Boutique Box - Your Style , Intelligent Style

POV: Leveraging the Fall Fashion Calendar

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 19:48:42 +0000

In the heat of Summer, we see stores shift to Fall.

The first Fall delivery for Fashion Brands in mass merchandised stores is typically between June 30-July 15.

As a consumer this doesn't make sense because you're living through the change in seasons and realizing that you need updates to your wardrobe to meet your moments now.

Consider the 'Yes, And' of improv -- you take what is given to you to work with and you build upon that. And perhaps, this gives you something even better.

The 'Yes, And' of Intelligent Style:

Start thinking about what your Fall calendar requires now and create an Action Plan for updating your Fall Wardrobe to be ready and avoid the last minute stress of 'what do I wear?'

Because that last minute approach typically includes rushed and forced shopping, impulse purchases, and complete outfits that you wear once because 'whatever this works' but then sit in your closet because they never were really quite right.

Not very fun.

Consider instead:

You've added 3-5 new pieces over the last few months that could build out a capsule on their own, but also integrate into your closet to work with pieces you already have.

So, you're getting ready for that big work conference and you go into your closet to decide what to wear.

You see that new blazer you love and realize that it could work perfectly with one of your favorite skirts. You see a blouse that ties the colors together. Quickly you throw on all 3 pieces and realize you just created a new outfit, effortlessly. It needs a simple finishing touch, though you skip the belt because the blouse tucked into the skirt is enough definition and the button on the jacket would compete. Instead, you add a simple necklace, your classic watch stacked with a couple of silver (or gold!) bracelets, and some simple studs. You complete the look with a comfortable pair of lower block heels. And you're out the door!

Now, that's fun! Plus, you keep getting complimented and you're comfortable and confident!

So, if the first Fall Delivery lands in stores by mid-July, that gives you 6-8 weeks to get ahead of your Fall Calendar.

The Intelligent Style Framework for Curating your Ideal Wardrobe

1. Take a Closet Inventory of what you already have.

Style is personal -- so your inventory and what that means for what you need is going to be personal too. Some women love a good dress for the one and done outfit. Others, prefer pants. Still others will mix it up between pants, skirts, and dresses.

What you want is a wardrobe that mixes and matches, not a wardrobe of outfits.

2. Consider your goals, your events, and anything that has changed that impacts your Style Evolution.

What does the next evolution of YOU look like as you walk into the room? Most of your closet comes with you through this next evolution, but this informs how you're stepping it up with these new pieces you'll add.

Are we elevating the colors, the fits, the fabrics? Are we shifting from pants to skirts and dresses? Are we adding the statement jackets to match the authority of that expected promotion?

3. ID what would add value -- this is your Wardrobe Action Plan

What do you want and what to do you need? For instance, if you were recently promoted and it's time to revamp your wardrobe, you may need more than just 3-5 updates for the Fall. You will still have plenty from your current closet, but you're stepping it up, so your list could look like:

2 blazers -- including 1 that will work with X dress
1 fit and flare dress
1 power dress
1 new dark pant
1 printed/textured pant
1 new skirt
4 new blouses
1 dark flat
1 bright heel

4. Set your Budget

Elevating your wardrobe is an investment in your energy. And yet, there tends to be guilt for women around spending on clothes. We live in a society -- and especially in our work environments -- where your presence creates your opportunities. You can't afford NOT to invest in how you show up.

So, to build the muscle and give yourself permission -- set your budget and work from there.

Remember: There is only one letter different between Expensive vs. Expansive.

If you love a piece, you'll wear it for years to come in so many ways and it's not expensive, it's expansive.

Now, get into action!

If some additional guidance would help, sign up for our free Power Up Your Presence workshop hosted by Boutique Box founder and CEO, Catherine Cassidy:

Get Started Now

The Power of Intelligent Style™

Sun, 18 May 2025 19:15:00 +0000

The reality is women can't afford not to care.

