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Wendy Bryant Gow Image Consulting ■ Wardrobe Styling ■ Professional Organizing |
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ARTICLES ■ Denim Day or Night by Faith Dwight ■ A Step in the Right Direction by Kristin Tucker ■ A Long Voyage Home by ISS-USA (view .pdf version with pictures here) ■ A Matter of Details - Embellish your classics for fall by Wendy Bryant Gow ■ Looking Younger without Plastic Plastic Surgery by Bethany Lye ■ Fall Style - News & Observer Fall 2006 by Wendy Bryant Gow ■ Spring Style - News & Observer Spring 2006 by Wendy Bryant Gow ___________________________________________________________________
Denim Day or Night by Faith Dwight
Denim is one of the great wardrobe equalizers. No matter who you are, there’s no doubt you have at least one pair of jeans in your closet. The good news is that, this season, denim is making an appearance outside of its usual lazy Saturday afternoon setting.
Your jeans can morph into eveningwear when you pair them with lush fabrics and eye-catching accessories.
“Denim is the perfect tool to get longevity out of your existing wardrobe,” says image consultant Wendy Bryant Gow. “Play tweeds and cashmeres off of denim to give it a whole different dimension. Pair tops and jackets you’d normally save for a skirt with jeans to take your look up a notch.” ■ (originally published in the News & Observer Living In Style August/September 2008) ______________________________________________________________________
A Step in the Right Direction by Kristin Tucker
It comes as naturally as the change of the seasons. Warmer weather means that it’s time to survey our wardrobes and see what we have to wear. Deciding what pieces to keep, what works best on our body type and what new trends to consider can be overwhelming. But we don’t have to go it alone. Why not step into spring with the help of an expert? We turned to Chapel Hill wardrobe consultant Wendy Bryant Gow to find out how working with a professional can improve our look.
According to Bryant Gow, the first step is determining a client’s goal, lifestyle and budget. Her clients represent a wide variety of people including working professionals, women going through figure changes (like new moms), homemakers looking for a new direction and even husbands and boyfriends looking for a unique gift for their significant other. She custom fits her services (including consultation and shopping time) to work within each client’s budget.
After assessing the client’s needs, Bryant Gow will either shop for or with the client for the desired clothing – everything from lingerie to outerwear. “My goal is to teach each of my clients how to build a classic wardrobe – and then add a few trendy pieces each season.”
Bryant Gow is even getting tech-savvy. How many times have you gone shopping and forgotten what already exists in your closet? Her newest endeavor is creating “virtual closets” for each client with pictures of their wardrobe that can be referenced to build on future outfits.
“My job is so rewarding, because I can give a person that extra sense of self,” she says. A wardrobe consultant can’t change you body type, but she can work to enhance your best features.
We followed Bryant Gow and two of her clients as they scouted Chapel Hill retailers for a new spring look. Maryanne Randolph, 50, is a UNC graduate and oncology nurse at UNC hospitals. She and Bryant Gow have been working together for the past two years. “I was tired of getting clothes that were almost right. My goal was to purchase things that were just right,” says Randolph. “When I enlisted Wendy’s help, the result was a more cost-effective solution.”
Shantel Abramson, 24, is an operations specialist at the University Mall branch of Bank of America in Chapel Hill. She wanted help defining her own image. Wendy created a fun, hip fashion-forward look for this young professional. Take a look at the results and you’ll see how Bryant Gow artfully chose clothing to help each woman accentuate her positives. ■ (originally published in the Chapel Hill Magazine March/April 2008) ______________________________________________________________________
The Long Voyage Home view .pdf version here A collaborative effort between ISS-USA and ISS-Japan reunites a woman with the family she never knew.
The voyage home was a long one for Wendy Bryant Gow.
Fifty years had passed since her Japanese birth mother, Kazuko Ikuta, last held her. Fifty years since Kazuko’s tearful resignation that daughter Arisa would be given up for adoption. Fifty years since everyone’s life changed.
A New Home For Billie and Lee Bryant, Arisa’s arrival was a blessing. Stationed in Japan with the Air Force, they welcomed the six-week-old into their lives. They renamed her Wendy and provided a loving home.
The Bryants encouraged Wendy and brother, Stan, also adopted in Japan, to be proud of their heritage. Both excelled in school and as competitive swimmers, where each earned top amateur rankings.
