Friday Fashion | Valentina Expressions

The Language of Handbags

04 May 2024 12 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #Fashion, #HandbagDosandDon't, #HandbagsLanguage, #HandbagsTalk, #QueenLanguageOfHandbags, accessories, bags, Fashion, handbags, Style

Every woman carries handbags of all shapes colours and sizes, we collect them in the latest style or proudly wear vintage pieces, but does every woman know the language of handbags or their functions?

Every few hours of the passing day requires a certain size of a handbag. The large bags are appropriate for mornings, inside of which anything can be added for every need of the day; the medium sizes are for the afternoons and the smaller bags are for the evenings’ affairs. An evening bag might be added inside the daytime bag for convenience ready to come out at night together with an elegant pair of shoes.

In today’s time is no longer necessary to match the colour of shoes to the colour of handbags, unless one has an invitation to dine with the nobles and the upper class. Today we feel free to combine colours and styles interchangeably with shoes and bags and make creative combinations with the two items. Colours and texture determine the time of the day and the seasonality of a handbag. A yellow handbag is great for daytime but not for an evening event. A black leather handbag is perfect for winter but not for a hot summer.

Like garments, a handbag can embellish or break the body and the whole look. If you are a petite woman avoid carrying large bags, but if you are a tall woman don’t carry the smaller bags, it’s all about the body’s proportion and harmony. The shape of the body also comes into play when choosing a handbag. If your body is sinuous and curvy, choose square and rectangular handbags and vice-versa.

Does the hardware of a handbag matter in the making of your body’s architecture? Does it go with the colouring of the outfit and jewellery? Let’s look at a building designed in classic architecture. We will see a line of rounded top windows on one row and the triangle top windows on another row, then we see repetitions in the same order as musical notes in a refrain. If the hardware of the main door is brass, all the hardware of doors and windows will be brass. There will be people who argue that rules are made to be broken, I agree with that for certain things. However, if harmony in our look is what we want to achieve, those details that make us feel good and make others feel at ease when they look at us, following some basic rules is the way to do it, everything else is fantasy.

Portable bag hooks are a good solution to keep the handbag off the floor when in public places, a pochette or a clutch can always be placed on the lap or in a little space between the butt and the back of the chair.

I found it fascinating how the longest-reigned Queen Elizabeth II spoke with signals using her handbags.
I saw a documentary about her interesting language. The Queen shifting her handbag from hand to hand meant she was finished with the discussion and her aide’s job was to rescue her out of that situation promptly. If Her Majesty placed the bag on the floor, it meant she was not enjoying the chat with the interlocutor, the lady in waiting had to intervene. A handbag placed on the dinner table was a sign that the dinner had to finish in the next five minutes. How an elegant way to say to people “I have had enough of you”!

The handbags featured here are all custom-made by me and sold in my Etsy shop. https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

They are made of various materials: macrame’, metallic fabric cloth, metallic string, worsted cotton and much more. The language they speak is the language you attribute to them. Ciao,

Valentina

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

What Did She Teach Us?

04 Mar 2024 3 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #Fashion, #FashionExpressions, #IrisApfel, #IrisApfelFashion, #RedAVoyageIntoColorSecondEdition, dress, Fashion, fashion-design, lifestyle, Style

Fashion’s grande dame, Iris Apfel, known for her sheer brilliance in dressing up, left this world (Aug.29, 1921 – March 1, 2024). She has been called “The Queen of Queens”, The Maverick of Style”, “The Fashion Bird” you name it and all meant she was unapologetic about her fashion expressions. She was a purist of original style and didn’t care to follow trends as she trusted her own taste in clothes.
She combined new with vintage, modern with eclectic style and flea market finds, she had no limit to her fantasy. The most extravagant expression of her dressing up was the jewellery. She knew how to combine bold pieces of jewellery, mixing textures and metals in such a way to always look elegant, full of fantasy, witty and never vulgar.
She was “The Interior Designer” of the White House for eight presidencies, then became a fashion designer and a senior model in her 80s. She has inspired women around the world who love to dress up every day and dare to be different.

In her words:
“When the fun goes out of dressing you might as well be dead.”
“More is more and less is a bore.”
“You don’t have to be beautiful to be stylish.”
“Dress the way you want to feel and not as you feel.”

I searched for a photo of her free of copyright without any results. We all know who she is, I don’t need to take someone else’s photo.

In her honour and the red flamboyant clothes she wore, I came up with this red outfit with a long fringe in the front to elongate my figure. I found it years ago in a fabric store, sold by the yard, I don’t know what it was used for, I bought it to wear on the waist to embellish skirts and pants. This time, I will wear it on the torso and I will go to an outing with friends at a Chinese tea house. I thought the Chinese-style ankle boots made of silk embroidered fabric are appropriate.

Never like today has been so important to get out of the flat massification and become thinking individuals. Thanks for your undiluted love of fashion, Iris, your grace and the inspiration will accompany me. Ciao,
Valentina

Spring Vibes

02 Apr 2023 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ColorEnergy, #Pink&Green, #SpringColors, #SpringVibes, #ValentinaBookOnColors

After the Equinox there is an update of the vital forces and a repositioning of all the elements that move nature. Around the equinox (aequi+nox-night) the sun shines directly on the equator and consequently day and night have an approximate length all over the Earth. Due to this new event, Spring is born, we must sing at a different tune and think a little more clearly.

