Posted on August 31, 2010 by admin
To quote Yves Saint Laurent: “Fashion fades; style is eternal.”
What is the difference between fashion and style? Fashion is what designers present to us each season as the “new” look. The fashionista will follow each new trend despite how it looks on her. Her motto is, “If it comes in my size, I need it.” The person with style picks only those things that work with her personal style, despite how fun it would be to wear certain fashions.
As a certified image consultant, my goal is to help each woman discover her own style and learn how to choose fashions that support that unique style. It is knowing yourself from the inside out. You can have two ladies with similar builds, similar coloring and similar age but they might have totally different styles.
We can determine a client’s line and body shape, proportion, scale, and texture. We can show them how to choose styles to camouflage or accentuate different areas of the body to give the illusion that they have that ideal proportion and shape. We can teach them how to choose the right scale or whether one can wear texture. These skills are similar from one lady to another.
Conversely, identifying the right personal style is much more than that. For example, color analysis might indicate that two ladies could wear the same color palette. In reality, a lady with a strong personality and persona should wear deeper, bolder colors than a retiring person. In fact, the retiring person might be more at home in neutrals. Each is being true to her personal image. This is where understanding who your are deep down inside really makes the difference.
Let’s look at some famous people who have or had a great understanding of their true personal style.
Coco Chanel designed for herself. Her clothes were always right for her. She defied the corseted, elaborate dresses and hats of her day and went for wear ability and simplicity. Then she adorned her clothes with more simple designs of jewelry.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had a true understanding of her personal style. She chose simple, elegant lines. Some of her dresses looked almost like sculptures. These designs supported her angular body and her reserved elegance. Even though she was in her early thirties when she became First Lady, she always dressed appropriately for the position as well as her style.
Diane Von Furstenberg has very strong coloring and a personality to match. Her designs often are in rich colors and strong prints. No one can imagine her in a soft pink dress with ruffles. She understands who she is and supports that image in how she dresses herself.
Laura Bush also really understands her personal style. Her choice of classic clothes are perfect for who she is. There is nothing extreme about her. She is reserved but always impeccably groomed and appropriate for the occasion.
Renee Zellweger is another example of someone who knows herself. Since I haven’t studied her as much, this observation may not be quite as accurate. Her small, curvy, frame is beautifully showcased by the feminine, romantic dresses she chooses for awards event. Unlike many other stars who look like a different person at each ceremony, Renee works with Carolina Herrera to design her awards dresses. Ms. Herrera’s designs are elegant, refined and feminine. Perfect for the image of Ms. Zellweger. This indicates to me that she understands her personal style.
The woman with style understands who she is, knows how to work with her natural attributes and chooses clothing that is both age-appropriate and complements her as a total person. Designer Leo Narducci summed it up nicely. “Notice the woman first, and after than what she is wearing.”
Do you have any $100 mistakes hanging in your closet? Talk to me about how to avoid those costly mistakes. You can be the women Narducci described. And, spend less money doing it! Call Beryl at 404-467-0288 or 404-2527.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment