As you might have noticed I have worked with a lot of women who have had cancer, and in many cases, breast cancer. It is a challenging time, to say the least, and so it is not surprising that after going through something as intense and life-changing as cancer their lives feel changed forever.

Meet Laura Craig-Bray. She says it best, “After treatment for breast cancer that included surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I looked into my closet and knew that everything had to go. I had been changed and needed clothes to express the person I had become.”

She goes on to share that, “I started trying on things I never would have considered previously and saw everything in a new light.”

What did that look like?

Let’s explore three of the most important components of building a wardrobe that had to be realigned for Laura starting with…

1. Color

As you can see, with Laura’s beautiful curly salt and pepper hair this dress had too much yellow in the print to truly flatter her beautiful hair, skin and eyes.

Instead, choosing a print with beautiful blues and teals makes her glow.

2. FIT

Look at Laura in her before dress. Where does your eye go? Everything in the outfit is drawing your eye down to her legs and feet:

• The asymmetrical hem ending mid-calf and pointing to her feet (with the ruffle leading to it),
• The neckline that is too low and wide,
• Although she has terrific shoulders (as you’ll see below) and great arms, the droopy cap sleeve does nothing to show them off.
• The heavy sandals with the high vamp bring the eye to her ankles (and they are not a good color for her either).

As you will see in all the ‘after’ pictures below, the outfits are designed to bring focus up to her face and to show off her arms, neck and legs.

All of those things together add up to an outfit that does not allow Laura to shine.

3. Inner Beauty

This is the heart of the work I do with all of my clients. Peering into their inner essence and discovering what makes them who they are is critical. For Laura, as with every woman, her inner beauty words begged to be expressed.

Her inner beauty words are:

• Flowing Elegance
• Irreverent
• Steely (defined for her as determined, focused, calm doggedness)
• Complex

Here is one example:

Laura looks great in black and especially fabulous in a charcoal gray. The flow of the cardigan with the clean lines add the flowing elegance, steely is reflected both literally with the steely color of the pants and necklace as well as with the strength of the belt she is wearing and the strong lines in the pattern of the pants. Complex is one of her most powerful words and is reflected in the pattern of the pants, the fun mix of accessories and always with her curly hair! When she chooses to express the irreverence, “It’s the unexpected piece that keeps the flowing elegance from taking itself too seriously. It’s often in the fabrics or the shoes or accessories contrasting with everything else.” For Laura, I see her hair as reflecting the irreverence – the curls give it a mind of its own.

In the outfit below, the very clean lines feel at the same time elegant and steely (there is nothing fussy about what she is wearing). And Laura rocks this fabulous, complex print in beautiful colors.

Laura loved finding a look that honestly reflects who she is. It makes getting dressed so much easier. And, as she shares, “After a series of adventures with Ginger that taught me how to focus in on what works best for me, I began to build a wardrobe of clothes that reflect me and make me feel fabulous every day! Rather than coming home empty handed as usual, I left the store with many pieces that I love and that will work with things I already have.”

If you allow color, fit and inner beauty to guide you, you, too, can have a wardrobe you adore. Take one step at a time forward and watch what happens. >

* * *

Laura having her makeup done:

Many thanks to my amazing ‘before and after’ team:

Josie Baker Procopio (www.jbakerstyles.com) — Hair
Theresa Johnson (www.johnsonphotography.com) — Photographer
Annie McGonagle – you’ve seen Annie in many of my videos and she assists me in the ‘Your Style, Your Way’ workshop. She added her amazing ‘joyously unrestrained’ essence to the experience for everyone! Annie has a great eBay business so check out her finds here: http://stores.ebay.com/AnniesFabulousBoutique
And, I did the makeup

*Inner Beauty Words: Each of my clients gets 4 personal inner beauty words. I have worked with hundreds and hundreds of women and no two have had the same 4 words. This is no surprise since each woman has an inner essence that is unique to her which is part of what makes it so exciting to help each of my clients find the wardrobe that makes them feel amazing.

A Note About the Clothes: All of Laura’s after outfits pictured here (and in the catalogue) are vegan. Please note that I am passionate about ending animal suffering and choosing cruelty-free clothing is just one aspect of a vegan lifestyle. If you have any questions about being vegan please let me know. I am happy to help and will answer any questions with kindness and compassion.