About Barbara Schwartz

If you live in the northern hemisphere as I do, the summer season has arrived. To keep me cool and comfortable while temperatures rise, I’m wearing mainly cottons and linens. Although I tend to wear the same colors all year-round, I do have some summer-only clothes, shoes and handbags. Read More

When I was a child in the 1950s, I didn’t know anything about fashion. I didn’t notice what the women around me were wearing. And I certainly didn’t question what I saw on television or in the movies.

The fact that June Cleaver, the mom on Leave It to Beaver, and her fictional contemporaries were stay-at-home mothers who always wore a neatly-pressed shirtwaist dress with a strand of pearls didn’t make an impression on me. Read More

I have something to confess: I never liked studying history in school.

I think the reason is the way it was taught. We had to memorize the dates when popes and monarchs reigned, presidents and prime ministers served in office, significant battles were fought in major wars, and so forth. We never learned about what life was like for the people living then. We never read their stories. Read More

Last weekend I had a life-changing experience: while attending a training session on color analysis, I found out that I’ve been wearing the wrong palette for over 20 years.

With all that’s going on in the world today, this error might sound trivial to you. But as a woman who prides herself in looking her best whenever she leaves the house, I was shocked by this news. Read More

If you’re like me, you never tire of TV series and movies set in the 1920s. Even though Downton Abbey has ended, we who have the DVDs or Netflix get to watch our favorite episodes again and again. And if you’re like me, you pay particular attention to the costumes and jewelry, which are like eye candy. Read More

I have a confession to make: I don’t own a little black dress. For some time, I’ve been wearing navy and other dark neutrals for my evening attire. Navy is more flattering to my skin tone. Read More

Autumn is my favorite season. For one thing, I have more energy in cooler weather. But it’s not just the changing temperatures that make me feel this way – it’s the splashes of yellow, orange, and red foliage that seem to be everywhere in the fall months. All three of these warm hues are associated with energy.

Did you know that the colors around you impact the way you feel? And that the colors you wear can influence how you want to feel and how others perceive you? Read More

If you’re like me, you have a uniform – a particular type of outfit – that you wear most days.

Yours might be a white shirt and trousers, a wrap dress, or a skirt and jacket. Mine is a tee-shirt and jeans, topped with a blazer. These pieces are wardrobe staples you probably have in your closet. Read More