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Today’s Woman A S p e c i a l S e c t i o n o f T h e r e c o r d - RE v i e w i M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 3

Beauty Basics

Natural Beauty

Putting the best you forward

By LAURIE SULLIVAN

H

ave you ever been tempted (lured?) by a “makeup artist” in a department store to do a makeover, only to be disappointed in the results — then pressured to buy the products they’ve used? Believe me, I’ve been there. You loo k in the mirror and wonder who’s staring back at you! Fortunately there are many avenues to take to naturally enhance your looks.

Spring fashion

Sporty flair and floral prints are freshest trends

By TRACI DUTTON LUDWIG

G

et in shape for spring! After winter’s long months of cozy knits, warm boots and layers, it’s time for a change. Spring fashions embody the pleasures of fresh air, sunshine and renewed strength. Influences drawn from athletics, geometric design and menswear add a decidedly sporty flair. Dresses with dramatic floral prints satisfy traditionalists.

Want more? Here’s a walk-through of a dozen easy looks that will put you totally on trend with spring’s new styles.

Indulge: look and feel better At first blush, facials and massages may seem a bit indulgent, but according to Lise (pronounced Lisa) Barbanti, owner of Massage Envy Spa in Scarsdale, the benefits of both can actually improve your appearance and be therapeutic as well. The spa has 25 certified massage therapists and aestheticians. “We are always growing, always hiring because of our member base,” Barbanti said.

In a joint interview with Barbanti and head aesthetician, Francesca Greco, who previously owned her own spa and has 13 years’ experience, explained the benefits of the spa’s various services. They interview clients when they first come in to find out what their goals are and then come up with a customized treatment plan for them, be it massage or a facial. Thirty percent of their clients being men.

Greco: “Men are coming to take better care of their skin. We ask questions about the skin, what they would like to improve. That’s why they come in and see us.”

Barbanti: “This is something I didn’t know before I got into this business, that facials can actually reverse the visible signs of aging.”

Greco: “The first thing people see is your face. It’s important to keep your skin clean. You have to exfoliate your skin; it reduces fine lines. As you get older the skin loses elasticity. It will never stop the aging process, but you can slow it down and have this [facials] done regularly. I’m not in favor of fillers and injections. I tell people they have to have a home care regimen between visits to the spa. They need eye creams, skin creams. They have to feed the skin.

It’s very important.”

Barbanti: “Some aesthetician graduates are now using machines. We believe in natural procedures; we use the natural, healing process. We have a wellness program, with very reasonable prices. People can come in monthly for either massage or facials.”

Greco: “Some people ask if they should get fillers and I say, ‘Try this first.’ I tell them the pros and cons of each.

This is a no-risk way, a natural way to look better. Facial massage [also] improves collagen production. I’ve had people who had high blood pressure who started coming in on a regular basis, who had a drop in pressure. Facials

Sportswear Athletic inspiration is the most defining idea of the season.

From pants to skirts to dresses, silhouettes and styling reference the gym, the tennis court or the track. Encompassing a wide variety of textiles, daytime pants resemble track pants with the addition of a vertical stripe down the leg. Sheaths borrow the look of tennis dresses with appropriately fitted bodices and traditionally constructed skirts. Zippered warm-up jackets are no longer just for warming up, and ice skating-like skirts look just as beautiful off the rink as on the rink. Rounding out these looks are tank tops in athletic fabrics, mesh tops for layering and gym shorts in traditional daywear fabrics.

Black and white Nothing is as basic as the clean look of black or white. For simple elegance, choose solid separates in these ultra-neutrals.

White jeans are the “it” pants of the season, so consider splurging on a fabulous pair. Beyond solids, black and white combinations are dominating this year’s printed fabrics, and they are attracting attention with a bang. To amplify the excitement, go for a modern print. The sharp contrast between black and white reverberates with energy.

Look for bold geometric patterns such as stripes, checkerboards, zigzags, chevrons and spirals. Or go for an equally dramatic, but subtler, manifestation of the look — such as a white jacket with black trim and cuffs or an ebony Continued on page 7A

Continued on page 6A

Viktoria Fisch

Expanding the entrepreneur spirit in Katonah

By EVE MARX

O

n a Monday afternoon in March when most of Katonah’s retail stores are closed, Viktoria Fisch, sole proprietor of Ebba, an eclectic perfumery and gift shop, is hanging a clothing rod. Power tools in hand, she is creating new display space for the C.P. Shades oversized shirts she is selling, her shipment having just arrived from Sausalito, Calif., where the garments are made.

“Do you know C.P. Shades?” she said enthusiastically over the buzz of her electric screwdriver. “One hundred percent natural and sustainable fabric, uncomplicated, soulful and garment dyed. Do you know the history of the company and the man who founded it?

I feel so lucky to bring these shirts here.”

Fisch is one of those super high-energy, smiling, enthusiastic, warm women Northern Westchester seems to breed. Born in New York City — the first girl after three boys — to a Swedish mother who came over to America when she was 21 and a Jewish dad, the family moved to Chappaqua in 1971. Talk about roots: Fisch’s parents still reside in the same house.

“I was very drawn to Katonah when I was a teen,” Fisch said, sipping tea at Tazza coffee bar. “I especially loved coming to a shop called Katonah Scentral, which was owned by a woman named Deborah Marsten. She had

Inside

Katonah’s Viktoria Fisch, sole proprietor of Ebba, an eclectic perfumery and gift shop.

beautiful soaps and things for the bath, and nonanimal tested beauty products and essential oils. The oils made a big impression.”

Fast forward years later when Fisch moved to Los Angeles to pursue a few dreams. One of

The ‘inescapable’ mother-daughter bond... Page 3A

JIM MACLEAN PHOTO

those dreams manifested itself in the form of her own shop, Ebba, a niche perfume house.

Fisch named the store after her mother, whose name is Ebba. The 14-year-old shop garnered great press from the start, featured numerous

Women’s Health:

Menopause in the 21st century... Page 5A

times in Lucky, InStyle, Elle, Us and Allure magazines. Fisch developed a following for her signature aromatic scents and roll-on oils made, as Marsten’s were years before, using only pure, natural and organic essences. The Miss Marisa line of perfumes, Fleur, Marine, Nuit, Zest and Tropical, along with By Sand, By Sea and Basil Green Tea for men and women, are bestsellers on the Internet.

Family matters that began evolving two years ago summoned Fisch back east, her 2-year-old son in tow.

