I looked forward to Saturday, January 29 for some time. I was a lucky ticketholder of a front row seat for the inaugural SC Style Workshop (SCSW), the brainchild of ubiquitous Charleston photographer, Diana Deaver, held at the historic American Theatre on King Street. Her concept was to bring together renowned experts in the fields of style, makeup, finances, spirituality, skin care, nutrition & fitness, and image consulting, in order to help jump start a wonderful year of empowering women. This theme was quite in keeping with Diana’s personal philosophy of beauty that emanates from the inside. . . the outward stuff can all be achieved with the right tips, tricks, and tools. A portion of the proceeds from this event go to Parent’s Anonymous of SC.
I’m going to attempt to summarize the messages of each of these professionals. . . not an easy task.
Ayoka Lucas is the style editor of Charleston Magazine and founder of Charleston Fashion Week. Ayoka began the evening with a definition of STYLE: an outward expression of your beliefs and attitudes. Style is not synonymous with fashion (which is trend-related. . . an ebb and flow of looks that appear and reappear over time). Her most useful tip was how to reorganize one’s closet. Start with 5 boxes labeled Keep, Donate, Dump, Fix, and Archive. They are all pretty self explanatory. . . with a little emphasis given to the “Archive” box. . . those would be the items of clothing that are one-of-a-kinds that you just cannot part with. She also referenced Tim Gunn’s “10 Essential Pieces” as the building blocks of a wardrobe, and having a “team” of specialists (hair, makeup, clothing retailers, and a brutally honest friend) to help you navigate and find your own style.
Andrew Peterson is an international makeup artist with an impressive resume with some of the world’s largest, most prestigious cosmetics lines. Currently, Andrew has helped establish the east coast’s only Cos Bar (located on King Street), which is a retailer of the most fabulous cosmetics available. Andrew called on a friend in the audience to help him demonstrate a prime (day time) look, then explained how to bump it up to a night time look with only a product or two. I appreciated his comment that you don’t have to break the bank in order to look fabulous in your makeup: spend the money on a good, quality foundation to make your skin look beautiful. He says when it comes to shimmer and shine products, you can hit up Wet & Wild for trendy looks. He’s also of the belief that every woman needs a great pinky-bronzer.
Kristen Bostic, financial advisor with Financial Management Group, Inc. spoke of the importance of one’s mental take on money. Some of the key points she made were “net worth” is not to be intermingled with “self worth”; you are not your money. Know your numbers: how much you have, how much you owe, what your “comfort number” is (3 to 6 months of income set aside in case of emergencies). Take control of your debt. And last but not least, educate yourself. . . know your money, how it works, how to make it work for you.
Jessica Anderson is the creator of Mindful Yoga located in Mount Pleasant.
Angela McKee
Elli Boland
Shauna McKenzie