Showing posts with label IMAGE CONSULTING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IMAGE CONSULTING. Show all posts
May 30, 2013

Tips to Help Balance your Body Shape

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How can we use our body shapes to learn how to dress?

by Guest Writer: Georgina Kenny 

My goal and my suggestion for all my clients is to emphasize their face when getting dressed, and this rule applies no matter what your body shape is. Your face is your most important body part, and if we want people to relate to you, to who you really are, you need to call attention to your face, and not just to other specific body areas.

You might have different goals, and only you can decide which parts of your body you want to highlight. In general besides dressing to call attention to the face, we also strive to emphasize those body parts or characteristics that are assets and try to de-emphasize those that you might not be so "proud" of.

We also have a shared-visual idea of what an "ideal" body should look like, and in our society, that body for women, is usually, full busted, small waisted, with square shoulders, and a perky bottom. It is what our culture has accepted as the "ideal" body.

But we not only look at current magazines or films for reference as to what a women's "ideal" body should look like. We go back in time to great works of art and we take a look at sculptures, paintings and films and photographs of women from other times.

Yes, body ideals are not "permanent", ideals are very long "trends", and as we can see ideals change with time.  The ideal woman used to be curvier in the 1950's, squarer in the 1980's, slimmer in the 90's and now we see more diversity and also a more "athletic" body as an ideal for both men and women. The famous six pack is selling more magazines now more than ever! By the way, I don't think women look good with an obvious six-pack, it's too masculine for my taste.

So if ideals are not written in stone, we can also help to change them. For example, I like to focus on values instead of on ideals. "Ideals" are mostly external, they are "dictated" by somebody else. Values can also change but they come from my own internal system. I am the one that sets them up, and they are usually rooted in my own sense of self. I value health, family, community, womanhood. And I strive to show that in the way I treat my body and the way I dress it. So because I value aesthetics, femininity and balance, I have learned a great deal about women's bodies, proportions and visual harmony.

But then again we should learn to come up with our own version of the "ideal" body shape, and the more similar it is to ours, the happier we will be! That is for sure!

These are a few tips and ideas for every body shape to achieve more balance visually:

  • Hourglass: Emphasize the waistline, wear clothes that hug the body to show off its curves, but not too tightly.

  • Triangle-Pear: Wear items such as jackets with details in the shoulders, such as shoulder pads or studs to help create balance with the bottom half, which is bigger.

  • Inverted Triangle: highlight the bottom part of the body through the use of full skirts, pants with pockets to help match the broad top, and visually create balance.

  • Rectangle: show off your great arms or legs, add belts  to help visually create a waist. Wear pleaded pants and skirts. Avoid wide-leg or very loose trousers, these will create a boxy image rather than a curves.

  • Round or Apple: Wear the same color on top and bottom. Emphasize bust line with use of square necklines. An use the empire cut on dresses and shirts to show off the smaller part of your torso, which is right under your bust-line.

Remember these are just a few tips to visually help create balance in your figure overall. The current ideal body should not be what dictates your clothing options. Knowing yourself and dressing for your own body shape is the best tool to feeling confident in your own skin!

About the Author of this post: This post was written and illustrated by Georgina Kenny. B.A. in Advertising and Image Consultant certified by the Fashion Institute of New York City, SUNY, New York City. Georgina is a contributor at New York Fashion Week and she writes for different online media about her favorite subjects: Women's Fashion and Style, Women's Body Image, Women's Emotional Health and Self-Esteem. If you would like to contact Georgina write an email to lookbookyou@gmail.com and we will put you in touch.
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May 29, 2013

What is your Body Type?

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     Let's continue with the Key# 3 of The 5 Keys to Dressing Well


    FLATTER YOUR BODY LINES, PROPORTIONS AND SCALE

    The Main Body Types

    1. Round or Apple 
    2. Hourglass
    3. Inverted Triangle
    4. Triangle or Pear
    5. Rectangle
      6. BODY TYPES

      1. Round or Apple: Has no defined waist.  Has rounded shoulders. Full around the tummy.
      2. Hourglass: Has a definite waist.  Wears the same size top and bottom. Has a defined bust.
      3. Inverted Triangle: Wears a larger size on top half and a smaller on bottom. Has wider shoulders than hips. Usually flat rear.
      4. Triangle or Pear: Smaller on top, bigger size on bottom. Shoulders are narrower than hips. Has a clearly defined waist. 
      5. Rectangle: Almost no curves. Body is straight. Wears the same size for top and bottom. Has a minimal bust. Flat hips and bottom. Almost no waist definition.
      Which one is your body type? Do you already know? Can you just tell by looking at the drawing and then looking at yourself in a full length mirror?

