When she plays up her weaknesses and draws you to her flaws, she makes them special, attractive, and even enviable. Confidence has nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with attitude. When it comes to style and confidence, you have to learn to move with it, which can be daunting.
We all have our insecurities. But you just know when you are in the company of a confident woman. Even or especially in the face of imperfections, her air is striking. Her beauty is fueled from something inside her. The confident woman loves herself entirely. Think Frida Kahlo and her unibrow. Think the Duchess of Windsor, no great beauty. Look to these women. Follow their lead. Hold your head up high and flaunt your flaws—the confidence should follow.
And if all else fails, fake it. Confidence is the one thing that you can fake and you will actually end up believing it oh, if that were true in other arenas! You have to put yourself up on a pedestal before anyone is going to look up to you. You are the goddess, so start treating yourself accordingly. Get your nails and hair done, take long baths, wear great perfume. Do whatever it is that makes you feel amazing. Love yourself from the inside out, and slowly but surely you will become comfortable on that pedestal, and you will exude the kind of confidence that others admire.
What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language. They are just clothes, shoes, and bags, you could say.
And people do say it, day after day. But I think they are more than just clothes, shoes, and bags. I did. I spent four years of college trying to find out what I wanted to do that did not involve the fashion industry.
But I always came back to it. And not for the free samples they are not as free as you might think. I have always found that the women with amazing personal style are powerful, intriguing, and yes, even intelligent.
Very intelligent. They know who they are and what they want to project upon the world. It tells the world a bit of their story. And, more important, their clothes affect how they feel about themselves throughout the day. Think about this when you stand in front of your closet in the morning contemplating those safe choices ugh , those trendy choices ugh , and those choices that tell the world who you are yes. I might never be anything for men to lose their heads about, but I need never again be ugly.
This knowledge was like a song within me. Suddenly it all came together. If you were healthy, fit, and well-dressed, you could be attractive. Style one must possess. Be that girl. But style is personal. There is no herd to follow. There are no rules. There are no seasons. Style comes from within. If there is anything absolute about style, it is that it holds you accountable to yourself at every moment.
You have to be confident with who you are on the inside before you can ever fully be comfortable presenting yourself to the outside world. And how you present yourself to the world is important. Every time you dress you assert some aspect of yourself and your identity.
With style, you tell the world who you are, or at least the story of who you would like to be on that particular day. Style affords you opportunities. I just know that I have not seen it before, which is the most intriguing thing in the world.
I have spent ten years at Elle, six as the fashion director. In all this time, I have been to countless fashion shows, seen trends fade in and out, watched stylish women come and go, designers rise and fall. I have been surrounded by the fashionable and the fantastic, and I have learned that there are a few very basic guidelines ten, in my book that all of these fashionable and fantastic people know.
She only buys what she likes and what looks good on her. She goes for that over-the-top, decadent item. If she falls in love, she takes it home. Lots of shoes. Done just the right way. She understands that every day is not a photo shoot.
And that is style. I want you to do this with your closet. Be an editor. Pick out those key items and get rid of the rest. American closets. I cannot believe one can dress well when you have so much. Why are you holding on to those jeans from high school? Why are you holding on to those hot pink hot pants seriously, why? Your closet is probably bursting at the seams, but how many items in there do you actually wear?
How many of those items make you feel good about yourself? Mornings are rough enough; help yourself out a little bit. Edit your closet, then edit your shopping habits, and I promise you that being stylish will become much easier. So simple to say, yet so hard follow through on. So make yourself a deal. For every twenty items you toss, you can buy one killer piece.
And really, who wants a too-tight pair of pants in their closet to taunt them every day? I much prefer to be seduced by chocolate and a pair of pants that flatters me.
A closet full of safe choices is no fun. And fashion should be fun! One white beaded vintage skirt offers a lot. This drives me crazy. Wear what suits you and what makes you comfortable. Do not keep items in your closet for sentimental reasons. If you absolutely cannot get rid of that old jean jacket you used to wear, put it in storage and revisit it years later when you are heading to a costume party. Do not keep items just because you paid a lot for them.
