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Sandi Mele Blog

Discover practical style tips and strategies, read other women's inspiring style stories, and dig deeper into the "why" of style on the Style Shop blog.

Styling Strategies Sandi Mele Styling Strategies Sandi Mele

How to Pull Off a Color You Normally Can't Wear

We all know there’s a right way to wear color and a wrong way to wear color. The wrong color may wash you out, make you look sickly, or drain all the color from your face. The RIGHT color will brighten your complexion, give your skin vibrancy, and bring out the color of your eyes.

But what if you fall in love with a piece of clothing in a color that isn’t flattering against your skin tone? Watch this video to learn how YOU can pull off a color you normally can’t wear (or simply WON’T wear because you feel like a ghost when you do)…

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Styling Strategies, Get Inspired Sandi Mele Styling Strategies, Get Inspired Sandi Mele

Small House Space-Saving Solutions (21 Organizing Tips!)

Whether you’re used to living in a small space somewhere like New York, or you just recently downsized, you’ve probably quickly learned how crammed it can feel if you aren’t carefully utilizing every inch of space. But with a little purging and reorganizing, it’s easy to make your home look and feel more spacious.

To help, Emily Huddleston from Redfin interviewed myself and twenty organizing professionals to find out their best space-saving solutions!

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Styling Strategies, Get Inspired Sandi Mele Styling Strategies, Get Inspired Sandi Mele

8 Easy Tips for Looking Effortlessly Pulled-Together

Ever since I gave birth to my baby boy, it’s felt quite a bit harder to look pulled-together from day to day. There just isn’t quite as much time to spend showering, blow-drying my hair, applying makeup, and putting a flattering outfit together. For the first few months of my son’s life, I felt pretty accomplished leaving the house in something other than pj’s. But now that several months have passed, I’ve noticed what a difference a small thing can do to help me feel pulled-together!

Check out these 8 easy tips for simple ways YOU can look effortlessly pulled together when time isn’t on your side…

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How to Create 10 Outfits for Travel Using 8 Pieces

If you’re looking to pack lightly or create a travel capsule for your next trip, the formula I teach in this video will give you an easy framework to use anytime you pack for travel. Whether you’re 20, 50, or 100 years old, you can pack lightly using this formula AND enjoy your brightest and most colorful pieces!

Watch this video to learn how YOU can create a fun capsule for your next trip…

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Create Endless Outfits in Your Closet with THIS Trick

It happens to all of us. Before you know it, Monday hits and it’s time to figure out what to wear to work. Again. You hit the snooze button for an extra ten (ok twenty) minutes and won’t have time to get creative in your closet. But how the heck will you come up with an interesting outfit before your first cup of coffee? When you’ve barely had a chance to wake up? When your face is still puffy from sleeping?

Watch this video to learn one of my FAVORITE ways to outfit my Style Shop Denver clients’ wardrobes when I go to their home for a Closet Shop session…

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Styling Strategies, Get Inspired Sandi Mele Styling Strategies, Get Inspired Sandi Mele

A Professional Denver Organizer Shares Her Secrets on How to Organize Your Closet

In this blog, I’ve partnered with Samantha Tobia, Expert Organizer and Owner of Demessify, to ask the most common questions I get from clients about wardrobe organization. I interviewed her to find out what she recommends most frequently for closet organizational supplies, how to best organize small closets, and the challenges she addresses most often with clients who hire her to set up a longterm solution in their wardrobe.

Click here to get all her best advice for organizing YOUR wardrobe…

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Five Ways to Style Your Ankle Booties

You’ve seen them everywhere. Booties in colors, patterns, and neutrals ranging from a short heel to a tall heel. You’ve been curious about how to style a bootie, WHAT bootie is most versatile, and whether to invest in multiple pairs. In this video, I’ll show you five different ways to style your ankle booties, including the MOST flattering style in an ankle boot! I’ll show you five outfits with booties for both work and casual, and if you’re petite or pear shaped, you’ll learn what style bootie I recommend to elongate your legs!

Watch this video to learn all about how to style booties…

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5 Shoes to Wear with an Ankle Pant

So many of my personal styling clients LOVE the idea of an ankle pant but have no idea what shoes to wear to pull off this style in a pant. It’s easier to dismiss the style for a tried-and-true full-length pant instead, but if you’ve followed the Style Shop blog for any length of time, you know just how often I recommend ankle pants to my wardrobe consulting clients.

Watch this video to learn what FIVE shoe styles you can wear with an ankle pant for all 4 seasons out of the year…

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When to Start Transitioning to a Maternity Wardrobe (and the Story of My 1st Trimester!)

The night I found out I was pregnant was the same night I dressed up as Sandra Dee for a friend’s Halloween party. I had absolutely no suspicion except for some tenderness in my chest I’d felt for several days in a row the week prior. When we got home from the party, Nick crashed on the bed and I grabbed a pregnancy test. What? Positive, really?? I wasn’t sure what to think. It was after midnight and I was preoccupied with thoughts of work while in the middle of a big launch for my online style course. I laid awake for a few minutes in bed but soon fell asleep.

The next day it started to sink in…

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How to Find the Right Length in an Ankle Pant

Many of my personal styling clients are intimidated by the ankle pant trend because it reminds them of their high water pants from years past, and they’d rather be caught DEAD than try to pull off that look again. So what’s the big fuss?? Ankle pants are flattering, functional, AND easier to find in the stores than ever, and it’s important to understand how to pick out the right length in an ankle pant without confusing the length with a capri pant OR full-length pant.

