“Sevens”, named by fashion editors and stylists, grew to fame quickly as the instant favorite among Hollywood’s elite. As the company continues to evolve its true denim brand, it also expanded to men, kids, sportwear, footwear and accessories.

I now it is close to the end of summer but I happen to see these tips and I have to share. Most women of color may not believe it is true but it is very important to protect all skin, even if it is dark. We can all fall prone to sun damage.  Take a look at the Physicians Formula Glow-Boosting Pressed Shimmer Bronzer for its texture and shimmer along with a moisturizing sunscreen.  It has the most natural feel that you will not know it’s on. The bronzer also comes in a neat flip compact and a mirror.

Donned with a Burberry London trench coat, blouse, and flats, the khaki trousers can be an added must to any wardrobe. This is a great daytime apparel for the woman on the go because it is so versatile. I can picture myself catching a concert with friends in this piece or lunch with sisters at an upscale cafe.

How about changing your night time wardrobe to khakis? Try a rolled-up boyfriend khaki with heels, and a sequined top to make your fashion ensemble. Don’t like that idea? Find a colorful safari print shirt or jacket, leopard handbag, bright jewelry to make an extra splash.

So put away the denim or jeans to freshen up your summer wardrobe with the world of khakis. They are much more comfortable. You will find they are more versatile than the jean for creating a relaxed look for that trip to the beach, dining, a family barbecue or casual Friday at work.

Kahkis are available at Nordstrom’s, LL Bean, Old Navy and Macy’s.

Red lips, trench coats, and wavy hair influenced by Lauren Bacall caught my eye. I used to sit up all night watching her on the “golden oldies” we called them. Never underestimate the power of black and white together. The piece that stands out the emost for me is Ricardo Tisci’s stunning Givenchy collection of bold colors.

Coverings: Donna, tell us your story.

Donna Gamache: Let me start with where I am today and then I will tell you how I got here. Today my company helps business owners create their Powerful Business presence through the use of video, photography and image consulting. We are all about making sure they look their best in front of the camera so that their confidence as a business owner is strongly reflected to their clients.

My entrepreneurial story begins when we lived in Georgia. Out of a desire to stay home with my sons, I created a business from my home making soft sculptured dolls. It was during the time the Cabbage Patch dolls were first available. My dolls were called Pug Pals because each one had a little pug nose. They were really cute and sold quite well throughout a 4 state craft circuit. After a short time I had a couple of women working for me. I didn’t realize at the time I was forming the first of 4 businesses.

To explain how my second business was started, let’s fast-forward a few years. We had relocated to South Carolina where I took a job as a school administrator. It was here I found I had a real aptitude for the computer and decided I wanted to do something more. God is so good and opened the door for me to work at an advertising agency. It was there I discovered that I just loved creating ads and teaching others how to use graphic packages.

When my mother-in-law developed Alzheimer’s, we decided to move to Missouri to help out. I was told by several people that I should apply for work at Maritz, one of the largest sales and marketing companies in St. Louis. The recommendation was for one of their divisions where I could put my skills to work as a graphic designer and trainer. So, I went for a couple of interviews and was offered a couple of positions…all starting at the entry level which meant a small salary and starting at the bottom which was not what I wanted to do. This is when I formed my second company Desk Top Consulting. I bought myself a Mac computer with only 30 Megs of ram for $5,000 and that didn’t even include the printer!

Coverings: Did you work from the office every day?

Donna Gamache: Mostly I worked out of my home, but here’s one of the things I am most proud of. Less than eight months after forming Desktop Consulting, I went back to Martiz but this time as my own boss. You see, I negotiated a contract to train all of their graphic designers and word processors. And the great news is…I got to charge what I wanted to charge.

Coverings: How did you become that proficient in graphic design?

Donna Gamache: I learned it basically on my own while working with the advertising agency. I am a very visual person. If somebody shows me how to do something and I do it a couple of times, I just get it.

Coverings: Wait a minute. With no formal education in graphic design or training you started your own company and trained all the graphic designers in Quark Xpress and Adobe Illustrator and the entire word processing department in Quark Xpress and Microsoft Word?

