I Hate the Name Fashionista

Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia recently appeared on ANTM Cycle 15 as a guest judge.  There was a major upgrade in prizes and challenges in this Cycle. Top fashion photographers, a trip to Italy and the chance at winning a spread in Vogue Italia and a cover and spread in Beauty in Vogue in addition to the traditional ANTM prizes. 

Franca Sozzani answered viewers question in a candid interview with CWTV. 

Here is one of the top fashion leaders of our time sharing her opinion on fashion, fashion bloggers, fashionistas and personal style.  Her answers may not be what you expect but I find find them to be refreshing and genuine and I am in 100% agreement.  Basically, she's a true modern fashion heroine.

Here is a rough transcript excerpt from the video interview. 

On Fashion Bloggers

What do you think of fashion bloggers? - Martin Kelbl

"I like fashion bloggers.. another step in the fashion world... it’s not that all of them are so interesting... but they made an easy and quick approach to fashion... it’s become that fashion is more affordable for everybody and I think that’s a good sign of our time."

On Personal Style

If you could choose one beauty staple and one clothing staple what would you choose and why? -Abbey Fearheiley Gatlin

"Today it’s all about your style..  a person should analyze how he/she is to see what makes her better and better doesn’t mean to look like somebody else... better for herself. The most important thing is not to copy anyone."

Do you think that you r a fashionista? - Haru Gon Choi

"Not at all, not at all - I hate the name fashionista and don’t want to be a fashionista.

Because fashionista for me is someone who follows fashion without their own identity.

I’m trying to have my own way to be and I never dress to show with the clothes off the show or I wanted to please the designers so I put their clothes... no. I choose what I want when I want and I feel completely free from any designers."

What is your personal style? - Russell Marcus

"I like to mix i don’t like to see recognizable label I don’t want to be a brand walking in the street so I prefer mix different kinds of labels together and I like something kind of elegance but not boring but with some small details I don’t want to be fashion like - hah, she works in fashion - I hate that."

Well, there's not much more to say here!

Russia's chic uniform 'sends soldiers to hospital'

 

AFP/File – Soldiers of the Russian Army parade in Mexico City in September. Russia's sharp new military uniforms, …

• Slideshow:Russia's chic designer uniform

– Wed Dec 15, 9:11 am ET

MOSCOW (AFP) – Russia's sharp new military uniforms, created by a top fashion designer, have landed hundreds in the hospital after proving too thin to withstand ferocious winter cold, a state daily said Wednesday.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that between 60 and 250 servicemen have been laid up with everything from flu to pneumonia as Arctic chills sweep through the country's northern reaches.
[Rewind: Army finally unveils female-cut combat uniform]
"They literally felt naked outside," the paper quoted the mother of one solider as saying. "Many of them ended up in hospital. Ours developed pneumonia," she said of her son.
The government daily said defence officials have admitted not receiving complaints about the uniforms in time to do anything ahead of the winter season.
"It seems that all this happened because of slovenliness on our part," Joint Staff General Nikolai Makarov told the daily.

Click image to see the uniforms

AP Photo

Introduced in 2008, the parade uniforms designed by fashion celebrity Valentin Yudashkin are threaded with gold and more shapely and chic, in a throwback to the uniforms of the imperial Tsarist army.

[List: 7 cold and flu myths, debunked]
The field versions, meanwhile, are lighter and come with thinner but more mobile boots.
Russia designed its first post-Soviet uniform in the 1990s, but it was unpopular with officers who complained that it made them look like they were serving in a Third World army.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Thanks Ellen @ Spatial Relations Consultants for posting! Here's my comment: "I could see how some people may be offended by the dress code at first glance (specifically by some of the grooming tips for women). And I also agree that this seems like basic life maintenance! However, every company need...s to maintain an image - whether it's creative or corporate. And although the de

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Spatial Relations Consultant: The UBS Dress Code: Do's and Dont's

myspatialrelations.blogspot.com

First impressions count. This is the message Swiss bank UBS AG is sending its Swiss retail banking staff with a 43-page code dispensing advice on how to impress customers with a polished appearance.

Color of the Year for 2011 just revealed! and... i'ts Honeysuckle!! What do you think? Will you be wearing it?

About Us - Pantone Reveals Color of the Year for 2011: PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle

www.pantone.com

Pantone, Inc. is the world-renowned authority on colour and provider of colour systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of colour. The PANTONE Name is known worldwide as the standard language for colour communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to cus...

When was the last time you de-cluttered your wardrobe? Organize your space and clear your mind with Spatial Relations Consultants (New York area)!!

Spatial Relations Consultants

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"The color you choos telegraphs a lot about your business, so you want to make sure you’re sending the right message. When it was first introduced, eBay was
positioned as a new, fun way to shop — and its bright, primary-colored
logo expressed that. On the other hand, if you’re a therapist, or you
...own a spa, your space should convey a calm, understated vibe."

See More

In Business, Color Does Matter Business on Main

businessonmain.msn.com

Color trends change with the times – and especially with a down economy. Find out what’s hot – and what’s not – and why this matters for your business.

Pretty awesome for those of you who'll lose your mind if your favorite lipstick is discontinued! "Stop searching for "something close" to your cherished shades - we can produce discontinued shades for the Lips, Cheeks, Eyes & Face or
help you create your own from scratch!"

Three Custom Color Specialists :: CUSTOM BLENDING

threecustom.com

Three Custom Color Specialists: High end makeup for all of your beauty product needs

"Adding color to your wardrobe is a great way to lift your spirits... Even if you're colorphobic..." -Tim Gunn

Tim Gunn Talks: Color

www.youtube.com

Tim Gunn, Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne, Inc, discusses how to wear color in your wardrobe.

Seeing Red: a guide to bold lips.

by Image in Harmony Consulting Boutique on Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 10:45am

Have you ever experienced red lip envy? Spotted another woman wearing gorgeous red lips and wondered why you never made it out the door in red? Or maybe you decided long ago that red is not your thing and you're going to stick to chapstick, thank you very much. Well let's destroy a couple of big red myths, shall we?
Myth 1. Just because the saleslady/makeup lady told you you look amazing in Russian Red, doesn't mean you do.
Myth 2. There is not one red lipstick that would look good on everyone. Unless it happens to be a true Crayola red. Red happens to be a neutral on it's own. Yup, it's true. It's neither neither a warm or a cool color; it's what's usually added to it (blue or yellow pigments) that make it so.
Myth 3. Just because your BFF swore that you look amazing in Baton Rouge doesn't mean that you wouldn't look even more amazing in your bestest red.

Q: So what's a girl to do when there are hundreds of red lipsticks to choose out there?
A: There are four broad categories of reds. Bright Blue Red. Muted Blue Red. Bright Yellow Red. and Muted Yellow Red. If your skin is on the cooler side you will look better in the Blue Reds. And ditto for the Yellow Reds - they will look good on you if your skin is warm. But what about if you're somewhere in between cool and warm? And which will look better the Brighter Reds or the Muted Reds? AHA! So that's what a color analysis with me will do for you!

But here's a little photo display of yours truly (no airbrush, no photo tricks and not the best of lighting, the horror, the fun!) with these 4 categories and why they might or might not work for me.

The best part? Send in a photo of yourself with your red lips to imageinharmony@gmail.com if you need a little help figuring out your best lipstick look. Red Kisses to all.

All Lipsticks in Photos are from MAC. (www.maccosmetics.com)

(For some reason, Facebook won't allow me to use captioning right now.) So...
Photo Number One. Brave Red (Bright Yellow Red). The winner. Bright and Yellow harmonizes with my skin tone.
Photo Number Two. Chili and Red Pepper (Muted Yellow Reds). Hmmm.... not so bad, but not the best either. Needs more brightness... needs a brave red.
Photo Number Three. Russian Red (Bright Blue Red). Brightness works, blue does not. Don't see it? You'll have lots of fun learning at your color analysis with me.
Photo Number Four. Dark Side and Russian Red (Muted Blue Red). Muted and Blue. Not good, not good at all. 'Nuff said?

A Girl's Best Friend (it's not what you think)

by Image in Harmony Consulting Boutique on Monday, June 7, 2010 at 7:35pm

A blissfully long and cool (everything is relative) Winter here in the Sunshine State almost made me forget how disgustingly humid and sticky our Summer gets. Over 6 miles of walking and countless showers (indoors and out) in the past few days have made me re-pledge my allegiance to what should be know as 'a girl's best friend'. Any girl who has ever experienced the discomfort (to put it mildly) of a heat rash/chafe would gladly forgo their diamond ring (ok, maybe not) to stop the torture. We're talking 'BodyGlide' here sister! "The leading skin protectant and #1 choice for runners and triathletes since 1996." I don't know about you, but the last time I ran anywhere was 1996, but that besides the point. I have been using it for almost 10 years and lemme tell you, that thing can last you through an overnight hike in the Amazon rain forest (not that I would know, but I have actually worn it in Kawaiin and Mauin rain forests and in our very own Fairchild Tropical Gardens, so I do have some credibility here). It's time to chuck those protective shorts, 'cuz you won't be needing them anymore. And yes, you'll have me to thank for introducing you to http://www.bodyglide.com/, and an easy, cheap buy on http://www.amazon.com/. After all, you can't look good if you don't feel good. And you definitely won't feel good if you can't walk. So, Voila. And it's my pleasure; it really is. Say hello to your new best friend.