"While only 5% of leaders say that they consider appearance a key factor in executive presence, 83% say unkempt attire detracts from a woman’s executive presence." -- Center for Talent Innovation

Who determines what 'Executive Presence' is, anyway?

Intelligent Style gives women a framework to create a presence that creates connection and communicates capability, without sacrificing their authentic self to merely 'fit in.'

Intelligent Style Activates Influence

"Sometimes you have to get out of the way of yourself to be yourself. Presence if first about how we show up internally. But, more importantly, it’s about how we show up to connect with others.” - Amy Cuddy, Presence

Style is a communication tool. It communicates to others who you are and creates the opportunity for connection and conversation.

It also is a tool for you to leverage to communicate to yourself: who am I and how do I want to show up?

What you wear reinforces the answer to that question for you.

And, regardless of the environment that you work in, it is SO important that you have space to bring your self into the environment. As an example, perhaps you have a really flow-y and free bohemian-esque personality and style, but you work in a very corporate environment that requires business formal every day. You can't just dress the part for the environment. Wear the suit, but bring YOU into the equation via your accessories, the colors you use as accents, the blouses/tops you wear under the suit.

Intelligent Style Impacts your Performance

In 2012 Adam Galinsky conducted a study at Kellogg's School of Business that considered the idea of dress for success and the concept of embodied cognition (learning through experience). He had groups of MBA students wear white coats to take cognitive tests. One group was told it was wearing a painter's smock, one was told it was wearing a doctor's lab coat, and, of course one was the control group. In every instance, those wearing the 'doctor's lab coat' outperformed the other groups.

Galinksy found they 'showed up how they believed a doctor would.'

In other words, what they were wearing impacted how they perceived themselves and thus, how they performed.

What you wear matters. To YOU.

Intelligent Style Empowers your Confidence

Fashion and the trends are about fitting in. Style is personal. Intelligent Style is BELONGING.

Intelligent Style is innate, authentic, and aware.

When your external presence matches your inner sense of self-assuredness, you tap into your innate confidence. And then your confidence in your presence reinforces your confidence in your self.

Ultimately, it's not how you look, but how you FEEL. This is what creates authentic connection.

The Q's to Ask Yourself to Embody your Intelligent Style

Who are you?
How do you want to show up?
How do you want to feel?
How do you want others to feel in your presence?

Ready to embody your Intelligent Style? Sign up for our on-demand workshop, Power Up Your Presence:

3 STEPS TO POWER UP YOUR PRESENCE

INTELLIGENT STYLE PROFILE: RANI POORAN, Global Senior Leader in Sustainability and DEI

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

"I would say my style today -- as a result of working very closely with Boutique Box and yourself over the past couple of years -- has become more confident and inspired."
- Rani Pooran -

Boutique Box exists to support busy professional women in how they show up at work. We believe you deserve for it to be easy to get out the door quickly, always feeling your best.

The evolution of our business has been entirely inspired by the women we’ve served and supported in style. These women are dynamic leaders driving change. They are as ambitious as they are kind. And, they’ve been navigating the nuance of getting dressed for work as their careers have evolved, as corporate cultures have evolved, and as women’s leadership in companies and communities has evolved.

In our Intelligent Style Profile series, we highlight these incredible women.

Our first profile features Rani Pooran, a Senior Leader in Sustainability and DEI at World Bank.

How you think your style has evolved as your career has progressed.

I would say my style today and as a result of working very closely with Boutique Box and yourself over the past couple of years has become more confident and inspired. And that is how I see my career journey as well. And not surprisingly, the two have grown together. So if I think about my career over the past, I think I've been working out for close to 20 years or so.

I've had many turning points.

One was when I went from being an individual contributor to a people manager for the first time 10 years ago or so.

Another one was moving from a risk management role into the area that I'm in today, which is diversity, equity and inclusion.