Let them go! Pass them down to someone who will wear them. Your closet should be full of only pieces that look good on you and make you feel good about yourself. Your skinny jeans from high school? The more you know, the less you need. They are meant to be a blank canvas that you can layer on to.
Some items are just supposed to be reliable. These ten staples transcend time, trends, and travel. They can go from day to night, season to season, and they can still be worn five years from now.
The Little Black Dress The ultimate blank canvas. In its simplicity, it makes you look effortlessly stylish. In its sophistication, it makes you look endlessly elegant.
The little black dress is the dress that is going to let you shine—it is going to flatter you, but it is not going to detract from the rest of you. It lets your hair, your accessories, and your personality take center stage. It represents all that Chanel stood for: comfort, practicality, and self-assured sexiness. But fashion legends always try to be associated with Coco Chanel. In fact, the LBD was not the brainchild of the brilliant French designer, it was simply born out of practicality.
As women grew busier, they needed stylish items that were also versatile, comfortable, and practical. It is chic and simple. It can be paired with jeans Jackie O. The creative universe begins with its essentiality and, whatever path the imagination takes, ends with its purity.
The white shirt has endured decade after decade. I believe in cashmere. The first time you try it on, you immediately understand what all the fuss is about. A turtleneck is also perfect paired with most everything—jeans, trousers, skirts. She is only on the screen briefly as she walks down the street of a Southern town in that sweater, but it was an influential walk.
Wear it with big sunglasses if you want to really channel your inner detective, spy, or fugitive. The waterproof fabric and removable wool lining made it serviceable in all weather; the epaulettes were originally used to hold gloves or service hats; the D- rings on the belt were made to secure grenades; the huge pockets were meant to hold maps and extra ammo. And though unnecessary today, these utilitarian details are maintained in the modern coat. Jean-Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent have made careers out of reinventing different versions of the trench, but the basic elements remain the same.
The design has barely changed in ninety years, which is what makes the trench so glamorous and alluring. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity—all I hope for in my clothes. They are simple and practical. Sexy and perfect. They are the most versatile, most perfect item. The most alluring part about denim is that it can dress anything down and make even the most uptight items look relaxed.
It was so refreshing, and so utterly American. The jean made the ball gown seem practical, relaxed, casual, and so unassuming. This is the true power of denim. It makes a statement and breaks the rules in an unexpected but subtle way.
Soon enough the wristwatch began to be manufactured for women, but men stuck with the pocket watch and considered the new wristwatch style too effeminate. They are perfect for day or night, casual or dressy, winter or summer, with other jewels, or not. Fake is fine. They were a symbol of power, status, and valor, and women were legally not allowed to wear them.
Half a millennium later, there is no sign of the diamond going out of style. Big girls need big diamonds. Ballet flats, as the name suggests, were inspired by ballet dancers. They were introduced in France by Repetto, an American company that specialized in dance wear.
In the s designers began to create their own variations on the shoe, and actresses began wearing them on screen Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot. A classic high-heel pump I am a big supporter of buying outrageous, impractical, bold shoes. Some credit Leonardo Da Vinci. We do know that it dates back to at least when Catherine de Medici wore a two- inch heel for her wedding ceremony to make her appear taller. A great bag The bag, like the shoe, is a great place to have fun and play with colors, textures, and shapes.
Before that only men carried a purse, and if a woman wanted something, she had to ask him for it. Women put an end to that at the turn of the twentieth century, when they started heading out in the world alone and carrying their own belongings, thank you very much. They are your base, to which you can add just enough flair and funkiness to make them unbelievably stylish.
