Black belt in fashion

Upon hearing Sharon Stewart speak about fashion for the first time, Veronica Miller thought she had found the perfect fit.

Not for a pair of pants, but for Goodwill Manasota.

Miller, a vice president of the Goodwill Manasota Foundation, pictured Stewart giving Goodwill customers great advice about dressing to impress.

“She speaks to everybody,” Miller said of Stewart, who owns First Impression Image Consulting. “We don’t have just one type of person (shopping at Goodwill). You could be a janitor or a CEO.”

So Stewart launched a set of fashion seminars at Goodwill earlier this month, with the next one June 16 at the Goodwill at 1704, N. Honore Ave., Sarasota. 

At the clinics, Stewart will share her fashion strategy for dressing to take “one step up the ladder.”

She said that means being prepared no matter what the circumstance. Stewart doesn’t have those typical “casual” days with jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of flip-flops.

Each day she leaves her home, her hair is styled and her makeup is perfect. She dresses to impress with jewelry, a slouched fashion belt and a coordinated outfit that mixes textures and colors.

“Your image is relevant to your work, to your social life, and your self perception,” said Stewart, who doesn’t even own a pair of flip-flops. “When you dress professionally every day, it’s your way of communicating and it speaks volumes. You always need to dress up the ladder.”

A lifelong sales professional, first of cosmetics and later of insurance, the Tara resident found one truth remained across industries and professions.

What you wear is relevant because image matters.

“I always looked the part,” she said. “I never thought it was vain. It’s a resource tool.”

With her consulting business, Stewart spends her days helping clients redefine their wardrobes. She creates new looks from clothes her clients already have or by shopping for items that complete their styling needs.

During each session at Goodwill, groups of up to 25 people will learn fashion “do’s and “don’ts” from Stewart. One participant will be chosen at random to browse the store with Stewart to create a new look. Guests should sign up in advance.

“We want her to be able to have an open forum for communication,” Miller said. “She pairs perfectly with Goodwill, which offers designer brands for less. She is the ideal person to tie it all together.”

Stewart said shopping at Goodwill and similar stores is great for finding those unique, one-of-a-kind items at a fraction of the price. But once you find them, you have to wear them and you have to be confident.

“It shows,” she said. “Then, you have just cemented your image.”

“Fashion comes and goes,” she said. “Style is unique.”