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It is my great pleasure to introduce Dark Autumn, Joan Lincoln - Rochester, NY's fashion and beauty icon for decades! She lives life with style & flair and a never ending enthusiasm for connecting and collaborating with local businesses and charitable organizations. Her entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen belie a family oriented local girl sensibility and humanity that she brings to her business ventures.
I have collaborated with Joan for years. In the decades since I opened my first studio in Pittsford, NY around the corner from a fabulous boutique she managed, she has become Rochester's leader on all things involving fashion and style.
We share a passion for empowering women to be their best bymaking style affordable and accessible while lessening the impact of the fashion industry on the environment. We also share an affinity for a feminine Romantic Style and so I gravitate towards Joan's look.
Read more about Joan's eclectic and expansive contribution to helping women in this month's colorful lives blog.
My journey through the fashion and image industry has offered me a host of extraordinary introductions, adventures, and accomplishments beginning in 1978 when I was voted “Best Dressed” for my Waterloo High School Yearbook.
I started my retail career managing local The Limited, Inc. stores and moved over to running upscale niche boutiques. In the 80’s and 90’s, I also modeled on local runways and had many gigs with large corporations like Kodak, Bausch & Lomb and Xerox. Then, stepping from in front of the lens to behind it I spent a decade as a Makeup Artist working for NYC-industry giant Trish McEvoy Cosmetics. I was blessed with a reputation that allowed me to become a sought-after makeup artist in the region for decades.
Often described as a "serial entrepreneur", it was not a surprise that I decided to retire from the makeup industry in order to establish Panache Vintage and Finer Consignment and Panache Home and Design,establishing the “HAPPPY CORNER” in the 12 Corners of Brighton, NY. The Panache team specializes in empowering women to expressing their individuality through passion for fashion. At Panache we have every component of a woman’s outfit - extraordinary clothing for unique, fashionable women - we love to make Rochester our runway!
These are my favorite pink pants and some other treasures found at Panache. I really enjoy sending my clients to Panache to find unique clothing in their colors. Joan and I collaborate each month to feature the seasonal tone that corresponds. Brenda and Joan on a typical day in the shop.
Check out the pics of my successful shopping trip to Panache with a Light Spring who had just found out her colors that morning. What fun!
My passions have always focused on female-based fashion retail/resale, marketing, women empowerment and special event planning. I am a weekly Radio Personality on WARM1013.COM with host Tony Infantino. Fashion First with Joan Lincoln entertains listeners about the latest trends and tips in the beauty and fashion industries, giving a glimpse into the world of fashion from the dressing room to the runway!
I have written for the former Rochester Woman Magazine, former Fashion Edge of Healthy Edge Magazine, and was a Beauty Buzz blogger with HerRochester.
In 2010, I helped Meghan Mundy to found Fashion Week of Rochester, a three-day event including 6 runways shows that spotlights local designers, boutiques, businesses and artists while shining a light on youth homelessness.
What prompted you to have a color analysis?
After meeting Kerry, I purchased a gift certificate for a personal color analysis for a dear friend. She discovered that she was a Cool Winter and became so immersed in her jewel tone colors and icy cool look was so enthusiastic about her experience that I decided that I needed to have mine done too!
How has it changed your life?
Being in the retail industry surrounded by clothing and home furnishing all day, my color wheel has helped me define and refine my palette in my closet and what colors I surround myself with in my home. In my multi level home, I refer to my family room as the neutral room and my living and dining rooms as my soothing rooms. Both decorated from the neutral pages on my color wheel but at a different degrees. I love them both.
In what ways has it changed the way you approach your business?
Having the knowledge of my own color story, I continue to promote the need for wearing the correct colors to my clients. I encourage daily they too treat themselves to a color analysis to better understand what colors they should be wearing! It's fascinating when a client returns with their wheel in hand and shops more confidently.
What has been the biggest challenge?
I've found the biggest challenge is to not wear black as much as I used to. The fashion industry promotes black as it is easy to produce and has many myths associated with making everyone looks slimmer. While that can be the case for some like my friend above, for many including me the browns of my hair and eyes make a better neutral. While I do have a softer, warm black on my color I try to blend it with the earthy browns as much as I can...but some days, I just can't break this one color rule!
Any interesting things happen while you were wearing your colors?
Oh Baby you bet! When the color and the style is on point so are the compliments! There's a big difference when someone likes your sweater compared to when they say "you look amazing today!"
What was the biggest surprise?
When I took my color wheel and dove into my closet some of my most favorite pieces of clothing were a perfect match. So I guess sometimes, not always, we already know what colors we should be wearing...then there is all the black in my closet that I just can't let go of!
Tell me about your favorite color in your palette.
OLIVE and Aubergine all day long!!!!
Tell me about your closet
Boho Chic, Artsy, Romantic and Multi layer draping pieces. Then there are the cowboy boots, jeans with lots and lots of Dusters!!!!
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I am thrilled to introduce you to my friend, colleague and dreamwork mentor, Warm Spring Kristina Hutch Matthews. Kristina is an artist, writer, animal lover, healing arts practitioner and so much more! Her mother is also an accomplished and prolific artist and together they run the Penfield Arts Center.
We immediately clicked when we met and I was excited to give her a color analysis given her natural talent for all things aesthetic. I wasn't surprised to see her closet immediately following the analysis was filled with muted colors. That is typical these days, especially for those with a creative style. But, I was shocked to see her closet a few months ago. She has completely transformed it from the dusty colors of the past to lighter and brighter colors focused especially on the warmth of Warm Spring. She has learned that the golden browns of her hair and eyes work perfectly as neutrals replacing blacks and grays.
Over the years, I have utilized many personal development tools but it was Kristina's dreamwork class that has given me the most incredible AHA moments. I thought the class would be fun and interesting and help me understand why I saw a whale or something like that but dreamwork is so much more!! Kristina has a talent for giving feedback and fresh insight into a situation that may be challenging or lingering from the past. My understanding of how to remember and process dreams has truly been life changing and transformative. Kristina has brought so much color into my life! Read more about her journey with her artistry and healing practices as well as her personal color journey in this month's blog:
What fun to introduce the incredibly colorful Bright Spring, Natalie Rae Dickerson! I met Natalie when she was in the process of taking over the fabulous fine clothing store, Panache Consignment from my client and colleague Joan Lincoln. Meeting Natalie was like a burst of fresh air. She radiated warmth and vibrancy and was very game to learn more about what colors would be ideal for her. It was no surprise that she absolutely popped in the bright colors and that she jumped right in head first into wearing them. Every time I pop in to the shop, she is shining in some new combination of her colors. She redesigned the store to be organized by color and I find it so easy to find colors for myself and my clients. Read more about her international journey in the world of fashion and color in this month's blog.
It is a thrill to introduce you to Bright Winter, Bianca Calascibetta founder of UCO, a creative marketing firm. When she enthusiastically called me to schedule a color analysis after seeing another client of mine looking pulled together, I knew I had to get her in for a consultation asap. Her excitement was infectious and it only increased when she saw herself in her colors and out of the drab bronzers and muddy cosmetics she had been wearing. Her BRIGHT personality and dramatic but romantic style suited the bold, saturated colors. When I had the pleasure of helping her edit her closet, I could see that she was used to toning herself down with dull colors so that she didn't stand out. How refreshing to see her in colors and styles that suit her personality and coloring. The affect is harmonious and draws you in. Learn more about her experience and unique insights in this month's blog.
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