Regretfully she closed her Los Angeles shop, not yet sure what she was going to do. Then an opportunity in her favorite retail town, Katonah, magically opened up. June and Myron Goldfinger decided to cut The Katonah General Store space in half again and rent one half out. Fisch didn’t hesitate to snap the space up. Ebba Katonah opened one Continued on page 4A

TRENDS

Spring accessory report... Page 7A

Luisa Cerano at En Vogue in Scarsdale is “For selfconfident, fashionable, independent women all over the world.”

Page 2A/The REcord-Review

Today’s Woman March 22, 2013

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March 22, 2013

Today’s Woman

The REcord-REview/Page 3A

Authors explore the ‘inescapable’ mother-daughter bond While writing the memoir about her mother, Potter said she “just thought about her so much, looked back at her history, read about where she had lived and really thought carefully about experiences with her as a child. It made and still makes me miss her so much. She was very proud of my writing, and in that sense it’s sad for me that she’s not around to read it. But it made me feel so much closer to her and made me wonder, as I wrote in the epilogue, if I hadn’t spent all these years doing that would she be as vivid to me or would she have just faded away.”

Pound Ridge’s Toppel said she never intended to explore her relationship with her mother.

Rather, joining Potter’s writing group meant an added opportunity to work on her craft.

“My mother had died in 2005, and I was not thinking about writing about her,” Toppel said.

“I was working on a novel, had a few short stories to revise, so when the group found its rhythm and was meeting regularly, I was bringing in fiction, while Joan and Vicki started writing about their mothers.”

Still grieving the loss of her mother, Toppel said she was “trying to dissect everything because she had been very difficult in her last years. I guess she was making her way into my fiction, as will happen, and this came up during our writing group discussions.”

Toppel said she hoped, through writing, that she “might be able to turn back to a time when things were different” between her and her mother, “when she had been a different woman, a very good mother. I wrote my first memory, which took place at nursery school in Puerto Rico, and from then on, early memories came rushing into my head, specific images.”

Working through her memoir, Toppel came to understand her mother. “She had moments where she came off as extremely abusive verbally and at times mad, almost crazy,” Toppel said.

“She was very depressed, but through all of that I know that she loved me. She didn’t know how to conduct a relationship with me anymore. Having written this with these women, I found a place where I was able to balance out all the different parts of her.”

Toppel’s suggestion to individuals whose relationship with a mother or daughter is tarnished is to continue exploring it, whether face-to-face or through a memoir such as the one she wrote.

“After writing it I felt I understood my mother’s anger, understood more about her despair and why she isolated herself,” she said. “I don’t care if you knew your mother, didn’t know your mother or if your mother died when you were young, at some point it must be attended to if you want to have that presence in your mind.

You carry your mother around with you and she comes out when you least expect it. I’ll be in the kitchen and will say something, put something some way and say, ‘There she is.’ It’s inescapable.”

By MARY LEGRAND

A

uthor Pearl Buck supposedly said the following, a quote that, looked at retrospectively, may or may not sum up the complicated relationship between moms and their daughters: “Some are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same; and most mothers kiss and scold together.”

Some grown women have nothing but glowing comments about their mothers; others offer nothing but negativity. For the vast majority of us, the truth on both sides lies somewhere in between.

So how to build a good mother/daughter relationship from the start, or repair one if it’s broken?

In her work as a licensed clinical social worker in Scarsdale, Dale Karp counsels women whose dealings with their mothers are less than perfect. “There are some relationships that seem to work well without strife, without stress,” Karp said. “But many don’t, almost as if they’re carrying baggage from long ago and it hasn’t been resolved. I see a lot of adult daughters who seem to want to be distant from their mothers; mothers longing for the relationship but feeling that daughters only call them when they need help, a babysitter or have a crisis. They don’t want to sustain an adult, intimate relationship.”

Karp said some of what causes grown daughters to distance themselves from their mothers is a “seduction that pulls the daughters back to their childhoods, when they’re fighting to be just as grown up as their mothers are. They’re saying, ‘It’s my turn now and I’m not the kid anymore. I’m a mom; I have a home; I have a career.’

There’s some individualization that hasn’t really taken place, an ongoing struggle to separate.”

To improve the broken relationship it is often helpful for mother and/or daughter to look at the other woman’s life. “What I see is that neither side has really appreciated or understood what the other person is experiencing,” Karp said.

“She’s only looking through her own lens, and when she has the chance to experience other sensibilities, it lightens up the tension quite a bit.”

Some aspects of mother/daughter tension are related to “residual old Oedipal stuff, where mothers and daughters were competitors for Dad,” Karp said. “They haven’t resolved this and it expresses itself in adult stress. Honestly, I haven’t seen that with patients, but do see it with friends.”

Mother/daughter relationships continue long after the death of the parent. “The longing remains for some, the feeling that ‘things would be better for me now if my mother was here. I’m looking for some comfort and my mother would

Westchester authors Vicki Addesso, Susan Hodara, Joan Potter and Lori Toppel have explored the mother/ daughter relationship in their newly published book “Thinking of You: A Second Chance with Our Mothers”.

give it to me,’” Karp said. “That wish is to have the mother of you as a baby, the mother who comforts you as a little child, when in fact as an adult she might not have been so comforting.”

If the relationship gets particularly bad, counseling, either as an individual or with one’s mother or daughter, can be of great help. “Listening without judgment, without comment” is another suggestion Karp offers to set a relationship on the road to improvement. She suggests those in conflict ask each other, “What is it like to be you?

How do you feel about that?”

“Just listening without offering your two cents of advice, unless it’s asked for, that’s already 10 years of therapy right there,” Karp said. “If a daughter asks her mom, ‘What’s it like to be you?

What’s it like to approach old age or be in old age? What does the future look like to you?’ I think it would be an enormously satisfying conversation, in either direction. That’s the connection that’s missing in most relationships that are stressed.”

The same advice, of course, holds true in that

a mother can ask her daughter the same types of questions and find they may open up fruitful discussion helpful in the long term.

Westchester authors Vicki Addesso, Susan Hodara, Joan Potter and Lori Toppel have explored the mother/ daughter relationship in their newly published book “Thinking of You: A Second Chance with Our Mothers,” which was released March 1.

The four women first met through writing workshops run by Potter, a longtime Mount Kisco resident. “Still Thinking of You” is a compilation of the authors’ memoirs about their mothers.

The full extent of Potter’s mother’s life was unknown to the daughter until after her mother’s death. After a while, Potter found the courage to listen to a tape the older woman made about her heartbreaking childhood.

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Page 4A/The REcord-Review

Today’s Woman March 22, 2013

Expanding From books to blogs, writer grows and flows the entrepreneur spirit Viktoria Fisch:

Lisa Endlich Heffernan

G

By EVE MARX

ood parenting gone bad. The college admission process. What makes a great parent. Parenting lessons from Downton Abbey. After the last child.