Donna Gamache: Yes. That’s it. I had several clients in the area and even did some public classes for about five years. The good news is that I really loved what I did and was able to do most of my work from my home office which meant I was there whenever my kids needed me. Everything was going great and then I got hit with a major blow. A little over nineteen years into my first marriage my husband wanted a divorce.

Like most women going into a single lifestyle many thoughts went through my head “I won’t have my 401K! I won’t have my husband to fall back on. Do I keep the business and build it? How can I survive alone?” I finally came to the conclusion that I had to let go and let God do his work and sure enough someone in my church offer me a job as an IT consultant. God is so good! This new position allowed me to work with three large firms in St. Louis: Edward Jones, Anheuser Busch, and Monsanto. As an IT Consultant, I would work with developers to understand the company’s proprietary systems and then take what I learned and break it down into easy to understand training documents for the end-user. My job was to create the training documents and then train the end-user how to use the system.

Coverings: This is an interesting career path for someone who has a creative side, especially in the early days with your experience in computer graphics. Creatives don’t usually work with both sides of their brains equally as well. What were you thinking all of this time? Were you comfortable? Were you loving it or wishing you were working just as a creative.

Donna Gamache: You know, at the time I loved what I was doing. I was creating documentation but also had the opportunity to design some of the training documents. I also loved training. I moved up very quickly in my position with Edward Jones and I wanted to leave after 2 years, at the end of my contract. Edward Jones and my consulting company asked me to stay another year which I did but learned a valuable lesson about working as a consultant in the corporate environment…never stay more than 2 years. From here I moved on to do several projects with both Monsanto and Anheuser Busch (now ABInBev). It was a great experience for me and I learned a lot about my field of expertise and about working with people. After about 10 years in IT consulting in the corporate environment, I found I was getting really burned out…not so much on what I was doing but on corporate America itself. Even as a consultant you experience company politics. It was at this same time that I ran into someone I used to do public training classes with…Steve Gamache. We were both invited to attend a Christmas party and found that we still had a lot in common. Steve and I dated 4 years and were engaged for a year before marrying in 2001…it will be 9 years for us this September. If you do the math you realize we were married right after one of the most horrific things that ever happened on American soil, 911. It made both of us realize how very blessed we were to be Americans and to have found each other after all those years.

The reason I am sharing this part of my life with you goes back to my statement about being burned out with corporate America. You see, I just couldn’t handle working in the corporate environment anymore. After being married for a very short time, I came home one day and said to my husband, “My spirit is dying inside of me…I just can’t do this anymore.” Without hesitation he said,”What do you want to do?” “I don’t know what I want to do,” was all I could say. His prompt reply was, “Well, what you don’t have to do is go back.”

Coverings: There are so many women who want to do that. They feel tied to the job because they do not have a supportive partner.

Donna Gamache: Exactly. I know God has been so good to me and I am thankful every day for 2 gifts…first my wonderfully supportive, loving husband and second for the opportunity to leave that environment and start another company! I am truly very blessed. When I knew that I was going to be leaving the job, I made a point to work another couple of months to tie up loose ends. I was never one to just walk off of a project. During this time, I started my third company called The Right Results. I was at the point where I wanted to go back to what I have always loved…fashion and design. Now this really excited me. I rebranded my company and this time my consulting services included image consulting; personal shopping, makeovers, workshops and seminars.

Coverings: How did you become the Executive Managing Director for eWomenNetwork?

Donna Gamache: During the same time I was transitioning out of IT and building The Right Results, a friend of mine who managed the St. Louis eWomenNetwork chapter told me she was moving to Florida. She asked if I had any interest in managing the chapter. You see I had been a member for eight years and loved the structure of the organization and how they help women connect and grow their businesses. I said yes to the opportunity and have been the Executive Managing Director for five years now.

Coverings: How did you hear about eWomenNetwork?

Donna Gamache: I don’t remember. I believe it was through someone I was networking with. Networking is a big, big part of how I have built my companies. The more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities there are. It’s how I met you!

Coverings: Let’s talk about your transition into fashion.

Donna Gamache: Okay, it all started through networking and my volunteer work with a local non-profit. You see there was another woman who volunteered for this same non-profit and people kept telling me I needed to meet her and they kept telling her she needed to meet me. Have you ever had love at first sight with a woman? I am talking about how your spirits go “Whoa!” They just connect immediately and you don’t even know why. That is what happened with this woman and let me tell you things moved quickly from there. Within a few short months, we formed a style company named Anatomy of Style. It was an online membership company where women could get education about how to dress and then shop based on their style personality and shape. My partner and I actually measured the clothes to make sure they were the right shape and then photographed outfits so that the member could go to their page and see what worked for them.