      You actually cannot alter your basic body shape, because it is based on your bone structure. You can influence on the amount of fat you have, although where you accumulate that fat is genetically determined. No matter how hard we work our muscles, we can only increase their tone and size, but we cannot alter our overall body shape. And we shouldn't obsess about that which we cannot control, remember Epictetus?

      The basis to having personal style, is self-acceptance, and from self-acceptance the next step is self-confidence. We need to be self confident in order to show, portray and delight others with our personal style. The idea is for us to understand our basic body shape, and make the best of it! We should learn how to dress for our body shape, so that we can flatter those parts of our body that we are most proud of. In general what we try to achieve no matter what our body shape is, is balance.

      Yes, again we find this wonderful word, BALANCE. So we strive to visually show a balanced body. What is a balanced body? It is a body that follows the vertical line of your spine, that is equally distributed on both sides of that "line" whose parts are in proportion, to itself. So it is about achieving visual balance and proportion. Not about trying to be somebody else, or a different shape from ours.

      PROPORTIONS

      So how do we find our proportions? We use what artists have always used to draw the human body. Our bodies are divided into five sections composed of eight parts. The eight parts are
      • the head (one head size)
      • neck to waist (two head-sizes)
      • midsection or crotch (one head size)
      • crotch to knees (two head-sizes)
      • knees to soles of feet (two head-sizes)
      we use our own head size as the measurement to guide us.

      GOLDEN MEAN RATIO

      When we want to dress ourselves with style, we use the Golden Mean ratio, which is 3:5:8. It means we visually divide our body in two parts, from the top of our head to our waist (3 head sizes) from our waist to our feet ( 5 head sizes) for a total of 8 head sizes overall. Our goal is to achieve balance and proportion through our clothing choices. And remember that the most important part of our body we should strive to call attention to, is our face!

      Next post: Tools to find out what your body type is....if you don't already know! Stay tuned
      9D4F2PKZYW4R
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      May 28, 2013

      What are the Colors for each Season?

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      How to find which colors to wear through the Seasonal Color Theory

      Part 6 of the #2 Key The 5 Keys to Dressing Well

      The wrong colors can make you look older, heavier, tired and even ill. I think it is just as important to know which colors we should avoid, as which colors we should wear! Seriously! If we learn which colors to avoid we are one big step ahead!

      The wrong colors also often compete with you for attention, so that when people see you, they actually see your clothes before they see you.

      For me the equation goes like this:

      • Know which colors you like - (just because! they make me you feel good = emotional/psychological meaning)
      • Know which colors compliment your skin, hair and eye color -  (usually you are already wearing some of these colors intuitively, but you can find this out through a color analysis).
      • Know which colors  to avoid, because they can really damage your overall look!. 
      Your intuition + personal taste + color analysis = your colors

      Where the emotional (your intuition) meets the scientific (professional color anaylisis) you have found your colors!

      SEASONAL COLOR THEORY

      So here let's look at the Seasonal Color Theory. Because there are so many different people in the world, and we are all unique, image consultants have figured out that in order to come up with an effective system to analyze color, we must look at Nature.

      And through nature, the easiest, most obvious way to understand color, is through the seasons. All four seasons have unique and very distinct characteristics, and because of the position of the sun in relation to the earth, colors are seen and perceived differently during each season. Imaging the Sun being a huge, big lamp! and we are being illuminated by it all our lives. Each season is like if we were changing the location of the lamp at home. If we did that, things would look differently, and colors would look very different! So with that in mind. Imagine each season and how that light projects in Nature, and you have the Seasonal Colors.

       Let's take a look at the color characteristics of each season, and how it relates to individuals.

      So we will start with the two seasons that have a Cool base. They are Winter, and Summer. Remember the quick test we did to find out if our skin's undertone is warm or cool? Well if you have a cool undertone, it means you are either a Winter or a Summer. And you will see some of the colors that will compliment your own personal coloring below.