Wendy graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill before a dream job in fashion took her to New York. She married her college beau and moved to Atlanta, where daughters Winston and Lily were born. She returned to Chapel Hill and is very much the person Lee and Billie had hoped she would be. Splitting time between her daughter and her three companies, she is successful, intelligent and happy.
Many Questions Few Answers Despite that, something was missing. “All of my life, I’ve had a feeling I didn’t quite fit in, no matter how much I achieved,” she said. “There’s always been this little space in me that never felt like home was home.”
She wondered about the mother she never knew. There were so many questions and so few answers. She searched, but every inquiry left her hopelessly empty-handed. Eventually, Wendy’s dream of meeting her birth mother dimmed.
That changed last October when a letter arrived from ISS – the organization that had arranged the adoption. Wendy’s heart raced as she envisioned a reunion with her mother and “an opportunity to complete something missing in my.”
Those hopes were crushed when Wendy’s cousin, Yoshimi, wrote “Your mother passed away in 2001.” Shock and sadness slowly gave way to the letter’s purpose. There was a bank account that only Wendy could access, and ISS-Japan was asked to find Kazuko’s long lost daughter.
International family tracings are an important part of the ISS mission. “There can be many dead ends, but there are also some wonderfully rewarding outcomes,” says Susan Oslund, ISS-USA’s international Social Work Supervisor. Such was the case with Wendy.
A Mother’s Love ISS-Japan and ISS-USA collaborated – finding Wendy and facilitating everything thereafter – communications, the inheritance, and a family reunion in Japan.
Answers, long sought, were now at hand. Wendy learned that her father, John, was an American businessman working in Tokyo for a New York-based insurance company. He and Kazuko dated for two years before John returned home, never knowing that he and Kazuko were to have a daughter.
Wendy also discovered how desperately Kazuko wanted to keep her, even though Japanese society considered it scandalous to rear a mixed-race child. Kazuko’s letters revealed her despair. “I see Arisa in my dream every night,” Kazuko wrote. “Whenever I see a mother holding her baby in her arms on the street, I feel sad and cry when I come home.”
“She did the kindest thing she possibly could by giving me up, but I think she sacrificed her life to have me,” Wendy said. The loss of Arisa had a profound effect on Kazuko. She severed all contact with her family, living a solitary life until her death.
Kazuko could never make it right. She was rarely seen without Lily, a doll that most considered a substitute for her Arisa. Ironically, years later and continents away, Wendy named her second daughter Lily as well.
As the reunion approached, anticipation built. “I wanted to see where I came from and how my mother lived,” Wendy said. “Nothing could have prepared us for the reception we received. From the moment we got off of the plane, the people were just so lovely.”
Warm Reunion Though there was no translator for the reunited family’s first meal together, sentiments transcended words. “You hear so much about how reserved the Japanese are, but these were beautiful, warm, loving, kind people,” Wendy gushes. “I will never forget my elderly aunt giving me the longest, hardest hug.”
Wendy immediately noticed her cousin’s height. Like Wendy, she was nearly six-feet tall. “I assumed that my height was inherited from my father,” she said. “Little did I know I may have inherited my height from my Japanese relatives. That was just totally unexpected.”
Everyone’s life has been changed forever. “Leaving was emotional,” Wendy recalls. “We fell in love with the country, its culture, its history, beauty and people – especially my new lovely family!”
It was along voyage home indeed for Wendy Bryant Gow, but one well worth the wait. “Returning home was incredible, exhilarating, educational, awesome, and bittersweet as I had often dreamed of returning home to meet my birth mother – thought in a sense I did.”
Wendy believes that every adoptee should have the opportunity to connect with their heritage. “This trip and the connection I now have with my Japanese relatives are a blessing and a dream come true.”
“I owe a great deal to the people at ISS,” Wendy says. “They opened doors no one else could. They couldn’t have been more lovely.”
