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Fashion maven: It’s important for breast cancer patients to look pretty

Jim Witmer Jean Smith is a breast cancer survivor who is a fashion specialist and dresses local women for many Miami Valley fashion shows.

ENLARGE PHOTO

By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer Updated 6:34 PM Friday, October 30, 2009

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This article is part of our month-long focus on breast cancer. To learn more or find ways to help, go to our Pink Edition Page

KETTERING – If you’re a woman who’s lived in the Miami Valley for any length of time and you have any interest in pretty clothes, you probably know Jean Smith.

The petite and always beautifully dressed Nova Scotia native could arguably be dubbed Dayton’s best-known fashion consultant.

“If my mother were still here, she’d tell you I was into fashion from the day I was born,” says Smith, who discovered a lump in her breast 10 years ago which eventually resulted in a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. “I exercised and I ate healthy, but I was busy so I skipped my mammograms for years. It was pretty stupid.”

Part of the local shopping scene for more than 30 years, Smith has been a familiar face at many of our area’s most popular women’s boutiques, beginning with Dale Fashions in the 1960s, and continuing through her present job as manager of Secret Ingredient at Town & Country Shopping Center in Kettering. In between, she’s managed the ladies department at Madison’s at the Dayton Mall, as well as Parisian at the Mall at Fairfield Commons.

“If a woman has the right attitude about herself, she can look fantastic no matter where she shops,” says Smith. “Style isn’t about money. It’s about an attitude — it’s about putting outfits together.”

Putting outfits together is a talent for which Smith is well known, especially when it comes to emphasizing beautiful accessories. She’s behind-the-scenes at many of our town’s most well-attended fashion shows for non-profit organizations, accomplished at dressing both professional and volunteer models and sending them down the runways.

One of her favorites is the Noble Circle “Wear Affair” where cancer survivors serve as models. She says the women are a joy.

“They’ve learned what life is really about and have embraced life,” she observes.

When she headed for her own cancer treatments, Smith says, she always dressed up — including make-up and jewelry.

“When people are going through radiation or chemotherapy, they may be inclined to put on a jogging suit and curl up and stop living,” she says. “But when you dress up, you feel better and it gives you a feeling of self-worth.”

Based on her own experiences, Smith has come up with a list of gifts appropriate for a woman who is going through treatment:

• “People get cold when they are going through chemotherapy, so a pretty bright cardigan sweater would make a nice gift, “ she says, adding that jewelry is also appreciated.

“If you don’t have hair, your earrings really show,” she says, adding that a pretty necklace or bracelet is also a good option.

“You can give a CD of someone’s favorite music, especially if it is uplifting. And reading saved me. At night when I went home I would open my book and get away from the chemo. Avoid anything depressing, give something that takes her mind off her treatment.”

If you can afford it, Smith says the ultimate gift may be a week away.

“When I had a week off between treatments, I went to Florida,” she says.

Like many cancer survivors, Smith believes her cancer journey has made her even more exuberant about life and living.

“I’ve always loved life but this has given me an even greater appreciation of it,” she says.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or MMoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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Fashion maven: It’s important for breast cancer patients to look pretty

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