      WINTER





      seasonal color analysis winter
      A winter colored individual has a lot of visual contrast (e.g. dark hair, light eyes, pale skin) therefore can wear very intense, bright, and deep colors. They wear well navy, black, charcoal and bright white as their neutrals.
      Winter colors are cool, clear and dark to light intensity. Think of the winter landscape colors. In the low light of winter colors appear darker, but on a bright day with the sun reflecting off snow colors appear pale and icy. Winter is icy, colors are seen in their purest form.

      SUMMER


      seasonal color analysis summer
      Summer colored individuals are like summer breeze, serene and calm. Colors are delicate, their contrast is minimum, their main characteristic is that they are soft, the opposite of Winter in intensity. But they share the same cool-undertone.
      Summer colors are muted and medium-light to medium-dark in value. Think of seeing the landscape through the summer heat. These colors are muted, paler versions of Winter’s. The light colors are creamy pastel rather than icy.

      Here you can see a chart that compares fabric swatches for both Seasons, you can see that the cool base is shared by both Winter and Summer. With the difference that the Winter colors are darker, brighter and more intense. The summer colors are muted, they have more white added, they are "washed" out and not so clear or bright. Winter and Summer have the same temperature (Cool), but they have different Value (lightness/darkness) and different Chroma (brightness/softness). If you are confused take a look at The Basics of Color.



      Now let's start with the two Seasons that share a warmth undertone, they are Autumn and Spring.

      AUTUMN

       seasonal color analysis autumn 



      An autumn colored person has more green tones in their veins. They look great in neutral colors like beige, ecru, warm olive, rich golden browns. The earth tones are perfect and look gorgeous on Autumn individuals.
      Autumn colors are warm,


      medium-light to medium-dark intensity. Think of the leaves of trees during Autumn, colors of rich burnt oranges, reds, golden yellows and yellowish greens.



      Now let's look at Spring!

      SPRING


      seasonal color analysis spring


      Spring colored individuals have a warm undertone, and bright coloring, usually their eyes are a bright blue or green. They have medium to low contrast. 
      Spring colors are also warm, but clear and bright with medium to light intensity. Think of the bright clear colors of spring flowers.

      Both Spring and Autumn colors have a Warm undertone, Autumn colors are deeper, richer and have more yellow. Spring colores are brighter, lighter, and although have a warm undertone, they are clear and bright (just like Winter).


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      May 27, 2013

      Is my Skin Warm or Cool?

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      Let's continue with part 5 of the Key #2 of The 5 Keys to Dressing Well

      How do I know my skin's undertone?

      This is the most important characteristic of color we should consider when choosing our personal colors.
      Is my skin warm or cool? To understand more about color's  psychological and relative temperature take a look at The Basics of Colors to understand what makes colors seem warm or cool.

      So, is your skin warm, cool or balanced?

      One quick way to decide is to take a look at the inside skin of your forearm, and look at your veins there. Can you see them? Do they look blue, or purplish? or more like green?

      • Cool - bluish or purplish veins.
      • Warm - greenish veins
      • Balanced - somewhere in between, neither blue, nor green.

      Why is this important? Because all colors have either a blue or a yellow component. Remember the three primary colors are Blue, Yellow and Red and from those, all other colors are created. Red being the "balanced" one when it comes to skin tone. Yes, I know it is hard to understand, because red is considered warm, but for our skin is considered a neutral.

      If our skin has a warm undertone, we usually can wear well all colors with warm tones, therefore colors containing more yellow in their composition.



       If our skin has cool undertones, we can wear well all colors that have a mostly blue base.




      When it comes to choosing the colors for our wardrobe, what we need to strive for is harmony, remember I talked about color Harmonies? Well, the same thing happens when we put ourselves in the equation. Go back to this post to remember about the basic color harmonies. 

      We are the main component in the harmony we are to create with color, so it is important for us to determine, where am I in the color wheel?! I know it sounds strange! Hey! I am not the Incredible Hulk! neither am I Sesame's Street Yellow Bird....yes I know, but we DO have colors in us, and we need to find them...so that we can create the most beautiful harmonies possible! So in order to do that we start with our base....Are we closer to the blue? or closer to the yellow? or equally distant, as if we are red?

      Having a Color Analysis done by an expert can be a valuable tool to help you improve your Personal Image.

