friendships

are still in 1980s back at a high school reunion—but not if it doesn't fit my style."

Todd offers a variety of fashion teaching including private fashion consultations, closet makeovers, personal shopping, style packages, color, dressing for your body shape, and embracing your own style.

A fashion consult with Todd will look differently depending on the group. She sits down with individuals, mother-daughter teams, or groups of women. But no matter what the group dynamics are, she always starts with color. Todd will discuss your hair color, eye color, skin color combination and has six dominate color groups that she differentiates between. She tells each person the name of their own color group: clear, warm, soft, deep, cool, or light. Knowing your color group is important because each group has a set of colors that they look best in.

When Todd goes shopping the first thing she does is scan the store looking for her colors. "If I don't see my colors in the store, then I don't go in. I used to waste a lot of money because I'd buy things that weren't my color. And I'd get home and go to wear them and they weren’t flattering. Now, I always look at color first."

You can go to Todd's website, click on her Pinterest button and proceed to her Pinterest Page. "I have Pinterest boards called Coloring Boards, and there are samples of clothing combinations for each color. It will help you know what to look for when you go shopping. When people tell me they hate to shop, they often don't know what they are looking for. Finding out your color group is the best way to start feeling confident and knowing what to look for when you enter a shop."

"I've never seen anyone look bad in navy. Some people can't wear black. It overpowers and ages some color categories. Also, you don't want people to notice your clothes first; you should notice a person’s face first. The clothes should be secondary. They should say 'She's beautiful. I like that shirt,' not 'I like that shirt. Oh, she's pretty.'"

The second thing that Todd does in a fashion consult is to consider basic body style/ shape. The body styles are usually one of four types and/or a combination called the Bod-X System. "B's carry weight in their belly. O's carry the majority of their weight in their bust and middle. D's in the hips. X's are fairly equal. And Curvy's are plus-sized. Once we have your body shape explained, we talk about what to look for in shirts and bottoms, the lines, the lengths, the emphasis."

The next discussion would be on your own personal style. Todd says the purpose of fashion is to reflect who you are personally. "There are several styles of fashion. A Pure Natural loves jeans and t-shirts, she’s the type of person who might shop at Eddie Bauer. A Fashionista loves all things fashion. She will tend to wear different styles on different days depending on her mood. A Classic Modern will wear classic lines of clothing coupled with up to date accessories and might prefer to shop Herberger's or Macys. Creative Original people prefer creating their own style often shopping at thrift stores.

They make wildly free combinations and do not necessarily follow trends."

"Learning what your own style is gives you the freedom to begin to trust who you are. It allows you to start putting your own colors and styles together to express outwardly who you are and what you enjoy."

"Going into the holidays and into winter is a great time to do column dressing," Todd said. "That is when you wear inner pieces like a shirt and pants and cover the ensemble with a sweater or jacket. It creates a flattering line. Overall that is a great look for the holidays. I personally love all things sparkly and fun which is also perfect for Christmas."

Down the Road

"This is a lighthearted song. I'm just going down the road trying to follow God as He leads."

Todd sings at weddings and funerals. She speaks at various events about women, relationships, friendships, fashion and faith. Her speaking engagements include music and original songs. "When a woman comes to one of my events, I want her to walk out knowing that she is fearfully and wonderfully made. I want her to know that she is beautiful. I want to inspire women to love their husbands and their families and their friends."

"I get excited about all of the things I do," Todd said, "but at the core, the main thing, I'm a singer/ songwriter. There is something so inspiring in a song. I can talk for an hour at an event and give a lot of information, but still, there is a three minute song that wraps it all up. I want my songs to inspire and connect women. I'm just a woman walking down the road myself. Trying to follow Jesus. And, like I said in the song I wrote called Follow Me, if I want to follow, I have to bend my knees." {AW}

For more information visit Todd's website www.taunyatodd.com