And then a third big change that I made was back in 2021, I left the private sector, banking in particular, where I'd grown up, to move to the international public sector to build a diversity equity and inclusion program. And that took me from Toronto to Washington, DC, where I now spend most of my time in this role.

And each time I made a change, it came with expanded responsibilities, different responsibilities.

And it also meant that I had to level up my style, if you like, and think about how I would project authority in a way that reflected the context that I was in, how I showed up would determine in large part how I'm able to connect with the people I work with, whether those were my direct reports, my boss, stakeholders. And as I changed my style -- most recently with Boutique Box when I moved to DC -- it's definitely left me feeling more confident and inspired. And now I have clothes that I absolutely love.

I do a lot of speaking engagements, either online or in person in my current role and I can put on like that short little black jacket that was one of the first pieces I got from Boutique Box which I love, it makes me feel really confident or a necklace that I recently bought on a trip to Chile or that green dress.

So clothes really set the tone for me for how I show up and allow me to connect with my audience and deliver my message with impact.

---

One of the unique things that Rani did when she joined the Boutique Box Membership was communicate her budget. From here, we knew Rani would be a great fit for the experience because two fiscal elements are key to Intelligent Style:

Quality over Quantity: You don't need a giant wardrobe to have a great wardrobe
Return on Wear: How much value you get from each piece you buy with a focus on buying fewer, better things that last longer as well as mix into your wardrobe to wear many ways.

As you can see from some of Rani's outfits, she's benefiting from mixing & matching:

How did you come to set a budget for yourself and have that mindset?

I grew up in a family where fiscal responsibility is a very strong value. My dad is the one who instilled that value in my sister and myself, but he has no interest in fashion. Only recently have we been able to get him to evolve, you know, his look now that he's retired. However, my mom has an interest in style and she was often giving me tips saying like 'this would look good on you. That doesn't look good on you.'

So for me the two come together really naturally. If style is important just like food and travel, then I'm gonna put money behind it.

And, I can relate to overspending. Prior to working with Boutique Box, I would say I was overspending even though I historically have kept a very tightly edited wardrobe compared to others that I know, but wasn't very happy with all of my clothes. Whereas now I'd say I'm happy with like 99 % of what's in my wardrobe.

So for me putting a budget, it's intentional. It makes me very happy. I know I've got this money set aside and I calculate that budget on a monthly basis too. I'm just getting ready to share with you next week what my budget will be for this year. And I know what that means for my monthly spend. So I really break it down. And then when I see that monthly spend actually, it's not as much as I think. Like it looks like a big amount if I think, I'm spending X amount of money for the year. But, when you break it down monthly and then you can even break it down bi-weekly to see what comes out of your paycheck, it's actually a really great approach.

At $395 for the investment in the Membership, it's not a huge leap, but it's an investment. What made you say yes to the Boutique Box Membership?

So I moved to DC in May of 2022. It seems like a long time away now, but that was sort of the tail end of the pandemic, right? So like many of us, most of us, my wardrobe needed to change. I wasn't happy with a lot of my clothes, even though I was still getting dressed up for work every day when I was on video. But then I moved to DC and more people were coming to the office.

And so, you know, I was exploring the district and was really frustrated with my shopping options and started complaining at work. I had moved in May and it got really, really hot very, very quickly. Then it would also thundershower for hour and a half several times a day. So I really was not equipped with my wardrobe coming from Canada where you have colder winters and hot summers, but not as humid as DC. So, one of my team members mentioned Boutique Box to me and told me I should reach out to you. She shared how she'd worked with you and I said, 'this sounds excellent, sounds like exactly what I need.'

So part of it was necessity but also a market opportunity. Like I really could not find what I wanted in DC and I don't want to shop in big box stores at Tyson's. I don't like what they have to offer the big box stores and I also don't like the shopping experience of going in to a mall actually. I find it very draining and overstimulating. And to me the value proposition was really clear. I love the designers the Boutique Box has. I love the clothes.

