Goodwill Fashion Expert—Bjorn Nasett

Wisconsin farm boy, Bjorn Nasett has a career that spans 30 years. He enjoys being a writer, wardrobe stylist, vintage and resale clothing expert, hair stylist, makeup artist and photographer! In his spare time he adopts senior dogs and strongly believes in pet adoption. Check out his website www.fashionfarmboy.com!

If you have specific questions send him an email at askbjorn@goodwillsew.com.

Follow Bjorn on Facebook, Twitter, PinterestTumblr and YouTube!

Watch Bjorn in action! ... See more videos featuring Bjorn (and more) on our AmazingGoodwill YouTube channel!


Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Oct 7, 2015 1:22:03 PM

Costume or Couture?

Not everyone wants to be ghoulish and ghastly on Halloween. Some ladies prefer a classy and glamorous costume, and you can’t do better than a dress portraying the flapper era of the 1920s. I would avoid the fringed-type dresses and garish colors, but instead go for a sophisticated take on that look using pieces you could actually wear again! The Great Gatsby was my inspiration when I went Goodwill to find an entire outfit from the plethora of items our stores have in their Halloween section!  

Here’s what I bought and why:

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Sep 30, 2015 4:28:00 PM

Fall Fashion Goes Nomadic

Leave it to the designers at Nicholas K to bring all kinds of visual references to their Fall and Winter 2015 collection which bowed last February at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC.  Sometimes as viewers we may not see the ultimate wearability of some of these over-the-top ensembles. But, on closer inspection, you realize that designers want to give us ideas we can integrate into our own fashion choices. Not many people do literal takes on what they’ve seen on the runway. In other words, sometimes you just have to enjoy the view, and create your own take-away from what you’ve seen. 

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Sep 23, 2015 1:34:00 PM

New York Fashion Week in Black-and-White

You never know what you’re going to see on the runways of New York Fashion Week. It’s often fun, fashionable and fresh, but other times you just scratch your head and wonder who in the world would ever wear that?! Still, the one thing that almost never changes is the way people attending the September shows (spring and summer fashion for 2016) and February shows (Fall and winter fashion for 2016) dress to impress! Throughout the city during those weeks, numerous venues from art galleries, ballrooms, and even a former post office, are transformed into beacons that lure the fashion followers in droves. I set up my camera outside the former post office, Moynihan Station, one sunny morning to capture what “those in the know” were wearing.  

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Sep 2, 2015 5:28:29 PM

Pin Spin

Is the brooch, or pin, the unsung hero of the accessory world? Or, is it the frumpy cousin that always seems just a little out of date? Pins, like any other accessory, had their moment in time, but they may have lost a little of their luster along the way.  Brooches, or pins, date from the Bronze Age and were often made of metal. Their primary purpose at that time was to hold clothing together, as well as to differentiate the class of people who wore them from those who didn’t. Today they belong to the realm of costume jewelry and are available to all! I found a few great examples of pins at Goodwill, and I’ll show you some easy ways to add them to your wardrobe without looking like one of the “Golden Girls.”

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Aug 19, 2015 8:00:00 AM

Fall DIY Fix Up!

With fall just around the corner, many of us take a look at our summer items and begin to make decisions on what to keep, retire or donate. Sometimes certain items in our wardrobes might seem just a little bit “tired.” Maybe they’re a little faded, or even a tad bit out of style for what’s happening in fashion right now. But, if you really love something and want to refresh it, or bring it back to life, dyeing is the easiest and most inexpensive way to do that. What’s in style right now is the color gray. Shades of gray run the gamut from dark carbon gray, to light purple gray and everything in between. I searched for some items at my local Goodwill that I thought could benefit from a “dye bath” to bring them a renewed sense of style. I found a crocheted cardigan ($3.99) with a slouchy textured feeling, as well as a denim trench coat ($5.99) that had some wonderful details. Both were in very good shape but had succumbed to being out of date, not because of the style, but because of the coloration. As long as an item is 100% cotton or has a high content of cotton in the fabric, it should be dyeable.

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on May 20, 2015 4:13:00 PM

Surefire Summer Style

There’s an ease to summer fashions that ‘s all about comfort isn’t there? You know what I mean, right?  I’m talking about some simple pieces which can be thrown on when the weather is hot, but still allow us to look cool and stylish. Summer dressing is all about color, texture and accessories. Ditch the ill fitting baggy t-shirts, the oversized cargo shorts, and save those for your next camping trip okay?  This week we’re going to take a look at surefire ways to rev up your style as the mercury rises. Last year in the heat of the summer, I attended an outdoor fashion show in downtown Chicago at Daley Plaza. The looks being shown were pretty much pieces any gal could wear just by mixing and matching. If you don’t have any of the items I’ll be describing here in this post, now might be the time to start pulling together some bits and pieces that fit the bill so-to-speak, from the Goodwill in your neighborhood, for starters … and then let the summer fun begin!

