RSC #99 Sandra Veum Digital cover

RSC#99 APRIL 2024

On The Cover

Sandra Veum of Mariposa Style, Personal Wardrobe Stylist Whose Mission is to Build Style Confidence for Everyone

Michelle Hillery

Mary Beth Kellee

Michael Ungaro

Johnny Depp

Luz Maria Utrera

Billie Ellish

Erla Brizeuzus-Pierre

Ann Golumbuk

Ann D’Silva

THE MET

Meet Sandra Veum of Mariposa Style, a Style Concierge Whose Mission is to Build Style Confidence for Everyone!

By Jules Lavallee

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Sandra Veum is a highly sought after Personal Wardrobe Stylist in San Diego. Sandra helps enhance your current style and become a better version of yourself. She focuses her efforts on your individual needs, body type and budget rather than a specific designer, brand, or store. She believes that everyone can be “effortless chic” with their own individual style and at any price. Individual style comes from a person being inspired, open-minded, and confident with who they are. She will help you develop your own personal style and integrate it into your life.

Sandra started her business in 2006 and since then has been a critical part in transforming many of her clients.

She offers closet evaluations where she helps you edit, organize, and “shop your own closet” while creating your own “look book.”

Sandra helps you become more of a strategic shopper while learning where to spend the money and where to save.

Sandra has been working with individuals, groups, and companies for the past several years, helping them find the “New Version of You.” She is an expert on dress codes and assists companies on how to integrate the dress code throughout the different departments.

What led you to be a highly sought after Personal Wardrobe Stylist and personal shopper?

What has led me to be a highly sought after Personal Wardrobe Stylist and Personal Shopper is probably the longevity of my business, problem solving skills, organizational skills, and reputation, not only with my clients but with stores and organizations. I am a woman of my word and only produce what I say. I also do not like to turn away potential clients. I really try to find a way to work together without dropping my rate. It is all about being strategic with my time and knowing where I can best fit and make a difference with lasting style transformations.

Due to my past experience in business, I also believe that having a business sense as a Personal Wardrobe Stylist helps in planning and being creative with regards to people’s style journey’s, style presentations, events, and working with different organizations. I like to find out my client’s goals and try to create a personalized style/shopping plan for them. No one is alike. I may use similar formulas but try and switch it up to fit a person’s brand, lifestyle, goal, and budget. I also believe that having a BS Degree in Textiles & Clothing has really helped me stand out with knowing construction, quality, history of fashion, and fit of garments. I am a stickler on having your wardrobe fit you properly. My knowledge and passion for fashion, both past and present, is important but what is even more important, is knowing how to translate that for the everyday person.

At the end of the day my business is built around building confidence in people and helping them feel the best version of themselves at all times!

Are you seeing an upswing in business?

I am definitely seeing an upswing in my personal wardrobe styling business. I would say the month of January was a little slow, but that has certainly turned around and now people are traveling again, needing help shopping /styling for special events and just wanting to clean/edit/and organize their closets!

I feel that the trend of being a more strategic and mindful shopper is continuing to occur. I will say that shopping has changed in the sense of not only shopping in person but also usually doing a follow-up with particular items online if I am not able to find them in the stores. I have personally always tried to teach my clients to be a mindful and strategic shopper even before this trend.

As a Personal Wardrobe Stylist, I feel it is very important to truly love what you own and be sure to wear what you buy! One of my fastest growing services that I offer is the styling/packing option for trips, both ©Red Silk Carpet April 2024- All Rights Reserved

leisure and business. Another fastgrowing service that I offer is when I shop their own closet and create new looks with items that are not being worn.

I foresee these services to be a continued trend for this year.

You believe that everyone can be “effortless chic.” Explain Absolutely! Everyone can be effortless chic in their own way. My description of effortless chic is not looking like you are trying too hard.

Your style is effortless and speaks for itself. I am all about being approachable and put-together.

