Welcome to Beyond the Fashion, Blog #5!
It all began at Common Ground Coffee House… Michelle and I met to discuss 6&B’s participation in Echo Press’s K-2nd grade Happy Holiday Greetings and thoughts on being a holiday contest location sporting an Echo Press elf, which for 6&B was Michelle herself.
This darling photo captures so much but let me share more…
During that hour together sipping chai tea and coffee, I quickly discovered the Michelle I’ve come to admire and respect. She is intuitive, sincere, genuine, fun-loving and beautifully expressive inside and out!
But what I didn’t promptly realize was that our professional meeting was actually a “God wink”, and that more winks were to come!
Let me explain a few fun and positive circumstantial outcomes…
With Michelle being an astute and skilled Business Development Strategist and Multi Media Consultant, we at 6&B soon realized we were in good hands. So of course with confidence, we participated in the two Echo Press holiday opportunities!
Then, one late Wednesday afternoon in January, I caught a glimpse of an energetic smiling customer whose entrance was actually kind of whimsical. Oh, I thought with a sense of glee, it’s Michelle! I’m sticking around because I can tell she is on a mission. Could this be my given opportunity to help her?
I immediately discovered that Michelle’s mission was to “dress to express”!
She sure had a reason to express emotion and it was one of pure joy!
For that very next day, Michelle was heading to the Twin Cities to be honored along with her Echo Press colleagues at the MN Newspaper Association Award Ceremony, a formal event in which every newspaper in Minnesota had representation. I thought, WOW, this is huge, as I felt immense pride for my new friend.
Outwardly, the surest way to confidently express yourself and even turn a few heads is to wear the perfect outfit. Instantly, Jan (my fellow 6&B team member) and I became totally engaged in helping Michelle find the ideal outfit for such a special occasion. We truly wanted her to look amazing and feel comfortable, so we knew to follow Michelle’s lead. She selected the perfect top, a Joseph Ribkoff chiffon overlay blouse that screams glitz and glam while maintaining a classy put-together look.
Look for yourself, it was a no-brainer, for this top with its flattering cape style sleeve, subtle neckline sparkle, and formal black and white motif design proved to be an absolutely perfect fit complementing Michelle’s beautiful features.
Onto finding the perfect bottoms… Jan was the champ with this decision because after considering several attractive options, she encouraged Michelle to try a soft comfortable pair of NIC+ZOE black leggings. If you’ve been in our boutique, you know any NIC+ZOE piece has an elegance all of its own and they even design leggings that with the right top can transform into formal bottoms. These leggings have since become Michelle’s favorite pants.
Michelle graciously appreciated our overall attentiveness including Jan’s fine attention to detail making sure the blacks matched. Oh, and be sure to notice Michelle’s shoes, which fortunately she had at home in her closet, for they surely coordinate and further express her exuberance!
As fashion stylists, we loved every minute of our time together creating Michelle’s amazing look and sent her off with our blessing to wholeheartedly embrace what was ahead.
This next photo is beyond precious because sharing acknowledgement, achievements and emotion with her honorable colleagues proved to be the icing on the cake for Michelle. The Echo Press team walked away that evening with a whopping total of 33 awards.
What this team consistently offers our Alexandria community is their passion, expertise and pride and for that we are sincerely thankful!
Congratulations to All!
From left to right - Al Edenloff (Editor), Amy Skarka (Ad Editor), Michelle Weller (Local Media Advisor), Diann Drew (Publisher), Celeste Edenloff (Special Projects Editor/Reporter)
This was the big night but the conference prior to the award ceremony required Michelle to have another outfit. During that same 6&B shopping spree, Michelle chose this perfect Nally & Millie wrap front patterned top to wear comfortably during what she shared were uplifting and motivational training seminars. Sessions that included inspirational words from Governor Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Boyd Huppert (Channel 11 Reporter), Dave St. Peter and Dan Gladden of the Twins organization. Michelle found herself among such notable MN leaders taking in what was already an unforgettable experience.
Everything Michelle experienced, from shopping spree to her evening award recognitions will be fond memories linked forever to personal relationships and a professional career in which she feels blessed. Michelle values her connections with her clients and thrives on seeing businesses grow through her professional efforts. She even expressed a giddiness that she feels when she encourages local profitability. We are all so fortunate to have Michelle rooting for us!
In closing, as you probably suspect, Michelle did get those second looks and received lots of compliments on her special occasion outfits, especially her award ceremony stunner!
And to top that, Michelle’s Mom, Sue, loves that top! Surely, we can all relate to the clarity and influence of a mother’s opinion. Michelle’s husband, Tom, is also a supportive fan, right there beside her encouraging her to always do what is best personally and professionally.
Thank you, Michelle, for sharing your story and your enthusiasm for 6th & Broadway! Just know that all of us at 6&B vow to help keep you shining in style!
To all our 6&B friends and customers, we vow to always be there for you too, passionately helping you discover stunning styles that express you!
On a closing note, we are beyond excited to soon be rolling out our 6&B Personal Shopping. A scheduled opportunity for you to be personally matched with one of our trained stylists to help you be the best version of yourself… stay tuned for more info on our exciting new boutique initiative!