By Kim Brent

Southeast Texas business women learned how to put their best foot forward and dress for success during the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Women Entrepreneurs Network luncheon on Tuesday.

The event included a fashion show addressing how to make a good impression and dress appropriately for business occasions including a job interview, board room meeting, casual Friday and after-hours work functions.

It included the dos and don’ts in women’s business fashion – when you need to take a “less is more” approach and when you can add a little more personality into your workday fashion.

“In our professional lives we all juggle numerous responsibilities, but we can miss how we look, and that’s important to making a great first impression…that can help you effectively close the deal,” luncheon sponsor Entergy’s Christy Brown said.

Local models included women from a variety of professional roles and featured clothing and accessories from Beaumont women-owned boutiques, including Estella and Ella + Scott.

They were shops that event-goer and local businesswoman Mayra Torres didn’t even know existed before Tuesday.

“I have issues finding cute outfits, and I didn’t know we had all these boutiques,” she said. “I’m definitely going to go check them out, and it’s important that we all help each other out (and support one another’s businesses).”

After the lunch, she was among the women who stopped to shop at vendor tables set up in the lobby featuring merchandise from local women-owned businesses, including the unique hats offered by Chasity Celestine, owner of Korean Hatz.

Connecting women with information that will help grow their business while supporting the success of fellow businesswomen is core to the mission of WEN, which promotes networking and mentorship opportunities.

“Today’s lunch is more than a meal. It’s about celebrating the visionaries, leaders, mentors and trailblazers and the incredible work being done by women in our area,” Chamber of Commerce President Amy Lovoi told the group of women filling the tables at the Holiday Inn on Walden Road Tuesday.

It’s the most recent in a series of WEN workshops that aim to put more tools for success in professional women’s playbooks.

“The Women’s Entrepreneurial Network was created to provide encouragement, inspiration, networking and the tools we need for professional development,” WEN chairperson April Tolbert said.

Who better than women to help other women navigate their own success?  The group’s next event on June 17 will focus on a women’s wellness journey, with a half day of speakers and workshops that will address physical, mental and emotional health.

Source: Beaumontenterprise.com