Valentina

Your Relationship With A Dining Room | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

17 Aug 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DiningArea, #DiningRoom, #ModernDiningConcept, #SpacePlanning, #TraditionalDiningRoom

I can’t remember when was last time I decorated or designed a dining room. In my parents’ home, Sunday family gathering was a big deal, therefore the dining room was used every lunch and dinner on Sunday, the rest of the week that room was kept in order. After I moved away, nothing was the same. I went to live in European countries where the life style was different from my Italian life style and Sunday dinners were not deemed that important. By the time I arrived in America, I had seen a revolution of customs to make my Sunday dinners affair a memory of an ancient past.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

©Valentina Cirasola – Photo taken in ZGallery

My youthful friends and clients in America, ate at restaurant often (still do), when they ate at home, sat with a tray of food in front of the TV in the media room, man cave (such an ugly definition) or in living/family room. Most of my clients had a traditional dining room at one point (still do), with a table and seating for eight people, a credenza, a china cabinet storing in plain view an array of tableware never used. Such room was mainly dedicated to Thanksgiving or Christmas and even then, often got invited to someone else’s home, leaving their dining room completely ignored for the entire year.

One might think this society has no social skills anymore and it is not so, at least not in most cases.

Parties or various home social gatherings still happen, not formal sitting down dinners anymore. The new point of mingling is the kitchen, the great room and the outdoor room. I have refreshed some of the existing formal dining rooms my clients had with new colors, accessories and artwork, and still remain unused, the formality of dinners is gone.

All the parties I have been invited to in the last twenty years have been always buffet style. My younger clients don’t even own a dining table.

At this point, I started to think maybe creating rooms without dedicated functions is a better solution.
A dining table can change function into a working table and it doesn’t need to be in a room called dining room. In the photo below, I placed this everyday function rustic dining table in the family room, nearby the kitchen, facing the open living room on the other side of the fireplace and near the game room on the left. The lower level of this house is one large space with multiple functions, one can even take an occasional nap in the large window nook of the living room with the fireplace on.

Today, people work anywhere. A rustic wood table with benches is a modern solution for dining and other functions, it can even turn into a table for business meeting if the office is in the home.

AliExpress.com

Except for kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, all the other rooms can have multiple functions. Single people without kids can get away with sleeping anywhere in the house/apartment. The attitude toward our private spaces has changed, no longer we need to give names to rooms by their functions. No longer we need to place rugs down to defining an area, or relegate artwork only to the best part of the house, we can now have artwork in kitchens and bathrooms. Colors flow not to divide the house in the red room, the blue room , the yellow room, but to unite the spaces and expand the views.

I have beautiful boudoir lamps, floor lamps and artwork, both in my kitchen and bathrooms. I don’t have a dining room, my gatherings with friends happen between the living area and the kitchen. We sit on the floor cushions when seats are not enough.

Large kitchens sell the house. The best way to get a return on investment is to eliminate the dining room completely and take that space to create a larger kitchen.
Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

In my 28th years of design business I am having more fun than ever, experience eliminates stress and dictates the pace of work. I am evolving in different directions while still helping people realizing their dream spaces in homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. Colors are the main focus of my business today, changing people’s energy and life force just by introducing them to colors they would have never imagined. I am on TV once a month, that is my own TV show produced under my label Valentina Design Universe, bringing fun topics to my audience.
Check out my books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Your Face Immortalized | Valentina Cirasola | Designer and Author

16 Aug 2018 2 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #iPhonePortraits, #ModernPortraits, #PortraitPhotography, #Selfies, #SittingPrettyTVShow, #ValentinaDesignUniverse

Shooting a portrait these days is so easy, especially doing selfies with iPhones. Knowing a few photography rules, everyone can turn a good photography product.
In most photographs the background is not so crucial as it is in a portrait. Doing a portrait photo session in a studio, might intimidate the subject looking at all the cameras, the lights and the equipments, but doing the portrait session in an open space where a field of greenery accentuate the skin and color of the subject, and the view leads the eyes in the background is a better solution. Depending on the goal the photographer wants to achieve, a portrait done against a beautiful colored building, or against something that creates a shadow behind the subject will add much more interest than a portrait taken in an empty field.

