Marlene Cameron: 'Outfitting Women for Success'

Marlene grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and lived in several cities across North America, including Winnipeg, Edmonton, New Orleans, and Houston, before settling down in Calgary.

She learned about Dress for Success Calgary through The Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Club of Calgary. She started volunteering half a day by helping sort the donations but got more involved and started volunteering as a stylist as well.

Marlene says she loves everything to do with clothes and accessories and through this experience she learned how much she enjoys helping women find their style. She told us, “It gives them more confidence to enter or advance in the business world.” She also shared with us that she immediately felt that Making Changes had a wonderful and caring culture. “I was made to feel welcome and appreciated from the beginning.” 

“We don’t just outfit women for the professional world, our other programs give extra training, the preparation needed for interviews, and other life skills.”

Marlene was quickly impressed with the programs and was struck by how useful they are to the clients. “We don’t just outfit women for the professional world, our other programs give extra training, the preparation needed for interviews, and other life skills.” 

Marlene was also impressed with the clients - the courage of the women who arrive from other countries to make new lives in Calgary, as well as Canadian women who are re-entering the workforce. “It takes determination to overcome fears and self-doubt”, Marlene says.

Marlene encourages women to volunteer with Making Changes and Dress for Success Calgary and insists that “you won’t know until you try it. You can visit, shadow a volunteer, and see if it’s something that appeals to you. I always tell my clients to take a small first step and the next step will be revealed.”

Thank you, Marlene, for all that you do for us and our clients, We are so proud of all our volunteers for their dedication and commitment to helping women, those who identify as women, and teen girls in Calgary!

Check out our website for details on ways to volunteer with us: https://www.makingchangesassociation.ca/volunteer-with-us 

Alison Law: ‘Things That Matter’

“Clothes totally matter. They make a difference on how we are received by each other.”

Alison Law speaks with an authority to which she is fully entitled. One of the most visually talented creative minds in Calgary, she is also one of the city’s best-kept secrets.

Her interior design business, Studio A Interiors, needs no promotion. A word of mouth, friend of a friend referral network keeps her busy. Clients who work with her receive far more than a beautiful environment within which to live.

Alison becomes animated as she describes a recent project, a home office for a health care worker who was one of many at the front line throughout the pandemic. The constant pressure and stress of critical contact tracing in the race against time was taking its toll on her. As Alison describes her redesign of the space, it is clear that her primary concern was to create an environment that would nurture her client. 

Reorienting the desk to give her client a soothing view into nature, comfortable chairs for family members coming in for a quick supportive visit, and an ottoman for man’s best friend – her puppy.  The focus is always on the needs of the person. Colours, shapes and textures get folded in as the design process develops. It is not about the expense of the pieces, but rather how the space serves the person. The client’s response to the end result?  Absolute joy. “This must be your best work ever! You need it on your website.”

In actual fact, everything that Alison creates is her “best work ever”. 

I am lounging comfortably under shady trees in her backyard oasis. The trickle of water from the small fountain disrupts the stillness of the afternoon. I feel utterly relaxed and am reminded of the profound influence our surroundings have on us.

I want to learn more from her about creating spaces that nurture us, as the space we inhabit plays a significant, and often overlooked, role in our personal wellbeing. Much the same way that exercise and nutrition are important, living beautifully further supports our happiness and ongoing success in life. Having a well-appointed home environment lies within the reach of all of us.

So where does one start? The advice immediately becomes practical.

“The most important aspect to address first is room layout. Figure out what you need and understand the function of the space – it’s not about money and adding things. Get rid of the clutter, but keep the personal pieces you love. When decorating always ‘shop’ your own home first. You will find things you have stored which can be repurposed and enjoyed, rather than heading to the store and purchasing meaningless accessories. Mix old with new – it will make the space feel so much more personal.” Alison continues to say that as a designer it is important to understand how clients live and work and that it is not about her own personal taste.  “Design is an intimate process. It is not a surface process.”  She talks about colour and understanding the nuances and psychological impact it has.

She delights in pushing the envelope herself and has the perfect opportunity with her rental properties.  “It has been satisfying to take old houses and, with cost-effective renovations, turn them into beautiful homes. There has been a tremendous diversity of tenants, and many have been affected very positively by living in these homes. They often stay for many years.”

“My sense of success and fulfillment comes from the clients who trust me with their homes and their everyday living. It also comes from the ability to be a creative person, and knowing that my creativity has helped others.”

Alison Law

Her own home is a magical space – every room invites you to just sit and look around at the gorgeous furniture, art and collectibles. The colours are rich and vibrant, and texture abounds. I try to maintain a veneer of politeness and not just stand and stare at it all. It makes a strong case against the starkness of minimalism as it celebrates her journey through life. It is an exquisite little jewel box demonstrating the realisation of the amazing potential that can be found in every home.

“My sense of success and fulfillment comes from the clients who trust me with their homes and their everyday living. It also comes from the ability to be a creative person, and knowing that my creativity has helped others. “

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Alison understands first-hand the impact of women encouraging other women. As a new interior design graduate 32 years ago she was employed by a cabinet company. It was the wife of the owner who insisted that her husband employ a designer in this previously male domain, as the industry was shifting from merely selling cabinetry to builders on to the next level of actually creatively designing kitchens. Alison learned to navigate challenging construction sites and do her work alongside the men, soon earning their respect through her professionalism and desire to learn. “I have worked with men my whole career – they have been invaluable in teaching me the technical foundation, which underpins all good design.”

