Boutique Box - Your Style , Define your Style

Shop Women-Owned Holiday Gift Guide

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:54:47 +0000

WOMEN BUILDING WOMEN:
Vote with your Dollars this Holiday Season

Women hold the power to change the ecosystem with our buying power. So, this holiday season, vote with your dollars for the future you want to see. We know shopping small is lovely idea, but can be hard in practice when certain companies make it so easy for instant gratification. Each of these brands has been personally vetted by Boutique Box founder and CEO, Catherine Cassidy.

In early December, Boutique Box was a part of the WIN Holiday Marketplace featuring local women-owned brands hosted by Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco. This got us thinking: How can we help spread the word of these incredible brands we discovered? Not to mention the brands Boutique Box partners with already AND all the other women-owned brands Catherine has met along the way!

So, as you shop today, have confidence that you and/or your gift recipient will LOVE what you buy!

SHOP TEAS WITH MEANING

SHOP OLIVE THIS OLIVE THAT

SHOP JEFFREY'S NATURAL PET FOODS

For the Boutique Box brands, you may be curious of your size and fit.

This is part of our Intelligent Style Magic! As our gift to you this holiday season, send a note to hello@yourboutiquebox.com with the link to the style you're interested in and we'll reply with a few Q's to ID your Boutique Box Fit for the style.

We also have one more gift for you: Your Intelligent Style RX.

Click below to fill out a one-question survey to discover your best next step in Intelligent Style.

Boutique Box exists to embolden women in their Intelligent Style to empower your success at your next level, with confidence and ease. 100% of Intelligent Style clients experience increase -- new jobs, new loves, new levels of leadership.

The world needs your Leadership & Light.

GET YOUR INTELLIGENT STYLE RX

Fast Company's Best Dressed in Business

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 18:56:53 +0000

"Because most of all, dressing well requires knowing oneself."

Fast Company recently released a new initiative: Best Dressed in Business

They NAILED it and underscores what we call Intelligent Style: Their list of ‘best dressed’ highlights true diversity in STYLE, not fashion or trends, as well as leadership and what it looks like to show up as a leader.

“Because most of all, dressing well requires knowing oneself.”

You may not resonate with everyone’s style.

That’s OK, you don’t need to.

But, they can still inspire you.

One of the first questions we always ask a new client or member is ‘Who is your Style Icon?”

This doesn’t have to mean a celebrity — as this list illustrates — rather anyone you know whose style who inspires you.

When you consider this question, think about what it is about their style that inspires you. Because it’s not really about the clothes. It’s how you’re perceiving them in their clothes.

For instance, Michelle Obama is a common response we get to this question for our Member's profiles.

But that can mean SO many different things.

It can mean classic and confident.

It can mean bold and intelligent.

It can mean inviting and powerful.

And, Michelle Obama is an excellent example of Intelligent Style for another reason: She navigates the dance of dressing for the audience AND for herself flawlessly every time.

Meaning, she’s respectful of the occasion and the audience while not sacrificing herself. A lot of the history of ‘executive presence’ is based in ‘shoulds’ an ‘appropriate.’ It’s about fitting in. But true leadership can’t be about fitting in. It’s about creating buy-in. And you can only do that if you build trust. And you can only build trust if you are truthful. And you can only be truthful if you’re in alignment with your values and vision.

Consider what Dara Treseder shares about the POWER of Style, interviewed by Elizabeth Segran:

What’s the best piece of fashion advice you’ve ever gotten?
My mother told me, “dress for you.” That simple truth shaped everything. Fashion is comfort, not just physical but emotional. When you feel at ease in what you wear, you move differently. You lead differently. Confidence is the most powerful thing you can put on.

We’re heading back to the office, back to our conferences and our board meetings soon, so let's put your Intelligent Style into action.

Intelligent Style Exercise:

Take a second to consider these Best Dressed. What would YOUR Best Dressed profile say?

(Hint: Focus on your next level — what are people saying about you? What is the energy you bring to the room? How do others react to your presence? What is your vibe? There are no wrong answers.)