They can be found at crazy, phenomenal prices, but also crazy, affordable prices. The cost does not matter here. They cannot be too trendy, too fussy, or too colorful. This is not where the drama is going to come from—this is your white canvas. The drama comes next.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. You should spend your money on those one-of-a-kind, dramatic pieces. You know one when you see one. You fall in love with it immediately. Yes, it may cost you a small fortune, but it is worth it. You know you look good in it, everyone else knows you look good in it, and it is going to make you feel amazing. So go a little crazy. But buy timeless items. Make sure you can see yourself wearing it a few seasons later.
You should not buy the trends with drama. Buying with drama usually involves dropping a bit of cash, and you should never drop a lot of cash on a passing fad. Make it a rule that when you spend a lot of money, you consider whether or not you will love it three, five, even ten years from now. Also consider if it reflects your personal style. You just know. The best time to buy with drama is when you are traveling. Always pick something up that is exotic—some odd trapping that catches your eye at the market or from a street vendor.
Nobody else is going to have it back home and it will be uniquely yours. If you do happen to fall in love with a trend it happens , it is far more interesting to buy it now and wait a few years until it is out of style to wear it. Invest the money in something truly amazing. A hand-beaded dress, a vintage forties dress, a dress that fits you perfectly. It may take you years to comb through sample sales, but find that dress.
Wear one or two bejeweled or plain cuffs. They are always chic and sophisticated. If you want to go really dramatic, a fabulous fur coat will do too! Go a little crazy. Be a little dramatic. Have a lot of fun. People will try to tell you differently. Smile politely and slowly strut away. How many things in the world have that much power? This is why I respect the shoe and often start the entire dressing process with the shoe and let it inspire the rest of my look.
Disclaimer: I know I said there are no rules when it comes to style, but we are talking shoes here. There are only a few designers who make very good shoes.
It is difficult and expensive to make a perfect, quality shoe. Spend wisely here, because it really matters. A sure thing. For the real chameleon. Wear your size Often in my business, I see fashionistas who are a size 7 try to fit into a sample size 9. I guess they think that nobody will notice.
People notice. And when girls try to squeeze into a smaller size, the effect is ghastly. Toes spilling out of a pair of strappy, sexy sandals is a very painful sight. I do not wince out of sympathy for your feet. I side with the shoe. Only show two cracks Toe cleavage does not get the attention it deserves, but trust me, it matters. Two cracks, no more. Get pedicures Chipped toe polish, cracked heels, etc. You will not be able to walk correctly in a heel over four inches.
Your posture will shift and you will look ridiculous! You can never have enough high heels Never. I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty. Gain ten pounds and they betray you in a heartbeat, the cows. They will always make you feel better about yourself. They will pull together an outfit for you.
They will help you update your wardrobe without spending a ton of money. Really, what else can you ask for in a friend? Stylish women know how to cozy up to an accessory. Jackie O. Audrey Hepburn and her scarf. Elizabeth Taylor and her diamonds. I only ever see her in blue jeans. And Audrey Hepburn is forever immortalized by her simplicity the black pants and turtleneck, the sleeveless dresses , but it was the scarf that she tied every which way around her neck, her hat, her head, her waist that set her apart.
Her seven marriages may have ended, but the woman never let go of her jewels. This is a dame we can learn from. She should choose her accessories as she chooses her friends, seeking out the ones that complement who she is, let her have fun, make her feel confident when she walks down the street, and stick by her through her ups and downs, her men, and her extra pounds. Because your accessories, like your friends, tell the world who you are. The key to accessorizing is to keep it personal and to keep it tasteful.
If you have on a big necklace and big earrings, take one off. Limit it to one. Too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing very quickly. The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize. Find a good tailor.
Make friends with him. Ask him about his family. Compliment him on his work. Tip him well. A good tailor is one of the most important people in your life. I have come to appreciate just how invaluable a good tailor or seamstress is. Before you go to the tailor, it helps if you study a few designer pieces in the dressing room is fine. Then, when you go to the tailor, you will know exactly what to ask of them. Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
She just dropped ten grand to look like a wannabe. Lemmings are not cute. Only dead fish swim with the stream. But you can just walk up to her and ask. One trend—a great piece of trendy turquoise jewelry, perhaps—is lovely. Two trends—the turquoise necklace and maybe the newest skirt style—can be quite lovely too. Three trends and we start entering dangerous territory. Four trends—the necklace, the skirt, the stiletto, and the must-have ruffle-trim top—and the victim is pretty much a done deal.