These are just a few of the topics tackled by Lisa Endlich Heffernan on her smart and incisive blog, “Grown and Flown,” which tackles the pithy issues parents, in particular the mother parent, face when children leave or are about to leave the nest.

A business writer and former vice president at Goldman Sachs, Heffernan lives with her husband and their third and youngest son on a 64-acre property in Bedford that the family bought in 2003. The property, once part of a larger parcel once belonging to Thomas Mercer Waller, husband to Wilhelmina Kirby Waller, was for years a dairy farm. “Where we live is where the cows were milked,” Heffernan said.

While a portion of the Heffernan property is now leased as a working horse farm, another large portion of the parcel is devoted to soccer. Mark Heffernan, her husband, is the president of the New York Soccer Club. He is also the owner of Inside Soccer, the world’s leading soccer coaching website. (Mark is also a former star of Goldman Sachs and hedge fund manager.) At various times of the year a person driving past can’t help but notice the vast tracts of cleared land, overrun with soccer players.

Mary Dell Harrington is Heffernan’s partner at “Grown and Flown.” Harrington lives in lower Westchester. The two met while volunteering at their children’s school, and a friendship, and later an idea for a business developed. Heffernan is no stranger to business. Professionally, she is best known under her maiden name, Lisa Endlich, author of three business titles, “Goldman Sachs: The Culture of Success,” “Optical Illusions: Lucent and the Crash of Telecom” and “Be the Change.” She has an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management and was a trader and former VP at Goldman Sachs. Now she is a blogger.

“I got the idea for the blog after reading Lisa Belkin on the Huffington Post,” Heffernan said over chamomile tea on a chilly afternoon at Table Local Market in Bedford Hills. “Now I have actually met Lisa Belkin. We met at a meeting for BlogHer. We’re the same age and we have kids the same age and she writes about parenting. It occurred to me that while there are many blogs about parenting children under age 12, there’s very little for parents whose kids are older. I began thinking about how as the kids grow our roles as parents change. The main thing that happens is that as a parent, you go from being a talker into being a listener.”

Bedford’s Lisa Endlich Heffernan writes the popular parenting blog “Grown and Flown”.

Heffernan noted about the need for more information and discussion for parents of older kids largely due to the great changes in technology: “We’re more attached to our older teens and young adult children than ever before because of the advances in technology. We text with them. We Skype. We have more interaction with our children than our parents did with us at that age. This is uncharted territory for us as parents. There are no guideposts. We can’t look to our own parents for advice because it’s a different world. The communication between parents and children now is totally different than anything our parents experienced.”

After scouring the world of blogs for parents-ofolder-children information, Heffernan saw there was a gap. “Not a lot of people are writing about this,” she said.

“Grown and Flown: Parenting from the Empty Nest” is published three times a week and can now be read on The Huffington Post, More.com, Next Avenue, 12 Most, Better After 50 and Lifetime Moms, as well as by logging on to www.grownandflown.com.

While the blog is informative and at times even ruminative, it doesn’t seek to be authoritative or even really give advice.

“We’re not psychologists or professional educators,” Heffernan said. “We don’t profess to have all the answers. Nobody has all the answers. What we want is for Grown and Flown to be a forum, a place where issues can be discussed and raised.”

Heffernan recommended a book she really liked, “Slouching Toward Adulthood” by Sally Koslow, which are the author’s observations from her notso-empty nest. To generate ideas for the blog, Heffernan likes to engage in conversations with other moms of older kids, and admits that she is constantly scanning the Motherlode, another blog, for material and ideas.

As the mother of three sons, ages 21, 20 and 16, Heffernan has plenty of fodder. “But that brings into play a whole other question, which is whether or not it is okay to write about one’s children,” she said. She thinks it is not. “Do you really have the right to create a digital identity for your child? I’ve spent a lot of time wrestling with these ethical issues.”

Heffernan isn’t simply writing a blog. She and her partner also do all the drudgework of maintaining and designing the site itself. “We are the ones deciding how it looks, how it runs,” she said. “We’re also constantly attending conferences and taking classes.”

Heffernan recently completed a class in social media at Columbia University. “It’s not just about writing anymore,” she said. “It’s equally about mastering the technology and social media.”

Heffernan’s main goal for Grown and Flown right now is developing the audience. “We’re experiencing huge interaction,” she said. “We love it when people comment. We want to be creating an interactive place where parents can jump in and discuss the issues.”

She said there is a filter on the site to weed out people who aren’t adding anything to the discussion.

How does it feel going from being a book author to a blogger? Heffernan shrugs. “It’s an evolution in my writing,” she said. “When I first started writing books, I thought that was the greatest thing. But a book can take a year or years to come together. It’s a very long process even before it’s published.”

She said she learned over time that she enjoys writing material that is more focused and much briefer.

And then there is the exhilaration that comes from writing something, editing it and seeing it immediately appear on the web, published. Not to mention, she does not at all miss commuting to an office.

“My kitchen is my work place,” Heffernan wrote on one of her blogs. “I like sitting at my desk in the kitchen, typing away.”

One day it may turn into a real job, Heffernan said, adding “But for now, we’re interested in growing the readership.”

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Continued from page 1A

week before Christmas 2011. The place was a hit from the start.

“You can have a beautifully curated store and still have things that are inexpensive,” Fisch said of her shop.

One of her retail mantras is to buy things in small batches and keep it moving. The selection of merchandise is constantly changing, as are the display spaces, although what she sells does fall into a few carefully curated categories.

There are scarves. There is vintage furniture. There is jewelry. There is body crème and handmade soap. There are newborn baby items and books and paper goods. Handbags, many of them vegan made, have become top selling items, along with the beautiful lamps and lampshades. Increasingly there are clothes, such as the line from C.P. Shades. And of course there is Miss Marisa and Fisch’s own line of custom scents and perfumes.

Six months ago another retail opportunity arose when the Goldfingers decided to let go of their other shop.

Fisch decided to expand. Not sure yet how she would utilize the space, she immediately created a pop up store within Ebba. Meghan Bazaar, a Katonah mom, sublet the space to open G. Willikers, a toy shop. It was the first pop up store in Katonah.

“Pop up stores and restaurants were already well known in L.A.,” Fisch said.

“I thought it would be fun to do, but I didn’t really need to expand. Ebba was flourishing. I just loved the idea of creating a new vibe and expanding the entrepreneur spirit. G. Willikers was innovative and it launched a business for Meghan and gave her a leg up.”

With G. Willikers now leasing its very own retail space up the street, Fisch was on to the next challenge.

