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MARILYNN BARBER DESIGNS

Fashion, style, and insight to inspire YOUR authentic life!

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It's a New Year! Organize -- Don't agonize

It's a New Year! Organize -- Don't agonize

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Secret tip to neutralize odors

Secret tip to neutralize odors

I am in a Facebook group of professional costumers from the U.K. - REAL professionals who make costumes for many of the British-made TV shows and movies. The other day one was panicked because her production unit "has forbidden use of vodka"! No, it's not what you think - they aren't indulging in cocktails on-set -- it's a liability thing. Costumers know that vodka is a GREAT odor neutralizer. Think about all those huge fight or battle scenes that have to be shot over-and

3 Keys to Career Success

3 Keys to Career Success

Show Up – this seems obvious, but just yesterday my daughter went to a breakfast meeting and was placed at a table with several high-level managers she was able to meet and connect with simply because it was cold outside and attendees who had RSVP’d didn’t show up. I read that Marlon Brando won several jobs early in his career simply because he was willing to walk through snow to get to auditions. Show up (and if you get there early you can often chat with a speaker or lead

Stop that dreaded winter static cling

Stop that dreaded winter static cling

Before you go out with your dress clinging to your tights and creeping up your backside, let me share with you some ideas on how to handle this. First, static cling, is a build-up of an electrical charge, often from polyester dried in the dryer. There are several quick tricks to get rid of it. The fastest, when you're trying to get out of the house, is to spray your backside with Static Guard - I've been known to keep a can at the office to save all the innocent neophytes w

Baby, it's Cold Outside

Baby, it's Cold Outside

It's definitely time to pull out your winter wear! For me, I look forward to wearing my vintage leather gloves, my vintage faux fur coat (probably from the early '50's and HATS! What a great way to show your style - while keeping warm and dry. And classic hats like the beret never go out of style, so having one in several colors makes for great style - especially since you can wear them in many different ways. I just got my hair cut and I asked my stylist to keep the bangs

Yes...And

Yes...And

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. But there’s a simple theatre game called ‘Yes, And…’ that opens up possibilities in your life. ‘Yes, And’ is one of the basic principles of improvisational comedy. It’s a recipe that allows for anything to happen and it goes like this: Whatever idea is presented to you, say “Yes, and”..adding to the idea Instead of disagreeing with it, your job is to simply accept it and saying “Yes, and…” to expand and continue the scene (or the conversati

What's the 'new' secret in shopping?

What's the 'new' secret in shopping?

Resale! Yes, it’s true - it’s a sustainable alternative to fast fashion that’s priced at a fraction of the original retail price. ThredUp.com reports millennial shoppers are likely to discard clothes after 1-5 wears. Meaning there’s plenty of hardly-worn clothes available on their site. I’m sharing this so you can pass this along to anyone challenged by budget and time and the challenges of shopping. If shopping resale feels a little odd, let me give you a few great reasons

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

I read an article recently stating that “consumers see no value in dressing for work vs. dressing for leisure”. What??? In a time when women are still struggling to be valued and included in business AND when women past the age of 50 are reporting feeling invisible, it’s more important than ever to develop and maintain a personal image that is clear and understandable at first glance. Your image (or your ‘façade’) is what people use to make instant judgments about you – y

Why don’t we analyze fashion like we analyze sports?

Why don’t we analyze fashion like we analyze sports?

Have you ever noticed that all sports are analyzed from every aspect? Turn on the television, and there’s a talk show analyzing each one. Experts from players to coaches to statisticians are offering their expertise to give perspective and insight. Same game, same rules -- what could they have done differently to increase their competitive edge to win the game? So why not for fashion? Women need every edge to maximize their careers, so why doesn’t someone offer some exper