The following are commissioned magazine articles.

Embrace your unique self

By Emma Polini, Grayson Magazine (2018)

Many women, and men, have that pair of jeans buried in the back on their closet. You know the jeans — the ones that used to fit flawlessly, but now you can’t even fit over your thighs. While there are plenty of solutions for dropping the pounds and squeezing your way back into those pants, there is another option: embrace your body how it is.

A vital element of health is loving yourself, and an excellent way to love your body is to dress it in ways that flatter your unique shape, style, age and other personal factors.

Body confidence

Style is many things, with a huge factor being state of mind. Flaunt what you have and own your style — nothing screams sexy like confident. But in order to be confident, you must first find the courage to show off your shape.

 Lynne Shadden, owner of Panache clothing shop in Saint Jo focuses on clients embracing themselves.

“We’re real big on if you like it and you are happy with your body image, then wear it,” she said of her store’s motto. “A lot of people just can’t pull everything off. But if you are happy with your body image, go for it.”

Personal style is about exploration, which should not be limited based on your figure. At the same time, Lynne Shadden warns shoppers against making purchases that are outside of their comfort zone based on the advice of others.

“Make sure you’re comfortable in it,” she said. “Don’t let someone sway you into something that’s not your style or you’ll spend money foolishly.”

Marketing Director at Liberty Crossing Mall Ashlyn Shadden finds joy in bringing customers in her mother’s shop out of their shells as she helps them embrace themselves through their personal style.

“We get lots of women who are used to hiding and covering up,” said Ashlyn Shadden. “It’s nice to suggest certain things that are better for their age and body style — certain things that are tailored in the right area, flowier, covering up any areas that women might want to cover up.”

A concern of Ashlyn Shadden is that many women try to hide body parts that they feel insecure about under ponchos, baggy clothing or ill-fitted outfits. People tend to inadvertently lose their shape and pack on the illusion of extra pounds by hiding their body in larger sizes.

“It’s nice to try to talk people down and say ‘no, try the smaller size,’” said Ashlyn Shadden. “That can just really, really change your whole attitude on what you’re wearing when it fits nice.”

Lynne Shadden echoed similar advice, noting that adding more fabric to conceal the figure only weighs down the frame and makes the wearer appear heavier than they are. Women should instead focus on comfily revealing their natural shapes.

Tips and tricks

While all women should embrace their bodies and dress in a way that makes them happy, certain styles create more flattering figures in order to better illuminate one’s shape. Coordinator of Media Relations for Macy’s Inc. Brittany Sepulveda shared her expert industry advice on how to best flatter women’s figures.

 An hourglass shaped body refers to women who have a wider bust and hips of similar measurements and a narrower waist.

“The best outfits for this figure are ones that do not hide a person’s curves, but instead emphasize them by highlighting their waist,” Sepulveda said for styling this shape. “Dresses or coats with a cinched waist are great choices.”

 Sepulveda recommends wrap dresses and trench coats for hourglass figures.

Banana shaped bodies are evenly proportioned with waists that tend to not be well defined.

“The best outfits for this body type are ones that emphasize a person’s bust and hips, helping them appear larger and more proportional, while also drawing attention to their waist,” said Sepulveda of banana shapes. “Ruffled shirts and tapered pants can help these body areas stand out and create balance.”

Styles she recommends for these body types include off the shoulder tops, which are still very popular.

Pear shaped bodies include women with smaller busts and torsos and wider hips and backsides.

“For this body type the best outfits will balance a person’s figure by emphasizing their torso, while still accentuating their lower half,” Sepulveda said of pear shaped figures. “Great choices are dresses that highlight the torso and waist but also drape over wider hips.”

Debbie McNees of Fashion Reflections in Sherman said that if a woman is not comfortable with wearing statement pieces when it comes to clothing, she can amp up her wardrobe with statement jewelry or handbags or turn up the heat by adding in a pop of a vibrant color. She classified black and white as a fashion classic for any age that provides a polished look.

 “There is an art to fashion — and mastering it is a lifelong mission,” said McNees.

“Spend the majority of your fashion budget on pieces that reflect who you are the majority of your time, but spend a little of your budget on something that is fun and irrational that maybe reflects who you might like to be in a whimsical moment.”

Ageless style

Society places a lot of pressure on women, with certain stigmas and restrictions coming with aging. While some women feel obliged to hide their body parts that do not fit into society’s strict standards, it is important to feel beautiful at every age.

Sherman store owner Emmi Wilson, who operates Laurel E. Boutique on 110 S Crockett St in Sherman, has been open for business for five months and offers trendy clothing to all age groups and body types.

 “Sherman has been great and really open to this kind of style,” said Wilson, who described her boutique’s clothing as having a “city vibe” to them. “We cater to all age groups, because we believe that style is not limited to an age. It’s so fun seeing the range of women in here.”