“It’s amazing how much business I do selling candles and jewelry,” Fisch said.

“But I want to keep doing things that are a bit different.”

To that end, this spring Ebba begins a new evolution in the form of a mini multitude of pop up shops that will collectively be known as Ebba Market.

“Market really came out of the abundance of people coming into the shop hoping I’d sell their wares,” Fisch said.

To that end, she has created within her shop an area that encompasses several temporary stalls. “Laurie Berg, who already sells her jewelry to me, will now have her own stall,” Fisch said. “I want to support these other small retailers.

I’m not the authority on what people love to buy. The stalls will each be selling things in small batches to keep things fresh, but that is also the way I stock my own store. I am thinking of these small businesses within the business of Ebba as incubators. For example, one of the women taking a stall has a shop on Etsy.

This is the next step for her.”

Fisch also praised the concept of having a group of small businesses physically close together: “You get to be a fly on the wall. You get to hear what people are saying as they circulate around the shops.”

Every shop within her shop will still have what she calls the “Ebba vibe.” In addition, she is taking two of the stalls herself to test-drive a new retail concept of her own called Ebba Bungalow.

“It will mostly be furniture,” she said.

“Antique Chinese and Asian. All authentic.”

Fisch said she views Katonah as a perfect retail environment.

“I have the best customers,” she bragged. “They’re very educated, sophisticated; they enjoy shopping. They appreciate what I’m doing and know that any time they come in, there will be something new for them to look at.

They’re very complimentary.”

Meanwhile, the family complications are still formidable, formidable enough they might fell or at least slow down a lesser woman. There has been death.

There has been illness. And now there is a new love as well as Fisch’s young son.

“I have to force myself sometimes to realize that I can’t do it all,” Fisch said.

“It’s been a huge Zen lesson. I’m still learning.”

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March 22, 2013

Today’s Woman

The REcord-REview/Page 5A

As hip as today’s woman

Women’s Health: Menopause in the 21st century

By MARY LEGRAND

T

aken strictly by definition, menopause means the end of menstruation — and, therefore, a woman’s fertility — an event marked by the absence of periods over the course of a full 12 months.

While women have experienced menopause throughout the ages, of course, the 21st century is a time when more information than ever is available to those in this phase of life. Treatment options have become more diverse in the past decade as well.

Dr. Elizabeth Legatt, a gynecologist in practice at WestMed Medical Group’s Rye office, said the trend regarding menopause treatment, particularly the use of estrogen to ward off menopausal symptoms, is “not to offer it uniformly to everybody, but to just limit the treatment to women who are struggling with sleep problems, hot flashes, anxiety.”

Legatt said that physicians realize the one-size-fits-all approach no longer works, and that, in addition to treating physical symptoms “we have more options for treating the emotional responses to menopause,” such as anxiety and depression.

“The other big change in the past decade is recognizing that many women’s symptoms can be improved with very low doses of estrogen that are safer in terms of risk of breast cancer,” Legatt said. “The other wonderful thing is that there are more options of safe low-dose patches and creams, some of which are commercially available, some of which are customcompounded and biodentical to what the ovaries make when we’re younger.”

There are also more options than ever for women who can’t or won’t take estrogen, Legatt said, but she cautions that patients should check with their doctors before taking over-the-counter supplements such as black cohosh, many of which might contain estrogen even if they’re not labeled as such.

Prescription medications typically used for depression and anxiety have been found to help with hot flashes, as has the anti-spasm medication belladonna, Legatt said.

Legatt said the most common complaint among menopausal women is vaginal pain, reduced libido and difficulty in sexual relations, all of which are entirely typical in this age group. “I encourage patients not to walk away from the sexual parts of their lives because of discomfort or decrease in interest, which is everybody two or three years after menopause,” she said, citing many over-the-counter and prescription methods to increase comfort, in addition to self-stimulation and, if needed, consultation with a sex therapist.

She encourages women to have honest, frank discussions with their doctor at all points in their lives. “The average age of menopause is 52,” Legatt said, “so I bring the subject up while patients are in their 40s. This is the time women start complaining about libido issues and menstrual irregularities. Another big problem, unfortunately, in a fair number of women is weight gain, a decrease in metabolism rates and increasing hunger as estrogen levels drop.”

Healthier eating, regular exercise and keeping track of one’s periods and changes in sexuality are aspects of life women should pay attention to during this time,

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® Legatt said.

Knowing that everyone who ages goes through many of the same basic changes is important, too. “No, you’re not going to feel like you’re 21, or even 31,” she said. “Your eyes aren’t the same, maybe you can’t run as fast as you used to. Don’t forget, your partner’s getting older, too.”

Women in their perimenopausal or menopausal years still require regular gynecological checkups, with yearly mammograms and “definitely a baseline bone density exam for osteoporosis within a couple of years of menopause,” Legatt said. “Consider taking extra calcium and vitamin D, but you have to be judicious about how much you’re taking. We’re encouraging measurement of blood levels of vitamin D. If you’re in a monogamous relationship, all previous pap smears were normal and you’re a nonsmoker, it’s reasonable for a pap smear every two or three years. Also, keep a calendar of periods and pay attention to cholesterol.”

Asked why some women breeze through menopause and others struggle, Legatt laughed and said, “I’d win the Nobel Prize if I could figure that out. Some women who are thinner tend to struggle more, and some prone to anxiety or depression tend to struggle more. My patients who are already on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication generally have easier transition into menopause. I would not give women any of these medications just to say, ‘Here, take this, this will help you get through menopause,’ but we’ll use those medications if someone is struggling.”

Dr. Regina Giuffrida, a Mount Kisco Medical Group gynecologist affiliated with Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, said that for gynecologists with an interest in menopause “the last decade has been like a roller coaster ride. The ups and downs have been steep and the curves sharp. Many of the things we thought we knew when boarding the coaster have not survived the ride; others have been turned upside down and inside out and now create the basis of what we again think we know.”

“To oversimplify,” Giuffrida said, “menopause was barely acknowledged in medical journals as recently as the 1960s.”

In the ensuing decades, hormone therapy

became more widely available for treatment of menopausal symptoms in addition to prevention of bone fractures and possibly heart disease.

“HT was prescribed more liberally, regardless of presence or absence of menopausal symptoms,” Giuffrida said. “In the process, questions began to arise as to whether or not HT increased the risk of breast cancer.”

Recounting the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy is too detailed and complex for this story, but suffice it to say there have been differences of opinion based on a variety of research, including the large, randomized controlled study funded by the National Institutes of Health and called the Women’s Health Initiative. “The results of WHI are complex to interpret ... but to generalize there was not found to be prevention of [cardiovascular disease] and there was found to be an increase in breast cancer in the women who used both estrogen and progestogen compared to women who used placebo and estrogen alone,” Giuffrida said.