      This is another simple method you can use at home to determine for yourself whether your skin undertone is warm or cool.
      • Place a gold and a silver bracelet/watch across your forearm. If  you can see warmth in your skin using the gold and with the silver you can't, then you are probably warm.
      • Think about the type of jewellery you like to wear. Is it almost always gold? or you prefer silver? Gold is warm, Silver is cool. So if you like to use white gold, platinum, or silver accessories because they "suit" your skin and face better, then you most probably are Cool. If on the other hand all the jewellery you wear or accessories are mostly golden, then you are most probably Warm.

      So when we have a professional Color Analysis done, what the we do, is first wear a grey or white robe, be in natural light or use a special lamp that imitates the sunlight we need, in case we are indoors and there are no windows, or the day is cloudy.




      The we use two cards with different color swatches both blue and yellow based, to determine if the undertone is warm, cool or balanced. Once we have determined the skin's undertone we start the process of draping different colors to "see" which ones look good on you.

      In general colors that are in harmony with your own personal coloring are those that:
      • bring out your best features.
      • make your eyes pop.
      • even out any imperfection you might have in your complexion.
      • they make you look rested and younger.
      Colors that are not in harmony with your own personal coloring are those that:
      • make you look older
      • tired
      • cast shadows under your eyes, and chin
      • uneven your skin-tone
      • compete with you for visual attention.

      Keep in mind that everybody can wear some "version" of almost every color, because all colors can have a blue or yellow base, or be neutral (universal colors).

      I will tell you about the Seasonal Color Theory tomorrow. Stay tuned, because that is the system most widely used in the world to categorize personal coloring....

      So tomorrow you will learn....Am I a Winter? A Summer? A Spring? or an Autumn?

      Which one am I?! Is it "important" to know?

      Stay tuned...



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      May 23, 2013

      What do Colors mean?

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      Let's start with Key # 2 to The 5 Keys to Dressing Well

      Complement your own Personal Coloring


      What is the first thing you remember about what someone wore for an event? It’s usually the color, isn’t it? Color is so powerful that its impression stays with us, long after the other characteristics of a look, are gone from our memory.
      We usually go for color first when shopping for a garment. Color is the essence of light, its varying wavelengths enable us to see the different colors of the spectrum. 
      Color is one of the tools we use to communicate not only who we are, but how we are feeling at the moment. When we favor one color over another, we are telling a story about not only who we are, but how we feel.

      Most of us, just intuit colors, our relationship with them is quite subconscious. We cannot put it into words, we just feel that we need to wear a certain color. Let’s try and understand what is behind our color choices, and see if we can be more conscious about them, so that next time if we are feeling low in energy and have a big day ahead of us, instead of going for plain black, or blue, we will choose to wear red shirt, and use the color to modify our emotional state for the better.

      Color can dramatically affect moods and emotions as well as influence certain physiological reactions. Interior designers and artists have long understood the feelings that certain colors evoke personally and culturally. “Colors like features follow the changes of emotions” Pablo Picasso.

      Culture is very important when it comes to our interpretation of colors and their social meaning. Each culture has its own set of traditions and history and thus the significance of color can vary greatly. I am going to talk about the meaning of color, in an emotional and visceral level, which is in some ways independent from culture, and applies to all. All “positive” , “negative” and “neutral” associations below:

      Red:  Excitement, passion, intensity, stimulation, creates very strong emotions and is an attention grabber, proven to cause blood pressure and heart rate to rise. Visceral, disturbing, defiant, aggressive.
      Orange:  Friendliness, vibrancy, energy, social, playfulness, attention drawing. Intrusive, common.