This is a bad portrait of me in Barcelona. I look as if I was leaning on one side and I was not. The background is too busy, the taxi car, the busyness of the Sagrada Familia construction, my hair, scarf and top matching the color of some parts of the building, all work against me, plus I was wearing dark sunglasses, no one can see my eyes.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

This is a better portrait of an Italian woman. She is smiling and we can see her dark eyes, however as soon as we look at her face, we are drawn immediately to her two balls necklace. The background tells us what she does in life, she is a shop keeper.

Clothes play a big role in a portrait. Wearing something cutting edge, might tells the viewers the subject is in the arts. Wearing something conservative, a suit or dark colors might be indicative the subject is a professional. If a portrait will be seen quite often, such as on dating sites or social sites, one might want to consider doing a new portrait every six month to keep the clothes look up to date with fashion and the face always new with a new hair style or color.

The man making mozzarella shows happiness for the piece he just created for me before my eyes. His face to me is very expressive and sincere. His eyes invite to smile.

The idea of a portrait is to let your character or quirkiness come out through the image that will immortalize your face, not to stand in the photo frame like you were doing a chore. The man above is doing just that. He likes to imitate statues and puppets in their poses, a quirkiness which lets him out of his serious profession for a few minutes. I immortalized him when he least expected.

To extract the best details of your personality, a good photographer should keep the subject distracted from the photo shoot with talks and laughs.

If you want to watch the episode Sitting Pretty in my TV series Valentina Design Universe, my guest, a renowned photographer will reveal some of his secrets on how to shoot a portrait.

Have fun immortalizing yourself and make some remarkable memories changing your face, your colors, your style. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

In my 28th years of design business I am having more fun than ever, experience eliminates stress and dictates the pace of work. I am evolving in different directions while still helping people realizing their dream spaces in homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. Colors are the main focus of my business today, changing people’s energy and life force just by introducing them to colors they would have never imagined. I am on TV once a month, that is my TV show produced under my label Valentina Design Universe, bringing fun topics to my audience.
Check out my books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Colors Around Food | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

07 Aug 2018 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ColorsandFood, #ReastaurantColors, #RestaurantDesigns, #ValentinaBookOnColors, #WallArt

Doing colors for a restaurant is not the same as doing colors for the home. A restaurant is a place people spend money to eat, want to be jovial, want to be treated right and feel good in the environment they are paying for.
Colors must be inviting, pleasant, easy on the eye and meet everybody’s taste. In the home we can get away with blue and grey, not in a restaurant, unless the décor of the restaurant is done purposely in high-tech, contemporary, with exposed steel beams, glass, then it calls for cool industrial colors. If that is the case, lighting will be extraordinary to counter balance the office-type colors.

If food is good but people leave reviews about the lack of ambience, most likely it has to do with colors and décor. It was the case of this restaurant. The owner painted walls/ceiling grey and black, added black tables and grey chairs thinking the modern, clean look, linear design would be suiting to people, but the space originally was not planned to be an industrial style. Apparently, their customers did not like it a bit, thus the owner called me, the Queen of colors, to find solutions for this place that looks more an office for geeks, than a restaurant.

The first thing I want to git rid of is the black fascia at the ceiling line, it makes the place really heavy like a hood. I substituted it with a view of a street lined up with restaurants scene. At least it is a colorful and happy scene, people sitting across from that wall, will have something interesting to look at, instead of a black wall.

Colors of the entire establishment will change to sunny colors. I think eating in a public place is an experience that engages all the senses, not just the papillæ buds. One wants to look at beautiful décor, soak in the ambience to feel relaxed, enjoy the fire if there is one, taste wines that will encourage conversation, be under a beautiful lighting that enhances the food and gives a glow to people’s faces. A successful restaurant must think of all these elements as one more thing to offer with good food. Why people would spend money to go out to eat, if the restaurant is less attractive than the ambience at home?