And if you’re ready to take the next step to bring your Best Dressed to life, we have different paths to meet you where you are:

🖤 Rebrand – You’re stepping into a new chapter (promotion, business shift, new stage of visibility). This is our CEO 1-1 VIP experience—an in-depth transformation of how your style reflects your leadership with Boutique Box CEO Catherine Cassidy.

🖤 Refresh – You mostly like what you have, but it needs a tune-up. A few intentional updates, edits, or fits. This is the 1-1 fitting—available in Chicago or virtually.

🖤 Rebuild – Your current wardrobe just isn’t cutting it. Nothing feels like you. This is where the Boutique Box Membership shines—curated, customized style delivered to your door.

🖤 Reinvent – You are beginning to position yourself for your next level. This is where our soon-to-launch Intelligent Style 101 program supports you in building confidence and clarity with your current closet. You don’t need more clothes, yet.

Not sure which is right for you? Join Catherine LIVE on September 2nd for Reinvent & Rise: An Intelligent Style Activation

Our goal for you? To make sure you’re walking into this next season aligned and fully expressed.

JOIN CATHERINE ON SEPTEMBER 2ND FOR REINVENT & RISE

80/20 in your Closet

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 18:45:56 +0000

"The other day, I walked into my closet and looked around and had the aha moment: Oh my god, I love everything!" - Mira Panek

“I feel like up until this point I had stupid style and now I have Intelligent Style.”

A revelation Boutique Box client Mira Panek shared around her Intelligent Style Evolution she went through last summer.

Of course that was the goal for Mira to experience & why she went through the evolution. But it was the a-ha of what that actually meant that connected the dots.

Stupid style doesn’t mean bad style. To Mira, this was shopping because it felt like something was missing, but never feeling like she’d filled the gaps. Something always seemed to be missing.

The thing is — you have to have done a good amount of work to even get to ‘stupid style’ on your Style Actualization Journey … Stupid style is ‘good enough’ style.

‘Whatever, this works.’

We need to get out the door quickly, dressed in clothes that are at least ‘appropriate’ for the occasion or audience, but don’t love what we’re wearing.

What we wear is loaded for women.

Meredith Koop, stylist for Michelle Obama, articulates what women navigate every day, whether they’re First Lady of the United States or getting dressed for work: “You have to celebrate fashion but also be aware of the message people are going to take away,” she said. “Fashion can bolster communications in the best-case scenario, or be a silent partner, or actually distract.”

Style is a tool. It communicates to you and for you.

Mrs. Obama herself highlights the power of style in her memoir: “It seemed that my clothes mattered more to people than anything I had to say,” and “Optics governed more or less everything in the political world, and I factored this into every outfit.”

This is why women get stuck.

Where do you start when everything you do is going to be looked at under such a discerning lens? Because, let us be clear, this is what women are navigating everyday subconsciously, whether they’re just starting out in their careers or already ascending to leadership roles.

And this is why Intelligent Style starts with YOU.

Navigating the nuance with ease is an inside job.

This is what shifted Mira from ‘stupid style’ to Intelligent Style:

She started with an inner inquiry & created a vision for her style that was grounded in how she wanted to FEEL & how she wanted to CONNECT with others.
Then, we went through her entire closet to learn from what she already has — focusing on fit, colors, quality, and mixing & matching.
Finally, we helped her create a Wardrobe Action Plan — what to update, add & evolve.

Instead of staying stuck, Mira leveraged style as a tool. Intelligent Style is intentional and this is why it becomes effortless.

What Mira discovered through her Intelligent Style Evolution was by being intentional, she unlocked the key to it all feeling effortless. Mira has kindly offered to share her story in the hopes of inspiring others to bring Intelligent Style to their wardrobe.

In Mira’s own words: “I love clothes and the idea of beautiful design, but had no idea how to dress my body and bought what the Fashion Industry served up to me. I tried to fit myself into that rather than the other way around.”

Here’s the thing: the fashion cycle feeds off of a disempowering message — you don’t yet have enough, this will make you feel better, this is what’s in, etc. Intelligent Style takes you off of that hamster wheel.