Harry Winston ring. A.k.a. No longer your best friend.

Hungry No More: the Return of a Healthier Portfolio

Riddle me this:  How is it that in a world where trends have a lifespan of a fruit fly, the women who are payed to model these trends haven't changed their look (give or take 10 lbs, heroin and some darker shades in the skin spectrum) since the 1960s?  So forgive me for getting a little excited about the cover of June 2010 Glamour, because something that hasn't gotten old for me just yet is seeing a life size model on the cover of a major commercial fashion magazine.  And it's not just any cover - it's their 'we've got the best swimsuits for every body' cover.  I.e. Recent favorite (she must have a good publicist), Size 12 Crystal Renn, recovering anorexic/bulimic and author of 'Hungry' is wearing a bikini on the cover (along with 2 less weighted models to help balance things out).  Major, pretty major.  Elena Miro and Prada both used curvier, i.e. closer to average models during Milan Fashion Week back in February.  V and Vogue have both deigned to publish phater photos on their pages (see previous blog posts).  But the biggest question is whether this trend has any lasting power at all - and we're talking power of Twiggy proportions.  Has the recent financial bulimia of the world affected our fashion choices?  Binge, purge, binge, purge.  It's no secret how the media and fashion worlds have affected the way we perceive ourselves, our body image.  So let's hope for the return of a healthier, more diversified portfolio.  Get ready for a rise in Zaftig.

Bask in the glory of these images from the Elena Miro fashion show: http://www.elenamiro.com/it/collezioni_milano_moda_donna.php
A little bit about Crystal Renn: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2009/10/body-confidence-secrets-from-plus-size-model-crystal-renn?currentPage=2
Glamour June 2010: http://www.glamour.com/fashion/2010/05/every-body-is-a-hot-body-crystal-renn-brooklyn-decker-and-alessandra-ambrosio-model-the-seasons-hottest-swimsuits

Yayoi Kusama and the Colors of Optimism.

I'm guessing the botanists, elderly volunteers and groundskeepers at Fairchild Tropical Gardens don't know it, but they're cultivating Spring 2010.  No, not that kind of Spring Spring.  I mean the Fashion Spring.  When you do visit (you can be my guest member if you buy me lunch or a box of chocolates), it'll be hard to miss the psychedelic oevres of the sometimes orange-haired, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and her compulsive, avant-garde polka dots and her colorful monster-like flowers and pumpkins (yes, flowers can be monstrous).  Kusama got it.  Right on the dot.  (Bwa ha ha.)   http://www.fairchildgarden.org/art-at-fairchild/Yayoi-Kusama-/   For those of you who aren't ready to part with the dark, edgy, metal studded, biker jacketed, strong-shouldered, acid hued, vampire obsessed of the 2009 80s revival, you're in luck.  Just keep the 80s in the back of your closet because they'll be back in 2029, maybe 2019 for a brief season if you're lucky... or maybe even tomorrow.  With retailers like H&M, Zara and even Target, trends are sucked in and purged faster than you can turn a page of Vogue.  The Wall Street Journal reported: "David Wolfe has been analyzing style trends for 41 years [...] Mr. Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group consultants, stood up in a room full of retail executives and told them: "There are no more trends. Everything is in style. (http://www.doneger.com/web/112119.htm)."