      Yellow:  Warm, alert, creative, cheery, optimistic, radiant, expansive.  Increases metabolism. Eccentric.
      Blue:  Is very popular and one of the basic neutral colors. Calm, soothing, peaceful, encourages trust, loyalty, lowers pulse rate and body temperature, and if used in interior spaces creates productivity. Cold, depressing, melancholic.
      Purple:  The color of wisdom, wealth, luxury, extravagance a royalty, exotic and rich. Color that symbolizes a spiritual connection. Esoteric, marginal.
      Green: The color of Nature, health, tranquility, creates a calming effect, relieves stress, and helps healing, soothes the nerves, comforting, consoling, increases oxygenation, openness and bonding. Common.  
      White:  Pure, clean, innocent, celestial, spiritual, gives us a sense of space, of limitless abundance, amplifies.  Sterile.
      Black:  Sophisticated, powerful, elegant, authoritative, confident, stable, firm, hard and secure. Empty, mourning.
      Brown: Dependable, steady, reliable, stable, grounded. Boring, Stingy.
      Pink: Sweet, gentle, tenderness, soft.  Effeminate, bland.
      Gray: Protective, safe, secure, passive. Negative, old. 
      These are just a few of the associations or emotional/psychological meaning we give to colors. Think about yours.
      •  Do you have a favorite color?
      • Check your closet: What is the color/s that are more prominent in your wardrobe?
      • Do you usually tend to choose the same color/s? Which are they?
      • Why do you choose those colors? What emotions do they evoke on you? Maybe they remind you of someone? Something?
      • Does your favorite color match your eye-color? Hair color?
      Take notes!
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      May 22, 2013

      The Power of Perception

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      Part 4 of The 5 Keys to Dressing Well 

      The Power of Perception 

      Today I am going to tell you a story:


      Linda's Miracle Stone
      Linda wanted to be elected the President of the Student Council. She was running against two other candidates. Both of the other girls had previous experience at the council. One of them was even the captain of the soccer team, and the other was involved in so many school activities that she was considered one of the most popular girls at school. Linda knew she had a tough contest in front of her. She needed something that would make her win, so she went online and she googled for "how to win an election" and she found so many articles, and webpages, a lot of them in other languages, it seemed everybody in this world wanted power! She especially found the largest amount of articles about "winning elections"  and "staying in power indefinitely" written in Spanish.

      She was convinced by a website that sold "winner's charms", they were from this high ancient mountain in the northern part of a very small region in India. A region that held the largest amount of Saints per square feet on the planet! She went through everything the website sold, until she found the one that she needed. The charm was a round stone, that she should wear on her collar, as a necklace. It had a sentence written in Sanskrit that read; "the owner of this Charm will win whatever election or contest she participates on, as long as she wears it, she will be the winner". Fifty dollars later, she knew she had found exactly what she needed.

      A week passed and she received the package at home. She only had two days before the election to prepare, so she opened the box, found the stone, and borrowed a very thin silver chain necklace from her mom, and started wearing it. She felt so incredibly great! she could already feel the power of the stone! Those two days prior to the debate that will decide her future as President of the Student Council, she felt so confident, she even felt prettier. She started to prepare herself for the debate. She came up with lots of ideas of things she wanted to change and improve for her fellow students, because she knew, she was the winner, the stone was her guarantee.

      The day of the election came, and Linda was ready, she knew that with the charm in place everything would work and she would win, it was just a matter of time!

      The election ran smoothly, each of the girls spoke confidently, and Linda was the last one. She stood up and she told every body what her plans were, and she spoke to them as if she was already doing everything that needed to be done. As if she was the winner.

      Nobody had spoken like that before, it seemed all the other candidates were "expecting" they were "hoping" they were "waiting", but there was something different about Linda. Linda was already the Student Council's President. She won the election.

      When she got home, she was overly excited, she told her parents, and they congratulated her, and made especial dinner plans to celebrate it! When they were at this very fancy restaurant, her mother complimented her on how she looked, she loved the way the thin silver chain necklace looked on her daughter. Linda asked her mom if she liked the stone, but her mom didn't know which stone she was talking about. Linda was not wearing any stone. Linda checked with her own hands all through the necklace and the stone wasn't there. When they got back home, the first thing Linda did was go through the box an there she found it. The stone had never left the box, or had it? Only her mom knew.

      Linda's mom knew her daughter didn't need charms. She just needed a boost of self confidence, She just needed to perceive herself as the winner, in order to create that reality for her. And she did.

      The way we perceive ourselves directly influences the way others perceive us. If you think you are a winner, you will be to others. If you feel pretty, you will be perceived that way by others. So if you already don't have a good and positive self concept, what are you waiting for?