Nothing is worse than when you look like you are trying too hard to have style. Style is what you say about yourself without saying a word. I want my clients to have a wardrobe that is easy for them to put together multiple outfits. Everyone has their checklists of their wants and I help them navigate and manage how to produce that with their wardrobe and closet. I like to help people find their interchangeable wardrobe that has plenty of choices for the different events in their lives, including just every day! The word “effortless” is the ease of a person’s wardrobe choices and closet organization. The word “chic” is the style that my clients are wanting to portray without looking like they are trying too hard or trying to be someone they are not.

It is important to remain true to yourself but still know how to elevate your style. The best thing is to have an organized closet and wardrobe that you can’t wait to get dressed in!

How much fun is the Scents of Style? Tell us about your tour.

My copyrighted “Scents of Style” event is truly one of my favorite parts of my business! The whole concept is to have an olfactive experience while learning about style! I like to partner with some of my colleagues in the perfume and cosmetic industry to have a full sensory experience! I take my guests on a journey of where the cologne is made from or what memory it creates while showcasing what the “look” would be of the person wearing that scent in that location.

Styled an individual client for a leadership awards ceremony.

Styled and presented on “Holiday Styles” for Fashion Valley Shopping Center.

Styled an individual client for her re-branding of her company.

Styled the “What to Wear on New Years Eve When Pregnant” segment Fox 5 KSWB & KUSI TV

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I then have a must-have make-up technique and product that goes along with the styled look! It truly is a fantastic experience that everyone enjoys! You end up utilizing all of your senses while being inspired on what to wear, smell like, and know the best make-up item to use!

Tell us about your work with companies and writing dress codes.

I am a little unique with this service and I absolutely love helping companies out with determining and defining what their dress codes look like.

I started hearing about dress attire issues within companies even before Covid. Companies wanted to expand their best practices by allowing people to wear business casual all week, but a lot of people don’t know what that looks like.

Sometimes when someone hears business casual, they only hear the word casual.

I like to call it professional business casual. I meet with HR, the executive team, and employees to really get to know their culture and hear their needs. After hearing what the mission is, I offer assistance with writing the dress code and present on what that actually looks like for the company. Visuals are a must to really help clarify and showcase what the style looks like. This is based on budgets and for all body types. In the past I even helped modify a pant length requirement for women for a conservative company. I did this by demonstrating, to the executive team, what the current inventory looked like, at that time, and what was truly available for their employees.

I guess you could say my past experience in the hotel sales & marketing industry really helps me make it a win-win for all. At least that is always my intent!

Kathy McSherry Embrace Your Personal Style with Sandra Veum EP08 | Embrace Your Personal Style with Sandra Veum (youtube.com)

Flipping 50 Podcast- Makeover Your Fitness, Makeover Your Image! Stylist Wardrobe Tips! https://www.flippingfifty.com/mak eover-fitness-makeover-imagestylist-wardrobe-tips/ Take us through, what do you offer for clients?

I like to think that I help individuals either find their new style, help them remember what their style was, or teach them about mindful shopping if they have a lot of clothes and are already stylish. My services include: personal shopping inperson or privately, full, or partial closet evaluations, virtual shopping/styling, packing/styling, corporate styling & branding, style pretentious, shopping tours, & private shopping events. My overall goal is to listen to my client’s needs and wants, assess where they are currently at, and help them achieve these goals through style. My personal goal is to help you be the best version of yourself, at all periods of your life, while remaining true to yourself. It is all about feeling good and leaving a positive lasting impression on people!

Much of your business is also to help people plan for trips. What do you enjoy the most?

I love this part of my business! My past experience in the hotel/travel industry really helps me know how to look at an itinerary and start asking the questions for the style/packing process. Once I know the travel destination and what someone is doing while they are there, my creative process begins.