At this point — a decade after the Women’s Health Initiative results were announced — the options for women remain numerous. Vaginal estrogen is helpful in reversing vaginal dryness and thinning and in relieving painful intercourse, Giuffrida said, “With minimal systemic absorption. Vaginal tablets, creams and rings are available and all work well. Almost all women are candidates for vaginal estrogen, although all must discuss with their doctors.”

For women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, “hot flashes, night sweats, sleep interruption, fatigue, palpitations, possibly mood swings or poor consideration, consideration should be given to the women’s quality of life priorities, risk factors such as age, number of years since onset of menopause and personal risks of blood clots, heart disease, stroke and breast cancer,” Giuffrida said.

“Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment of menopausal symptoms and the only FDA approved treatment,” with additional alternatives for women who’ve had a hysterectomy or whose uterus is intact.

Nonhormonal medical treatments,

phytoestrogens and herbs are also options for women with menopausal symptoms, and all should be discussed with one’s physician. “Again, individualization, patience and knowledge for both the patient and the doctor are key in management of menopausal symptoms,” Giuffrida said.

“It is important to note that premature menopause defined as age less than 40, chemotherapy-induced menopause and surgical menopause have different risk associations and should be treated differently than natural menopause.”

Giuffrida said lifestyle changes as well as diet often help alleviate menopausal symptoms, including, for hot flashes, “triggers such as spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine and hot beverages. Dress in layers; being able to remove and replace layers will help with temperature control.”

Help prevent night sweats by wearing light pajamas and trying sheets of wicked material or layered bedding than can be easily peeled away if moist. “Use an electric fan,” Giuffrida advised. “Keep a frozen cold pack under your pillow and turn the pillow over so your head is always resting on a cool surface. Try a cold pack at your feet.”

Giuffrida had additional suggestions to help relieve sleep interruption, sexual issues, and mood changes, irritability, anxiety and fatigue. “You can make menopause a positive experience,” she said. “Studies show that negative beliefs/ feelings regarding menopause before becoming menopausal can carry over to a more difficult transition. Those who anticipate a hot flash as a horror will more likely experience it as that when the time comes. Being fearful that sex might be painful will inhibit your ability to relax your mind and muscles.”

Studies show that the absence of positive thoughts “may have a greater negative impact than the presence of negative ones,” Giuffrida emphasized. “Laugh and stay connected with those who make you laugh. Some use an ‘appreciation journal’ — list three things every night that you are grateful for; hold these images in your mind for several minutes and see if it changes your outlook. And don’t forget to make time for YOU — it’s about time, right?”

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Page 6A/The REcord-Review

Today’s Woman March 22, 2013

Beauty basics: The best you naturally Continued from page 1A

used to be a luxury, but it’s not anymore; people need to de-stress themselves.”

Barbanti: “I used to think it’s just a facial improvement, but it’s not. It improves the entire body.”

Greco: “There is a saying that beautiful skin begins with clean skin. That is the fundamental thing. First thing is cleanse and tone your skin; second thing is exfoliate your skin. If you do this one time, it’s not going to help; you need to do it on a regular basis. I tell people what to do to treat their skin. Skin is constantly breathing. It’s an organ just like your heart, your liver, so it’s important to keep it clean.

People should have a facial once a month.

It will help them feel better physically; it helps them feel better about themselves.

They should start having them in their 20s because that’s when the aging process starts.”

Barbanti: “We only offer things that have a beneficial effect on the body, that have natural ingredients.”

Greco: “We offer four [different kinds of ] facials: Age Reform, Sensitive Skin, Acne Clarifying and Vitamin C Infusion that were created only for Massage Envy Spa.” Barbanti: “The aestheticians were encouraging me to use the products. I started using them and saw an improvement in two weeks — and I’m in my 50s!”

When asked how massage helps women look their natural best, Barbanti said that when people come in who are in pain it’s hard to look your best; without pain they naturally look and feel better.

The spa offers clients either a monthly, money-saving wellness program for either facials or massage or services can be purchased on an a la carte basis. Waxing is also available. The spa uses the professional line of Dr. Murad skin care products for their facials and sells a similar formulation to its clients. Massage Envy Spa, which is one of 800 privately owned franchises all over the country, is open seven days a week.

Passion for beauty and fashion Susan Giordano of Susan Giordano Beauty in Hastings was always wild about fashion and beauty. At 14 she was buying Vogue magazine with her allowance. She put that reading to good use, doing makeovers, giving classes and doing makeup application in high school. At 14 she had her first paid makeup job, making $35.

Big money for a 14-year-old back then!

Giordano made “beauty concoctions” at home as a teen, going through the family fridge, making yogurt masks, etc. She went to the library to learn how to make her own cosmetics. She was also fascinated about ancient cosmetics. The makeup maven has always wanted to work for magazines and has worked freelance for many over the years, which suits her just fine. Giordano does makeup for photo shoots and has worked on some of the most “famous faces for over two decades,” including work on the famed Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

The self-taught beauty expert, who opened her store about nine months ago, said the emphasis in the store is on products. “There’s something there for everyone,” she said. “We will have one perfect color that will look perfect on you.”

Giordano also does brow grooming.

“Brows are the one thing on your face that can dramatically alter your appearance,” she said. She also has assistants who work

in the store with her.

The store, which is open Tuesday through Saturday, attracts a lot of local people and sells a complete line of beauty, skincare products and makeup that are all as “natural as they can be.”

“We don’t just have cosmetics,” Giordano said. “We have bath and body products in addition to makeup. I make some of the skincare products, hand creams.”

Giordano also works in collaboration with chemists. The shop sells Satin Skin, a liquid moisturizer that she developed nine years ago. She said the product is rejuvenating and gives a “healthy glow.”

“I used to bring my things with me [on photo shoots] and the models loved my products,” Giordano said. “When products are unique, people recognize it, especially in the fashion industry — they’re tough.”

And what makes her makeup/skincare line different, better?

“I have the final say on what goes into the shop,” Giordano said. “I don’t have 60 lip-glosses. I’m not interested in jumping on every trend. It doesn’t always translate well to reality.”

She added that besides doing makeup, she’s been called upon by magazines, quoted by them and has been a contributor to Allure Magazine.

And what advice does she offer women to look their best naturally?

“I think you always to have to look like yourself, just a better version of yourself,” Giordano said. “I like to demystify the process of beauty and glamour. I think a lot of women have a fear of it. It’s really not complicated at all.”