Then, I like the way you explained to me the principles of how to dress and not just making suggestions for me for what I needed in my wardrobe, but also showing me how I could recombine what I have to make outfits I hadn't thought about. So was a no-brainer.

---

What's been the biggest benefit since joining Boutique Box as a member to you?

Well, there are a couple. First, there is definitely cost savings and stress relief. So I talked about this earlier, setting my budget and that I spend less now than I did before to acquire new items for my wardrobe. So who wouldn't want that? That's great. The stress of having to find high quality items.

Like that's a weight that's been lifted off my shoulders, because I know there's a go-to place and I can tell you I need X, Y, and Z. I'm very organized, so I'll often tell you in advance. So I don't want to have the pressure of time. Like when we were looking for that wedding dress last year for my friend's wedding, I think we had at least a few months. So those are two of the biggest benefits to me. Save me time, save me money.

And it's taken stress out of my life because I don't have an experience in DC where I can enjoy in-person shopping or just wander down the street and see a great clothes store that piques my interest. And I would also add, it's learning about fashion. Like I've learned so much about the industry, about the industry in the US, about the designers that you work with, like meeting Bettina.

The whole experience is not just about purchasing clothes. It is, I think, a full immersive experience in fashion. You know, my other complaint is being a petite woman. I've complained to you, you know, ad nauseam about that, I'm sure. But that's another benefit. I can get clothes that fit me. So sometimes I have to make alterations, but I can get clothes that fit me with some simple alterations. And I know that there's someone that understands the needs of petite women. And I don't always have to go to like Ann Taylor and Banana Republic whose clothes I don't like very much anymore. So many benefits to joining Boutique Box!

What are some of the mindset shifts you've had around Style since joining Boutique Box?

So again the big mindset shift around style is definitely being more inspired and more confident in what I wear and how I show up.

I still buy clothes for myself, which, you know, I share with you from time to time, like this jumpsuit that I bought recently, right? And say like, I need a top for inside of it, or, you know, you can make a suggestion and mostly do that when I travel.

When you explain the principles of how to build a wardrobe, so this idea of like edited capsules and putting things together in different ways, I'm now being very intentional about how I build my wardrobe one piece at a time.

While I was keeping a tightly edited wardrobe before, working with you helped me really take that to the next level and really think about how I could expand feeling inspired and confident. And as the same answer for how my mindset has shifted, I'm perhaps also more thoughtful about where I put my money. And what I mean by that is, while I've always supported for the most part sustainable fashion where I can, it's impossible to do 100 percent. But now I'm even more careful about that. And you have many women owned companies in your portfolio, which I really like. And so I think I have from working with you and Boutique Box, thinking about intelligence style, I have that more top of mind now when I'm going to spend.

Watch Rani's full interview above, stay tuned for short clips we'll be sharing on Instagram, and connect below to learn more about the Boutique Box Membership for yourself. We open enrollment the 3rd week of every month, so you'll want that email invite first!

LEARN MORE HERE

The 3 Core Values of Intelligent Style

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:36:29 +0000

Style can feel superficial, especially for women who've been working to be seen as more than how they look for most of their lives.

“From a young age, I’ve used my clothes to tap into my inner self-assuredness when going into situations when I was way outside of my comfort zone. I remember walking down the aisle in my first communion dress. I remember my first day of a new school in a new town in 5th grade. I remember every day of sorority rush at a school 2000 miles from home where I didn’t know a soul.

It wasn’t about how I looked in those moments. It was about how I felt.” – Boutique Box CEO, Catherine Cassidy

Our WHY as a company is simple: We believe it should be easy for women to find clothes they love that fit. Style is a powerful communication tool – it creates connection with others and it connects us into our authentic power and presence. We call this Intelligent Style™.

Intelligent Style is an external representation of your inner self.

It strips the masks, the personas, the ‘shoulds’, the shame, the costumes we wear to be ‘taken seriously,’ to fit into a mold, to avoid bias, to avoid being sexualized.