Coverings: Could you buy the clothes online?

Donna Gamache: Yes. There was a link you could click that would take you directly to the buy page for every item.

Coverings: Is the site still available?

Donna Gamache: The concept was so incredible but it didn’t move quite as quickly as we had hoped. I was the one responsible for keeping the web site links up to date and marketing the site. We were finding that the clothes were not available long enough. I made a comment to my partner that the clothes in the links were selling out pretty fast. Just a comment on my part with a thought that maybe we should look into buying our own clothes to put online. Well, you have to understand my ex-partner to understand what happened next. You see I truly love this woman but she is the kind who will pull the trigger without aiming first. The next thing I knew we wound up at the Dallas Merchandise Mart buying clothes and then opening a boutique.

Coverings: Where was the boutique located?

Donna Gamache: The boutique was in mid-town St. Louis. What I loved about that business is that we helped women embrace their bodies. Often they lacked confidence. For instance, if someone said something negative to them about their legs (and I’m talking about as far back as 5th grade), they never wore dresses. We encouraged them and gave them the support and love that they needed to know that they have beautiful legs. To show them they can wear skirts and dresses. It was that part of the business that I loved and really embraced. At first, things were going pretty well with new customers but it didn’t take me long to realize I didn’t really want to be a boutique owner. You see I realized I don’t like selling but my partner loved it. It took a lot of courage to realize I needed to get out. Walking away from a business that was so right at the beginning was so hard but I knew there was no way I could keep investing in what the business had become. So, with a very significant debt and a lot of life’s lessons learned we eventually dissolved our partnership. She kept it for another year and a half and then sold it.

Coverings: Explain a little more about the life lessons you learned.

Donna Gamache: I learned you have to really get to know someone before you jump into a business together…I always say we should have dated a lot longer before we “got married”. You see a business partnership is much like a marriage and many times you spend more time with that partner than you do your spouse. I also learned a lot about what I did not do right in setting up the business…the paperwork that should have been in place. That is why I am co-authoring another book about women and business partnership. I hope to impart what I learned to others so they can learn from my mistakes.

Coverings: That is great and I’m sure a must read for many women who are partnering in business. Now I want to talk about your idea for the fashion game. Where did that idea come from?

Donna Gamache: I am very excited about the game and believe is a direct revelation from God. I think we, as busy women are “crazy busy.” We are not taking the time that we used to when we could get together with our girlfriends just to have a night of belly laughs and maybe drink a glass of wine …just have fun together. The vision was to help women recapture that inner fun girl. It’s a game that would pull them together for fun and also give them another purpose for being together. You see it would be educational in teaching them about their individual styles. I have created a prototype for the game. It has been through a couple of plays with a focus group that I pulled together called my “dream team.” You see a “dream team” is a group of people that helps you build your dream through their support and advice. This amazing group of women is helping me fine tune the game by sharing some of their own amazing ideas. I have a second group “dream team” that will assist me with marketing.

Coverings: What is the fundamental premise for the game? How do you play it?

Donna Gamache: Instead of a board, there is a table cloth you put on your dining room table. Imagine that! Each person picks a paper doll as their playing piece. The paper dolls represent the five styles. The characteristics of that particular style are listed on the back of the paper doll. We use a big pink die to get around the board. The spaces help you earn either a shopping trip to the boutique mall or a celebrity card. The game cards ask questions about the different style personalities so players learn as they play. The cards also have some fun questions such as “What did you wear to your senior prom?” This leads to a fun discussion about style back in that era.

Coverings: On the back of my paper doll would be dramatic, so what would I shop for?

Donna Gamache: I call that “Dynamic Driver”. Now don’t let the dramatic fool you…it doesn’t necessarily mean theatrical. A dramatic woman is usually a CEO. She is in charge. She is the “Dynamic Driver”. When she dresses she likes things that are simple to wear…no layering for this woman. No, that would be for the “Fun Flirt” which is my style personality. I just love to layer. That’s a part of who I am but for the dramatic, well they are very comfortable in a suit or simple dress…something that is uncomplicated and easy to put on. Now, for the dramatic personality there must be something unique about the suit or dress….that is who they are.

