Fashion Crossroads, Inc.

With the advent of utube and the internet, it is easier than ever to keep up to date with what is happening in fashion.  You can go on utube and see videos of trends as they demonstrated themselves on the runways in Milan.  Just look under fashion trends, and you'll be sure to find some informative videos.  If you are a fashionista and love style, then utilize the fact that designers have just finished launching pre-fall collections.  When a trend takes root, it usually has multiple seasons.  An example of this is fur.  It played a big role this season and will be playing an even bigger role next season.  This means you can purchase pieces with fur now while they are on sale!  If you have not yet purchased a fur vest, do it NOW!  You'll be styling next September and ahead of all your friends, and you'll be able to brag about how much you paid! 

It is fashionable right now to accentuate your waist, so now is the time to invest in some new belts.  Gone are the days where we wore belts slung at our hips.  Fashion has re-embraced the female figure and curves are in again.  Try adding a skinny belt to a cardigan that you pair with a skirt or slacks.  Also pretty is to add a medium sized belt to a suit jacket (just make sure the jacket is long enough that you have enough jacket below the belt for it to hang right).  Sweater dresses look amazing belted as do shift dresses.  Experiment with different widths and styles.  The fun of fashion is expressing your own personal style, so give yourself permission to try new things!  I saw a young girl in the store the other day who used a belt to add an empire waist to her top (the belt was placed just below her bust).  Obviously, that is a very trendy option, but kudos to her for taking a chance that looked really cute!  Invest in a variety of belts from skinny to wide and then make sure you have a couple stretchy styles.  Belts are relatively inexpensive and can totally change the look of an outfit you've worn for several years! 

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Following the manufacturer's washing instructions is very important if you want your clothing to look great for years to come.  Aside from this, there are a few tricks that I have picked up over the years to help extend the wear of your clothing.  With jeans, especially dark or colored denim, you can preserve the color by washing them with a 1/4 cup of vinegar and drying only 3/4 of the way.  Hang them to dry for the last 1/4 of drying time needed.  Tops with bling - beads, sequins, grommets, etc. - will often require hand washing, but if they don't, turn them inside out when you wash them so the various embellishments do not catch on your other clothing during the washing process.  Unless they specifically say they are washable, all sweaters should be hand washed and then laid flat to dry.  They should be folded and not hung in your closet so they will keep their shape.  Cold water is less harsh on your clothing and will keep things from shrinking.  If you are worried about something shrinking, use cold water and hang it to dry.  With a little extra care, good quality clothing should give you years of wear!

With Christmas just a week away, I bet there are a lot of super women (and aren’t we all super women) out there busily shopping and wrapping gifts, sending out Christmas cards, baking holiday goodies, making grocery lists, planning menus, cleaning and getting the house ready for guests…argh…I get tired just typing it all out.  Well, I’m in that boat too, but lately I’ve been feeling guilty because I haven’t sent out Christmas cards and haven’t baked any goodies for my sweet neighbors.  So, in this state of mind, I was driving in my car and listening to my favorite radio station the other day and heard something wonderful.  The gal on the radio was talking about how she finally had to admit to herself that she really didn’t like all the extra responsibilities the holidays add to her already over full plate.  I thought, “Wow, I can admit that?  Me too.  I don’t really like feeling like every spare moment I have must be spent getting ready for Christmas.”  Then she said, this year she had adopted the “It will be what it will be” moto.  In other words, she was allowing herself the freedom to not be perfect this holiday season.  And so, my family and friends may get Easter photo cards next year instead of Christmas cards this year and my neighbors may get store bought cookies instead of freshly baked goodies.  I don’t want to miss the brilliance and significance of this season because I am stressing over details.  So, it will be what it will be and that is okay!

As the holidays approach and we look toward the end of the year,  I feel so blessed and thankful to all of our wonderful customers.  We enjoy not only being your favorite place to shop, but being your freinds as well.  The best part about this business is getting to know you, our customers, and being a part of your lives.  When we help you find the perfect outfit for a son's wedding, a daughter's graduation, a special wedding anniversary, or your company holiday party, we become a small part of your life and your memories for that day.  Thank you for sharing your life with us!

This is a test to see if I can create a blog entry.   It appears to be working, now I am editing to see if this will save.  Have a GREAT day!

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It is a thing of beauty when women stand together to accomplish something amazing. Fashion Crossroads has joined the fight to abolish human trafficking. I am so grateful to the many generations of women who fought for my right to have a vote, have a career and get paid an equal amount as any other individual doing the same job. Our generation can be the one that stands with other women to abolish this atrocity happening to our sisters. Women have this amazing ability to "get it done." We are the multitaskers....able to feed a baby, pay the gas bill, and have an important tele-conference for work - all at the same time...well, that may be stretching it a bit, but not by much! I want to challenge my generation (the forty somethings) to stand on the shoulders of our mother's accomplishments and make a difference in this world just as they did...except, lets make a difference for women all over the world who have their lives so hindered by being sold into human slavery at such a young age! Let's go ladies! It's our time!