Intelligent Style is freedom to be you.

If you’re downplaying any part of yourself — your gender, your culture, your personality — you’re not bringing your full self and your best work to your team. You’re operating with a handicap.

And we recognize that for women it actually takes a lot of work to get to this place to feel totally safe to be seen. Even then, you may not feel totally safe AND YET you’re brave enough to be vulnerable to be seen. This is why we’re so passionate about supporting you in creating your Intelligent Style.

Ready to create your Intelligent Style? Start embodying the 3 Core Values of Intelligent Style.

BASICS DON’T HAVE TO BE BORING

You don’t need another pair of black pants. But, you do need the pair of black pants that are perfect for you.

Your black pants won’t look like your mom’s black pants or your best friend’s black pants.

And, they don’t have to be boring. What they do have to be is a pair that makes you feel your best and the most YOU you can be. So, they could be simple. But if they make you feel YOU, then they’re not boring.

There are just a few variations on black pants that could do that for you…

And when you commit to ONLY buying clothes you love that fit, you will not only find yourself buying less, you will also find yourself wearing more of your closet.

Which brings us to …

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE INVEST IN THEMSELVES

“Behind every successful man is a woman.” Indeed! Because the societal expectation of the stay at home spouse afforded men to work without worry of caring for the family or the house. All those ancillary needs were met without their extra time or energy.

And now that men are single longer or, if they get married, their spouses are working as well, men are quicker to invest in something that makes their lives easier, saving time and energy.

Perhaps it’s because women’s wealth and security had been tied to essentially being the property of men for so long before we started creating our economic freedom post WW2 that we’re still untying those knots in our belief systems that keep us from investing in ourselves.

Regardless of the reasoning, the truth is simple: successful people invest in themselves and saving their time and energy.

With style, this manifests in only allowing ourselves to buy the $30 pants from Target that work OK rather than the $200 pants that feel like butter when we can indeed afford the investment piece.

So, let’s reframe the investment …

We’ll have to replace the $30 pair in 3 months (again and again) and the $200 pair will last us years (and likely until something shifts and we give them away rather than throw them away).

“You don’t need a giant wardrobe to have a great wardrobe.” – Catherine to every single personal styling client

What you need is a wardrobe full of clothes that you LOVE and wear. Investing in the pants you LOVE means you don’t have to spend the time, energy and money to buy another pair every 3 months. We call this return on your investment ROW, or Return on Wear.

Beyond style, some ways you can create a support system for yourself, even if that means starting small.

Some ways you could start investing in yourself to save your time and energy:

Pay the small fee to have your groceries delivered
Fluff & Fold laundry service
Cleaning Service for the deep clean, as needed
Boutique Box membership (of course!)

Some ways to invest in yourself when you need to be mindful of your spending:

Create a daily self-care routine that empowers your day (morning journal, exercise, daily nature walks, reading, cooking … whatever it is that feeds your mind, body and soul)
Set a budget for your wardrobe updates and create an action plan to mindfully update with pieces you LOVE
Get a Library card for your book cravings

Which brings us to …

EMPOWERED PEOPLE EMPOWER PEOPLE

“As you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give permission to others to do the same.” – Marianne Williamson, Return to Love

As you own your Intelligent Style, you give permission to the women around you to do the same.

This has happened time and again with Catherine’s personal styling clients. They would step up their style (simply for themselves and their time), and they would notice that the women in their office started stepping up their style, too.

The evolution of fashion and the trends for women through the decades have been dictated by societal norms, shifts in the economy, women entering the workforce and navigating male dominated industries, and as we highlighted earlier, the desire to be seen for more than how they look.

The French word for ‘suit’ is ‘costume.’ And for many people, that is what getting dressed for work is – putting on your costume to get out the door. We dress to fit into a mold of ‘should’ that keeps us safe and doesn’t ‘distract’ from the work we’re doing.

