Style Junkie: The outer you

Local version of the BBC’s infamous "Trinny and Susannah" live in Ra’anana, and they will happy to help develop your own style.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Clothes and women (photo credit: Courtesy)
Clothes and women
(photo credit: Courtesy)
How long does it take you to choose what you are going to wear every day? Do you stand in front of the closet staring blankly at the mess of colors, or do you know exactly in which direction to send your hand? How often do the words “I have nothing to wear” pass through your mind or cross your lips? For many people, the simple act of clothing themselves, a ritual we all practice every single day, can be frustrating if not impossible.
It is exactly this challenging moment that stylists Sarah Freund and Sherri Goldsmith aim to ease. The two founders of the Ra’anana based Individual Style believe that understanding and organization are the keys to conquering your closet.
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The duo started their personal consultations six months ago, mainly with members of their community. Though the term stylist is usually comes hand-in-hand with the name of a fabulous celebrity or glamorous fashion magazine, Individual Style believes that everyday women can benefit from a little assistance in the dressing department. “We are stylists for the people,” declared Goldsmith in a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post.
The Individual Style service includes a full closet consultation, during which the client tries on their entire wardrobe for evaluation, shopping assistance (they’ll even teach you how to shop effectively online), and a total gut renovation of the client’s hangers and shelves.
Seated side by side at Café Michal on Rehov Dizengoff in Tel Aviv, Freund and Goldsmith marveled at life in the big city and clearly outlined their current activities, plans for the future, likes and dislikes and thoughts on Israeli fashion.
“Israel has become so sophisticated, but in fashion we fall short here. And when I say fashion, I mean style. Fashion is what someone is dictating is in: the must have items, while someone with style knows how to take what’s in and incorporate it into who they are, what they do, where they live and what works for them,” Freund continued. “Trends are fashion, style is what you make of them, about using trends to make an identity. For example, camel is a really big color right now. I personally look awful in it. If I take camel and wear it, that would be foolish, and that’s where I see the distinct line between fashion and style.”
“Fashion comes from the outside,” added Goldsmith, whose forte is mixing high-end labels with less expensive basics. “If you have style, you can take or leave fashion. Style comes from within.”
Freund and Goldsmith both hail from the sophisticated streets of New York. Freund made aliya 16 years ago with her husband. At the time, only one of her five children had been born: her youngest is 11 years old. Goldsmith is much newer to the Holy Land, having immigrated three years ago with her husband and four kids.
Being the mother of teenage girls opened Goldsmith’s eyes to age-appropriate clothing, she explained. “I don’t want my kids to be borrowing my clothes. I need to set a good example of style for my kids and that means not looking like I’m trying to dress like them. Of course, I want to look young and hip, but you have to know where to draw the line. That is a big part of what we do,” she said.
“We have styled teenagers in the past.
You wouldn’t believe how happy their mothers are to let us do the shopping for them, just to avoid those horrible fights in the stores about what’s appropriate and what isn’t,” Goldsmith went on.
Of course shopping is a major problem for many women, whether they hate it or can’t get enough of it. Freund and Goldsmith believe that having a well-organized closet full of multi-functional items can free even the biggest shopoholic from stalking the stores. “After we work with people, they often feel that they can free themselves from shopping,” said Goldsmith. “When our clients open their closet, they feel like they have something that looks great, that fits great, that they can feel confident wearing.”
Individual Style’s philosophy is very simple: You, only better. They don’t strive to change their client; their goal is to bring out the best in each woman they work with. Their beautiful website is chock-ablock with tips to help minimize the clutter such as “get rid of anything that doesn’t fit well” and a short list of must-haves for each season.
As one customer testified after a successful shopping appointment with Freund, “Sarah took me to all the right stores and almost immediately picked up on my personal taste. She has a great eye.”
Individual Style can be reached via the website: www.isyouonlybetter.com. Their consultations run from 400 NIS per hour with special rates for groups. They also offer wedding consultations.