She is widely travelled and loves the outdoors. We talk about life in general. She becomes thoughtful.  “I have so much gratefulness for life, and for simple things. How lucky I feel to be in nature, to be able to go out riding my bike, healthy, and to have time to myself. I so appreciate the life we live here in Calgary, in Canada. And to have a home, a beautiful home…..”

The things that matter. Yes, clothes totally matter, and our homes and way of life matter more than most of us realise too!

Written by: Mickey Foulds

“A Little Bit Of Therapy” Behind The Fitting Room Curtain With Carl Abad

You’ve browsed the racks and rails, found potential winners and head to the fitting rooms. Six items or less – the coat hangers cut into the side of your hand a little as you wait for a room. Excited and a little apprehensive, you step into that small space and carefully hang the garments on available hooks and draw the curtain behind you. Then it begins…

The glare of unforgiving fluorescent lights is not for the fainthearted. The close proximity to the mirrors in this small space makes the avoidance of reality impossible. Before long you feel defeated, slumped on the small bench looking at the enemy which has been hung limply back on the hangers, regretting every cocktail or cupcake that has ever passed your lips.

There it is. Your body is All Wrong and Nothing Looks Good. And it’s All Your Fault.

Really?

Call in the experts, because this dilemma needs some examination. I have managed to corner the ultimate guru of wardrobe wisdom, stylist Carl Abad, who for many years has been the witness and saviour of countless fitting room meltdowns.

We need to look at the causes, get a diagnosis and find a cure!

Carl smiles, “A little bit of therapy”.That’s how he defines what he does. We are sitting on a sidewalk patio in Sunnyside, sheltered by the tall red brick building from a rather chilly wind. Carl has a presence. Magnificently dressed, large designer sunglasses, bejewelled with his own unique brand of fun bling, but what strikes me is his clear and direct gaze. Confidence without arrogance. Non-judgemental. You immediately feel safe.

He explains “Retail stores are there to sell. You will be told you look great, you are excited, you purchase it and take it home. Next thing, you put it on and your friend looks at you and says ‘what on earth are you wearing?’ Suddenly deflated, you’ve lost that happy feeling and you’re left to see the truth.”

I have consulted with him in the past - a three-hour session which was infinitely more than just shopping for clothes. He is dead honest. He tells you why it does or does not work. I still feel the tug of his hand on a pair of pants he had brought me to try. I knew they looked really bad on me, and when I pulled the curtain aside Carl’s face immediately confirmed this. He touched the thick fabric which did not effectively drape or skim my shape and explained why they were wrong for me.

The pants were wrong, not my body.

Our coffee arrives, a welcome hot drink. Carl states emphatically “You are always right, because you are YOU!”  That simple comment turns it upside down. “It’s not YOU who has the problem, but rather the clothes that are wrong for you.”

The big fight is against media influence, that external yardstick by which we measure ourselves, yet which has no practical relevance. It’s an absurd, unwinnable battle often culminating in dysmorphia.

Carl’s insights continue “Understand your body in a truthful manner. Not referencing TV or magazine images. Look without comparison. When you take that away, you can love what you see. If you are already loving media images, it will be hard because you cannot match that. Have an open conversation with yourself. Out loud. Hearing yourself saying it will make it real. Constantly doing that, and not comparing, is where the journey starts.”

He repeatedly emphasises that the key is to stop comparing.  It’s an inner change we need to make. His “little bit of therapy” is bringing clarity. 

“You can only control yourself and your perceptions. Stop comparing yourself to others.”

We need to be educated by the likes of Carl. Someone who will honestly “tell you why, show you why and discuss both what is good or bad. To know the ‘why’, ie why certain items feel good. To educate you for future shopping. It is very personal.”

“You can only control yourself and your perceptions. Stop comparing yourself to others… confidence starts small and then grows to all areas of your life.”

Carl Abad

This education is critical, the missing piece. We cannot simply translate from a magazine or website. We need to understand skin tone, colour palate, technical aspects, proportions and style, as well as where to start. We also need time and focus – we do not give ourselves the time to carefully prepare and think about our wardrobes, and we neglect to edit.

He next turns to the subject of confidence. “Women dim their light, as they don’t want to be judged. When you are confident, you are not worried about the opinions of others. When you are put together well, you stand differently. Clothing is a shield. It does not change everything, but it is an extra tool. Confidence starts small and then grows to all areas of your life.”

It is empowering knowing that you look good. Another layer is added when someone tells you so – not so much for the compliment but for the feeling you have someone on your side who sees you in a positive light.

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We continue to chat. About his own journey, about success and failure (“There is no failure. You either win, or learn”), about social media and the modelling industry, about sheep in a field  (more about that another time!). I don’t want this visit to end.

Carl is hugely inspiring and delivers the unvarnished truth with grace. He helps us create better versions of ourselves, both inside and out. It would be my wish for everyone to spend time and go shopping with this wise style guru, even if just for an hour or so. It is an investment and time wonderfully well spent on something that is so much more than clothing. It is an experience that can change both your outer and inner worlds.

And in addition, at the end of it, you will walk away confidently with an outfit that your friends will applaud.

Written by: Mickey Foulds