But your playing small doesn’t serve the world. We need your light. We need YOU. Not everyone is Malala. But no one else is YOU.

And as you let your own light shine, you light the way for others to do the same. As we do that collectively, we will see the change we want to see in the world.

Boutique Box can’t solve for every challenge women face in this world, but we can make getting dressed empowered in your unique style easier. The women we support are the ones who will solve for the challenges we face collectively.

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION!

What is Intelligent Style & How do I get it?

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:13:39 +0000

When you think about your style...

a) I feel good in general and great sometimes.

b) I feel like I look okay.

c) I feel like I look appropriate.

d) I don't feel like I have one or I don't like the one I have.

e) I feel empowered.

If you're not there yet, our goal is to get you to (e).

The ultimate question about style for women is 'where do you start?' When everything you do is going to be looked at under such a discerning (double standard) lens, whether you're just starting out or already ascending in your career, style and 'dress code' is ambiguous in the workplace.

So, what is a woman to do?! Develop your Intelligent Style!

Defined as: [A person's] style is so embodied and [their] closet is so well curated that getting dressed for any occasion to feel empowered in their style is innate and effortless. They don’t even have to think about it.

Intelligent Style creates connection. You get dressed to connect to your inner power and to connect to your audience for the day ahead.

So, how do you develop your Intelligent Style?

Step 1 // ISQ: Intelligent Style Quotient

Courageous, Committed, Connected, Consistent, or Confident. Your style is always evolving.

Your ISQ tells us where you're at in your evolution to Intelligent Style and being completely confident in your Intelligent Style. ISQ is like EQ. It is learned. Knowing where you're at gives you the roadmap to get where you want to go.

Step 2 // Style Inspiration creates your Mood Board

Designers create a ‘mood board’ before creating a collection. This is the essence and the colors, prints and textures that inspire the collection. This is their style inspiration – and it’s not necessarily people.

Think about this for yourself: What are the favorite rooms in your house? Your favorite places you've visited? Your favorite pieces of art? Your favorite pieces of furniture? And why? Is there a theme or any kind of common denominator.

With this, we start bringing your inner style out to create that external representation through the clothes you wear.

As Boutique Box member Julie P. marveled at how we delivered “clothing [that] fits and [she] wouldn’t have picked them out for myself”.

Step 3 // ROW: Return on Wear.

Take the price you paid divided by the number of times you’ve worn it and you get the return on wear for your investment.

It can feel difficult to create an effortless appearance without buying an exuberant amount of items. Intelligent Style helps you recognize all the potential one item can have. When you have a closet curated intentionally, each new piece immediately creates multiple outfits and can even be worn across many occasions, just styled differently.

Boutique Box client Mary Anne R. was so excited that “[she] was able to immediately create 3 new outfits out of one piece Boutique Box sent me!”

Mary exemplifies the goal of Intelligent Style. Creating a simplified wardrobe that allows you to have a better understanding of your clothing; also reteaching your brain to visualize opportunities for pieces of clothing depending on the occasion.

Step 4 // Closet in the Cloud

We ask to start getting a picture (pun intended!) of your current closet so we can see what you have now to see how we can guide you to bringing your Mood Board vision of your style to life.

What you love to wear vs. what you want to wear tells us a lot about where you're at in your style evolution.

One thing Catherine learned in her years working with women executives 1-1 to curate their Intelligent Style is that you need to start in their closet and where they are -- there is a lot of intelligence in what you've already bought for yourself. Then, piece by piece, you elevate their style with pieces they wouldn't have found on their own, but that are a perfect fit. If this step of a Closet Inventory is skipped, you end up buying more clothes that create more clutter than clarity because you didn't take the time to plan and be intentional. (Hint: Boutique Box does this for you!)

Step 5 // DTC: Direct to Consumer

Speaking of pieces, Boutique Box collaborates with DTC designers, which means they’re not focused on growing their sales through wholesale channels (department stores, boutiques, etc.). They’re focused on selling directly to you. The brands we work with are also creating with you especially in mind (rather than mass market). Additionally, you won't find them in a department store.