Watch the video below to learn how to measure to find the right length in an ankle pant…

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How to Flatter Your Figure Using a Front-Tuck

One of the BIGGEST misconceptions my personal styling clients believe about their body is they need to hide areas they don't love with oversized clothing. For many women, this includes the tummy area, and I've been overjoyed to watch client after client learn how to accentuate their waistline in a flattering way no MATTER their body type (or whether they have a tummy!).

Watch this video to learn FOUR ways to accentuate your waistline, beginning with the popular front-tuck…

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Four Holiday Styles You Can Wear All Winter Long

It happens every year. The rich holiday colors, luxurious fabrics, gowns covered in sequined embellishment, and sparkling separates hit the stores in all their glory. It couldn’t be more tempting to pick up another big, cozy red sweater, sparkling cocktail dress, or velveteen sheath as you plan what to wear to the company holiday party or downtown outing with friends. Then you realize your holiday party lineup consists more of ugly sweater parties, business casual functions, and intimate family get-togethers. What should you look for instead?

Read this blog to learn about four versatile holiday styles you can wear all winter long…

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Six Ways to Style a Vest

It’s that time of year when layering is a necessity, and for the longest time, I thought vests were so impractical. Why would someone layer with a vest when it only covered half of their upper body? Now after 6+ years living in Denver as a personal stylist, I’m a firm believer in a stylish OR functional vest as a go-to in the fall and winter months.
In this article, learn about 6 ways to style two casual vests…

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How to Organize Your Closet Accessories

I’ve always loved organizing. I geek out when things are in an easy-to-access spot, and even more so when you can find them without digging, unfolding, refolding, unpacking, or moving an entire drawer around. Over the years, I’ve walked into many a closet and discovered a handful of organizing hacks that work for everyone, no matter the closet shape or size. In celebration of my newest in-person service, Closet Organizing (soon to hit the website, but you can book the service now!), I thought I’d share a few of my favorite ways to organize accessories.

Read on for 8 space saving accessory organizing how-to’s…

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9 Ways to Tell if a Piece of Clothing is High-Quality

If you read my previous blog on when to splurge and when to save money on clothing, perhaps  you’re realizing it’s time to invest in a few high-quality items that will maintain their shape, color, and construction over time. But how do you tell if a piece of clothing is high-quality? The price isn’t always a determining factor, so it’s a good idea to be equipped with a few other ways to differentiate between a high-quality and low-quality piece of clothing!

Here’s 9 ways to tell if a piece of clothing is high-quality…

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When to Splurge and When to Save Money on Clothing: 5 Factors to Consider when Selecting Quality

When I was a young girl, I remember going to our nearby department store, Mervyn’s, and feeling like everything was so fancy. I’d wander around the girl’s department and dream about wearing the embellished, glittery tees and dresses covered in flowers. It was a special occasion when we were allowed to purchase something, and I often wondered what it would feel like to wear such pretty things every day. Fast forward to today, and I’ll take Style Shop Denver clients to Target, Nordstrom, and every store in between to accommodate their budget and lifestyle.

I often get asked what I recommend for clothing when it comes to quality…

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5 Business Casual Pieces Every Modern Woman Should Own

You’ve heard it before. The must-have pieces any working woman should own. The black pencil skirt. White button down. Bootcut slacks. Black heel. While there’s nothing wrong with those items and they may very well serve a purpose (or multiple purposes) in your wardrobe, I don’t find myself recommending these particular items most frequently to Style Shop Denver clients. So what’s the new normal for clothing in the workplace? What pieces will go farther and work harder in your wardrobe?

Read on for 5 of the most versatile pieces I’ve discovered while styling clients who work in a business casual environment.

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10 Reasons to Try a High-Waisted Jean

I had a breakthrough this past fall. I found my first high-rise jean, and it was unlike anything I’ve experienced. I was so excited about my discovery that I appointed myself as the unofficial high-waisted jean spokesperson. I’d bring it up to clients only to hear, “you mean mom jeans?” I convinced a few to at least TRY a high-waisted jean and soon discovered the many perks to wearing a high-waist style in a pant.

Read on for my TEN reasons to try a high-waisted jean…

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What to Wear if You’re a Stay-At-Home Mom or Work from Home

Do you work from home or stay at home with your kids? If so, you’ve probably noticed how easy it is to wear PJ’s from noon to night and feel like you’re #winning at life. Gone are the days of stiff, structured suit separates and itchy sweaters. Yoga pants, workout wear, and oversized sweaters are your new uniform. When I transitioned to running my business full-time, I was curious to discover how I’d feel wearing around-the-house clothing for work. I was scared I’d fall in love with leggings and oversized sweaters and feel shameful for loving them so much as a stylist.

And then it happened...

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Spring Cleaning Series (Part 2!): To Capsule or Not to Capsule? Learn the WHY Behind Living with Less in Your Wardrobe

This is part two of my spring cleaning series all about the WHY of a capsule wardrobe. Many of my personal styling clients face an overwhelming task when they walk into a wardrobe stuffed with clothing. Physical clutter equals mental clutter, and a big wardrobe may prevent you from seeing new outfit options. It's likely you’ll reach for the same things you always wear when you have a large wardrobe, even though you have more things hanging in your closet!

Learn more about the important perks of a capsule wardrobe when you read this blog…

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