Tiffany Nielsen

Adult and Youth Etiquette Workshops

Business Casual for Creative Career Professionals

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John Wind knows how to transform fantastic vintage into posh style. One of Mr. Wind’s beautiful, hand-made necklaces was on a “wish list” at Rosemary and Thyme in Exeter, California. My husband is friends with the boutique owner. Guess who received her wish list item??

I’m a cool season Winter II, but found great joy mixing splashes of gold into this ensemble that I’m wearing today with my new necklace.

To balance the gold in John Wind’s necklace and create length (petite, well almost) , I paired a long black sweater and White House Black Market leggings with the style bonus of my leopard belt. I borrowed my husband’s boot socks (because I can’t find any of my own) and zipped up my new Anne Klein boots for a slimming appeal. The black sweater tied together with the white blouse creates the chic sophisticate look I admire. Of course, I never leave the house these days without my red Talbots Tote and sassy red lip gloss.  Mixing and matching with a little creativity makes it easy to piece together a brand new look, don’t you agree? Creativity is the key word. Planning and patience have their place here too.

As an image consultant, I’m fortunate to work with clients to help them uncover small wardrobe adjustments that create the greatest amount of impact. For some, it’s as simple as adding new jewelry (like I did) to brighten up a black suit. Others find the addition of colorful shoes or bold ties an immediate “can-do” wardrobe primer.

What small adjustments in your wardrobe can you make today that will create immediate impact? Think about it and let me know. Your input can be very useful to a fellow reader, so I appreciate your thoughtful comments.

Christmas Hats: A Timeless Manner

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Christmas is surrounded by traditions, both old and new. Hats were a traditional accessory worn to church once upon a time, and I believe they deserve a come-back. I like the way hats dress up an outfit and turn eyes as people stop to look. Christmas Mass is my excuse to dress up my holiday outfit with a favorite red felt, timeless hat. I hope you find inspiration to wear your favorite hat this season. And, if you do, please be sure to take a picture and post it for us to enjoy.

Etiquette Helps Make New Friends

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The timeless Girl Scout song “Make New Friends” plays out in my mind the moment I meet someone new to me.  I highly recommend this magic, considering how much I enjoy working with new as well as old friends. Image expert Marytina, our in-house image consultant and long-time friend, joined the Premier Etiquette team this year.  Then, along came new golden friends Doris Gularte, Corrie Cubillas, Sister Barbara, Mandy Lebow and star student Theresa from Notre Dame High School in Salinas, CA. These angels made our dreams come true through their insight and conviction to share our latest and greatest etiquette program.

Thank you Notre Dame High School for making friends with us! The mother/daughter event challenged the audience to re-establish civility and elegance in their homes, businesses and communities. Gaining self-respect by learning to like exactly who they see when looking in a mirror inspired their determination to go out and make a positive impact on their surroundings. Wow!

California School Loves Etiquette

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Personal image and etiquette leadership were the hot new topics for 25 girls at Valley Preparatory Charter Academy. These smart and sophisticated girls relinquished their Saturday afternoon to hang out with “yours truly.” Keep in mind, they CHOSE to be there.

Mock interviews and confidence building activities broke the ice, helping the young women move comfortably past what they might have feared their Saturday would turn out to be- a boring lesson on how to be nice. Yes, we spoke to them about pleasantries and why they should abundantly use magic words like “please” and “thank you,”  but we also guided them to use the principles of etiquette so they could learn how to make this “life thing” work for them. I’m always surprised when I hear people say that their kids wouldn’t enjoy such a program. Au contraire!

There comes a point in education when we leave scissors and glue behind for more grown-up classroom materials such as computers and interactive white boards. In this case, since we believe it is more fun to interact  than listen to boring lectures about “do’s and don’ts” of how to look and behave, we splashed tables with craft supplies and fashion magazines to open a montage of collage making.  The agreeable chatter of “Oh, I love that!” and “I want these shoes. They are so me,” crafted the perfect opportunity to teach the girls how discover their personal image.

A three course dining etiquette lesson included warm bread, tasty soup and a deliciously prepared entrée followed by a late afternoon dessert. Mix good food with fun tips on how to refrain from grossing people out at the dinner table and you get a pleasant-to-be-around, graceful, enjoyable person.

Each girl received a personal consultation from my in-house image experts Marytina Lawrence and Sabrina Jimenez. Some people might not see how image and etiquette are connected, but they are. Imagine what it is like for a young girl to hear she’s beautiful and perfect just the way she is when statistic show eighty percent of girls find fault with their image?

It was our mission to energize these young women to become the best possible version of themselves.  We owe an abundant amount of gratitude to Executive Director, Shelly Melton, Educator, Lisa Taylor and Nutritional Coordinator, Janice Walstrom (below, third to the right) and her thoughtful team. Without them, this program might not be possible. Thank you!

Be on the look-out for these shining stars. We are so proud of them and we are forever grateful that schools like Valley Preparatory Charter Academy find means to continuously invest in their kids, knowing they deserve every ounce of it.

© Tiffany Nielsen

Sporting Shorts at Work

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Sporting Shorts at Work
Fashionista or Big Mistake?

Lucky you if you get to wear shorts to work.  Keep in mind, shorts are like any other clothing; some look and feel like casual weekend shorts while others lend a more dressy appeal.

Style experts like “Professionality” and Ann Taylor suggest you keep it classy and in touch with your work culture.   

Ann Taylor marketers nail it by suggesting women pair dressy shorts with shoes that make others say, “Wow” or “She’s got it together”.

Wondering if you have it together?  Check yourself in the mirror before you dash out to work and ask, “Am I ‘wow’ for the right reasons?” The right reasons, in case you’d like to know, would include:

  1. I won’t be like a school girl whose skirt is too short and sent home by my boss to change clothes.
  2. “Oh, I want to look like you,” not, “Oh jeez, she did it again!”
  3. When the president of the company or your boss walks in unexpectedly and doesn’t notice your outfit, I say “Good!” because then you know you aren’t a distraction for the wrong reasons.

Workplace Tip: Follow the company policy regarding image. It’s a perfect guide to help you dress for success.  

Stay cool this summer; however, if you live in California you are wondering if you will ever sport shorts this year, period! But then, history shows a balmy June in these parts doesn’t necessarily indicate no heat wave in July!