Coverings: Suits are my favorite thing to wear.

Donna Gamache: Because you’re dramatic you will also carry a really nice purse that will last for a long time.

Coverings: We like an accent piece. Something to make our look pop.

Donna Gamache: Yes, you love a unique, iconic piece of jewelry or maybe even sunglasses to make your outfit pop. One of the first things I noticed about you was your great ring and the suit you were wearing…I pretty much knew you were a dramatic or “Dynamic Driver”. I just wanted to make sure you knew dramatic wasn’t theatrical. After being with you during this interview it is apparent to me that you are a “Dynamic Driver”.

Coverings: What would your paper doll say?

Donna Gamache: If I picked the one that was my personal style it would be the “Fun Flirt”. This style is all about being the life of the party…being very personable, most people like a “Fun Flirt as soon as they meet her. They also can be a CEO but they will gladly take second seat…do whatever’s best for the company. But the “Dynamic Driver” is very much in charge. Did you know most people are more than one style? Now there is going to be a primary style every time but for me I am also a “Dynamic Driver” as a secondary style. .

Coverings: How does a “Fun Flirt” dress?

Donna Gamache: We dress with flair. We usually have to have something a little showy and as I said, we love to layer. We don’t spend a lot of money on our purses because we want to change up every few weeks. And, we love bling!

Coverings: Are you trendy?

Donna Gamache: There are always some things in each style that you have to be careful of. A fun flirt has to be careful of the trends because she can go crazy.

Coverings: How does one win the fashion game you have created?

Donna Gamache: As you are going around the tablecloth board you’re collecting your clothes. Your whole objective for moving around the board is getting clothes from the mall boutique so that you have a complete outfit (shoes & purse included). The other thing you are doing is collecting celebrity cards…there are 4 total. The celebrity cards you collect are for your shopping spree in Paris, your makeover, your hair and your photo shoot. You have to have all 4 celebrity cards and a complete outfit for your paper doll to enter the runway towards the magazine cover. The first one to land on the magazine cover with all 4 cards and a complete outfit is the winner. And, after the game everyone can discuss the outfits chosen to see if they truly fit the paper doll’s style personality.

Coverings: It is my understanding that the game was initially designed for women in the church community. From what I am hearing all women would enjoy playing.

Donna Gamache: You know what? This game is for any woman. I think that Christian women are just like anyone else. They are looking to bond with their girlfriends. This game is for everyone. I played it with my daughter-in-law and we had so much fun together. I can see girlfriends playing together and mothers & daughters playing together too. I have made some really cute suggestions for the hostess to individualize their game party. She can buy party gifts to add to the winner’s prize. For instance, even though winning the game is the magazine cover…which is of course is make believe…maybe they want to have a little crown to put on the winner. Fun stuff like that. It has to be about fun. The plan is to release the game cards first, as conversation starters. And, my hope is to package them in something that looks like little make up bags. They will be in various fabrics that appeal to the different personality styles. My goal is to have the cards out in the next three to four months. And, I am looking into starting virtual games before the release of the board game.

Coverings: I am so excited. I want to play! Will we be able to get the game from your web site or will we have to go into one of the stores?

Donna Gamache: We are planning on both. My big vision is to package the game in a purse. I have this vision in my head; Women walking through the store…Target for example… looking for a game and seeing a purse in the game aisle… every woman will want one. Every style personality is drawn to something a little different. You will be drawn to something that is classy, like black velvet with one little accent piece on it.

Coverings: You know me too well already. (laughs) I love classic stuff with a little hint of a trend…just a little surprise something.

Donna Gamache: Sure, I know. You’re dramatic all over. It’s good though that you know who you are. Most women do not. I want to help them understand and discover themselves through my fashion board game. If you try to take someone who is sporty or romantic and stick them in a suit, they are very uncomfortable all day.
A Romantic loves flowing fabrics and lace. You know a Romantic style personality is the most compassionate. They are the most true blue friend. It’s very interesting once you get into it. I have seen women go from feeling insecure and dressing totally wrong to discovering their true style personality and how to dress it. It brings such confidence. You just can’t stop them when they make that discovery!

