Florals this Spring: Something for Everyone
For Spring 2016 designers are all about going big – big color, big stripes, big patterns. And one of the cheeriest of pattern trends is floral.[...]
The Value of Authenticity and Repetition
Many years ago, as a young dance student at UCLA, one of my instructors demonstrated a movement performed by one of the notable postmodern dancer/choreographers. (I don’t remember who the dancer was but I’m guessing it was the incomparable Pina Bausch.)
She began the movement with her back toward the audience, and then very slowly and deliberately turned to face them full on, at which point she threw her arms outward and lifted her face toward the sky as if to say, “Here I am world!” And then she turned around, reversing the movement until her back was to the audience. And then she repeated the sequence again. And again. And again. And again… [...]
Shopping Heaven…and Hell
Does this scenario sound familiar? You wake up one morning full of enthusiasm and a sense that "today is a great day for a shopping trip." You head off to the mall full of hope and expectation, only to spend fruitless hours of disillusionment and self-loathing... and end up at the ice cream shop instead.
Don't beat yourself up. We've all been there. Almost everyone has a hard time finding just the right item that is flattering in color and style.[...]
You are What (make-up) You Eat
Last year there was a fair amount of media buzz around the shocking claim that the average woman (I’m still trying to figure out just who the proverbial “average” woman is) eats around six pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. But a few brainiacs did the math and discovered that the claim was wildly exaggerated. Still, around the same time there were a couple of real studies published that described unacceptable levels of toxic chemicals found in many of our cosmetics. Suddenly that lipstick-eating story got a lot of attention again.
Any amount of […]
Color and First Impressions
You want to stay true to yourself in fashion, particularly when it comes to your colors. But sometimes you just gotta break—or temporarily bend—the rules a bit. Here’s an example.
Many years ago a woman I know had an important business meeting with a group of potential investors for a TV series she was pitching. They were known to be extremely hard bargainers, notoriously sexist and profoundly stingy. She found out ahead of time that everyone in their executive office, particularly during negotiations, dressed in white. It set their ‘tone’ as being members of a lofty pantheon of power and authority. She wore white that day. She got the sale. (Hopefully she was wearing her version of white…)
Knowing the culture of your potential client/employer or partner is an important part of establishing equal footing with and gaining respect from them. In the above example, the power of color was a significant subliminal component that helped make a positive first impression. [. . .]