Fashion with a personal touch

NEWPORT BEACH — Dressing casually can be as challenging as dressing professionally, especially given the array of clothing choices available at South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island and other area centers.

"I don't have time to spend hours at a mall or a department store," said Kathryn Moore, chief executive and founder of STYLE 2020, a personal style and wardrobe consulting business in Newport Beach. "I really felt that there was a need for a service which offers personal attention that goes beyond simply being sold whatever the store has to offer that day."

Going into its second year, the company has built a client base that ranges from college students to business professionals.

The company's personalized shopping and consulting services are also popular with older clients, who are at the end, rather than the beginning, of their careers.

But when it comes to trading in a power suit for leisure clothes, building a wardrobe appropriate for retirement is daunting to many people, Moore said.

And while Moore described STYLE 2020 as a luxury service, in reality clients save money by not purchasing ill-fitting clothes or mismatched pieces that just sit in their closets, said Moore, who declined to reveal prices for her company's services.

Additionally, often times a stylist will "rescue" pieces already in a client's closet. Many times, a poorly fitting outfit can be turned around with some minor alterations or even just the right accessories.

After working with her own personal shopper and stylist, Gloria Zigner — executive producer to CHOC Follies — said that she felt like a "goddess."

Zigner is the new face of STYLE 2020's March advertising campaign.

"It's one of the most exciting things to ever happen to me," Zigner said of being photographed for a fashion fitting. "In a million years, I never thought I would be a model or feel like one."

Zigner is the perfect choice to represent the face of the company because she is the "every woman," Moore said.

"We don't work with models or celebrities," Moore said. "We work with real people."

Real people don't have a team of hair and makeup artists on standby the way celebrities do, but that doesn't mean that you can't look great at any age or dress size, Moore said.

STYLE 2020 also offers workshops once a month on topics such as seasonal fashion, cleaning out your closet, fashion for traveling and proper undergarments.

The workshops are free for the community, reservations are mandatory.

"The fact of the matter is that you can't go through life naked," said Moore, who had received a children's book titled "You Can't go to School Naked" from an early client.

"A first impression is critical, and a major part of that is the clothes you're wearing," Moore continued. "If there's a disconnect between how you look and the product or services you're selling, then it throws everything off."