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on May 14, 2015 2:38:00 PM

Showers and Flowers

As the age-old adage states, “April showers bring May flowers.” But, what that statement really means is that it’s time, once again, to check out all the floral fashions. Anyone can wear a great floral pattern at any time of the calendar year, but spring and summer is when we must pay attention to the use of floral prints in your wardrobe. Year after year we talk about floral patterns in fashion-trend reporting, and just like their horticultural counterparts, there are literally hundreds of variations which can inspire and refresh your viewpoint on this topic. At the spring and summer runway shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC, we saw some interesting examples of this yearly trend as they blossomed into reality. From mild to wild, the choice is yours, so pick a posie and let the style bouquet begin!

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Aug 14, 2014 12:59:00 PM

Back-To-School Rules 101

As I write this post, I’m preparing clothing for a back-to-school segment for the Chicago ABC affiliate station’s morning show, “Windy City Live.” The more I peruse pictures of back-to-school fashion, the more I gain insight into what kids want to wear this year. But, I’ve also discovered that these same rules can apply for putting together great looks for anyone transcending chronological age. For the show I have four models that needed outfitting: two girls and two boys, ranging in age from five-to-nine years old. What struck me when I received the mini-models’ information from our marketing department here at Goodwill, was the very personal opinions expressed by the children about their clothing. It was their particular taste(s) coming through loud and clear! One girl professed that she doesn’t like the color pink, but she likes all kinds of pants. Practical girl, I would say. Another boy enjoys wearing shorts and the color blue. And, our smallest girl is akin to lots of colors, princess-type clothing and dance. My dilemma soon became, what can I do to please them all, as well as the producer for the show? Well, just like I do for all photo shoots and fashion shows, I went to Goodwill and found something for everyone. Here are some of my rules for finding great clothing for kids at Goodwill stores in your neighborhood … 

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Aug 6, 2014 8:00:00 AM

Real People, Real Fashion

What makes people wear what they wear?  Did you ever wonder why YOU are drawn to certain pieces of clothing in your wardrobe? The obvious answer is that they make us feel good about ourselves when we wear them. It’s one of the reasons that our Goodwill stores have so many great bargains in fashion as well! What I mean by that is if you choose to wear items that make you feel and look good, you should probably donate the ones that don’t work out so well to one back to Goodwill so someone else can find their “favorite” right?  When I cover Mercedes Benz Fashion Week to score ideas and see the latest and greatest in the world of fashion, I’m also drawn to the DIY runway going on outside in the Plaza at Lincoln Center.  These people all have some kind of “it” factor that fascinated me, and great style as well. The following photos were all taken by yours truly.  

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Jul 31, 2014 12:58:00 PM

Back to School: Awesome Options

A friend of mine who has four children once told me that you can only dictate what your child wears to a certain point. It doesn’t necessarily come at a particular age, but instead there comes a moment when your kid will tell YOU what’s in style, or what their friends are wearing. So, whenever I’m pulling together a back to school items for a child- focused photo shoot, I try to think like a kid does. I take into consideration the influences that children are exposed to everyday, and I try to incorporate that into what I bring to the photo shoot. Then like any smart adult, I give them some choices. Kids are very vocal about what they like, and what they don’t like – it’s as simple as that. So, when they actually like what I have for them to wear, I feel like I’ve hit a home run!  

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Jul 2, 2014 1:32:00 PM

Street Style Savvy!

Whenever I’m out and about walking around the city in the summer, I’m inspired by all I see around me. From seeing something like this colorful mural painted on the side of a building, to the constant parade of unique summer attire, there is always a lot to take in.  Do you people watch too? I’m fascinated by what people choose to wear to illustrate their personality and fashion point of view. Street style has become a popular subject ever since the internet allowed fashionable folks to herald their clothing choices to the world via their websites, blogs, and other sources.  While I’m in New York for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, I always pay particular attention to the folks lining up out on the street, or in the tents to see the fashion shows.  In many cases, the outfits worn by those attending are a lot more interesting than those being shown on the runway! I assembled a few shots of a diverse group of individuals who really think outside the box when it comes to personal style. The key to doing any outfit is not being afraid to forge your own style and then OWN it! Now I’m not here to say we should copy these outfits at all, but each of these folks has some great ideas for pulling it all together and isn’t that what fashion is about?

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Jun 18, 2014 9:59:00 AM

Front Row Fashion

While looking through the thousands of photographs that I’ve taken at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City, something sort of magical happened. I started to pay attention more closely to the background of the photographs as I searched out the faces of the famous (or, just extremely fashionable people seated in the front row). In some shots, where my focus was off, the clarity of the people who were sitting in the front row watching the show really started telling me a story. I realized just what a feat these front row sitters had to pull off.  That is, being photographed over and over in the background of runway pictures at one of the most fashionable events in the world! To be able to pull together a chic, confident, and ultimately comfortable look, is really a master class in style all on its own. Since the photographs in this blog were taken with a small digital camera from my seat in the theatre, I decided to crop the images to reveal some of the folks in the front row of the S/S 2013 Carlos Miele runway show at MBFW. Brazilian designer Miele, who hails from Sao Paolo, is known for being a master with fabulous flowing gowns, as well as using draping, pattern and print like no one else. You’ll see that from the ethereal looks that float by our front row sitters. Although I may not know their names, I must commend them for looking great and sharing their personal style ideas simply by sitting front and center.