I thought I knew a great deal about fashion – until I met the fabulous Christy Miller from Desert Flower Does Workable Wardrobes! Christy is a style genius, and now that her company is expanding nationally, I wanted to take this opportunity to get to know her a bit better and find out her secrets to successful styling.
Briefly describe what it is that you do, and how you got started doing it.
I call myself an Image Enhancer since in my corporate life I was in the computer industry and the word ‘consultant’ always meant that the person was there to make changes. I do not want to change my clients, but to enhance who they already are. I am “Desert Flower” because I reside in Scottsdale, Arizona and I work with my clients existing wardrobe. Through my Closet Coordination Service, I organize your closet by color, cut and style and I love the messy ones! Together we go through the client’s closet and see what is working for her and what is not. The pile of the ‘not’s’ will be taken to a local consignment shop. If it cannot be consigned, I will take it out of your home for donation. The pieces that ‘do’ work are where I work your wardrobe. I look at your closet as your own clothing boutique and I show you outfits with the pieces you already have. During this process, I photograph these outfits and you will receive a Look Book filled with pictures of them so that all you have to do is look at the album and not have to stare at your closet and say, “I have nothing to wear!” when you have a closet full of clothes.
Five years ago I was working at a local clothing boutique and will honestly say it was hard because I had gained weight that I was not happy with. Being around those cute clothes and not feeling like I could dress my body was one of my struggles. I built a clientele consisting of women who were in the same predicament as I. I realized that I knew how to dress others as well as myself for the bodies we had now. I was able to pick out outfits that enhanced them. A friend suggested that I start my own business. So I decided to go forward with my passion of assisting others to see the beauty in themselves and start Desert Flower Does Workable Wardrobes.
Explain the expansion of Desert Flower Does Workable Wardrobes. What cities will you be in, and how can clients contact you?
I was recently in Boston visiting a girlfriend and she suggested that I expand my business to her area since she had been raving about how I had assisted her in her quandary of never having anything to wear daily. I just came back from my 30th class reunion in the Delaware area and since I had lived there 5 different times in my journey of life, many have shown interest in my services. Houston came about because of a high-school friend that I re-connected with on Facebook and two friends that I have become friends with virtually. I have a feeling that a few more cities will come my way
I am still in the Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona area. As of Fall 2010 I will be in the surrounding areas of Boston, Massachusetts, Houston, Texas and Wilmington, Delaware. I can be reached through my website under Contact Me at http://www.DesertFlowerDoes.com
What is your personal style philosophy?
Be True to Your Self. Show your personality and when you are true to yourself that confidence exhumes the positive energy around you. I am not a fan of the saying ‘dress your age’ because if I was…elastic polyester would be my friend…and it is not. Dress for you; enjoy feeling beautiful!
How do you relate that philosophy to your clients?
I am who I am…my clients see me as authentic, honest and extremely happy. I share myself with my clients, my journey and the ups and downs of getting to where I am in my life now. My clients understand that I am not there to change them; I am not there to judge them. But I am there to enhance who they know in their heart they are. When I show them outfits I see them in, I enjoy always hearing, “I would have never thought of putting that together and I love it!” I look outside the box they have themselves in because of what they feel society, family, life wants them to be.
How do you balance your personal and professional life?
It’s all of the same. To me I have never separated the two. It’s just like any to do list we have in our life…prioritize and check it off each day.
In addition to the expansion, what else can we look forward to from Desert Flower Does Workable Wardrobes?
Oh, my future is my future. My present is my smile and I just love that I am following my passion. When I created my business plan, I actually made the business to where I could do it anywhere. The wonderful world of Law of Attraction! If you put it out there, believe in yourself and be very patient…all will come your way. I love getting into someone’s closet and just making magic for them. I am having fun and I am blessed that I have this opportunity to have friends in so many different locations which allows me to expand my service to others.
To contact Christy Miller, visit www.DesertFlowerDoes.com.
Beth Newman is an Image Consultant and Life Coach based out of Houston, TX. Her book, ‘Become a First Style Fashionista’, is available through Amazon. To find out more about Beth, please visit www.newmanimage.info
Photo credit © Nikola Hristovski | Dreamstime.com