                                           http://www.fairchildgarden.org/art-at-fairchild/Yayoi-Kusama-/

And so, a question I love to ask for the non-fashion obsessed among us.  "So, who the heck cares? You want to wear a metal studded, polka dot, floral dress, go ahead!  And why am I reading this anyway? After all, everything is in style!"  Here's why.  No matter your fashion, you'll likely still buy into the trends that have been dictated by the elusive fashion and color forecasters.  Yes, they do really exist and have predicted what we will want to wear because they've decided that that's what we should want to wear even though we've become rebellious fashion wearers of late.  Turns out Kusama's flowers and pumpkins were perfectly hued, as orange was and still is big and Mimosa Yellow was the 'it' color.  Positive change, optimism, brightness, warmth, passion; yellow and orange.  It seems that the color people might actually know what we might need too, not just what we should want.  And so, you might consider wearing Turquoise (and Aurora and Tomato Puree) this Spring/Summer 2010.  "Turquoise transports us to an exciting, tropical paradise while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times (http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20706&ca=10)."  Does the whole print and polka dot thing make sense to you now?  Maybe the orderliness, yet innocence of the polka dots and the cheeriness and femininity of the prints are what we need to bring us out of Vampiric 2009.  You may have had some blood drained out of you, but Mimosa Yellow and Kusama's The Flowers that Bloom at Midnight were there all along reminding you that tropical paradise was within reach.  And if you still feel the need for some good ol' 80s armor, it looks like you may be able to protect yourself with the military inspired trend for Spring/Summer 2010.  Orange, yellow, turquoise, polka dots, military, patterns, pastoral, less is more, more is more... By the time you finished reading this, another trend just passed on to the fashion catacombs of New York, Paris and Milan.  Hopefully Yayoi Kusama and the Colors of Optimism will influence the decidedly boring achromatic trend in Fall 2010. 

Sasha Fierceness: Being Yourself

Have you heard of Sasha Fierce? Even if you aren’t so au courant with the pop music world, I bet you could guess. Three guesses. “All the single ladies”, “I’m a survivor”, “Destiny’s Child”. Yup, it’s Beyonce’s fabulous, confident, entertaining, powerful other self. In Allure magazine’s interview with Beyonce for February 2010, she confides: “Sasha Fierce is my alter ego, this other side of me that’s most animalistic and strong and fearless, and I have used this person to take over when I’m too scared or too shy… The thing that’s interesting is I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown, and I’m now able to merge the two. I want people to see me. I want people to see who I am”. http://www.allure.com/ So, why does this matter to you? Do you really care that Beyonce has “found harmony in the contradictions”? I bet it matters more than you think. Think. Who is your Sasha Fierce? How many social masks do you put on every day? Even if you’re truly uber-confident , you probably put several on from the moment you wake up to greet your day. There’s the eager, go-get’em one that you put on at work to impress your boss or your clients even you want nothing more than to go back home and have a ‘me’ day. Or the one you put on when you really need a lazy, uninterested, unhelpful service person to help you out and you really are in a rush. Or the one you put on when you don’t know anyone in the room. What about the one when you do know people in the room, when you’re among other women?

And so, my sing-song is for all the ladies, single or not. Is your mask made of stone because you’re afraid to reveal yourself to a woman who isn’t as intelligent, well-connected, powerful or pretty as you? Is your mask painted with red stripes because you want her to understand that you are way more important than most people in the room? Is your mask a multi-colored coat because you want everyone to like you so you could add another notch on your Facebook page of popularity? Is yours wallpapered on the outside because you’re shy and you want to blend in, but spiky on the inside because you’re really angry no one notices you? So here’s my Beyonce-inspired anthem: I’m going to challenge all you women! Challenge all you women! All you women! No, I’m not going to ask you to rip off your masks to expose your raw face. Because I think a little Sasha Fierceness is a good thing and it can actually be really human, not so animalistic. It can make you feel more confident, feel more beautiful, feel stronger, and even act more kind. Just sheer that mask out a wee bit (the orangey line around your jaw is way too obvious!), allow your sisters to truly connect to you. You may be surprised at how fierce it makes you.

In Vogue

The Vogue Guide to Spring 2010 http://www.vogue.com/guide/S2010RTW/ highlights the trend of so-called 'personal dressing'.  Virginia Smith writes: "Put your own spin on Spring with stylishly mismatched layers of lace, sparkle and leggings".  I'm all for the mismatch, the layering, the lace, the sparkle and the leggings.  But all of them together?  Really?  Put the average woman in that eclectic mess and she'll look like she just went through a dumpster (or may even live) in the back alleys of Rodeo Drive, Madison Avenue, the Bal Harbour Shops.  Luckily, dumpster chic is not the only trend

Marc Jacobs 2010, from www.elle.com

for 2010.  But who cares, right?  Well, uh, lots of people.  Even if you're not an avid reader, watcher, breather, wearer, lover (but never eater!) of fashion, you're still heavily invested in the rag business.  You may be a season or two or five behind, but you've most likely given into a trend of sorts.  Yeah, you just can't help conforming one way or another.  But true personal style requires an understanding and appreciation for one's body, proportions and scale.  No one will refute that Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe were two of the greatest fashion icons of recent history.  They were born only a few years apart, yet they couldn't have been more different in their interpretation of style.  They both dressed with a critical awareness of their bodies.  They may not be your personal heroines but there is something to be said for their timeless relevance.  Women in vogue (but not necessarily in Vogue) possess a sense of themselves and express this through their own signature look.  You may scoff at the fashion of the moment, but never make the mistake of scorning style.  If you take the time to genuinely evaluate how you choose to clothe and adorn yourself, you will no longer waste so much precious time in front of your wardrobe and mirror.  Life, with all it's beauty is volatile and it's a wonderful thing to be assured that you can rely on your signature look.  Constant, invariable, steady, consistent, uniform.  There's something to be said for a uniform style, just like Marilyn with her constant curvy garments and Audrey with her gamine style.  They would have scoffed at the idea that personal dressing has anything at all to do with Spring 2010. Only once you have discovered your essential style can you then afford to adorn yourself with the modes of the moment, but just make sure don't pile them all on at once.