 You know that old saying that "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"?  Well, the same power that can be turned against someone in anger can be used for imeasureable good too.  We women can be passionate about what we believe in.  I love to see women come in the store wearing breast cancer awareness pink ribbons and be so eager to share their story when asked.  I love how one woman can be sharing her heart and all the others in the store will stop, listen and lend their support.  I love how we want to support, encourage and build one another up.  Wisdom says that if you are feeling down, the best way to feel better is go be good to someone else - get your focus off yourself and your problems and turn it toward doing good.  I think this is a true statement.  I also think that when we as women band together for a worthy cause, we not only feel better within ourselves but we feel better about our world too.  Fashion Crossroads has joined the figt against human trafficking because the problem is getting worse, not better.  Children as young as 4 years old are being sold into sex slavery.  Ladies, this shoudl not be!  We as women can stand together to do something about this human rights violation of our sisterhood!  Check out the  "about us" page to see the shocking statistics that highlight the scope of this problem.  Let's turn that "fury" into a force for good!

Probably one of the most difficult things we do as women is transition our clothing according to our age.  I remember making the change from my college wardrobe to my working wardrobe - my needs were totally different and my whole closet needed an overhaul.  Another transition occured in my early thirties when I had to face the fact that I could no longer wear the same things I wore in my twenties.  The rise on my jeans had to come up higher and the fabric on my tops couldn't be quite as revealing.  Now, nearing forty, my body is once again changing and I am having to make a few more alterations in what I am buying.  Through all of these transitions, I have never hesitated wearing the current trends; I have just had to re-interpret them for my age.  For example, you can wear leggings when you are in your fifties and even sixties; it is really a matter of choosing the right tunic top and shoes.  Obviously, heels and leggings create a "come hither" look and might not be appropriate, but boots and leggings are appropriate at any age - the older you are, the lower the heel.  Likewise, you will want to choose a top that is appropriately loose in the right places and has a neckline that looks good on you.  If this look seems too outside of your box, add a long shawl style sweater over the tunic for one more dimension and additional layer.  This basic principle can be applied to most trends. If you feel totally incapeable of making these decisions for yourself, that is when you visit a store you trust and ask for help!

The answer to making a wardrobe stretch is wardrobing, or building several outfits around one key piece, say a jacket as an example.  Say you have a suit jacket with a print in chocolate brown and cream.  You can pair a brown, cream or tan slack with this jacket and then add into the mix a brown skirt.  Add a simple brown and cream tank or cami to the mix, and you can now wear four or five outfits with that one jacket.  As you continue to do this, you will quickly build a wardrobe that will stretch with multiple options for every top and bottom.  We can help you do this AND keep you on budget.  Let us know what you have to spend and we'll build a wardrobe for you that you will be able to use for years to come.

Warmer weather arrived just in time for our spring fashion show with the Sagebrush Players at the Shriner's Lodge.  We showed fun casual outfits from Alfred Dunner that have just arrived as well as dressier looks pictured above.  Fashion Crossroads is a great place to look for clothing for weddings and luncheons this summer! 

The picture in the upper right corner of this web page is from Elan, a new line that will be arriving soon at Fashion Crossroads.  Elan offers fun, contemporary cotton dresses, jumpsuits, pallazo pants and tops as well as a great convertible dress that can be worn multiple ways.  Keep watching the website for news about new arrivals at both stores.  In the mean time, check out Elan's website at www.elan-usa.com.

For the new year, I thought I might explore the notion that beauty begins on the inside and then readiates outward.  I will be posting a series of "notes" on facebook looking more deeply into what we can do for ourselves mind, body and spirit to feel and look more beautiful.  Check it out on Fashion Crossroads,Inc. or use the widget located at the bottom of the home page of this web site.

When December ends and winter merchandise is put on sale, we in the clothing industry begin to transition our stores and minds to spring.  This is the time of year when new spring merchandise will begin arriving, especially cruise wear.  If no vacation to a warmer climate is in your future this season, you can experience a mental pick me up just by transitioning your wardrobe.  Take a brighter top, sweater, cardigan or jacket and pair it with a dark bottom.  The lighter, brighter color will uplift your mood and the mood's of everyone else you come in contact with who is starving for a hint of spring.  A great example of this is to pair a lime top with a black bottom.  We have some excellent examples of putting this same technique to use with white and black on the Fashion Crossroads arrivals page. 