Style is not. Some of the most stylish girls I know are certainly not the wealthiest. Ironically, it is often the girls with less money who seem to understand style the best. Every once in a while a wealthy icon reminds us how great a cheap thrill can be. Within hours, sales increased tenfold.
A general rule of thumb is to offer three times less than you want to pay. The uptown with the downtown. The soft with the hard. Trust me, it works. Unpredictable is far more interesting than predictable. It is what is going to make you look different and interesting, which is the hallmark of a stylish woman. Mixing it up is not about looking staged.
Keep those items that are uniquely you. Mixing it up means taking the unexpected and making it yours. I had never been an old-lady-diamond-bracelet kind of girl. But at a dinner party one night, this incredibly chic and stylish woman was wearing one of these old lady bracelets. She paired it with her beads from Thailand, her Kabbalah string, and a few other pieces that she never takes off.
I never got the bracelet, but I never forgot the image of that perfectly imperfect mix. The world just does not fit conveniently into the format of a 35 mm camera. She never looks like she is trying too hard. Something is always a bit off. And yet, she always looks amazing. Those girls that always look like they are ready for a photo shoot do not interest me.
They are the ones whose hair is not flawless, whose outfits are not perfectly matched, who are somehow breaking the rules. Every time I see a girl who has mastered this tactic, I smile in silent worship. They know how to live, these girls. They know how to have fun and let their hair down. They never look too perfect. These are the girls who know the most about style. A beautiful thing is not perfect. In my mind, inspiration is an extremely personal experience and a connection with your true self.
It comes from understanding a fantasy of yourself and the person you want to be. I know, it is a question usually reserved for artists and designers, musicians and actresses. But you should ask it of yourself.
The stylish woman knows the answer. An artist? An actress? A rock star? They find it everywhere. Vivienne West- wood adopted the fashions of the London punk rockers and made them into high fashion. They wanted to own a piece of these worlds, so they adopted the images and adapted them to be their own.
You should look at life in much the same way. Style is about identifying who you want to be and, in order to do this, you have to seek out your inspirations. Look to the women from your childhood and from your travels. Look to art and artists, movies and actresses, music and rock stars. Find who and what you identify with, adapt them to your character. Find beauty everywhere. Disengage your thousand-mile stare and begin noticing details in your everyday life.
Fashion, like art, music, travel, literature, and film, is one of the little gifts we get in this world. Style is a way to express your culture, your identity, your passions, and your spirit.
Have fun with it. Style is a simple way of saying complicated things. Now I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good. Sure, the girl has her problems she is married to a mob boss and has a bit of a cocaine habit , but she pulls off a white shirt like no other. It is quite possibly the sexiest scene in cinema in which the clothes stay on. I think the dress has a lot to do with it, though her symbolic caressing of the kingpin helps too. A minute and a half of Uma dancing, ten seconds of Michelle making an entrance, and five minutes of Faye playing chess.
There are countless scenes throughout the history of film, scenes that stick in our minds and inspire us to emulate these women, or their style at least. But a white shirt or some coke-head sunglasses or a tapered halter dress, these things I can get a handle on.
These are the kinds of scenes that editors and designers return to again and again for inspiration and ideas. But the trick is not to go overboard. Fictional characters can wear whatever they like; nobody is going to judge them.
We must rein it in a little bit. Pick one element that you like and make it your own. When the studio heads insisted she wear a skirt, she strolled around the set in her underwear until they gave her pants back. All the Givenchy dresses. Grace Kelly in that white strapless dress with an over-the-top diamond necklace. Her ball gowns, shimmering gold, blue chiffon, etc. Frances: Where in Oregon, the Rogue River? John: Where were you born?