Giordano does private makeup lessons, which she described as “pricey.” She offers lots of free advice on buying makeup and shows her customers how to use it. “You’ll be able to duplicate what we’ve done in the store,” she said.

Giordano further explained that makeup application takes about an hour and has a fee. She does at-home makeup application, which costs $500, “for high-powered women” in broadcasting and other fields.

In-store applications are $250. She will do a “makeup bag makeover,” going through your makeup bag and seeing what can be repurposed, for a charge of $50. Giordano also does consulting for “major cosmetics companies.”

Beauty: more than skin deep Bellava MedAsthetics & Spa in Bedford Hills offers women a variety of beauty treatments to look their best. Owner Erica Breining said, “It’s about having good skin, absolutely having nice, glowing skin.

Achieving that is having good skin.”

Breining recommends having facials, including a PhotoFacial, which are intense pulsed light treatments that eliminate pigmentation, including rosacea, clean

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brown spots, and help achieve a clean, clear, healthy look that gives women the confidence to go out without makeup.

Breining said this type of facial, which is offered at the spa, helps brown spots slough off in about a week — first darkening, then scabbing up, until they fall off, leaving them much lighter.

“We offer all services you would find at a dermatologist’s office,” Breining said, with all work done under the supervision of Dr. James Lyons, a board certified plastic surgeon, with 30 years’ experience.

They also offer mini tummy tucks, facelifts, liposuction and other cosmetic surgical procedures.

According to Breining, Lyons tells patients to do everything else first before having procedures done and then see how they feel about it. “It kinda starts with good skin,” she said.

The spa offers Micodermabrasion and peels that help with tone, texture, pigmentation and fine lines. They also offer Radiesse®, Restylane® and Juvederm®, which are fillers; and chemical peels and spa treatments that include body wraps, massage, facials, makeup application, eyebrow waxing and tinting and sunless tanning. According to their website, Bellava MedAsthetics & Spa is also one of the few providers in Westchester to offer the HydraFacial, the latest in nonlaser skin resurfacing that combines cleansing, exfoliating, extraction, hydration and antioxidant protection simultaneously that results in “cleaner, more beautiful skin with no discomfort or downtime.”

Breining said the Hydra-Facial is the most popular treatment that women come in for, takes about 40 minutes and costs $165. There are packages available for special pricing The Hydra-Facial reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, congested enlarged pores, oily or acne-prone skin, hyper pigmentation and brown spots.

“We get some clients who come in that know exactly what they want,” Breining said. “The majority want a consultation.

We do skin analysis for them based on what they want their desired outcome to be. We give them at-home regimens to follow, offer suggestions for treatment plans.”

The spa does injectibles, Botox and other procedures performed by their two licensed aestheticians, done under the direct supervision of the doctor. Bellava also offers nine different types of massage, including reflexology.

Breining said that without doing medical procedures, “To look your best you need to have great skin, good diet, drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep.”

The core of beauty Another path to looking your best is being fit and trim. According to Cathy Decker, manager of Apogee Fitness and Wellness Center in Bedford Hills, the center offers group and private Pilates classes and spa services.

Apogee also has a fitness center in White Plains, where Decker previously worked, which she described as being more of a studio environment, with “a little bit more classes … a large, beautiful facility.” The White Plains facility has 8,500 square feet and offers healthy living based on the total wellness concept pioneered by Joseph H. Pilates.

The White Plains Pilates studio provides mat and equipment classes developed by world-renowned educators; pri-

vate training programs in state-of-the-art Pilates studios. They also offer massage, life coaching and more. The center’s onsite café offers nutritious food and beverages and a shop for fitness apparel and natural skin care products developed by Apogee. The Bedford location has a fitness floor with exercise equipment including a Trax machine, which Decker said is a new modality that some people call a vertical Pilates machine. Apogee also has a Pilates studio in Manhattan.

All of Apogee’s teachers are power Pilates certified. “There are many different kinds of Pilates,” Decker said. “This is classical Pilates developed by Joseph Pilates.” It includes using a machine called The Reformer and mats, a Cadillac machine and The Tower, which is a small machine. Classes are made up of six people.

“We often use Reformers but usually for private or semi-private classes in a room by itself,” Decker said. “We encourage using both. It helps with coordination — it’s core based. Everything comes from the core. As you have a strong core it helps strengthen the muscles around it.”

According to Decker, the center also offers restorative yoga that helps with strength and helps you unwind and “make time for yourself and gives you time to destress.”

Decker said of Apogee’s clients, “Since you’re active you eat better, you’re more body conscience, you’re more thirsty — hydration is really important.” She is looking into offering a workshop with a nutritionist at the center for clients. “The healthy attitude of the clients shows,” she noted. “Women tend to come in groups.

It’s a nice community.”

The Bedford Apogee has its own café on premises, where clients gather. It offers “grab and go” snacks and Allegro natural coffee from Whole Foods and natural teas.

In summer smoothies are on the menu, using berries for antioxidents.

Why do women take Pilates? “I think they get results,” Decker said. “Women don’t want to bulk up. Pilates works on small muscle groups. It helps you lengthen. A lot of dancers incorporate Pilates into their workout.”

Decker said Pilates strengthens the core and helps with alignment. “It starts from the core and helps with flexibility,” Decker said. “It’s definitely an age thing,” adding that Apogee’s clients tend to be on the older side.

Decker suggests coming in at least three times a week for maximum results, saying it would be best to have private sessions that often “if that were possible. Mix up the different classes; you get something from each one.”

And can Pilates help with weight loss?

“Definitely because you’re burning calories — it’s hard,” she said. “You have to have the stamina. There’s a lot of repetition which definitely burns calories.”

Exercise can be the gateway to looking your best, naturally? “I really think just having a healthy lifestyle helps you look younger,” Decker said. “Because you’re stronger you have a glow about you.

Coming in regularly you’re more aware of what you’re eating.”

So get out there and get moving — your mirror will be smiling back at you!

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Beauty Tips

Foot care while on vacation Decongestant, check. Sunscreen, check. Antacids, check. So you’re going on vacation and your bag is well stocked with remedies for every illness that could possibly derail your good time — from sunburn to an upset stomach. While you’re taking steps to preserve your good health on vacation, don’t overlook the body part that will carry you through all that fun: your feet.

“Foot health is especially important for travelers,” said Dr. Joseph Caporusso, a podiatrist and president of the American Podiatric Medical Association. “If your feet hurt or you sustain an ankle injury, your whole vacation can be ruined. Plus, poor foot health can have a long-term detrimental effect on your overall well-being.”