As winter storms hit nation wide, snow has been falling for two days here in Wyoming.  This is a great time to try on the "aspen look" so popular this season.  Pair a fur lined pair of mid calf to knee high boots with a skinny jean.  Wear a thick cable knit sweater and add a down or poly filled fur lined coat.  Add a fun scarf and a fedora or paper boy hat, and you'll look like you are ready for the streets of Casper or Aspen!  We might as well make the best of our snowy weather - why not look fabulous? 

Michelle Obama has come to epitomize fashionable, classy and trendy dressing for today's modern woman.  She does an excellent job of interpreting the belt trend right now.  Take a cardigan and pair it with a ruffled collar blouse.  Buttom the cardigan below the ruffles all the way down and put either a skinny or wide belt around the waist.  Put on a sleek skirt or slack and you have captured the look.  Happy dressing!

Well, it's here!  We've been working hard to check in overe 4,000 items of brand new jewelry that hit the floor at 40% off!  We've been buying the jewelry sample line from Hugo jewelry now for about eight years, and it continues to be a highlight of the year for many of our customers.  I loved seeing all the rich browns, greens, purples and turquoise that showed up this season in our fantastic necklace and earring sets.  Also fun were the bangle style bracelets and beaded earrings.  We are loaded with sunglasses and readers too, so not only are we offering 40 to 50% off the original price on all sunglasses and readers, but we are also allowing you to buy one and get one at half price!  Come and and check out our excellent selection.

Accessories, shoes, scarves, nails and hair all come together to help complete your look.  If you have spent some time and money to update your wardrobe, you should also update your nails and hair so you have a complete makeover.  I took some time to interview Gina Talbert, a nail technician here in Casper that has been doing nails for over ten years.  Gina made me a bet some time ago.  I was bemoaning the poor state of my nails as well as the fact that I didn't have the money to maintain acrylic nails but still wanted my nails to look nice.  She bet me that she could get my natural nails to a place that I would like them just as much as I had liked my acrylic nails.  My part of the bargain was to committ to twice monthly mannicures and to use a special product on my nails once a week.  I took her up on her offer, and I am happy to report that I have been enjoying my natural nails for quite some time now and they look great.  Given this experience, I wanted her to share with you some tips on trendy nails colors for the season as well as some of her expertise when it comes to nails.  Enjoy the article.  Just click on the word icon located just above this blog to read it!

Pair a dark denim skinny or narrow jean with a riding boot.  On top, put a printed sweater or blouse layered with another top underneath.  You can pair a 3/4 sleeve top with a long sleve top for fun.  Also easy is to layer a lace cami like the one on the FC Outlet product's page underneath a fun top.  Throw a sherpa, fur or plaid vest over the top.  Grab an oversized bag and you're ready for a great day in the brisk winter weather!

The most popular way to wear your scarf this season is called the "euro wrap."  To accomplish this, just take your scarf and fold it in half and put it around your neck with the looped end one one side and the loose ends on the other side. Take the loose ends and thread them through the looped end.  You can now arrange the scarf to your preference!  Happy scarf tying!  Don't forget to check out our new scarves at FC Outlet!

I am loving all the textural, multi yarn scarves this season.  They are inexpensive but can totally change the way your outfit looks.  They work great on solid tops or as an accent on your jacket or coat.  Both Fashion Crossroads and FC Outlet have a great selection of scarves right now!

Clothing is a pathway to women feeling good about themselves, to getting a job and bettering themselves, to feeling beautiful.  Women remember the outfit they wore to special occassions; it becomes iconic of that moment in time in their memory.  They enjoy shopping with their friends.  Cltohing builds community among women.  They shop when they need to be distracted from the pain of life.  Clothing is a banner to the world of who they are: "I am an athlete."  "I am an executive."  "I am alternative."  "I am a soccer mom."  Clothing can be empowering- it can make a devalued woman feel good about herself and give her confidence.  I like observing these behaviors among women.  I like to see women lifted up and encouraged and empowered to be all they were created to be. 

I talked to my landscaper yesterday.  He said he started blowing out sprinklers three weeks before last year because we had a freeze in mid October.  This year, we've had a freeze already and it isn't even mid October.  Just in case you've looked at your winter wardrobe and thought...ughh, we have two stores at capacity with beautiful new things in.

Over the years I have had so many customers share with me their best tips on removing spots from clothing.  I wish I had written every one down.  I think the most surpising spot remover was Jack Daniels liquor.  I thought it would be great if while you were visiting the site for the first time, you might add your favorite spot cleaning technique, and I will compile them and rewrite it into an article to publish on the site.

This is your chance to tell us what you think, what you know and what you want.