“Now, for the first time, I feel complete.” ■ (originally published in the ISS-USA 2007 Annual Report, designed by Vincent Winter Associes) ______________________________________________________________________
A Matter of Details - Embellish your classics for fall
Step out confidently this fall with a more luxurious style of dressing. One of the most important and apparent themes across the board involves the dominance of opulent embellishments. Look for the play in fabrics as well as modern menswear influences, where anything from eye-popping hues and luminous sheens to luxurious textures and strong silhouettes define this season’s hottest trends. This is a great time to update or glamorize the more classic section of your wardrobe. Since this is the season for coats, it might be the right time to invest in a bold-colored coat in a durable fabric like wool, leather, shearling, or fur. Don’t forget to find that perfect tweed suit, structured bag or some fantastic gold jewelry. If you’re still struggling to manage the mortgage after your last shopping trip, try important lower-priced items like a flirty pencil skirt, a pair of menswear trousers, a frilly blouse or a cashmere turtleneck. To ice the cake, hunt down a pair of chic elbow-length gloves in leather or suede, as well as some ballet flats and stacked pumps in either animal print or patent leather. Finding the right combination of these items can give you that luxurious look of fall while maintaining your personal style. My best advice for Fall 2007 is to plan your budget in advance to maximize your shopping experience. Good luck and remember to have fun. Enjoy! — Wendy ■ (originally published in the News & Observer Living In Style Fall 2007) ______________________________________________________________________
News & Observer Fall Style 2006
Blue Heaven. For this Tar Heel, these two words best represent fall in the Triangle.
As the air turns crisp and the leaves take on their vivid autumn hues, I occasionally find myself reminiscing about those days long ago ... a return to classes and old friends, court parties, fall rush, Franklin Street, tailgating and, of course, Saturday afternoon football. The wondrous roar of the crowds at Kenan Stadium traditionally festooned in a sea of Carolina Blue, and handsome young men in khakis and navy blue blazers escorting beautiful young coeds in plaid “kilt” skirts and monogrammed sweaters with those ever-present add-a-bead necklaces dangling playfully from their Peter Pan-collared blouses.
Even then, for me, it was all about the fashion.
Fall is traditionally my busiest time of year, as clients old and new eagerly await my arrival to transition their summer wardrobes into the latest fall trends. With few exceptions, the questions remain the same: What’s in? What’s out ? What works best for my figure? How can I create a more professional look? Can you fit all that into this budget?
With each client, the focus is always on building a classic wardrobe that will withstand the elements of change from season to season. Then it is just a matter of enhancing it with a few trendy seasonal updates.
Fall 2006 appears to be the most “figure friendly” season for fashion in quite some time, with every imaginable silhouette well represented. No longer is it necessary to use your figure as an excuse for not keeping up with the latest styles.
For the full figure with slender legs, try a pair of black leggings under a longer knit top or a little dress, and add ballet flats. For a taller figure, thin or full, try the new wide-leg trousers with a fitted jacket or blouse and platform heels. For the sophisticated professional of all sizes and shapes, try an updated plaid skirt or pantsuit that can easily go from day to evening with just a change into a sheer romantic blouse. The taller and slimmer the figure, the bolder the design can be.
To update your wardrobe with a moderate budget this season, I might suggest a chic satchel bag; shoes or belt in leopard print; patent leather skimmers; a red or purple blouse or knit top; a pair of black suede flat boots; a sweater coat in black, charcoal gray, camel or chocolate brown; a velvet top or blazer; plaid slacks and/or skirt; a flirty dress; and a large gold chain-link necklace. Voila!
I hope you enjoy our latest edition of Style. I’d like to thank my resources, the wonderful Triangle retail community. Your support and expertise are greatly appreciated. To my clients, it’s going to be a fabulous fall for shopping! And finally to my friends at The N&O, my heartfelt appreciation for your continued trust and confidence in me and my vision of fashion in the Triangle. ■ ______________________________________________________________________
News & Observer Spring Style 2006
Relocating to the Triangle from Atlanta, I was more than a bit concerned that the fashion division of my business could suffer without the same level of retail resources available to draw from. I found quite the contrary; with the recent trend of hip, young, business-savvy sophisticates introducing their own interpretive sense of style into the Triangle's prospering retail community, this fashion scene is quickly heating up.
Just as eager to encourage this momentum, the Triangle's traditional merchants, mentors to more than a few of these emerging trendsetting business owners, are updating their own inventories with new labels to attract a broader clientele. With upscale national retailers now locating to our area and their own highly skilled fashion consultants ready to assist the most particular styles and tastes, why shop any further than our own backyard?
I encourage each of you to venture into these chic new boutiques, revitalized retail shops and upscale department stores, and enjoy the experience. And when you're ready for some real retail therapy and a whole lot of fun, please give me a ring or drop me an e-mail.
In this latest edition of Spring Style, we are pleased to present our highlights of this season's impressive selection of fashion trends in the Triangle.
Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my friends at the N&O, our wonderful retail community, and my loyal clients, both old and new, who provide me the opportunity to succeed in a career that I find so rewarding and enjoyable. ■
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