Welcome April
A Salute to the Non-Profits in Our Midst
Since opening my business, I've been committed to helping people regardless of socioeconomic status experience the power of dressing well.
It's been a calling that has become a significant part of our brand story.
I vividly remember working with a young gal at Dress for Success Boston years ago. As I would with any client, I asked her what her hopes and dreams were in a broad sense and then asked the same questions about her style. For me, the two questions are intertwined.
She shared wanting to secure a good paying job so that she could support her small children as a single mom. She was at Dress for Success for this purpose.
She then added that it was her "style dream" to walk into any Nordstrom and buy any outfit she wanted. I recall the clarity and conviction with which she spoke. It moved me.
I suggested she not wait, yet rather go to Nordstrom as soon as she could to try on clothes that made her feel like the queen she was, twirl around in the mirror and begin to feel the power of her own transformation. After all, anyone can walk in the direction of their dreams, there is no cost to trying clothes on and there was no question that after this young woman got back on her feet, she would be unstoppable.
She loved the idea, and promised she would get over her fear of being someplace she didn’t feel she belonged and do it anyway.
We went back to the business at hand and got her completely outfitted for her job interview. I never saw her again but her story stayed with me. I have shared it on stages and with countless clients questioning their own worthiness.
At the heart of our philosophy is using clothing and accessories as tools of empowerment. We all have to learn to walk before we run and each step of our methodology builds on next level opportunities for everyone we serve.
This month we salute all the organizations our firm supports through our time, talent and treasure. It is truly an honor to leverage our skills and connections and put them to work for others. If you are a private client of our firm, it is likely that clothes you placed in our care to donate on your behalf have changed somebody’s life.
Tomorrow Senior Stylist Sarah Zengo and I head to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston for the 20th annual Belle of the Ball.
Belle provides worthy young women everything they need to attend their prom. The dress, the shoes, the accessories and loads of self-confidence too. It is by far one of our best days of the year. The unbelievable satisfaction you get watching prom dreams come true never gets old and it is the reason we show up year after year.
The Dressing Well Charitable Foundation turns 7 this month too. Launched in 2017 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our firm, it allows us to offer a layer of financial support to the organizations we cherish.
If you feel moved to donate, we welcome any level of support. 100% of the money raised goes directly to organizations like Dress for Success and Belle of the Ball that offer clothing, career support and social services to women, men and children while encouraging self-sufficiency.
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