KEY TO NOTE: It was a few years from when we first met before Mira emailed to book her first session.

This is important because this is quite common. It often takes a lot of time before women say YES to this support.

What flips the switch?

She was ready for the change.

She was ready for it to be easy. She was ready for the support and realized that she wanted to learn.

Learn being the operative word because that’s why Intelligent Style works. It’s not about rules; it’s not about ‘shoulds.’ It’s about learning through experience (embodied cognition).

You learn from what you have, you learn from what you want, and you learn to connect the dots to close the gap.

It’s been about 20 months since Mira‘s first session. We started with an inner inquiry through the intake process to guide her to creating this into reality, starting with what she had in her closet.

There were three key growing edges for Mira:

Finding the right fit for her athletic body
Creating a color story to easily mix + match (and not be basic)
Having FUN with playing with mixing + matching

Mira was determined to love everything in her closet, so over the course of her Evolution, she did try on every piece in her closet to assess fit & style. We guided her to create looks from what she had so she could begin to learn the elements of an outfit. She donated or gifted pieces that weren’t right for her. And we’ve added pieces strategically through Boutique Box.

Where is Mira now with her style after doing the inner and the outer inquiry?

“Now, I feel like I do have intelligence around my style. I know what works for my body and my closet. I know exactly what makes sense, and what’s missing.

The other day, I walked into my closet and looked around and had the aha moment: Oh my god, I love everything!

I feel like I have a color story that works for me and I like, but it was a surprise. A palette I wouldn’t have expected or have chosen on my own. I have colors that work for look great on me & I know how to mix & match. I know what shapes look good together, what fabrics look good together and it just works. I have about one third of the clothes, but now have a year’s worth of looks.

Now, I just need some places to get to wear them!”

Style is an outward expression of your inner self. Intelligent Style goes a layer deeper — because we start with YOU, your expression is innate, effortless and influential because your presence is authentic and grounded in YOU.

The Intelligent Style Evolution works because we’re breaking it down step by step, so you can integrate each level of embodying your Intelligent Style. We’re eliminating the overwhelm, the frustration and the TIME it takes to figure it all out yourself so it’s FUN again to get dressed each day.

Confident, authentic, present and powerful.

Resources to meet you where you are ...

If you need a fast transformation and have very specific needs, invest in 1-1 support. https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/VIP

If you need updates over time and want access for A's to your Q's, invest in the Boutique Box Membership. Get to know us and join the Intelligent Style Community here: https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/getstarted

If you need a few updates for an event and want confidence in the fit and style to try before you buy, book your Chloe Kristyn Style Edit, HERE.

4 Steps to ACTIVATE Your Intelligent Style

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 19:36:59 +0000

And Amplify your Impact, Influence, and Income

Why is Boutique Box so obsessed with solving the 'getting dressed for work' problem for women?

Because in Catherine's over 16 years of working with hundreds of women through 1-1 programs, online courses, in-person workshops and Boutique Box, every since woman experienced INCREASE -- promotions, business growth, visibility, income, impact, and influence.

Catherine left corporate fashion because I saw a massive disconnect between the customer and the designer, so I got to work learning and solving at the root of the problem -- in the customer's closet.

She simply felt passionate that it should be easier for women who are navigating all the things -- let alone the double standards -- to get dressed and feeling their best with ease.

And at the time, personal styling was NOT a thing.

She did not expect the spillover benefits that an authentic, innate, effortless style defined created -- increased courage and confidence to take bolder, bigger action. But it made her double down.

Here we are, 16 years later. Mass merchants still seem at a loss for how to solve this problem for the customer AND for their struggling businesses (it's most of the topics in The Business of Fashion articles). More on that in our next post, but to the point for you, the customer, is that it's not you. It's the industry.

Because you don't need a giant wardrobe to have a great wardrobe, you can reclaim your power as the consumer.

ACTIVATE YOUR INTELLIGENT STYLE:

>> Getting dressed for ANY occasion, start with how YOU want to feel.

You can adjust to meet the audience, but any look needs to be grounded YOU. The simplest way to do this to start is to build your outfit around one item that you love. Everything else can be 'appropriate.'