Coverings: Dressing wrong for who she really is does cause a woman to be self conscious and unsure of herself. And you are saying everything we believe in. It is not so much about how I am built. I am in here inside. The “real me” is in here looking out at you, asking, “Do you see me?” And in retail we just see the shell.

Donna Gamache: Yes, you are right in many cases we have been just dressing the shell.

Coverings: We have to find the girl inside. We need to tell her it’s okay to come out and play and discover who she really is. It’s okay to be you. Come on out. You don’t have to fit in to a mold. It is possible to make your personality work with your body type. Most women can wear almost anything or color there is. As style professionals, we need to take the time to show them how. Are you thinking the same thing?

Donna Gamache: I am. That’s exactly what the game and my business is all about…helping women discover their best self! I will say this about body shape. There are some shapes that can be enhanced tremendously. Take a very rectangular body shape, straight up and down put a belt or something around the middle, and you’ve got an hour glass shaped figure.

Coverings: But you want to do it in the context of making the body style work with the personality style?

Donna Gamache: Right. It is all about the inside. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear women frustrated while shopping. Do you know what they are frustrated with? The clothes don’t fit!. It’s not them. It’s the designers. Designers design for sticks. I can really get on my soap box about this. You know I would love to go into designing.

Coverings: This is the time to start designing. That is how Carolina Herrera started. She is one of my favorites. She had never taken a design class. She simply knew that she was not getting what she wanted. She could afford it, so she just started designing her own line. She took them to the manufacturer and just did it!

At Coverings we are looking for designers who have an ear to God. We know they exist. Just like you said…women are frustrated. They are being locked away inside and these new designers have the key. They need the confidence to step forward. The fashion industry needs what they have.

Donna Gamache: I am sure you will agree with me. There’s a scripture verse which says that even from the time we are in the womb we are uniquely created by God. So I think every person has a unique footprint. There is something in each person that needs to be shared with the rest of the world. As for me, I think I started early on with what it was and got really sidetracked onto other things. Now I feel like I am coming back to it, and I want to share it with the world. That is how I know I will be successful. I think what trips most of us up are two things. The first is fear. Many times it’s not even fear of failure. It’s fear of being successful… ‘what am I really going to do with that?’ The other that stops women especially is money. Men do not seem to be stopped by money as often as women. Have you noticed that too?

Coverings: Yes; I have experienced it and see it all the time. But, also I see women can make it happen when we come together.

Donna Gamache: Collaboration is my greatest strength. It’s all about collaboration for me in a nutshell. Without it, I would not be where I am today.

Coverings: You just published your first book “If You Really Want To Be Successful, Get Connected!”

Donna Gamache: Yes. The book offers wisdom, insights, and strategies from entrepreneurial women. Jo Lena Johnson and I co-authored the book. She is all about putting more good into the universe and has a company called Absolute Good. I am very proud of my collaboration with Jo Lena and the entrepreneurial women interviewed in this book. I am so grateful they are willing to share their practical wisdom, insights and strategies to help other women be successful! Many of the women interviewed in the book are connections made through eWomenNetwork and through our own personal entrepreneurial journeys. I learned so much in the process and really enjoyed editing the book and seeing our concept of a book that would help women become a reality.

Coverings: It is an excellent tool for business owner’s in a sluggish economy. Of the various topics you cover, I was most interested in customer service. What’s wrong with customer service today?

Donna Gamache: I don’t think there is customer service.

Coverings: How do we get it back? What’s the remedy? How did it slip away? I will give almost anybody my money if they give me good service.

Donna Gamache: People don’t buy products and services. People buy people. Let’s put you in a room where person “A” is attempting to sell you a television. Person “B” is trying to sell you an identical television. Which salesman are you going to buy from? The one you like the best. It really is all about people. Let me use Target as an example. Target does a pretty good job of customer service, but it’s still not quite what it used to be. In many companies employees have to work faster and are being paid less. They are actually asked to do too much sometimes. There are only so many hours in a day.

Coverings: Then it actually begins higher up?

Donna Gamache: Management. Owners and managers need to understand what brings people through the door. They need to be trained that people are more important than stocking shelves. Also managers should be more complimentary. It helps to say things like, “I saw what a great job you are doing…how you greeted that customer. You are doing a fantastic job.” That would make an impact on customer service.