Bring on the Curves: a Musing

Naturally, I have to follow "Those Extra 5 lbs." with a little musing about our weight obsessed culture.  Even if you think you're counter-culture, from a different culture, above it, below it, you're still part of it.  Even if you ban t.v., magazines, internet, newspapers, walks on the beach, you're likely not going to completely avoid going to the grocery store or taking a stroll or a drive every now and then.  And so you'll see images of some beautiful, some not so beautiful models.  Beautiful or not, they're likely to be very thin, very airbrushed.  Blah blah blah.  BORING.  Yeah, I'm boring myself.  Look, most of us have seen the Dove videos  http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=7049579]/.  If you haven't check out 'Onslaught' during your next moment of procrastination.  (Note: reading this blog is not procrastination.)  We get it.  Or do we?  Well, let's speed this thing up a little.  Merle Ginsberg from fashionrules.com wrote: "V Magazine out of New York’s spread on large sized models in issue #63: “The Size Issue,” featuring five plus-size models. The spread is titled “Curves Ahead.” V63 does not hit newsstands until January 14, 2010 (http://fashionrules.com/tag/v-magazine/)".  Warning: link contains graphic images of less than thin models.  (And I'd like to bring attention to the phrasing "...spread on large...", love it!)  But V is really not that special.  Glamour, Vogue, Marie Claire, they've all done their 'special' spreads.   Just check out February's Glamour with model Crystal Renn of 'Hungry' fame. Oh, would you look at that!  I just contributed again to the 486 commercial messages you see everyday.  There's no getting away from it now. And if so, bring on the voluptuous, full, curved image.  Bring it on.  Go ahead, onslaught it.  It makes the fantasy created by planet fashion so much more tangible, that much more attainable.  But what's to attain? Won't those images make thin little girls everywhere feel bad about their bodies?  Eat gobs of peanut butter to attain unnatural levels of voluptuosity?  Force Dove to make another video? All facetiousness aside, I'm a big believer in encouraging women to embrace their bodies.  Curvy or not so curvy.  Thin or not so thin.  Embrace it, never disgrace it.

 (Image from models.com and V Magazine)

And so, at last, something practical.

Top 5 elements in dressing your voluptuous body!

1. Proportion - Wear garments and details that are proportioned in both scale and weight with your body. E.g. Narrower heels will emphasize a fuller calf, a narrow collar will make a plumper neck look even plumper, delicate jewelry will make a sturdier hand look hefty, etc. But a thicker heel will compliment an ample leg, a chunkier bracelet will look just right on a larger wrist. This also means - don't think that the excessively large sweatshirt is complimenting your body. Nope, it's not, not at all.

2. Line - let your curvy bits lead the line of your garments. Curved lines focus attention in a good way on a curved body part. Straight lines on a curved area will make it appear bigger and boxier. I.e. If you are busty, avoid overly starched looking shirts, wear ones with a little stretch. Tops that skim right over and around your bust will work best. If your hips are more generous, wear bottoms that glides over your hips (such as an a-line skirt) or softly drape around them.

3. Print - wear rounded, higher density patterns that are scaled to your body. If you are taller you can pull off a larger print and if you are petite, stick with smaller prints. Rounded patterns will compliment your curves, whereas angular prints will make those bits look wider. There goes those lines, and there goes your curves.

4. Fabric - wear silky, draping and soft fabrics on your softer areas. Avoid anything that has excessive bulk - it'll just make you look bulkier, but do wear fabric with some weight. That airy fairy chiffon? Just leave it for your airier sister.

5. Color - learn to manipulate color. Brighter, lighter hues will bring attention to your good bits and deeper hues will make those less than desirable areas appear to recede. And yeah, it's true, monochromatic hues do give you a leaner look (if that's your goal). But remember that monochromatic does NOT mean achromatic. I.e. enough with the excessive use of all black garments. This is life people, live a little!