Wilson emphasized that she believes all age groups can looking good in the same clothing, encouraging women to embrace their look rather than having to alter their style as they get older.

“We cater to all body types, all ages,” Wilson said of the store. “It’s not really about an age group. It’s about style and being confident in what you’re wearing.”

A tip Wilson recommended for styling shorter figures is tucking shirts in to elongate the body, which includes tie-front shirts that have been making their way across shelves.

“I think off-the-shoulder is still very flattering,” Wilson added. “It hits everybody in a really good place. Most women are really self-conscious about their arms. When you kind of cut off that it makes everything look very narrow, flattering everybody.”

Despite popular belief, other smaller boutiques in the area cater to many age groups as well.

“We cater mostly to late 20s up to 60ish,” said Lynne Shadden, adding that Panache carries home decor too. “We try to hit on every age. We’d like to expand to men and young kids.”

“It is our mission at Fashion Reflections to help women of all ages ‘walk their runway’ in style,” said McNees.

McNees said that aging does not have to involve dramatic changes, but rather slight alterations to styles in order to best compliment the body. For example while a younger woman might prefer sleeveless dresses, more mature women might instead select dresses with eye-catching sleeves. She defined fashion as “change, newness and experiment,” noting that if something like destroyed jeans are trending, mature fashionistas can feel free to try this trend to a less extreme degree.

“Fashion ‘hiding’ is the natural reflex of a maturing fashionista. Stop it! Embrace it!” said McNees. “Confidence comes with maturity, and so much fashion is wrapped up in the confidence of the wearer. Some of our most fashionable customers in our 31 years of retail have been ladies who have lived life the longest — but whose age is a non-event — because their attitudes in embracing newness and change in fashion causes you to forget their age.”

The overall takeaway? Embrace yourself exactly how you are. Though changes might be needed to ensure for health — whether this means gaining or losing weight — confidence is purely mental and each woman possesses her own unique beauty.

How to look your best without over-packing

By Emma Polini, Grayson Magazine (2018)

Whether you are taking a night trip or making it a week-long event, one of the biggest downfalls of travel often arrives before you leave. Luckily there are certain guidelines and tricks to make packing convenient so you can look and feel your best even when you’re a thousand miles from the comfort of home.

Manage your space

Professional organizer Lisa Trigsted from Neat Freak McKinney lent her expert advice on how to best approach packing.

“The overall picture is less is more when you’re traveling,” Trigstead, who recommends rolling clothing in order to maximize space and minimize wrinkling, says. “I like to pack in layers, with solid colors, because you can mix and match better.”

Trigsted says it’s best to have a travel outfit to wear both to and from the airport to save room. Printed out packing lists, which she said you can find on websites such as Pinterest, also make it easier to avoid the perils of over-packing.

Vickie White with Vickie White Travel is another seasoned local packer, performing packing seminars in cities such as Sherman while she has served as a travel agent over the last four decades.

“I don’t even open my closet door until I’ve made a list,” White says of how to avoid over-packing. “Once I list my clothes, then I pull them from the closet.”

Meanwhile Terri Cox, with Organized By Terri in Frisco, suggests a travel notebook to keep travelers coordinated.

”Include travel agent phone numbers, hotel information, airlines and frequent flyer numbers and agencies for car rentals and itineraries,” Cox says. “Make copies of information that is pertinent to your trip from travel magazines and guidebooks — instead of the whole book. Keep the papers together in a pouch, so it’s organized and easy to retrieve fitting flat inside your suitcase.”

Any seasoned packer knows that one of the greatest difficulties arrives when it comes to fitting in shoes.

Trigsted stresses the importance of not over-packing shoes, which take up lots of room, emphasizing the value of cute tennis shoes that can be dressed up or down to complement any room. In order to maximize space, the space inside shoes can be used to store underwear and socks. This also prevents shoes from losing their shape in the suitcase.

Lisa Williams from Simplicity Professional Organizing in Melissa says to avoid checking bags when traveling internationally, as it will only add to travel time.

Another general tip White recommends for families is putting one outfit from each person in someone else’s luggage. That way, if someone’s luggage gets lost, the person at least has one outfit to wear.

Utilize aids

Even if you consider yourself a packing pro, there are purchases you can make to maximize clothes preservation.

Trigsted says that a tool called “Tighty Snaps,” which are like slap on bracelets, secure together rolls of clothing.

“For kids, I would use those to do outfits,” Trigsted says. “I would roll a shirt and a pant together to match.”

Another suggestion for packing children’s clothing, according to Trigsted, is to use Ziplock baggies with air pushed out of them and days of the week labeled on them. By sectioning off the kid’s clothes through one of these methods, children can dress themselves quickly.

“It makes your life easier when you’re on vacation,” Trigsted advises.