The approach of warm weather means more Americans will be planning their spring and summer getaways. Before you step out on vacation, APMA offers a few foot health tips for travelers.

On the way Whether you’re flying or driving to your destination, proper footwear is important. Knowing you’ll have to remove your shoes to pass through airport security screening may tempt you to travel in flip-flops or other footwear that’s easy to slip off. But travelers should not forego safety and support for convenience.

“Flip-flops are never a great walking shoe, and if you have to walk long distances from gate to gate or from your gate to ground transportation, or if you have to hurry, flip-flops could lead to problems,” Caporusso said.

What’s more, flip-flops mean you’ll be barefoot when you step through security and that can leave your feet exposed to injury from sharp edges, uneven surfaces and germs. If shoes with laces will be too inconvenient for security lines, choose comfortable slip-ons that provide a thick, stable sole. And always wear socks through security.

Drivers also need to be aware of proper footwear on the road. Choose comfortable footwear that minimizes the risk of your foot slipping off a pedal. Never kick off your shoes while driving either; a shoe lodged under the brake pedal could interfere with your ability to stop quickly in an emergency.

On the beach For many Americans, spring and summer vacations mean time spent on the beach. Whether you’re relaxing in a lounge chair, walking on hot sand or frolicking in the surf, it’s important to protect your feet from the singular risks of beach time.

Since most people wear flip-flops or sandals on the beach, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your feet. Be sure to

cover the tops of your feet, the front of your ankles, and even the soles. Limit the amount of walking you do in bare feet; walking in no shoes at all increases your exposure to sunburn, plantar warts, athlete’s foot, ringworm, other infections and even injury. Never walk barefoot in pool areas or locker rooms.

Always pack an extra pair of sneakers or water shoes so that if your shoes get wet you can have a dry pair. Wearing wet shoes for prolonged periods may lead to bacteria or fungal growth.

On the move Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, injuries happen. Wherever your vacation takes you, it pays to pack a foot care bag so that you’ll be prepared to treat minor problems that can quickly evolve into major vacation setbacks.

Your bag should include: • Sterile bandages for covering minor cuts and scrapes • Antibiotic cream to treat minor skin injuries • Emollient-enriched moisturizer to keep feet hydrated • Blister pads or moleskins to prevent blisters and protect sore feet if blisters do form • An anti-inflammatory pain reliever like Motrin or Advil to ease tired, swollen feet • Nail clippers • Emery board in case of broken nails or rough edges • Sunscreen to prevent sunburn • Aloe vera or a similar cream to relieve sunburn.

In case of a serious problem, seek the aid of a podiatrist — doctors who are specially trained to diagnose and treat ailments of the feet and lower extremities. You can find a podiatrist in your area by visiting APMA’s website, www. apma.org.

“No one wants to spend their vacation with sore feet — or worse yet, at the doctor’s office,” Caporusso said. “Taking care of your feet while traveling can help ensure your vacation stays on track and the only things you bring home are great memories and souvenirs.”

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Today’s Woman

The REcord-REview/Page 7A

Spring fashion: Sporty flair and floral prints are freshest trends Continued from page 1A

A-line skirt punctuated by one oversized white circle. By playing with off-balance proportions and off-center compositions, black and white combinations look fresh and modern.

Leather Opposites attract, and the effect is stellar. This season pairs leather with some of the most ladylike silhouettes for unexpected glamour and complex beauty.

Fashion’s love of the biker jacket — so ubiquitous in fall wardrobes — has undergone a transformation and emerged anew. Supple, sumptuous treatments of natural and dyed leathers are showing up in sheath dresses, swirly paneled skirts, tailored trousers and sharp vests. Gorgeous stitching and construction artistry are in the forefront, whereas metal hardware and motorcycle zippers are out. Play up femininity with beautiful saturated colors, including raspberry pink and turquoise blue. Or you can combine leather with richly contrasting textures like floaty skirts, shaggy vests and silk scarves.

Distressed jeans It’s time to revive your favorite ragged jeans from the back of the closet. You can even wear them again! Distressed denim is this year’s take on the perennial favorite. For the novice, distressed denim means worn out fibers, frayed hems, rips at the knees and holes in the thigh. If you don’t already have your own well-loved pair, designers are offering choices that simulate years of wear and tear. Look for boxy boyfriend cuts with straight legs and low waists. Style these jeans with rolledup cuffs and a practical leather belt. A square-shouldered blazer and ankle booties with stacked heels (or this season’s metallic wedge sneakers) complete the look from head to toe.

Tees and sweats Bet you thought you’d never pay more than $100 for a sweatshirt. This year you just might do it. For every jean there is a perfect top. And this season, sweatshirts and T-shirts are popular contenders.

Marrying well with the boyish charm of distressed jeans are the cheeky attitudes of cropped sweatshirts and printed tees.

Casual comfort defines this look, which can also be worn with leggings or stretchy yoga pants. However, to keep the combination from looking sloppy, go for quality textiles and flattering proportions. Make sure your clothes fit, and you maintain the line of a slim waist, toned arms or a defined collarbone. Screen prints and graphic design imagery, sometimes embedded with a pop culture message or rock ‘n’ roll symbolism, make the new tees into confident statements for the wearer. Cropped sweatshirts can be tricky. Your best bet is to choose one that is the antithesis of any sweatshirt cliché.

That means no heather gray, no sports logo and no boxy fit. Instead, look for vivid colors, tailored construction details, overall movement and appealing textures.

Black pantsuit What is perfection? Elegant and understated. Confident and strong. Graceful but edgy. The black suit accomplishes it all. Since a good black pantsuit is an investment piece, look for excellent fabric, impeccable tailoring and classic lines. Buy the best quality you can afford, and the suit will last a lifetime. Think of a black suit as a blank canvas. Jewelry, shoes and scarves dress it up or play it down. Your creativity makes it your own. And it’s the perfect transition between day and evening.

Stripes Straight-edged stripes in every combination are the mark of spring this year.

Vertical or horizontal; thick or thin; quiet or loud — stripes are the chameleon of the season. In a navy and white boat-

neck top, they reference classical nautical styles. In a pink and lime green dress, they look cute and preppy. In a black and gray paint suit, stripes epitomize cuttingedge modern. Even simple basics come alive with stripy energy. Whatever your taste, find just the right flavor of stripes to suit your passion.

Bermuda shorts Gone are the days of skin-tight shorty shorts. Instead, this season’s longer-length Bermuda shorts offer a much more wearable option. Modest and practical, Bermuda shorts are a flattering length for all ages and body types. With a nice belt and blouse, Bermudas transcend the stereotypical limitations of shorts, and they function as a skirt substitute. Bermudas also cross the lines of business clothing and eveningwear. Nodding to the current love affair with pantsuits, many designers are offering matching pairs of shorts and jackets. In luxe fabrics and fabulous high heels, these ensembles offer a fresh alternative to your little black dress.