      “Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful” Sophia Loren

      You can look for a psychologist or therapist, and spend thousands of dollars and many years analyzing your feelings, and your past, the causes why you don't feel good enough. I am not saying you shouldn't, you might need to do just that. What you can do, that is a faster solution is start working on the outside. Start dressing how you really want to dress, start taking care of your grooming, more posts on that will come soon...If you take care of the exterior, the interior will start transforming itself. Inside and outside are interrelated, interconnected, we are a system, when we change one part of ourselves, the rest is also modified to adapt to the new reality. It is easier and faster to start with the way we dress. People can see the results straight away, we start to relate differently and we modify our reality, one day at a time. 
      Walk with confidence, you have got style and it shows!
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      May 22, 2013

      Defining your Style

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      Find or Define your Personal Style - Part 3 of The 5 Keys to Dressing Well  

      "Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly" - Epictetus, AD 55–135.   

      Epictetus is one of my favorite philosophers. He was a Greek stoic, a "practical" philosopher, he viewed the role of philosophy as the guiding light for people to lead better lives. One of his teachings is that suffering occurs from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. Well indeed, that which was written thousands of years ago, is still relevant today. How we "adorn" ourselves, is totally within our control, then we should strive to do it as best as we can. But first, as he says, we should answer the question: "Who am I?" Let's see if I can help you answer that question when it comes to your Style personality.

      Fashion can be bought, anybody can dress fashionably, and it is not a matter of economic power anymore. Nowadays you can buy fashion at very affordable prices. And that means fashion is accessible to almost everybody. Along with the concept of fast fashion, the globalization, the outsourcing of factories to third world countries, and we know how that is going...I will discuss this further on another post. But we cannot deny that fast fashion as fast food, can be detrimental to us all, on the long term. 

      Fashion comes and goes mainly as Trends. Trends can be a new prints, new hem lines, new silhouettes, a new vibe, a hair color, a hair style, a color, a type of handbag, a type of shoe, a certain rule...etc, etc, etc, you just have to follow them and stick to the rules of the season, and you will be fashionably “uniformed”. But Style, comes from who you are, it is unique, it has no rules but yours, and no trends of the seasons.  You are expressing who you are all the time, to the outside world, so it is imperative that you can identify your own style, therefore you won’t be swept away by every trend and fad that comes along. 

      Every time we get dressed we are asserting parts of our personality, we are asserting our identity. When we are aware of our own style, we dress putting our own selves first, we dress to tell others the story of who we are.  

      In the previous post I asked you to think about any Style Icons, that you may have. What did you think about that question? Was it hard?
      How many people could you think of? 
      What do you admire in them? Do you identify some aspect of your personality with theirs? 

      Usually what makes people style icons is how they portray their uniqueness, they are not afraid to show the rest of the world, who they are. And they are not afraid to NOT FOLLOW. In fact, they are Non-followers, they don’t abide by somebody else's rules! They have their own! They have learned from others who they admired what was important in defining their style. They have a great sense of taste and proportion. They have a very strong sense of self, they are self confident, because they know what makes them great and they are not afraid of showing it, in fact they have learned how to showcase successfully those parts of themselves they are most proud of to the rest of the world!

      You don’t necessarily need to be in show-business to understand the relevance of taking care of your image. But it is true that there are certain “careers” in which people are more aware, and have a primordial need to learn about Image and to find the ways of communicating effectively their own unique Style. We are all the stars of our own lives, so no matter what your job is, or who your Style Icons are, you can and will learn to define your own unique Style.

      Think also about the brands or stores where you usually buy your clothes and accessories, do you think they match your personality? Grab a lookbook from that store/s and see if you can picture yourself in it? I am not saying that you have to look like a model, maybe you do, maybe you don’t, it is irrelevant. Can you see yourself wearing the looks put together in the lookbook? If not, why are you shopping there? 
      Now remember I asked you to find a brand or store you “ADORE”, find their lookbook, and see if you can picture yourself there? Do you get excited just thinking about it? Wouldn’t it be glorious if you had the chance to be on their lookbook? Wouldn’t you love to be dressed like that? If don’t feel that way then maybe you don’t adore that brand after all!

      Do you think that sometimes you just like some items in a store, and you would never wear others? It happens, and if it is happening to you, that is a very good sign. I will tell you about that in the following posts. But for now, stick with me here and realize that we don’t have to “marry” a brand, we are just trying to define and find our own style. To do so successfully we need to understand why we are attracted to certain brands or style icons, or stores, and why we absolutely would never wear or dare to enter others.

      That is our next step. 