This means the retail price is aligned to the value and quality.

As Shelley W. proclaims, “If you’re not loving & wearing over 50% of the clothes you own, take the money you would normally throw away on clothing anyway and hand it to Catherine. You will gain confidence, learn new skills and develop a wardrobe you love.”

Well, thank you, Shelley! We're biased, but we agree with you!

The Intelligent Style Framework leverages Boutique Box founder Catherine Cassidy's 14+ years of working with women getting dressed for work and creating tools to guide them to bring their style to life on their own. Every client always had her style within her, and Catherine guided them to see that. Boutique Box was founded on this idea. And, that the hardest part is finding the pieces that bring your style to life. You know what you like. The problem is the time it takes to find it.

Intelligent Style emboldens women to be their most authentic selves; so they can feel comfortable in their own skin, rather than using clothing to hide it.

We take your Intelligent Style Profile and connect you to the pieces from our designer partners that we know you'll love.

Intelligent Style is innate, authentic, and effortless. It also saves you time, energy and money.

If that sounds empowering for your closet & time, you’re invited to learn more and get your invite for the Boutique Box Membership.

If you lead a team, consider booking an Intelligent Style workshop to support your talent -- we give women back their time while empowering their presence & amplifying their impact.

Learn More Now!

What the HECK is Business Casual?

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 22:20:55 +0000

In some ways, the uniform of a suit makes it easier to 'be appropriate.'

Even before Covid changed everything, the ambiguity of business casual for women created another level of stress in the endeavor of getting dressed for work.

While the nuance of navigating business casual can feel daunting at first, it also offers you an opportunity to be more creative and define for yourself your personal brand.

Style is a powerful communication tool.

Leverage it to embolden yourself through your day and create authentic connections with others.

Business Casual, defined: A step below a suit, but a step above jeans and a tee shirt.

Business Formal will tend to lean more toward minimalistic and conservative. Business Casual is open to interpretation, but offers women the opportunity to wear more colors and accessories. Generally, business casual will incorporate flowy blouses, day dresses (maxi/midi), slacks, casual pantsuits, solid/patterns shirts, and skirts. Regionally women interpret the definition of business casual differently. Depending on the weather norms and regional trends, it can be seen that D.C, NYC, San Francisco, and Miami share vastly different business casual styles.

In LA, Business Casual can mean jeans and a blouse.

In DC, you’re still wearing trousers or a skirt and maybe still a blazer, but just not quite a formal suit.

So, how does one navigate the nuance between the cities and the communities they’re connecting in?

A few #IntelligentStyle guidelines:

It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed.

So, when in doubt, step it up a notch. If everyone is wearing jeans + a blazer, and you’re wearing cute pants and a blouse, you’ll still feel really good and aligned to the style cues of the rest of the team. But, if everyone is wearing something a bit more elevated than the jeans + a blazer you’re wearing, you may feel initially a bit uncomfortable.

You do YOU

That being said, to create connection you need to acknowledge the audience and environment you’re in and dressing that and start with how you want to feel.

In new environments and with new audiences, creating connection by meeting people where they are helps to build the relationship. This doesn’t mean having to sacrifice who you are and your style. For these settings, start with something you absolutely want to wear that will make you feel emboldened.

If you’re the consultant coming into a team, you have the space to dress differently because they’re bringing you in to BE YOU and think differently. If you have total confidence and feel emboldened in your style, that energy can overcome the difference in dress code.

Focus on FIT

Please note: Size is irrelevant. If you look in your closet, you probably have a pretty broad spectrum of sizes. Please let that help you let go of an attachment to being a certain size. FIT is what matters. Fit is what will make you always feel your best.

What does great fit look like?