John: Was somebody chasing you? Frances: Boys. Eric: Worried? Mme: You are at the point of falling for her. Eric: What makes you say that? Mme: Whenever you look at her, you appear less intelligent. Funny F Face ace setting: New York and Paris, s synopsis: Jo Audrey Hepburn , a shy bookstore clerk, is discovered by a famous fashion photographer Fred Astaire , who takes her to Paris and makes her a top model. And the resplendent Givenchy gowns. The scene when Audrey descends the stairs in that stunning red Givenchy is unforgettable.
It solidified Audrey Hepburn as a style icon. Mid-length officer-style coats, opulently collared and cuffed shirts, and fur on anything became popular.
Lots of fur. Fur bonnets, muffs, etc. Thomas: You play? Vicki: Try me. Oliver: I am studying. Jenny: Bullshit. Jenny: I know.
But can I help it if you think so? Diana Ross designed some of the costumes herself. The ombre evening dress. White pantsuits. The hair. He falls in love with the wife of a local politician Lauren Hutton and is framed for the murder of one of his clients. This is the film that put Armani on the style map. I taught you everything you know! Uma Thurman in the dancing scene is amazing.
Her capri pants, her crisp white shirt with the black bra underneath, her severe bangs, and black hair. When the Beatles went hippie psychedelic on the world, the world went hippie psychedelic too. And when Madonna rocked that Gaultier bustier in her Blonde Ambition tour, well, we noticed. Not even a scruffy rocker from Seattle though Lord knows he tried. In his Perry Ellis spring collection, Marc Jacobs did the same. Marks Place very Nirvana and sent it off to Italy to have the plaid pattern made into silk very un-Nirvana.
Soon he was sending silk flannels, satin Birkenstocks, and duchesse satin Converse down the runway. I will never forget those Birkenstocks. I had my first internship at Perry Ellis during the spring season and I spent a good amount of my time running satin Birkenstocks around New York for editors to use in their photo shoots. They are icons who designers and editors pull from again and again to create their collections and their magazine spreads.
They wore tight skirts, jackets, sleeveless dresses, and even Chanel-inspired two-piece suits. Everything they wore put an emphasis on their curves and their femininity, their signature look being glamorous evening gowns with gloves and high heels.
She wore seventies flower-print dresses with white go-go boots. Her clothes always had a flash of something: color, feathers, sequins, glitter.
She customized her clothes with embroidery and beading. So a lot of my influences were male. She dressed just like a teenage boy would. She wore tight rubber pants, showing off her drainpipe legs. Or she would layer: cardigans over T-shirts, topped off with a waistcoat.
She often wore combat boots and always kept her hair messy. She wore short black shorts, strategically ripped tights, acid-green dresses, tube tops, and had peroxide-blond hair. She loved to break the rules, wearing short, short skirts with her curvy figure; flaunting her inventive do-it-yourself clothes made out of tacky Woolworth fabrics; buying her sunglasses at the dime store.
It was her blend of sex and strength that made her a style icon and a symbol of the eighties. Because nobody knows how to rock out like the Stones. I could never be chic. They were the leaders of punk rock. They commanded an audience, perpetuated a movement, and forever changed the fabric of pop culture. She has always been known for her daring and edgy outfits and her amazing legs.
And then, just as everybody jumped on board, she reinvented herself, in true Madonna fashion. Her career evolved with carefully planned stylistic phases.
There was her lacy underwear, big hair, and black jewelry phase; the sultry Marilyn Monroe phase; the Evita phase; the Japanese geisha; the uninhibited sex goddess in Gaultier with Blonde Ambition. She has always been, and continues to be, on the cutting edge. The youth of America achieved the look for much less. They went into thrift stores for the clothes; they grew their hair long and purposely neglected to wash or comb it.
It was an era of antifashion, but in an odd way, it was the only decade that can be so identified by a singular fashion trend. By the time she was in boarding school, my parents were ready to globe-trot, so I trotted along too. I would also watch as my mother picked up the styles, buying the necklaces and dresses and bringing them back to Colombia.