Below is the previous black wall, now decorated with a scene on panel printed digitally.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

This is the previous black wall and grey ceiling as it was.

These are the colors I have chosen, with other décor to beautify the place. The look I am trying to achieve is a shimmering effect of seeing and not seeing through mirrors and transparencies. I want mirrors on the walls with colorful mosaic frames. Illuminated glass turtle for a funky décor, will appear as if the turtles are walking the walls. Travertino stacked stones and glass blocks will decorate an area to hide workers in the kitchen. Wood panels (in my drawing) with mirror insets will divide a few areas in the dining room. The holes with the mirrors are large, medium, small for a playful game and will reflect various areas and not just faces.

The work will be done in stages, due to the foot traffic the restaurant has every day. I hope to see the work finished in no time. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola transforms and creates spaces realizing people’s dreams in homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. She infuses your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. Valentina is well-known for bringing originality on any project and for thinking outside the box. Her interiors are not made with cookie cutters, only follow client’s inspiration, lifestyle and personality. She offers on-line design consultations through Skype and the traditional in-house consultations, helping people with their design challenge anywhere in the world. She is the author of three books, all-available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

It Is Coming | Valentina Cirasola | Designer and Author

06 Aug 2018 2 Comments

by Valentina in Books Blog Tags: #BookRoadToTopOfTheWorld, #PugliaExperience, #PugliaFood, #PugliaHistory, #PugliaItaly, #TravelToPuglia, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor

I have stayed away from some of my activities, especially blogging, as you might have noticed my absence. For more than six months I have dealt with an ergonomic problem on my right hand caused by too much computer usage, but this downtime did not discourage me from continuing the most important things. Stubborn, disciplined, high tolerance for pain and goal-oriented, that’s what makes me.
Despite all pains and sometimes the impossibility to move my hand as I wanted, I went on anyway to write the fourth book I had planned for this year 2018.
The Road To Top Of The World is coming in September!

(Click on the photo to view it larger).

Book Reveal

I cannot call it a novel really, it is a book of short stories, a mixture of my memories of the region growing up there, my impressions of the new region of today, some history, use, customs, traditions, stories and experiences made with a group of Americans I took there with me.
So many things are locked up in my drawers of thoughts, it’s about time they all come out in some form of communication or another.

The region of Puglia exists at least since the 11th century, but now tourists of many nationalities are flocking to Puglia as if fresh water was discovered. Everyone wants to taste, feel and see the region. A couple of years ago, an Indian Maharajah got married in Puglia and brought 800+ people along from India.
For more than 10 years, Hollywood has found characteristic spots and special corners to film there many blockbuster movies.

Tourists used to land in Puglia only to take the ferry-boat to Greece and showed no interest to even spend a few days visiting, but now they land in Puglia, stay for a while and cry when they leave.

Even though I am an interior/fashion designer by trade, TV producer and author of three other books, I wanted to write outside my trade this time, for pure enjoyment and fun. Living in California didn’t make me forget who I am, what my roots are and what Puglia taught me in terms of values, traditions, and morals.

It all transpires from this book: The Road To Top Of The World.

The above picture is the draft of the book cover. It is a colorful book of 40 chapters corroborated by many colorful pictures in each chapter.
Stay tuned for the launch at the end of September 2018.

By the way, after many natural solutions and so much money later, I bent to my young doctor’s wish to shoot a bit of steroid into my right-hand tendons.
He revived my hand and made a new person out of me, reborn with more gumption. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com Copyright © 2018 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

As a writer and cultural promoter of Puglia, her native land, Valentina’s intention is to let readers feel and experience a new ”wheel of emotions”. She wants to encourage them to visit areas of Italy not beaten by massive tourism. Through stories of local customs, art, architecture, fashion, food-wines, shopping, she wants them to create their special adventures and live it up in Puglia!
Check out her books on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Do You Dress For Summer Heat Or Your Body? | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

14 Jul 2018 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #SummerClothes, #SummerColors, #SummerFashion, #SummerTunics, #TunicsAndHats

I don’t mind Summer, it is a cheerful season and one that gives the permission to be lazy. I just don’t like the heat. How can I have one without the other? Yes, I might lay in shady areas sipping cool drinks all day, or I can be at the beach all day, but how do I fit work and writing into this pleasant scene?
If it is not vacation time yet and must face the daily life in the summer heat, then consider wearing flowing clothes that will move the air around your body, but keep in mind the shape of your body and try not to dress for the heat. It is so easy to get into skimpy clothes when the weather erupts to indecent degree. Grazing vulgarity to fight the heat is unfortunately a scene I see in the streets often.

