Thoughts On Personal Style

I'm always asked about style in general and it seems as though the most people want to have great personal style but don't quite know how to develop it. So I'm going to give you some hopefully helpful tips on how to really develop your own personal style.




First things first, what exactly is personal style? Well personal style to me is really developing style unique to you that expresses who you are as a person. A lot of people get kind of caught up in celebrity style and what's going on in trends and let that dictate what they wear , but some of the best dressed people in history never followed trends or who whore what.

OK so what do you do then to avoid looking like frumpty dumpty? I will be the first to admit that having style does not come naturally to everyone so if you just don't know where to start, only then is a good time to use trends as a very light guideline but still stay true to yourself. If you're not into color blocking then why would you wear it? If you don't feel comfortable in something then simply don't wear it. Seems like common sense but you would be amazed at the amount of people that try to wear every up coming trend known to man in order to be stylish, but just end looking silly and in the end you're not really happy with what you're wearing.

Remember that fashion is fun! People spend so much time being so serious about something as surface as fashion and it sucks the fun right out of it. All the great designers before us that created looks not just add to them were experimenting. The only way to truly be fashionable is to be fearless in it. It's a cliche' but a very true one, you wear the clothes don't let the clothes wear you. Confidence is everything in this business and if you're not confident in what you're wearing then no one is going to nod you on your personal style. Remember its just fashion not brain surgery, it will take a lot of trial and errors and that's perfectly OK in the end you will learn what looks good on you and when you look good you feel good.

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Roberto Capucci Celebrated In New Art Exhibition

The name Roberto Capucci is probably a name that doesn't ring a bell when you think of the power houses of couture designers in the last 100 years, but in fact Capucci is one of most famous designers in the history of Italian fashion. According to the Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Museum Of Art will be showing an exhibit of  Capucci's masterful pieces in an art exhibit entitled Art Into Fashion showing from March 16th though June 5th.

Born in 1930, Robert Capucci rose up the fashion ranks quickly, assisting designer Emilio Schuberth in his later teenage years until he opened up his own studio in 1950. From then on Capucci has graced us with his architectural approach to fashion designing.

In 1956, the international press praised him as the best Italian designer. Through the years Capucci earned his title as one of the best designers in Italy and received many awards and praises from designers such as Christian Dior for his accomplishments. In 1965, Capucci released his first mens fragrance entitled Capucci.

Capucci was a true artist in the respect that he designed merely the love of the art not for commercial following,most of his shows held in private. Interestingly enough Capucci refused to duplicate the designs of his garments. If a patron wanted to buy one of his garments they had to be the same measurements as the model who originally wore his gowns.

Through the late 60s into the 1970s Capucci shifted his work to costume design for theater and films. His work in costume design was later noted as the foundation of his works in the later parts of his career. In the latter part of his career, his garments were finally recognized fully as works of art. Some of the largest museums in the world, from the Galleria di Arte Moderna to Guggenheim Museum in New York displayed art exhibits of his work.

Usually showing close to 100 pieces in his art exhibitions, Capucci's pieces are if anything a study of architecture around the human form.
His pieces have the ability to softly flow in three dimensions. Every angle you look at in his pieces is a new take on his garment, showing layers upon layers of different angles and shapes that are sometimes hard to imagine being done on a piece of clothing.

Not only did Capucci explore the realms of archetecture on garments with shapes, lines, and angles he also explored color with his pieces. Capucci had the amazing ability and knowledge of color and had the ability create and blend color combinations with his fabrics. Naturally mastering color theory, Capucci was not only able explore color but he was able to pull back and explore the absence of color. He seemed to know when color was not needed in his garments and shift the focal point to the actual construction of his pieces.

Not only were his garments praised as works of art but the fashion sketches he created of his garments were praised as well. Beautifully drawn pictures of flourishing shapes are often put on display along with his garments. It is truly amazing to see his creative process, recreating every detail of his vision on paper and translating them identically into something tangible. Celebrating his 81st birthday in December, Capucci as a living legend in the the art world and his work should be a study to not only fashion designers but artist, and those who have an  appreciation and respect of the arts.




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Hats For Fall 2010/Spring 2011 Part 2

There actually wasn't supposed to be a part two to the Hats For Fall 2010/Sping 2011 post but I kept finding these awesome hats in the retail market and I just had to share my finds and overall unnecessary excitement.  So here is part two of my hat post.

Hats for Fall 2011/Spring 2012

Doing my daily research and reviews of fashion shows, I started to notice there was one consistent accessory throughout these collections, the use of hats; and not your normal, boring, everyday hat. These hats are almost whimsical in a way, and most definitely make a statement. I saw so many different types of head wear throughout my runway viewings but I think the most popular hats were the very large brim, floppy hat.  This particular hat, circulates in the fashion continuum quite often and if you follow trends any at all, its about around that time this type of hat emerges again, not that this is a bad thing. Big brim hats looks great on just about anyone and they protect you from the sun, two for one! This fashion season is turning out to be really accessory focused so expect to see hats coming your way this coming Fall and Spring of 2012.

Here are some of my runway head wear finds with findings from retailers.

Editorial Moment: Katrin Thorman's Sexy Sixties Spread for Woman

I am a vintage loving wench, yes, everything from my clothes to what I watch is not of the 21st century. So you can see my excitement about this seasons turn towards the 1960s and 70s. I have no nostalgic connection to any of these decades being an 80s baby but for some reason I am drawn to the music, clothes and culture of decades before I was twinkle in my mother's eyes. Seeing this editorial by Hunter & Gatti gives me my vintage lovin' self a fix and is a reminder that even through there were some horrible fashions in these decades,  there were also some very good ones. I have taken note that this season designers have been creating a hybrid of these two decades in their collections and this spread reflects the same thought. Elegantly beautiful.

Magazine: Woman

Photographed by: Hunter & Gatti 

Styled by: Marta Lasierra

[Photo Source: Fashiongonerogue.com]

Editorial Moment: Blonde Ambition For Playing Fashion S/S 2011

I was checking out the editorials from one my favorite websites fashiongonerogue.com and I came across this beautifully, vintage editorial spread for Playing Fashion. Models Denisa Dvorakova and Agnete Hegelung bring in a timeless flair that has me reminiscing, yet again about edit oral spreads from decades past. Photographed by Emma Tempest, the soft lighting high lights the clothes and brings out the Dvorakova and Hegelungs beauty. Styled by Sam Ranger, this spread uses a variety of modern and classic styles my some of Italy's heavy hitters that is pure eye candy.

[Photo Source: Fashiongonerogue.com]

Editorial Moment: Joan Smalls channels the 70s in V Magazine

Joan smalls shows us the beauty of the afro in this gorgeous spread in V Magazine. Photographed by Alasdair McLellan with stylist Beat Bolliger. This editorial simmers with its beautiful accessories and shift dresses, V Magazine really brings in the funk.  Work!

Photo source: Fashion Gone Vogue

Anne Valerie Hash Fall 2011

Anne Valerie Hash gives us a lesson in draping for her collection for Fall 2011. Her Garments were dripping of soft, delicate fabrics that flowed so smoothly over her models. Concentrating mostly on separates, Hash delivered a beautiful variety of cuts and pant draping. Her tops were of the same variety and beauty giving her collection a soft femininity. Take a look at Anne Valerie Hash for Fall 2011.

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