These women put a lot of time and effort into the way they present themselves humidity be damned. The standards are not only a matter of presentation, but a matter of moral fiber. There is a notion, passed down from generation to generation, that your physical presentation reflects the person you are on the inside. European women are the consummate embracers and masters of style; they have made fashion an art form. For these women, style is never created; it simply is. And it has meaning.
For this woman, the power of tradition shapes her entire process of elegance. You must eat the kimono. At the other end of the spectrum, you will also see in the streets of Tokyo the progressive zeal of the Japanese youth. They are the masters of urban chic, with their fingers on the pulse of modernity. They wear endlessly ornate, gold-and-enamel jewels quite unabashedly, with silken saris of every hue. The important events of their lives are usually punctuated by a ritualized approach to the kind of beauty that is laden with custom and tradition.
Women need to celebrate their God-given beauty instead of always trying to be something else. For obvious reasons, these women have had to reclaim their style throughout the centuries, forging an even stronger sense of pride and alliance to these roots. It is a country with distinct styles throughout the regions.
In LA, women adore boho dresses and peasant tops. In New York, you can find just about anything. In America, the promises of possibility and inspirations are limitless.
If you cannot get away, go to the ethnic shops in your neighborhood. But wherever you go, be it Tokyo or the local Indian store, this is the time to buy with drama. Bring back something fantastic. Pull out all the stops. Humidity be damned, forget about modesty, leave the trends behind, and have a little fun. One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art.
They are found in The Met and the Louvre, but they are also found on graffitied walls and old flea- market prints. Every designer has been influenced by art, and art has been influenced by style. And she was the first to design entire collections around a theme and everyone followed suit.
The woman knew how to be inspired. She knew how to imitate an image, but also to claim it as her own. This is a woman we can learn from. She let everything influence her style. Imitate her. The compositions were gridded with thick black lines and basic primary colors. YSL took this design idea and fit it to the female form, creating his famed Mondrian collection. And how could I possibly have resisted Pop Art, which was the expression of my youth?
How could I have overlooked my dear friend Andy Warhol? Murakami also created the Cherry Blossom pattern for the company, stamping smiling cartoon faces and pink and yellow flowers atop the original monogram canvas. There is no one answer. Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.
I have been a victim of this. You want to show up to the party and make a statement. This is the time to carry out the fantasy of who you want to be. Wear bold colors, wear fabulous jewelry, wear anything that helps you make a statement and an entrance.
For a black-tie affair, men are required to wear a tuxedo and women are expected to be in a long dress or a cocktail dress. But this is the time to come out of your cocoon. Cocktail attire This means a short dress. Have a lot of fun here. Pull out that fabulous short dress, your killer high heels, your funkier jewelry.
Big cocktail rings are made for this dress code. Dressy casual This means pants are okay but no jeans. Casual It means anything goes. But not for you. You have a lot of freedom.
Not even an expensive one. Because let me tell you, if there is a girl in a sweatsuit and a girl in a cashmere sweater and there is the possibility of an upgrade, cashmere beats sweatsuit every time. The smile gets more than the frown.
On a flight from New York to LA, I was traveling with an actress who got on the plane in perfect attire, perfect hair, full-on makeup, and sunglasses. When we got off that plane in LA, not a hair was out of place. She looked as if she had been beamed there in a spaceship damn her. Never go on trips with anyone you do not love. And then layer, layer, layer. A cashmere cardigan and a cashmere scarf are necessities on an airplane.
As for the shoes, wear flats. This is one of the few times when you should not wear high heels. It is not all that fun or glamorous to run for your flight in high heels.
A slow reveal is more intriguing than a full reveal. Focus on the fabrics and not exposing too much skin. Silk, cashmere, angora, or anything tactile work well. This is the time to pull out your favorite lingerie not for him, for you! Be at ease, be superfeminine, and roll with the awkward pauses. This book is best currently.
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