      Try to find some brands or stores, or Style Icons, that you absolutely DO NOT LIKE. Think about what it is about them that you don’t like? Do they remind you of something? Don’t you like the way they put looks together in their displays? Don’t you like that maybe they are too “androgynous” or masculine, and you are quite the feminine romantic? Maybe it is the color palette they always  use, is it too muted? Gloomy? And you are a Happy go Lucky kind of girl? Just think of what is it that doesn’t resonate with you, because usually it means we value the opposite characteristic.  Understanding what you don’t like at all, is a very good way to find out about your style, in case you get stuck, and can’t think of anything, this is a great tool!

      I will give you another tool that will help you to realize what your style is:

      Ask somebody you trust and  like, and that you admire for their own style. Usually we have a girl-friend who dresses uniquely, who has a very strong sense of self, and is confident enough to wear what makes her feel and look great!  You don’t necessarily have to love the way she dresses, most probably you would never dress like her, but she does so effortlessly, or so it seems, she must know a thing or two! Talk to her, and ask her, How does she perceive you, in terms of the way you dress? Can she point to you some ideas about how you dress, or characteristics of your personality that she really likes? Those can help you define your style. 

      Remember we are all the time communicating who we are to others, so it is a great practice to ask somebody else: "How am I coming through?" Maybe she says that you have "kind of a grungy look"…and you actually view yourself as a feminine romantic who wished to come across as "girly and polished"… Then you might be doing something wrong! You are either not that much of a feminine romantic after all,  or you are not dressing according to your personality. So think about any incongruences you find along the way.

      So by now, you should have a notebook or a mental note of lots of answers. Go through them, sort them out. Do a quick calculation, does any one idea or thing come up more times than others? Maybe you realized you always shop at The Gap for your clothes, and The Gap’s brand characteristics are simple and classic. Then you talked to your friend and she said according to her you are a "classic". That is definitely giving you a clue as to how you are dressing now. Think if that is really your own style. Are you communicating what you really want to communicate? Try to come with some conclusions as to what is your style.   

      Are you very confused?
      Do not worry, I am here to help, and let me remind you of something Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, and I always need to remind myself:
      “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves”
       
      Till tomorrow…keep posted, as more on Defining your Style is coming your way…
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      May 21, 2013

      Find or Define your Personal Style...

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      Find or Define your Fashion Style...

      Part 2 of The 5 keys to Dressing Well



      Style is directly related to our personalities. Once we understand our fashion personalities, we will have an easier time pulling an outfit together in the morning. We are like artists with a blank canvas, each morning we wake up, and the first decision we make is: What should I wear? So why do we sometimes take the issue of dressing so lightly? Why do we sometimes just buy whatever is on sale, even if its not the right fit, color, size?

      My objective is not to create drama, but to help you simplify. In order to simplify we do need first to start doing a bit of work. It will feel as if we are complicating ourselves even more, it's normal to feel that way, and it is necessary to go through it. The results will be worth it!
      We can only simplify the decision of "What should I wear?" once we have a solid foundation, once we know and have defined our own personal style.

      So here we are again, trying to navigate the amount of options we have out there. If we don't know what is our fashion personality or personal style, we won't know where to go, and we will be overwhelmed by the amount of choices we have! Of course we always have an economic limit! our budget! If we define our own unique personal style, then we can better invest our money, in pieces that communicate who we really are, that are extremely comfortable to wear, and that make the best of our own assets, such as our unique coloring and silhouette.

      Once you know your personal style or fashion personality you will have the foundation to project your best self forward, whatever the situation or occasion.

      There are a few more questions you should ask yourself, in order to "discover" your own personal style:

      • How do you like to wear your hair? Do you go to the hairdressers often? Do you style your hair everyday? Is your hair long? Do you like to have it short? Do you color it? What color is it?

      • How about make up? Do you wear it everyday? If so, what are your must haves? Do you wear lipstick? Or you just wear black eyeliner and mascara? If you never wear make-up, ask yourself why? If you wear make up religiously every single day, in fact you won't leave the house without it, why?


      Remember, these are not questions to answer to the world. This are questions to ask yourself in your own privacy. 

      Think about this - Those things that are visible in those first 30 seconds to a minute upon meeting someone, are the things we are going to focus on first. 

