You heard right, Focus on Wallingford is back! There’s so many businesses to feature we weren’t sure where to begin so we went with one of our favorite places, which is located right in the center of it all. The Dressing Room is a high fashion boutique with great prices and customer service. Its storefront is right on the corner of Main and Center Street at the top of the hill. The owner, Chris and I, have become friends while working on a number of projects together and I admire her love for fashion, approach to client relationships and work ethic. We met up with Chris and asked her to tell us a little about her store, read below!

“With 25+ years of business experience both in the corporate world and as a business owner, it is a joy to incorporate my love of fashion, my passion to empower women and my creativity into The Dressing Room Boutique. I have worked in the world of finance with a fortune 100 company as well as in the position of CFO for an insurance brokerage that my husband founded. I then followed my passion into the world of fashion and currently am the CEO of CM Clothing, Inc. which includes my clothing line Gogirlwrapperz, my retail store The Dressing Room Boutique and my online store The Dressing Room 24-7. www.thedressingroom24-7.com. I just recently partnered with Shoptiques.com which is a global e-commerce site of the best boutiques from all over the world. Just last week we shipped our first order to the UK!

I discovered Wallingford when my oldest daughter Ashley, was attending Choate Rosemary Hall. I loved the charm of the town and have come to love the multi-generational families that live here. It is a privilege to have earned the trust of so many women who come to us to dress them for some of the most important and memorable days of their lives. Whether it’s a wedding, anniversary, reunion, gala or any special occasion where any old dress just won’t do. Our customers know they can rely on us to put them in something that makes them feel beautiful.

In 2012, I was able to expand the store when the frame shop next door went out of business. We were able to double the square footage of the store, add dressing rooms and expand our formal wear offerings. Now half of the store is dedicated to sportswear, jewelry, accessories and shoes and the other half dresses and gowns. We carry everything from denim to evening gowns and all things in between.

One of the things I love about being a business owner is collaborating with other businesses and organizations in town to promote each other and improve the community. Recently we held our 6^th Annual Fundraiser in collaboration with The Rotary for the Liberty Bank Thanksgiving Day Project. We put on a Fashion Show and donate a portion of all sales to feed the homeless at Thanksgiving. It was a huge success and a record breaking year. I am thrilled to be able to make a nice donation to such a great cause.

We have some fun events coming up in the month of December with the Holiday Stroll in conjunction with Wallingford Center Inc. and a fun ladies night we are hosting with local Fashion Blogger and makeup artist Jenna Poitras. Just a few of the fun things we will be participating with other folks and organizations in the near future.

Please stop in just to introduce yourself, browse around and let us help you in any way we can. Our saying is “Enter as Strangers and Leave as Friends.” 

Make sure to poke your head into The Dressing Room this holiday season and keep an eye on the blog to see what other Wallingford businesses we feature in the coming weeks! 

If you are a Wallingford business owner and interested in being featured in FOW in the coming weeks, feel free to contact us HERE.

I've been dying to share these images from another styled shoot with our friends from Salon Le Rae and The Dressing Room! I have loved each of our collaborations in the past but the edginess and overall idea for this shoot was so different from anything else we had done, I couldn't wait to put it into action! 

We decided to switch things up a bit and went from fancy prom dresses to the complete opposite edgy look with leather, black, dramatic makeup and hair. Our model, Marissa, is not only beautiful but also an amazing athlete and all around great girl. She’s the only girl on her high school's weightlifting team, an amazing softball player, crossfitter AND an Impressions Studio employee! You can find Marissa assisting me on on-location shoots in the summer and fall, carrying lights and reflectors. (Good thing she’s strong!)

I showed Jessica from Salon Le Rae some high fashion hair looks I loved and she pulled the vision together with the braided fo-hawk. Jessica also did Marissa's makeup. We started off doing something edgy but not over the top...we decided to take it to the full potential. This isn't something you get to do everyday, so why not! It was so fun to see Maris dressed in such a different style than usual! 

