3 minute read
Helping a Stranger Dress for Success
Helping a Stranger Dress for Success
By Constance Chatfield-Taylor
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Not long ago, I attended a reception on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and parked on the street across from Nordstroms Rack.
So of course, when I was leaving the event, I just had to go into the store for a few minutes. I mean, why not? My car was parked legally and I needed to add a little spring in my wardrobe.
Constance Chatfield-Taylor
I went upstairs and started looking through some dresses and immediately, a young woman approached me.
“Excuse me, but would you have time to help me?” she said. “‘I’m in a jam and don’t know where to start. You look so perfectly dressed, I’d love some advice.”
Those of you who know me also know that this would be a first for me. I mostly shop at consignment shops, and I’m most comfortable in jeans and boots... I am NOT the one to ask for fashion advice.
I looked around to make sure she was talking to me.
“Really? Sure!” I said with assurance, then asked her what the occasion was.
“It’s a three-day conference in Boston,” she said. “They say, ‘business casual’ but I have a feeling it’s dressier. I’ve been working remotely for three years and have nothing but sweat pants. I don’t know where to start.”
She was 28 years old, much taller than I am and about a size 4. We walked around so I could see what she seemed to like and then picked out a deep blue dress with a boat neck that she loved.
We added some black dress pants and a summer jacket that had blue flecks that would also go with the dress (conference halls get COLD), a white long sleeve crinkle blouse and a peachy linen jacket that my new friend could roll up the white blouse sleeves a bit at the bottom.
I took various things back to her in the dressing room and she smiled broadly as she twirled in the mirror and looked at herself and her transformation out of sweat pants.
The store was about to close, and she gave me a hug as I left the dressing room and made my way to my car. So much for adding some spring to my wardrobe, I thought. But it definitely added a bit of spring to my step.