You can see your shape (the wrong size can make you look bigger than you are)
There is no bunching – a key indicator that a piece is too big
There is no bulging or pulling – a key indicator that a piece is too small
You accentuate your favorite ‘assets’
You dress for YOU, not hiding or playing small

Leverage these three guidelines to create your business casual.

Some Intelligent Style Business Casual inspiration:

Remember, the essence of Intelligent Style is YOU. So, take an outfit as inspiration for how you can make it your own.

Boutique Box curates your ideal wardrobe, one piece at a time. With #IntelligentStyle, you're ready for any occasion. Ready?

Get Started Now!

Clothes as a Catalyst for Confidence

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:47:04 +0000

"Catherine is a ray of sunshine, but she is painfully shy."

"Catherine is a ray of sunshine, but she is painfully shy." - My Kindergarten Report Card

And so started my self-study of confidence.

Throughout my life, I have used my clothes as armor. Not in the sense of protecting myself from others, but to embolden myself.

I remember what I wore for every milestone that was far beyond my comfort zone: first communion, first day of a new school in 5th grade (twice!), going to a bar for the first time when I visited USC, sorority rush, interviewing for my first job out of college (it was the same suit, obvi), interviewing for BCBG, giving my first design presentation, backstage at NYFW, sharing my story onstage in a performance piece (pictured above), speaking at Inside Edge, speaking at Rock the World, hosting my first style salon, etc.

Some people remember life events by sporting events and the national news of that day. I remember them by what I wore.

Using clothes as a catalyst to connect to my inner confidence, I empowered myself to step into these uncomfortable and challenging situations.

Feeling confident in my presence got me into the room, pushed me forward for the opportunity.

There was a time where I felt bad about being shy; like there was something wrong with me. But discovering this report card many years later in high school made me realized by accepting it, I'd created a powerful tool for myself to move through situations outside of my comfort zone.

So every time I inevitably stepped out of my comfort zone again, I got more comfortable there.

I don't consider myself shy anymore, though I do have my moments. And as an entrepreneur, I joke that I live my life outside of my comfort zone.

Clothes are a catalyst for confidence. (There are also studies that have proven this to be true.)

Even if you're lucky enough to never ever doubt yourself, think about a big event you had recently and what you wore.
How did it make you feel? Why did you choose that outfit?

The key for clothes to be a catalyst for confidence: they have to make you feel more YOU.

Let me underscore -- this is not about fitting in, the trends or what's 'appropriate' for work.

My story of style is peMy career has had me focused on this one question: How can I make it easier for women to find clothes they love?

My Fashion career started on the sales floor of Nordstrom after my Freshman year of college. Working in the Individualist department, I was helping professional women find pieces they loved, and that they wouldn’t have picked themselves, to make it easier to get dressed for work.

In looking back, it was witnessing them experience the feeling of personal power in wearing these pieces that hooked me into the idea of creating this experience at scale with Boutique Box.

It was my time as a merchandiser at BCBG that led me to launch my own business to solve this problem because I felt there was a massive disconnect between customers and designers, creating overwhelm for the customer and waste for the designer. This problem seemed most challenging for women getting dressed for work. So, I started my first business, Ustyled, to eliminate the disconnect by solving the problem for this customer.

For 10 years I built that business, working with hundreds of women between 1-1, workshops, speaking and online programs.

What I came to realize is that Intelligent Style™ comes down to two things:

The tools to do a bit of inner inquiry to connect to your inner style
Ease to find the pieces that fit + feel good to empower your style

And thus, in 2018 I pivoted and closed Ustyled to set about and launch Boutique Box.

Intelligent Style™ gives you the tools to do the inner inquiry. Boutique Box gives you the ease to find the pieces you love. A great wardrobe doesn't need to be a giant wardrobe. A great wardrobe is a wardrobe you WEAR, mixing + matching + playing with how you want to show up for you.

The bottom line: everything I do is considering how best I can serve you in style and success. If there is anything we can do for you and/or your team, please let us know!

With style and substance,

Catherine

Founder and CEO, Boutique Box