From the Fall into Fashion Sale

Twice a year we sell all of the excess inventory from our boutique. The clothing donations we receive by far exceed what we are able to provide our clients and last weekend we wrapped up the Fall into Fashion Sale. It was a great success! We surpassed our sales figures from last year thanks to the help of all of our volunteers, who did a fantastic job. While we're gearing up for our next event (a cocktail party with a soon to be announced special guest speaker- it's going to be awesome!), here are some tips from our intern, Amanda.



Cole Haan has been a generous sponsor of Dress for Success Southern Maine, donating a lot of extra inventory and samples. I found this pair at the Fall into Fashion sale and fell in love. I'd never had such an expensive pair of shoes before (the equivalent of 3/4 of my rent, I did the math), and at bargain price of $5, it was a hard deal to pass up. Not to mention they're a beautiful pair of shoes.

The only problem is they're a much, much higher than the shoes I'm used to walking in. So I did some research and found some helpful tips for walking in heels:

1) Practice at the grocery store before your first day wearing the shoes, especially if they're for an interview.

2) Customize your shoe to fit your feet! After an hour or two, figure out what the problem areas of the shoes are, and address them. Most likely, the ball of your foot will be the most sore from the added pressure. Dr. Scholl’s Ball of Foot Cushions ($6.49 at Drugstore.com) and Rub Relief Strips ($6.99 at Drugstore.com) are totally worth it. 


3) Sit when you can!


4) Getting a feel for where your weight falls in high heels is easier if you try it with your eyes closed first—just don’t take a step! Stand up straight, and make sure to extend your legs. (This is actually good advice even for flats.)


5) As always, confidence is the best accessory! 

The Inauguaral Post

Hi! My name is Amanda and I'm the new (and first!) intern here at Dress for Success Southern Maine and I thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself and how my blissful position with Dress for Success Southern Maine came to be.

As a Media Studies major at the University of Southern Maine, I was encouraged to find an internship program. My background is sort of all over the place; I was the administrative assistant at the Muscular Dystrophy Association for three years, I worked in a record store for six, waited tables and worked in coffee shops. Now I've been writing freelance writing and I have a part-time job in Public Relations. My career path and therefore my internship goals were still relatively unclear.  After a few failed attempts at scouring listings, interviews and rejection, my internship advisor asked me point blank where I wanted to intern. It was something I'd never considered, yet something that seemed so obviously, and a question pertinent to those beginning a real job search. A short while later, I stumbled upon the Maine Association of Non Profits (oddly, our offices are in the same building.) I selected a few organizations from of the directory and contacted them. "Do you have an internship program, and if not would you be interested in starting one?" Kimberly Allen, executive director, wrote back right away and I started a few weeks later. 

It's been a great fit. Between my previous work-study job at the Internships and Career Placement Office at USM and as a person who will be re-entering the workforce after graduation, I have a pretty clear understanding of why what we do is so important. Especially our economic situation, the job market is tough and it's easy to get discouraged if you don't know what you're doing. We hope to provide women the confidence and the skills to achieve their career goals. 

I'll also confess, second-hand clothes and fashion have always been a hobby of mine. After my first day of sorting the massive amounts of donations we get here if I was sick of clothes yet. I smiled and declared defiantly: Never!

So far, I've been updating the website, starting this blog, helping to manage the Facebook, and it's been a great learning experience and I'm really happy to be here!