Now, let's talk location! Once we got the concept for styling hair and makeup down we needed a space. I was wracking my brain trying to come up with a loft type space with big windows, high ceilings and exposed brick. In talking to Chris from the Dressing Room, she said she knew the perfect space…and it was right in the center of town! She showed me a photo of The Confetti Room and I was sold! It was exactly what I had envisioned. When I walked in, it somehow was even better than I imagined, I was in LOVE! The light and overall feeling of this place was a photographers' dream.

Jess from The Confetti Bar was so warm and welcoming and has done such cool things with the space. We can't thank her enough for allowing us to play in Confetti Land for the day! Side note: Jess and I plan on working together more in the future. We will be offering a Confetti Session add on for our Class of 2016 Seniors that is going to be a BLAST! Stay tuned for the date and details on that.

I LOVE these black and white pictures. I really can't pick a favorite from the whole shoot but something about Marissa's expression and the painted radiator against the brick and showing the space makes my heart smile! Love it!!

Below are a few more of our favorites from this session. Keep an eye out for next weeks blog post...a FOW featuring who else but Jess of The Confetti Bar!

Hair and Makeup: Jessica Finn of Salon Le Rae

Oufit Styling: Chris of The Dressing Room

Outfit: Dress; Nicole Miller. Leather jacket; Blue Pearl by Allen B. Schwartz. Pants; Articles of Society. Top; Nicole Miller

5 Tips [for the Ladies]!

It's almost senior season and the most frequently asked question when sessions are booked is "What should I wear?!" While your outfit is one of the most important things, of course, there's a few other very big things to keep in mind...

1) Bring a variety of outfits! Try to avoid bringing only patterned items. Focus on having most of your options in a solid color. If you often dress in patterns, bring your favorite so it can be incorporated but won't take away from you and your session. You are the star of the show, remember that!

2) Apply makeup a little heavier than usual. At Impressions we are all about looking like the best and most natural version of YOU. Applying a little more mascara and foundation than what you are used to will just help accentuate your best features. Also, your hands will show in your images. Remember to get a simple manicure or remove any chipped polish before your session. 

3) Avoid a bad hair day! Whenever you go to a school dance or a special event, you often will go to a salon and get your hair done. Senior Portraits are only something you get the chance to do once so why not treat it like the special occasion it is? Salon Le Rae is just down the street from our studio and always does a great job. Making an appointment for a simple blow dry or curled hairstyle which will help create a polished look for your senior images.

4) Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! When you are wearing a plain outfit, it brings the opportunity to liven things up with accessories. Chris from The Dressing Room in Wallingford always has the latest trends in stock. This season, tassels are in! Also, if you play sports or participate in activities bring something that represents it so that can be incorporated into your session!

5) BE YOURSELF! When you look back on these pictures in 25 years you won't remember the brand of your dress or the exact location you picked. You will remember how comfortable you were and how much fun you had. We are here to make the session about YOU. Any ideas you may have for locations or poses are always welcome! You are only a senior once, make it memorable!

Spring is FINALLY here and with spring comes prom season! As you know, I've been teaming up with The Dressing Room and Salon Le Rae for a series of styled shoots. A few weeks ago when we were really itching for warmer weather we went to a local bakery, Mr. D's that is decorated in super fun way (and my favorite spot to get cupcakes) with some pretty Terani and Mignon pastel dresses and got to work. Our model, Cassie was so sweet! It was a blast working with her on this!

I really tried to photograph this shoot with a variety of techniques. I brought a small off camera light and used the beautiful natural light that Mr. D's had to offer. Using these different techniques allowed me to showcase the beauty of both garments that Christine brought from The Dressing Room as well as the interior of Mr. D's. Once again, Rachel and Jess did a great job with the hair and makeup for this shoot. It really pulled it all together. 

To make this shoot even better, we were able to use cupcakes as a prop (and we got to eat them afterward! Yum!) 

I'm so glad that I'm able to do these shoots with such great local businesswomen and feature some of my favorite shops! Keep your eyes peeled for next week's Focus on Wallingford post featuring...Mr. D's!