Whether it is a business or leisure trip, I like to know exactly where someone is staying and what activities they are doing so I can visualize the “looks” for them. A lot of the time people are missing key items for outfits while traveling, so I help them with that by making a shopping list and then go shopping to find those missing items. I like to have certain items that can create multiple “looks” so that you do not

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over pack. This is where the styled pictures come into play. I take pictures of styled outfits before packing so you do not have to worry about keeping outfits together.

There is a key to packing, and it is like putting a puzzle together. I fold and roll filling in gaps, but fold strategically so to get as much in the suitcase as possible. It is all about being prepared and having confidence with your outfits. My goal is to not over pack but still give people plenty of choices to mix things up. Shoe knowledge is usually the biggest take-away from this process. Again, the key is not over packing shoes or clothing! My process is not hard for me, but it does take an organized mind to streamline the process and make sure that you are stylish along the way!

What is trending?

I create an annual Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter Forecast report advising my clients on what is coming our way. I do inform my clients that just because it is on the forecast does not mean you have to wear it to be in style. This is just a snapshot of what you probably will see more of in stores. It does not mean you have to go out and buy that right now. I say only buy it if you are inspired and think it will be a nice addition to your wardrobe. I also push my clients to come up with 2-3 different ways you will wear this item before making that purchase. Here are some Spring/Summer Forecast items 2024. We will continue to see a high rise wide leg pant & jeans, lots of denim (dresses, denim-on-denim, denim button-ups, denim shoes, denim handbags), metallics, the return of the modern pencil skirt, Ladylike jackets, collared shirts and knit polos, The White Dress, trench coats, cut-out floral, sheer, rosettes, fringe, crochet, the micro-heel, slingback heels, the fancy ballet flat, sculptural jewelry, raffia bags, sunwashed colors, icy blue colors, and Pantone’s Color for Spring 2024 is peach!

This is just to name a few off of my Spring/Summer Forecast for 2024.

One fashion tip is to remember that you can be inspired with trends, but you should always remain true to yourself and your body silhouette. If puffy sleeves are not your thing and you have broad shoulders, then don’t wear that. Style is all about confidence. I like to say, “Fashion has a price, but style does not.”

How excited are you for spring?

Do you have any favorite styles from Fashion Valley Mall that we should check out?

I am always excited for the new seasons! Spring for me usually means that the weather is starting to warm up and vacations/weddings/graduations are being planned for, so something to look forward to. I love the idea of all of the spring colors too, even though I will always love black all year long.:) By the way, we also saw a lot of black on the red carpet this

year for the Oscars! I would say I am very excited for some new stores opening up at Fashion Valley that always carry fantastic styles like Mango, Veronica Beard, Aritzia, Zimmermann, and Gorjana! If you have not checked out the new Bottega Veneta store you should, it is gorgeous. I also love that Fashion Valley has four anchor stores like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s to have even more opportunity to find the perfect interchangeable wardrobe for you!

Share your new collaborations and projects for 2024.

there as well.

Another new partnership has been with an executive matchmaking company. I absolutely love it! I have been part of their process by helping their clients get styled or shop before they get their headshots and pictures done. My help then translates into what to wear for certain dating occasions. I am thoroughly enjoying this! My big plan for 2024 is to create an on-line subscription service for styling and shopping. I am really trying to cast my net as wide as possible this year while continuing to have that oneon-one exclusive experience for all! www.mymariposastyle.com

I am always collaborating with stores, boutiques, skincare & makeup lines, photographers, and designers. One of my newer partnerships has been as an affiliate for the luxury re-sale company Fashionphile. Not only do I help my clients find the perfect designer handbag or piece of jewelry, but I do private one-of-a-kind presentations

Styled a family of seven for their family photos.

https://www.facebook.com/sandra. veum https://linkedin.com/in/mymaripos astyle/ https://twitter.com/SandraVeum https://instagram.com/sandraveum / https://www.pinterest.com/maripos astyle/

Styled a photoshoot for Chateau Bel Age Boutique.

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