(Click on each photo to view it larger)

A few Summers ago, I discovered the comfort of tunics. They don’t cling to the body, they are ample enough to allow air to circulate around the body, they are versatile to cover a bikini or go to work wearing a pair of skinny pants. They come with colorful prints and solid colors, easy to wear in the city even with city shorts, Bermuda and Capri pants.

Most of my tunics have fringes or tassels, I love the rhythm they create when I walk. I try to find very long tunics to which I make various knots to create high and low lengths in places I think look better for my body.

The last touch to make a tunic a Summer striking piece: accessorize it with chunky jewelry, flat shoes, or chunky heels if wearing skinny pants, a striking pair of sunglasses and a hat. I wear large handbags all the time, however even a cute cutch will work or a shoulder strap sac.

It doesn’t take much to look good and smart, but you must know your body and know how to highlight beautiful features and hide the parts you don’t like. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion-Interior Designer and author, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. She is also a TV producer and host at KMVT15. The goal of her shows is to entertain, inspire and inform, while she is living her passion. Find Valentina Design Universe TV, here: https://goo.gl/2tbN3N
Get a copy of her books here:
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

A Good Interview In New York | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

11 Jul 2018 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AllBusinessMediaFM, #InternetRadio, #NewYorkRadioStation, #RadioInterview, #RickDelgado

The week starts with Monday and my week started with a good interview.
Star Host Rick Delgado interviewed me for a radio show in New York “The Professional’s Roundtable” at All Business Media FM.

(photo of Rick Delgado from http://www.AllBusinessMediaFM.com)

Rick Delgado interviewed some notables, just to name a few:
Steve Martin
Rhiana
Mayor Gavin Newsom (Mayor San Francisco, CA)
Adam Ferrara (Top Gear)
Barry Williams (Greg Brady/Brady Bunch)
Jim Breuer (Saturday Night Live)
Hall & Oates
Jon Stewart (The Daily Show)
Mario Cantone (Sex & the City/The View/Match Game)

And now should I consider myself one of them? Here is the link to my radio interview, if you would like to listen to:

http://allbusinessmediafm.com/archives/valentina-cirasola-07-02-18-interior-and-fashion-designer/

The interview was about my activity as a designer in both fields of home interior and fashion.
I guess, when they found me searching the internet, the duality of my business struck their attention, they might have thought it is not common to find a designer who comprises two activities under the same business. Actually, it is not that difficult.

Designing my way has only one verb in common: Build.
In designing a home, I take care of lines, shapes, forms and colors, just the same as designing a personal image with clothes. I build these elements adding harmony and balance to make an appealing result, which is easy on the eyes and favorable to each personality I worked for. Nothing to it, especially when I have done it for decades and I was exposed to style since a young age.

Interview here:
http://allbusinessmediafm.com/archives/valentina-cirasola-07-02-18-interior-and-fashion-designer/

I am very grateful All Business Media FM in New York found me and I am grateful for the honor to have been interviewed by Rick Delgado.
It was a great experience being on the air with him. Now, I just have to wait for some good results. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior and Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe. She blends fashion and interior business well in any of her design work. She loves to remodel homes and loves to create the unusual, as much as she likes to restyle people’s images. She is a story-teller and finds inspirations everywhere to write her stories. She needs your story to design your dream, whatever it might be. She is a public speaker, a mentor and author. Check out her books on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Dwellings Of The Myth | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

08 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #DwellingOfTheMythExhibition, #MateraItaly, #MateraSassi, #SculptorGirolamoCiulla, #TravelItaly