      But isn't this about "dressing" ? Why should I focus on hair and make up? Because we are just trying to help you define or find your personal "style" or your fashion personality first. Without you knowing this, you won't be able to dress for yourself, and you will be  lost in terms of asking the question: "What should I wear?"

      Do you know that one of the things that people search online more for are: What to wear?, yes that is right! The majority of people are clueless, they do know the importance of dressing well, but they just don't know what is their own style. My goal here, is for you to KNOW, for yourself, without having to consult with anybody else, what communicates who you are well, and looks best on you! 

      A few more things to ask yourself:
      • Do you have any fashion role models? style icons? Who do you admire? It doesn't have to be somebody famous, maybe it is your grandmother? or a friend? Think about what it is about them that you really like? Is it the colors they wear? How they combine them? Their pose, grace, elegance? Maybe the accessories? Try to define it as much as you can. 
      Fashion comes and goes, and there are lots of trendy options you should incorporate in your wardrobe, but first you should have a solid foundation to which incorporate the trendy pieces. No more asking anybody else, there is nobody better than yourself to define your fashion personality! Be yourself, find that style, and dress for it!
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      May 20, 2013

      The 5 Keys to Dressing Well

      by , in


      The 5 Keys to Dressing Well 



      The importance of Personal Image cannot be underestimated.  In the first 30 seconds upon meeting someone for the first time, they assess and form a mental “impression” about us. 
      These are subconscious decisions that people make about our personality, occupation, economic and educational levels.   

      Dr. Albert Mehrabian is known for his research on body language, and has established the classic statistic for effective communications:


      7% of meaning is expressed through the spoken word

      38% is expressed through the way we speak those words

      55% is expressed non-verbally

      Is that fair? May be not!

      Is it true? You bet!


      My own experience tells me that what is important is not only the way others view us, but how we view ourselves that determines how we are perceived.


      The way we dress, is only one of the main constituents aspects of Image. But it is precisely one of the aspects over which we have 100% control over. Isn’t that amazingly good news?! There is so much we can do to improve our image! And let us not forget that improving our Image, is directly related our own self confidence and sense of self esteem.


      We are not defined just by the way we look, but still our image is a big part of who we and how others define and relate to us every single day.


      So we have to take this 100% controllable aspect, “The Way we Dress” and do the best we can! Instead of struggling with things we have no control over. 


      The 5 keys to dressing well are:

      1.        Define your own personal Style and match it with your clothing 

      2.        Complement your own personal Coloring

      3.        Flatter your body lines, proportions and scale

      4.        Choose clothes that are appropriate for your Event/Lifestyle/Occasions.

      5.        Dress Current – Be up to date with Trends, and choose only those that complement all the other 4 points  above.






      Let’s start with the first one: Define your own personal Style and match it with your clothing


      There are as many styles as there are people out there, everybody has their own unique style. You think you don’t have any? or maybe you don’t know what your style is yet? Well in any case, even if you don’t know what your style is, or you do, there are some tools, that I will teach you that can either help you find it, or refine it!


      One easy way of trying to find or define your style is to look at your shopping preferences.

      • Where do you usually shop? What is the store’s name?
      • Any brand or brands you prefer? Search online for that brand’s characteristics, or personality? Does it match yours? It should, if it doesn’t then ask yourself what is the reason why you shop there?
      • Is there any store that you particularly “ADORE”, I didn’t say “like” …You have to adore the brand, the clothes, the store’s image and personality…If you found at least one, take a note on what is it that you especially find so appealing about them.
      • For now, just take either mental notes, or even better, in a small notebook for later reference.
      • One more aspect you can think about, is how do you usually accessorize your looks? Do you even accessorize? What type of accessories do you prefer? How many do you use? Take notes.



      I will give you a list of defined “styles” to start familiarizing  yourself with, and see if you “fit” into any, or many:

      These are just a few, start thinking about your own unique style, and see in how many of this categories you would somewhat “fit”.  In my case, I am a little bit of a natural urban chic combined with a bohemian sporty elegance, and I cannot forget that I am also a Romantic! 

      Yes, you see, this is not about labeling or categorizing is about giving you tools, to define your style, so that you can Dress for who you really are, so when people form a quick opinion of you, they will form the most accurate one!


      Invest in your appearance and let it show the real you, make investing in your Image a priority and you will see how you start to relate better to yourself and to others as a consequence!


      Part two of Defining your style…tomorrow…
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