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068. 2010 Style Outlook: Bohemian Botticelli Bodhisattva Ballerina

10 Mar

One of my goals in 2010 is to have a cohesive style in digital and graphic arts, fashion, traditional fine arts, interior design and personality. My inspiration comes from a few major ideas, with a few minor details thrown in.

The major themes of the year have come from the B-words I’ve listed above:

BOHEMIAN: (b-hm-n) n. (from the French, bohémien, from Bohême, Bohemia, from the unconventional lifestyle of Gypsies, erroneously supposed to have come from there) a person with artistic or literary interests, who disregards conventional standards of behavior; a vagabond, wanderer or gypsy.

BOTTICELLI: (given name: Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi) Sandro Bottecelli was a famous Italian painter in the Early Renaissance (Quattrocento or 1400s). Bottecelli is most famous for his paintings The Birth of Venus, thePrimavera, and other works, which depict the the female human figure with substantial curves. His paintings are known for their serene compositions, refined elegance, and spirituality.

BODHISATTVA: (bō′di sut′və) n. (from the Sanskrit, बोधिसत्त्व, or bodhisattva, one whose essence is enlightenment, from bodhi enlightenment + sattva being) a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism, a person who has achieved great moral and spiritual wisdom and is a potential Buddha, esp. such a person who rejects nirvana in order to assist suffering mankind.

BALLERINA: (bl-rn) n. (from the Italian, ballare, to dance) a female ballet dancer.

photos: anthropologie, tammy manet.

Trademarks: semi-precious stones (amber, moonstone, and turquoise are particular favorites); shells, feathers, leather, natural fibers and materials such as cotton, wool, and silk; a cross section of nature and technology, bright colors and cultural exchanges.

Keywords: shape, volume, texture, purpose, comfort.

Signature Colors: anything in neutral and natural shades of grey, brown, and beige; any shade of purple; raspberry; peacock blue; kelly green; mustard yellow.

you are beautiful

image from squaregirl.

What would you wear if you were going to visit this place? I think I would wear a long, flowing skirt and lace-embellished camisole underneath a hand-knitted giant wrap sweater and flat-footed large-tread boots so I could walk the ups-and-downs of the rocks. I’d bring a huge flannel blanket so I could sit on top of one with a large travel mug full of my favorite tea and watch the waves break against the shoreline. Perfect!

Things that make this girl’s heart go pitter-pat: a sense of whimsy, magic, simple luxury, alchemy, repurposing items and using old things in new ways; high-waisted pencil skirts,  hats – particularly cigarette-style,  smoking jackets,  bustles;  colored tights and patterned nylons,  ballet sweaters and wrap skirts or tutus with skinny black jeans and combat boots; a mixed-up Alice in Wonderland topsy-turvy style to wear through the looking glass; backwards compliments and obscure and eclectic gifts; things that shouldn’t sparkle but do; things that should sparkle and don’t; arsenic and old lace; cherubs and imps; Disney’s Fantasia; fancy coffee drinks; wildflowers, sage and lavender, balsam; natural and organic food, clothing, and beauty products; Kombucha with fruit juice; lilacs, lilies, and peonies; feather headdresses; fresh fruit and picnic baskets; Italian sodas; elegant pocket watches; antique fairy tale books…

merci

(source unknown)

034. Personal Style: Fashion and FTFW

21 Oct

This week is Fat Talk Free Week. Sponsored by the Delta Delta Delta sorority, the week has an official website (http://endfattalk.org)and a Twitter hashtag (#ftfw), as well as their own Twitter account. Fat Talk Free Week strives to make women all over the globe concentrate on a healthy ideal rather than the thin ideal. The Tri Deltas and their allies hope that, by educating and involving others, women can control their own fat talk and help others to do so, as well. What they want is not complacency or a glorification of overweight women, but for all women to feel that they can be beautiful and healthy without pushing themselves to the point of eating disorders or excessive exercise.

I found out about this fantastic initiative yesterday through a friend who posted the following video on her blog.

After watching this, I was struck by an article that was shared with me via Twitter this morning. It was entitled Yes, Thin’s In, But Why Is That A Surprise? At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the article. I love fashion and, as a child, often thought of what it might be like to pursue a career as a fashion designer later in life. I’ve always loved textiles and colors, patterns and artwork of all types, so when Robin Ghivan stated that “Fashion is a test of willpower and determination. It is a measure of good fortune. It is a purveyor of status. It is a badge of honor…” I cringed. While I understand that without a certain extent of elitism, fashion wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or as competitive an industry, but, don’t personal style and wealth also play into the equation. No matter what size they make high fashion garments in, the average and everyday woman still won’t look exactly like everyone else. There are curvy and larger women (not necessarily the same, by the way) who look fantastic in bright colors, layers, with dainty or feminine details.

As Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, from TLC’s What Not To Wear, would say, every woman should dress for her size and shape, not let her fashion sense dictate her size. Instead of focusing on being thin to fit into that perfect pair of designer jeans, that one tiny piece of sexy lingerie, larger and smaller women alike should enjoy the freedom to choose how much to spend on her own personal style. Shouldn’t we celebrate personal style at any size?

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