My trip in the South of Italy finished before I could visit the opening of “Dwellings Of The Myth” an historical personal contemporary art exhibition by the sculptor Girolamo Ciulla, a Sicilian artist transplanted in Tuscany. His art composed of travertine, bronze, iron, ceramic, wood and marble sculptures has been placed in the Sassi, caves of Matera, between rocks and ancient churches, in a mystical land, where earth’s vibrations are high and can be felt on the skin. This exhibition is a modern reinterpretation of classic divinities in the Mediterranean culture. He sees Demetra, a goddess of harvest with flowing hair and the Aurigae, the charioteer constellation as modern, poetic interpretation of today’s life.

I remember when going to Matera was almost an impossible task on impervious winding roads, especially in the winter with snow on the ground. People who didn’t own a car, couldn’t even find a convenient train to reach the town. Usually, in the largest cities nearby, private car owners organized themselves as taxi services, collected people at a conventional corner, that they established as their stop and took people to Matera back and forth.

(Click on each photo to view it larger)

Today, Matera is a modern town, bustling with new ideas, energized by Hollywood producers who chose this site to film many famous productions, the European commission has declared the town the European cultural centre for 2019, and despite the rolling events and happenings, Matera so far has managed to preserve the ancient look of that town I used to know.

(Photo: Girolamo Ciulla – http://www.sassilive.it)

Sculptor Girolamo Ciulla has dedicated a stone to Matera as a symbol of distance between his native town of Caltanissetta, Sicily and Matera. In his imagination distances do not keep people apart but make them closer. Girolamo Ciulla’s exhibition will be open until October 14, 2018 and I missed it. I am wondering, other than local Italians, how many travelers will visit the Sassi just to enjoy this exhibition.

Photos Source: https://www.arte.go.it)

Girolamo Ciulla Book – Dimore del mito – Euro 23.75

In my mind, there are two kinds of people trotting the world: the tourist and the traveler.
The tourist roams aimlessly the streets of foreign countries, takes meaningless pictures and eats tourist food. The traveler wants to learn, enquires, listens to local sounds, appreciates local folklore, ventures in unusual places, tries out new things, writes notes, talks to people and eats local food.

Next year will be fun to be in Matera again, a lot will happen due to nomination of the town as cultural centre for 2019, and I want to be part of that fun. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinaexpressions.com/trips-to-puglia-2

As a writer and cultural promoter of Puglia, her native land, Valentina’s intention is to let readers feel and experience a new ”wheel of emotions”. She wants to encourage them to visit areas of Italy not beaten by massive tourism. Through stories of local customs, art, architecture, fashion, food-wines, shopping, she wants them to create their special adventures and live it up in Puglia! Check out her books on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Oversize It | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

02 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecoratingTips, #OversizeCoffeeTable, #OversizeFurniture, #SeatingArrangement, #SmallSpaces

I want it big, I want it large, I want it to fit even a small hole, I want it sturdy and comfortable.
I want an oversized coffee table to place books and interesting decorations, food and drinks, put up my feet up to listen to music or have a business meeting around it. What were you thinking I was referring to? Although….that thought was nice too…

In a client’s home, I have used a Gwendolyn table from Living Space, as large as the three-seat sofa leather they have. It looks great.

It is a myth that a coffee table, which sits in the middle of a conversation area must be small and not overpowering the furniture. I am glad today we have the freedom to choose how we want to decorate a room and there are almost no rules to follow. A large table covering the length of a sofa or just about will make the room appear larger, whereas a small table will make the room and the seating arrangement look a bit skimpy. I don’t like to see the small tables side by side or two small ceramic Oriental cylinder in front of the sofa, I like to see an oversize table, something that can store more seating underneath, and can serve everyone sitting around.

