retail shop like any other business requires you to put the vitals in place to stand a chance at survival. A successful fashion business goes beyond just setting up a store and putting wares into the store.

There are factors you must consider if you intend to run a fashion retail store successfully. Market competition, positioning your store, and customer traffic would be part of your paramount concerns.

Here we’ve put a couple of points together to help you successfully start and run a fashion retail store.

A Business Plan

The survival or otherwise of any business hinges so much on its business plan. Your business does not start with raising huge funds and renting large business spaces. Setting out your entire business on paper is the right place to start.

A business plan goes beyond just the surface. Consider mapping your business days, business hours, your target market, who’ll be your staff, and other little details. Your business plan is that detailed document that covers your whats, wheres, whens, whys, and hows.

Also, your business plan should cover factors like

• The goals and objectives of your business
• Your management structure
• An overview of your products
• A market analysis that includes details of your competitors
• Financial statements of your income and expenditure expectations
• Your detailed marketing and advertising strategy

Starting on the right footing is essential for business success, and a detailed business plan will help you achieve it.

Find the Right Business Space

Choosing a suitable business location is one of the right steps towards business success. It makes no sense to open for business and have no customers coming in, all because you’re in the wrong location.

A location with a high traffic count is ideal. Your retail shop would perform better if it’s close to another non-competitive retail shop. The retail shop will help draw more foot counts to your business and increase your sales opportunity.

Besides a location with high walk-in traffic, consider the size of your shop, and facilities available. Look for a space large enough to contain everything you’ll want to have in stock, a storeroom, and other essentials.

Also, the demography of your store location will help you determine what to sell, and avoid having a high-end fashion shop in a low earning neighborhood.

Take Inventory and Keep Proper Account

Keeping and maintaining an account is generally essential in life, and can’t be overemphasized in a business. If you don’t have a record of what you earn and how much you spend monthly, it’ll be impossible to determine if you’re making a profit or not.

Take inventory of your business. Always keep track of what’s selling, what’s not, average turnover and the profit margin of your stock. Such records will help you make appropriate market adjustments.

Using technology to keep track and accounts of your business will make the entire process easy for you and also allows you to keep the most accurate records of your business.

Advertise and Advertise

Your fashion retail shop may be the best around town. But if you’re not making sales, you’re worse than that poorly equipped shop at the end of the city with regular customer visits. Your customers can only know what you’re doing when you let them know.

Advertising is very vital for any business. You must put words out there to let customers know you’re open and what you do. Identify your target market and find out the best channels of advertising.

You can’t overlook digital marketing in present-day advertising. It’s fast and affordable. Build a web and social media presence, grow your followership of potential customers, and keep them engaged. Digital marketing can announce your business even before you open your doors.

Use the Right Staffing

Building the right team is as important as opening up in a good location. Beyond getting customers, keeping and maintaining old customers is key to business success. Your team of employees can help make or mar this aspect of your business.

Your staff can help customers with their shopping. It’s commonplace to see customers finding it difficult to navigate through the store. This scenario, for instance, is a perfect opportunity to build a good customer relationship. Your team is responsible for making the shopping experience easy for customers.

Hiring a young group of lads interested in the fashion world, for instance, would have your team put in their best because they have a passion for the job they do.

Maintain Good Customer Service and Communication with Customers

Communication is essential for business success. Build excellent customer relationships by responding to inquiries and complaints. Excellent communication with your customers will foster good interpersonal relationship and have your customers coming back all the time.

Each customer is unique and vital, and it’s essential to protect their privacy while ensuring excellent service. Make use of suggestion boxes, for instance, to collect anonymous customer dissatisfaction, while preserving the identity of the customer. This method will tailor your customer service aright.

Provide Protection Against Theft

Nothing cripples a business faster than theft and loss. Take every step necessary to ensure you protect your store from any form of theft. Consider hiring a team of security experts to secure your business, particularly the cyber aspect.

Employ technology and security cameras to provide support for your security team, and effectively protect your business.

Successfully running a fashion retail store requires discipline, research, and consistent adaptation to new trends. Also, be conscious of upselling other products in your store to every customer that walks in. It’ll give your customers a sense of being valued. Finally, you must possess consistent character for success.