>> Start with what you have.

There is so much intelligence in your current wardrobe. Some pieces may have lived their life in your wardrobe, others you may have been holding on to as you evolved into your next level, and some will highlight elements you want to bring more of into your style (but these ones aren't quite it).

>> PLAY WITH YOUR CLOTHES.

Style is learned. Intelligent Style leverages a concept called Embodied Cognition -- learning through experience. Take ONE piece you've wanted to wear and play with creating outfits around it.

>> Support your Evolution.

Time is your most valuable resource. And as your life, style and career evolves, so will your style. Unless something has shifted in a big way (completely new work environment, new body, new baby, etc.), you truly don't need to add more than 1-2 pieces* at a time to elevate and evolve.

*inclusive of accessories, shoes, belts, bags, and clothes*

If you don't enjoy shopping or don't have the time it takes to find those 1-2 pieces, you're actually in the majority -- 68% of professional women find shopping a chore.

Outsource.

You can do it all, but you don't have to do it all yourself. #leverage

Resources to meet you where you are ...

If you need a fast transformation and have very specific needs, invest in 1-1 support. https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/VIP

If you need a few updates for an event and want confidence in the fit and style to try before you buy, book your Chloe Kristyn Style Edit: https://chloekristyn.com/products/curated-style-edit

The 3 Elements of Intelligent Style

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 23:27:49 +0000

Intelligent Style™ leverages the concept of emotional intelligence as it relates to the psychology of style and human behavior to give women a new playbook for getting dressed for work that amplifies their presence, power, and purpose.

Our process is grounded in behavioral psychology and more than 15 years of helping professional women define their style and evolve their wardrobe.

The BEST part of the work is when the light goes on and she sees her power + potential.

Because, while style is the catalyst, the work is ALL about helping YOU see, own and feel your power + potential.

Ultimately, it comes down to Confidence.

Confidence comes from a true inner knowing of your self. Style comes from owning that inner confidence and projecting it through your clothes and presence.

Is it time for YOU to own your power + potential with complete confidence in yourself and how you show up as a leader?

Before you make excuses (we all do when it comes to change), rest assured that it really can be as easy as 1-2-3.

Let's break it down ...

-1- Get Grounded

Intelligent Style starts with Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is awareness of your self and your awareness of your environment.

As it relates to your style and presence: You can dress the part and look the part, but what happens when you don’t feel the part? You come across as inauthentic and thus untrustworthy. Maybe you look like you fit in, but there is something subconscious that those around you pick up as being incongruent with what you're saying.

To create buy-in as a leader, people need to trust what you’re saying is true. BS-ing doesn’t get you very far. Neither does ‘fake it ’til you make it’ if you don’t believe it.

You have to start with the inner work to get clear and confident before you even address the outer part of how you show up as a leader.

Consider these two questions:

How do you want to FEEL in each situation?
How do you want others to feel in your presence as a leader?

BONUS: Doing this work will also guide you to the places where it is fully safe to BE yourself.

-2- Get Clarity

Ultimately, what you wear DOES matter. To you. Studies have shown that you wear not only influences how others perceive you, but more important it influences how you feel about yourself.

So, how do you get clear?

Create a Style Vision Board.

When designers start a new collection, this is the first thing they do. They call it a mood board, but it's the same idea. This mood board is to define the essence of the collection. This is what you're going to do for yourself and your style.

Creating this, too, is as easy as 1-2-3:

Find images that inspire you. These are NOT clothes, outfits, or people wearing clothes you think you like. These are images such as your favorite room, an image from a travel adventure, your favorite place to be, architecture, art, nature, etc. These images together start to tell a story -- your story.
ID the Essence of your Vision. Is there a theme with the colors? The vibe? The locations? With the images gathered together are there words that come to mind that feel like you?
Save it somewhere. This could be a folder on your phone or something you frame to add to your closet so you're always reminded of the vibe you're creating for your highest self and style.

-3- Get in ACTION!

As Nike says -- Just Do It!