I also got this coffee table for a client, who often has more people the house can handle, it provides extra leather seats, which are stored under the glass tabletop when not in use.

coffee table with stools chairs

Selecting large furniture for a small room, makes the space look better and reduces the amount of odd, small little things that inevitably crowd the space. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

It’s my hope that through my writing and my stories I am enriching your aesthetic sensibility towards design, style and inspiring you to live in beauty. I have loved my profession as an interior-fashion designer since 1990.
I am here ready to offer consultations on-line if you need it. Check out my latest book on the subject of colors ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

The Art Of Mixing and Matching | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

22 Jun 2018 10 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #HowToCombineColors, #HowToMixMatchClothes, #RedFashion, #RedOutfits, TheArtOfMixingClothes

Welcome to my Friday episode of fashion.
Have you found yourself in the situation of looking at your closet full of clothes and saying you have nothing to wear? It’s a common problem most women have.
The reasons for that are attributed to price of clothes being too affordable, discounts, special offers for any kind of holiday and buying on impulse.

To control a wardrobe is easier than you think.
1. Buy only the clothes you need.
2. Buy only items that look good on you for your shape and complexion.
3. Buy mostly solid colors and only a few items with prints.
4. Buy items that are easy to mix and match with other items in your closet.

If you master this concept, it will be so much easier to get dressed in the morning even if it is dark.

(Click on each photo to view it larger)

This red and ochre combination is easy on the eye, but vibrant for any season. The 3/4 sleeves red top is light enough for Spring, Summer and Fall. The animal print bag is red on the other side and adds a rhythm to the ensemble. With that large buckle on the bag, I would go with a golden pair of shoes and golden tone accessories.

Make it a summer combination:
change the ochre color pants for a white pants, white sandals, white sunglasses and a red hat.
Take away the birds Salvatore Ferragamo’s scarf and substitute it for a knitted net shawl like this one from Free People.

Tracy Radcliff Dreamcatcher Shawl at Free People Clothing Boutique

Make it a winter combination:
Leaving the red top and animal print bag, change the pants to a darker color, black, brown, grey or even red, wear shoes the same colors of the pants, it will visually elongate your legs, or ankle boots, add a waist length jacket with gold buttons and a red fedora hat, why not?
You will be ready, in a smart winter outfit, to go from work, to happy hours or to a restaurant.

Mixing and Matching is an art that will save you money and will always give you a smart glow.

You have looked at your clothes for a long time, a fresh eye will see different things than you do.
I am here ready to help. Ciao,
Valentina

https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Summer Fashion Findings | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

15 Jun 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EcoFriendlyFashionDesign, #NaturalFibers, #OrangeFashion, #SummerFashion, #SustainableFashion

Last month, I was in Europe trotting on the Côte d’Azur, soaking the fizzy air, the weather was not too hot, pleasantly ventilated and the crowd of tourists was limited. My goal was not to spend time at the beach, I have done that, only walking on cobblestones of small villages, talking to people, discovering things, curiosities and food.

In a hole in the wall, as a figure of speech, I found a small artisanal shop of sustainable fashion products. Everything in there was hand-made or ecologically made, natural dyes, natural fibers and no animal products, such as leather or furs.

These items in various shades of orange attracted my attention. I happened to have an orange pair of mirrored glasses on me, the rest was easy.

Hand embroidered and hand painted tunic, with a salmon orange hat and a papaya bag. It looks so fantastic when I wear it all together.

This barrel, multicolored bag really got my attention. I was asking myself what is it? Is it a bucket, a tube, or a beach thing? Well… I got it because it is hard to tell and I wanted to puzzle people.

Often, it doesn’t take much money to build a nice wardrobe. It’s important to understand the function of each piece, if shapes and colors look good with your complexion and if the new items can be paired with everything already existing in the closet.

Elegant people, stores and yachts fill the Rivera. I could have come away with a handsome yacht owner, instead I came away with a pair of blue velvet Karl Lagerfeld pantoufles, call them sneakers if you would, but not on the Riviera. Two huge rhinestone buckles look as if they could illuminate an entire city. In addition they were discounted 50%, a real snip, if it happens on the French Riviera!
Never use the word “cheap”.

Have you found anything special this Summer?
If you want to rethink your personal image, I am here, prompt and ready to assist you. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books.
Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w