Vacuum seal bags are available at locations such as Bag’n Baggage in Dallas, making packing easier. Packing devices also exist without vacuum seals, requiring the user to just squeeze out the air and close the top. Trigsted said you simply have to lay down on the bags in order to use them, while the absence of air prevents wrinkling. This method of sealing clothes also makes it easy to repack items when it’s time to head back home.

Storing items properly is also important.

“Definitely use travel size bottles for liquids — add to your quart size plastic bag and keep in in your backpack for easy access during the security shuffle. Which items can the two of you share?” Williams asks for traveling couples. “Husbands usually have more space available in their Ziplock to share with you. Don’t forget the hotel has endless supplies of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and soap.

Preserve your attire

Many trips involve nights out, and some are centered around them. In order to look your best while living out of a bag, there are precautions to prevent wrinkling.

“You can’t roll those very well,” Trigsted says of evening dresses, advising using a method of air removal to best preserve fine attire that cannot be hung in a garment bag.

“With all the new micro-fiber fabrics that they have now, it’s really easy to look nice when you’re traveling,” White says. “You don’t have to take an iron or worry about anything, because there’s good fabrics out there now.”

White recommends packing micro-fibers and knits, which she consider to be “more forgiving” fabrics that fold easily and don’t wrinkle. She utilizes a process called “jet packing” for nicer clothes, such as business trip attire. This involves her laying pants out flat and alternating tops and bottoms, while buttoning and laying shirts with the arms out and stacking them. Then she folds all arms in flat, aiming for all the clothing fabric to take up the air space.

“It will look really nice when you get there,” White says of clothing packed with this method. “You can just take it out and shake it, even if it’s just a cotton shirt.”

While it is always important to leave a little room for new purchases, White advised to fill up space.

“The key to packing something (like an evening gown) is you want to take up every bit of space in the suitcase,” White says. “The idea is to fill up any spaces where you’re folding it with tissue paper. What gets things wrinkled is if there is air above the fabric and then it gets mashed flat.”

Pack judicially

Though you can certainly check as many bags as needed, many travelers prefer not to be burdened down by too much luggage. Checking bags also runs the risk of theft and damage, making it important to be able to mix and match outfits from a single bag to look chic on the go.

“I always pack a scarf or pashmina,” Trigsted says. “It’s something to wear in the airport if it’s cold or on the airplane if it’s cold, but it can also be used if you don’t want to take a big, heavy coat.”

Trigsted said to always remember the four ounce rule when it comes to toiletries, while picking up a travel pill case greatly eliminates space. For checked bags, she recommends bringing a smaller purse to store inside of a carry-on.

She recommends duffle bags, brief cases and backpacks for males. Carry-ons should always include the essentials if you are checking your bags — such as toiletries, medications and a change of clothes. Things that can be better left at home are blow dryers, since they can always be found at hotels along with irons.

By packing outfits that mix and match, less clothes will be needed to make different looks. Trigsted emphasizes focusing on versatility, while White tries to use only two colors schemes in order to maximize possibilities to mix outfits.

“I always take a bunch of scarves,” White says. “If you have on a pair of black pants and a black top, black sweater or black T-shirt and you put a scarf with it, you can go anywhere in the world, any restaurant with that outfit.”

Some may balk at the limited clothing options, but versatile pieces — such as black jeans and solid colors — pair well with a variety of accessories and tops to create a number of versatile looks without taking up too much space.

“Texas women dress so beautifully. So we tend to think we have to have all the stuff when we travel, but you really don’t,” White says. “Your trip is not really defined by what you’re wearing. You just need to make sure that you have comfortable clothes and shoes appropriate for the weather.”

Extra advice

“Plan for the unexpected,” Cox says. “Prepare a small first aid kit with only the basics and a travel-sized sewing kit.”

Other safety precautions she recommends include removing home addresses and landlines from luggage tags and adding cellphones instead. There are also precautions that Cox advises taking before leaving home.

“Install timers on lights and a radio or television so your home looks and sounds lived in,” Cox says. “Have trusted neighbors know how long you’ll be gone and how to reach you in an emergency. Ask them to keep a watchful eye on your place, possibly park their cars in the driveway occasionally.”

Extended trips may require newspaper suspensions and temporary mail holds. Cox says it is also wise to set the thermostat to an energy-saving level, unplug appliances, lock up valuables, toss out perishable items and secure the property. These precautions might take extra time, but will provide overall asset security.

On the other hand, there is room for traveling fun.

Trigsted suggested parents buy inexpensive toys and goodies to place in their children’s suitcase so that they can open if up on the airplane. This preoccupies the children for the trip, bringing them joy and the parents relief.

“If you’re traveling with a baby and you’re afraid they’re going to cry, I’ve seen people take snack baggies and put earbuds, a sweet treat and a note,” Trigstead says. This trick lessens the angry stares a crying baby might bring the parents, allowing the trip to be more enjoyable all-around.

Remember travel is supposed to be about relaxation, and with a bit of organization, packing doesn’t have to be an unnecessary stress.