Chico’s does a great job of that and Nordstrom’s too. Before Macy’s bought Famous-Barr they were really good at it too. Macy’s has cut back staff so much; it’s just not the same.

Coverings: What do you see as the future for designers?

Donna Gamache: Are you familiar with Doncaster? This is a pretty high-end clothing line? What about Etcetera? These designs are not sold in stores. Actually Carlyle and Doncaster are on the same level. Etcetera is the sportswear line for Carlyle. Not quite as expensive. I used to rep for them and loved the clothes. They are not only beautifully designed but are also great quality clothes. These designs are sold by independent reps at open house type parties where the customer only has about 10 days to shop. Another popular clothing line is CAbi (Carol Anderson by Invitation). She sells her designs through independent reps who facilitate home parties. You cannot find any of these designs in stores. I really think the convenience of home shopping parties are becoming more and more popular and can see other designers following this model.

Coverings: Does the CAbi line design for “real” women?”

Donna Gamache: Yes. She has a lot of little tricks to help us look better and slimmer. If I were to go into designing I would do something similar; having people all over the world selling for me. I have no idea how to even get started and am going to leave it at “maybe someday” I will find out how.

Coverings: Who designed the clothes for your game?

Donna Gamache: I did. I selected styles and fabrics that appeal to each of the style personalities…right down to shoes and hats.

Coverings: I look forward to the release of your fashion board game. I love that you care about women. Your game will be a healing balm for women, Donna. It is going to be phenomenal.

Donna Gamache: I think there is beauty in every woman…it’s just a matter of bringing it out of them in a way that expresses their unique style. This is what my company helps people do…express their unique style. Every business owner needs a video and we help you look your best, feel your confidence and look relaxed in front of the camera.

Coverings: Where can we contact you?

Donna Gamache: For the latest on the game and to find out more about how to create your Powerful Business Presence, please go to www.DonnaGamache.com. Visit our store to purchase a copy of the book, the game and other style related products. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share with your readers! You can also follow me on Facebook at Donna Gamache Global – Powerful Business Presence.

This black lace floor length number, with its mermaid skirt, flatters every body type. This David Meister creation shows off an hourglass figure and ensures that that you will make a dramatic appearance. If you are petite, this dress will make you appear taller.  The curvy figure will only be enhanced at the waist and the strapless, or one shoulder, diverts the eyes from the center of the dress where we tend to carry weight at the bottom.






For shapelier curves, try a David Meister evening dress coupled with a lengthy blazer or trench coat. The inspiration of the gold dress paired with the leopard print is a polished and sophisticated look. Add a belt to cinch the waist and create gathers and texture that pair perfectly with a dramatic collar to give your body the illusion of more dimension.






To play down those womanly curves, you can put on a Carmen Marc Valvo dress. The skirt has plenty of pleats to make the hips appear narrow and a discreet cut at the shoulders can play down the bust. Stick to just one color to accentuate the slim and longer look created by the use of pleats, seams, and long necklines.




David Meister collections can be found at fine stores like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Donna Karan stated that she was inspired by the elements to create her fall collection. Once again, she has dreamed up the summer collection of breezy designs with wearable fabrics and color like draped dresses and soft skirts. Karan’s fashions display a strong sense of movement and femininity that is not easily achieved by
other designers.

Off the runway, the models donned in slight dresses and suits in pale neutrals the appear simply weightless. The dresses have simple folds or wrap styles that are absolutely fabulous for any woman’s frame. These stunning designs will prove to complete any summer wardrobe. I can see it all now, Cayman Islands here I come!

http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2010/resort/main/newyork/womenrunway/donnakaran/

The white denim jacket is a must-have for anyone because it has sustained over time. Add a tank and a skirt for you sense of style, and an oversized belt.

Tropic or floral prints to celebrate the summer season will start you off on the right foot. This look is effortless, yet fun enough that it can be worn for work or for play.

This affordable piece brings plenty of style and pizzazz with its green trim and lavish print.

Complete an ensemble to a concert with pencil straight pants, a flower print, and a crisp white shirt. Play up bold colors like coral, gold, reds, and yellows this summer to turn up the temperature of your wardrobe.

To see more styles visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.