Step 2 can be very esoteric up to a point (unless you opt into support with Boutique Box — congrats, you’re already in ACTION!).

Step 3 cannot be ignored or you’ll stay stuck in the mode of ‘closet full of clothes and nothing to wear’ and frustration … wearing the same thing every day (or some iteration of the same) because, whatever, it works! That’s not a very powerful place to come from as you show up as a leader.

Change happens one step at a time. So yes, once again, 1-2-3 ...

So get into action:

GO INTO YOUR CLOSET AND ID AT LEAST 5 PIECE YOU LOVE. All caps because this is important. Analyze and ID what you love about these pieces. You're going to ONLY bring more of what you love into your closet going forward.
CLEAR OUT AT LEAST 5 PIECES YOU BOUGHT TO FILL A NEED BUT NEVER WEAR. They served their purpose. Thank them and let them go. (You can release more than 5, but it's a good starting point.) They can be donated, re-sold, or recycled.
CREATE A WARDROBE ACTION PLAN. And only buy 1 or 2 pieces at a time. ID what will add value, what's missing, and what you want more of so that you are already prepared for any last minute event or meeting.

The reason why you have those pieces in your closet that you wore once for that specific event is because you weren't prepared and haven't curated a closet that mixes and matches. With a Wardrobe Action Plan (and especially with leveraging Boutique Box to outsource this for you), you are clear on what you are looking for and can prioritize it to your calendar and career goals.

If finding those pieces to curate your Intelligent Wardrobe feels like too much work, the Boutique Box Membership does it for you. The investment is $250/year and we'll guide you to create your profile (a process also designed to create clarity). Then, each month we'll recommend 1-2 pieces perfect for you from our emerging designer partners.

LEARN MORE TO GET STARTED TODAY

The Power of Color

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 03:55:57 +0000

What does your favorite color say about you?

HINT: There are no wrong answers!!

-1- What is your favorite color?

This may or may not be a color you wear often. Some colors you love maybe aren't great colors for your skin tone. This still tells you a lot about the vibe you want to bring into your closet.

-2- Go into your closet. What color(s) are prominent?

If they're not the same as your favorite color, it could be indicative of either your current feeling OR just that you like to keep things simple. Maybe it could be fun to bring pops of your favorite color into your wardrobe through accessories and details.

A quick and dirty breakdown of what colors communicate ...

Yellow: Confidence, intelligence, happiness and BOLD presence that encourages inclusion.

Red: Power, strength, determination, love, and a dynamic assertive energy that inspires passion.

Pink: Femininity, friendship, compassion and welcoming openness.

Orange: Joy, adventure, creativity, determination and attracting success through inspiration and action.

Gold: Wisdom, wealth and illuminating high quality.

Green: Harmony, freshness and freedom, abundance, and a balanced approach to endurance.

Blue: Depth, stability, trust, loyalty, wisdom and intelligence with creativity and confidence to boot.

Turquoise: Transformation, clarity and a unique imagination for innovation.

Purple: Royal power, wealth and luxury, wisdom with independence, creativity and some mystery.

White: Clarity, light and good.

Black: Depth, elegance and power.

Do the colors resonate with you? Are there any that you want to bring into your wardrobe for what they communicate?

Ready for that Next Level in your life, style and career?

How you show up matters.

Taking your presence to the next level doesn't mean you need a makeover. It does mean you need to think about it differently.

We know you're busy, so we created a quick catalyst with the Your Next Level Workshop. In 35-minutes, Boutique Box CEO Catherine Cassidy guides you through the 1-2-3 to elevate your Intelligent Style to activate and embolden Your Next Level.

UNLOCK ACCESS NOW

Boutique Box - Your Style , Define your Style

Shop Women-Owned Holiday Gift Guide

WOMEN BUILDING WOMEN: Vote with your Dollars this Holiday Season

Teas with Meaning

ALLY Shoes

676 Candles Co.

Inspiro Tequila

Ameliora

Olive This Olive That

Lacson Ravello

​Missive Press

SEPPI

SISU-the brand

Bixa Beauty

Jeffrey’s Natural Pet Foods