We don’t need Doc Brown and a DeLorean to take us back in time. We have something far greater, and not requiring precisely timed lightning. The reactions of our five senses - touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste - navigate and maneuver our minds through time continually sending messages to the brain, embedding memories of people, places, things, and recording an unconscious stream of our thoughts and feelings.

In addition to our internal five senses, some people, including me, are able to establish a stronger psychological connection through their external environment. I believe we each possess our own unique set of senses. The fabric makeup of garments can be physically seen and touched, but are heavily detailed with our emotions and reflections. Having “fashion sense” is not just knowledge of style, but having the capability to recreate moments and feelings. Our wardrobe is a symbolic collection of our stories, adorned with imprints of past relationships, places, traumatic and celebratory events.

I have always been drawn to the color Gold. My grandfather was a jeweler, using gold as his medium. Whether my grandmother was in a housecoat, golf attire, or formalwear she was layered with gold. Gifting a majority of my family with his designs, it was uncommon to see someone without gold. My mother would take me to the bank before a formal event and rummage though her safety deposit box. As she opened the box each time, it was as if she opened a door to her past. Each piece had an anecdote and was a chapter in her story. The jewelry was able to illustrate a picture of her childhood, and produced a generational bond. Now looking back and seeing the vast love and generosity of my grandparents, it seems fitting to link them with gold and precious gems.

A popular term today is an influencer. It is simply a person who has the power to affect purchasing decisions because of their knowledge and position regarding a product. Having a heightened fashion sense, you may be able to recall who your influencers have been. Not the ones through social media, but stemming from personal relationships, built on love, admiration and respect. My mother, a retired English teacher, was and still is rarely seen without a book in hand. Admittedly a literary snob, her presence and style exude academic elegance and excellence. My fashion sense often gravitates towards rich brown leathers; plaids, wingtips, and chunky cable knit sweaters. Imitating her style, I am recreating feelings of security and nurture surrounding my childhood. Leaving for work very early each morning, I did not see my parents until early evening. Always enthusiastically announcing her arrival, (by the way she still does) I would run to watch her walk up the stairs and greet her. Her style matched her authority achieved through her academic merits and insatiable appetite for knowledge. My day started and ended with her entrance, and the next half of her workday had just begun. Some days my fashion sense channels her style, fabricating a uniform of strength and intellectualism.

Like a toxic relationship, clothing can grasp to people and events we wish to forget. Cleansing a closet is an exhausting physical and mental task. Kara Norton Styling approaches each client’s wardrobe as a tailored representation, reflecting his or her true and authentic self. We aid and develop your fashion sense, assisting you to let go of the items carrying negativity and focus on the uplifting pieces. As a team, we will strategize and expand to coveted articles, building and manifesting upon their positivity. There is more than one meaning to the phrase retail therapy and this approach is much healthier and less expensive.