Vests Fall’s obsession with menswear endures into this season with a new crop of vests.

Worn open over T-shirts or paired with slouchy jeans, vests embody an attitude of laidback cool. Nontraditional textiles such as nubby cotton, denim, thick jersey and mesh add a distinctive sporty air. Alternatively, buttoned-up versions of vests turn up the volume on pantsuits and tailored skirts. Blouses are optional with these sleeveless numbers. Look for interesting details such as peplums, oversized lapels, zippers, toggles, ties, buttons and metallic snaps.

Flower garden prints April showers bring May flowers, so it’s not surprising that blossoms are a perennial favorite of spring wardrobes.

This year’s interpretation shows bright, bold floral prints with botanically accurate details. Demure rows of tiny stylized blossoms are sweet, but old fashioned.

The best contemporary dresses and skirts explode with the lush colors and extravagant textures of a flowerbed in full bloom.

Added extravagance comes from beading and textural embellishments. Compared to the casualness, sportiness and restraint of other spring fashions, florals are the most feminine look of the season.

Cutout dresses Dresses have been inspired by the strict geometry dominating the spring aesthetic. As a result, designers have taken simple silhouettes and invigorated them with angular cutouts. Maxi dresses offer the most room to play with high slits, bare midriffs and peek-a-boo sides, shoulders and backs. Wide, angular straps achieve the same look, while adding an assertive graphic quality. These dresses are strong and sexy, with a tantalizing play between long, covered-up silhouettes and glimpses of skin. Some designers incorporate mesh inserts and illusion necklines; however, the majority let bare skin radiate. Maybe it’s not a bad idea to allow designers to play with scissors.

Anoraks and ankles This season’s jacket of choice is the anorak. The pant of choice is the ankle-length trouser. Both impart a carefree mood and evoke outdoor fun and picnics. Anoraks are practical by design, but they don’t have to be dull. Look for creative styling through contrasting trim, mixed materials and gorgeous hardware. Ankle length pants are fun additions to the spring wardrobe when worn in a lighthearted way.

Look for bright colors and vivid patterns.

And with your ankles on display, don’t forget a fun pair of new shoes.

Above and left, Shosh is a new, hot New Yorkbased designer, and all clothing is made in New York City by American manufacturers, a new trend in fashion. This collection, available at Churchills of Mount Kisco, uses mixes of fabrics for spring, leather, silk, linen, chiffon, cotton to create eclectic looks.

At Churchills of Mount Kisco, the spring looks are understated luxury styles with muted earth tone colors.

At Tiger Lily Boutique in Mount Kisco, black and white belted tunic by Nueva is great with anything from a little black skirt to white capris.”

The season’s beautiful, bold new florals are abundant at Lester’s in Rye, paired here with Henry & Belle Skinny Jeans.

Above, stripe cotton slim pant and printed cotton voile shirts from Benson. Available at Outerluxe in Larchmont.

Catherine H in Katonah is intent on “keeping in mind the diverse needs of every woman,” with a wide selection of mix and match natural fiber separates in muted colors.

Spring accessory report

T

he right accessories can take an outfit from good to great.

They also offer an easy way to update your wardrobe without investing a lot of time and money. Third, they are a fun way to personalize a look and make it your own. Now let’s go shopping.

Sunglasses Big, bold and better than ever before — sunglasses are a favorite fashionable accouterment. Look for oversized frames in subtle colors and dark mottled designs. Metal aviator styles and molded plastic frames are equally popular. Both make round styles and modified cat eye lenses pop. Tinted shades (like blue, pink or silver) transform a pair of sunglasses into a real fashion statement.

Wedge sneakers Wedges plus sneakers equal the hottest new shoe style to dominate

Chloé blush suede leather and tonal camel canvas high-top wedge sneakers with a quilted upper.

Make a bold statement with layered necklaces available at Catherine H in Katonah.

Put on the fnishing touches with a skinny leather belt, and long pendant necklace, available at Catherine H in Katonah.

thick frames with stripes and embellishment are the eyewear trend for 2013, by Tory Burch.

Style meets function with this bold, neon green sport nylon bag by Dooney & Bourne.

the runway and the streets — the wedge sneaker. Artful and embellished with metallic leather trim, the wedge sneaker is the perfect accompaniment to spring’s exposed ankles and sporty vibe. In black or brown with gold trim, the shoe embodies urban cool.

In white leather or exotic prints, it shows other modern and Boho sides.

Patent leather loafers The current obsession with leather garments translates into glossy patent leather shoes for the feet. To keep these toe tappers from looking like little girls’ holiday Mary Janes, look

for serious grown-up varieties, such as loafers and ballet flats. Adornment at the toe — in the form of a cap or bow — is typical. Don’t be afraid to go all out and gild the lily.

Statement jewelry Big, bold, sculptural jewelry is the ideal companion for spring’s simple sporty silhouettes and classic basics like the ubiquitous black suit. Look for interesting materials and unique designs. Chokers adorned with toothy triangles are popular and easy to wear.

The same is true for wrap bracelets, woven neckbands, amulets with milky

stones and bib necklaces made from ribbon and cord. Not dainty or demure, today’s jewelry is crafty, edgy and little bit Boho. Artisan marketplaces are a good source for finding your perfect piece.

Skinny belts The sharp linearity of a skinny belt elegantly defines a slim waist or functions like a crisp athletic stripe. In any case, a skinny belt is always feminine and always dresses up an outfit. To add visual punctuation, add interest with a creative buckle. Look for large pieces of hammered metal, intaglio

designs, beaded closures, woven leathers and studs.

Visors No longer just an emblem of a long day on the tennis court, the sun visor has penetrated the world of mainstream fashion. Springboarding off their original athletic forefathers, spring’s fashionable visors are an interesting mix of colors, textures and materials. They are meant to be worn everyday and can even facilitate a variety of hairstyles. Think of them as an evolution of the headband.

Neon Brightly colored handbags and shoes are a welcome contrast to the season’s dominant palette of black and white. Patent leather surfaces pump up the shine. A yellow bag invigorates a look with cheerful joy. Red shoes provide a flirty wink of color. Don’t be afraid to interject a strong hue in repeating doses, such as orange shoes and a matching orange headband or a royal blue belt and clutch. A little color goes a long way — and always makes a big statement.

— Traci Dutton Ludwig

Today’s Woman March 22, 2013

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