Last year I discovered a felt artist who I invited to my show. I fell in love with the art of felting. Wet felting is an ancient method of fusing together silk and natural wool from which scarves, shawls, lightweight garments, and even jewellery can be made. The process requires the use of olive oil soap, warm water and the motion of the skilled artist’s hands that will produce original, delicate, one-of-a-kind creations. The application of heat, moisture and friction causes the wool to felt.

Nuno Felting or Laminated Felting is a more modern technique in fabric manipulation that produces highly textural textiles, lightweight, visually appealing and fun to wear, says Nadia Bevegni, felt artist.

I sent one of my tulip photos to the artist and she reproduced it onto a piece of silk. It was an easy process, at least it was for me, and we communicated well. I like it when that happens, people in the art business seem to be much more relaxed than in any other business.
I added to my collection of scarves a beautiful, warm piece made by a real human with her hands. Here are a few of her creations. Find the artist Nadia Bevegni here https://itfelt.wordpress.com/

Photos by Nadia Bevegni.

On this first day of April, open the door to new possibilities, colours and all the energy colours can bring.

In my book RED -A Voyage Into Colors, Second Edition one can find a variety of information on how colours affect us in life.

Ciao,
Valentina

My books on Amazon

Invoking The Sun

17 Mar 2023 6 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #GoldandYellow, #GoldAttitude, #GoldColor, #GoldEnergy, #GoldenFashion

California is known for the wonderful weather, sunny days, gentile winds accompany our working and relaxing days, everything I plant grows well, it feels like Spring most of the year. The mild climate provides different pleasures to different people. In an hour or two we can go from sunny beaches to skiing in the mountains, we can wear short sleeves in January, or a light weight jacket in December and never feel inadequate. I keep buying winter gloves I never wear.

Long time ago, I planted an orange tree right in front of my home office. It is such a pleasure to work with the window open and smell the sweet orange blossoms coming through the window, however, lately, this good weather doesn’t feel like paradise anymore. It has been raining heavy for four months straight, night and day, gusty winds have eradicated heavy trees from their habitats and often I thought the roof of my home was going to come off.

My only protection against the dark, grey and wet days are colors. I hate to think I am probably the only one wearing a lot of bright colors in the rain, but it just feels like the only colors I sees in the streets are grey and black, not even a colorful umbrella every once in a while.

Purple is not a color I wear often, however I adore wearing it with chartreuse and yellow. I think the combination is strong and vibrant. The flower is a semblance of an umbrella for a playful moment.

Why not adding a pair of funky shoes for an amusing look and brighten the day? Maybe dressing in a combination of gold and yellow will call the sun upon me again.

There are areas in this world where rain is part of the everyday life, I would not know how people deal with the rain six or more months out of the year. I was born on the water, under a sun, in a sunny country, without the sun my life would be very sad. I invoke and worship the sun everyday, when it’s not around, I surround myself with a colorful home and clothes. I might be the brightest person on the block, but I care for my wellbeing and believe me, I cheer up a lot of people anywhere I go. That’s my golden attitude, I do what I like and not what is dictated.

Looking forward to sunnier dry days and I strongly hope all these months of rain have not been a weather manipulation by the hands of some psychopath with extravagant ideas on how the world should be….. these days everything is possible. Ciao.

Valentina

My books on Amazon

Looking For Fashion Vibes

03 Mar 2023 6 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #CasualFashion, #Fashion, #PastelColors, #SpringFashion, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, #ValentinaCirasolaFashionDesigner

Roaming around one of the most fashionable zone in my area left me disappointed. After all the heavy rain, I was looking forward to seeing new Spring fashion and vibrant colors to give me fresh vibes, but I returned home empty hands. Shop windows showed no creativity in visual display and didn’t encourage me to go in and browse. The colors of the clothes hanging lifeless on mannequins were so drab, the shapes resembled pajamas or house robes and the style….what can I say….I would bury it at the bottom of the sea.

While I was walking in this fashionable area, I envisioned Via Condotti in Rome, or Via Montenapoleone in Milan. There, the streets of fashion are stylish, colorful and people dress as they are ready for a photo shoot in a fashion magazine. They stroll with poise and coquetry with the intent to be seen and be admired. A long trail of perfume follows them, they wear original jewelry and the well thought out outfits are the elements that makes each one of them unique. Italy is always Italy and will always be the top for fashion, perhaps I expect too much from other countries.

The fact remains that I have to make triple summer salt to find what I like. Boutiques, family-owned stores and various other stores, not just fashion stores are closing steadily since the economic recession in 2008, forcing everyone to buy online items poorly made in China that often don’t fit or are defected and have to be returned. In fact, the streets of every satellite town around the main cities in America are lined with nail salon, hair dressers, restaurants and bistros, nothing else. Perhaps, this is the government design…..

My day of window shopping or window licking as the French say it, was unfruitful. Looking for fashion vibes didn’t happen, I better continue making things the way I like. I returned home without any fashion items, but with a few pictures of the environment, flowers, food, architecture and curiosity. Give me your thoughts, please. Is it important to you get dressed everyday as it is for me or a simple sweatsuit will do? Ciao,

Valentina
My books on Amazon

Resurfacing In 2023

29 Jan 2023 10 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2023Numerology, #WhiteSweaters, #WinterWhite, #WinterWhiteColorScheme, #Year2023

It seems already long ago when we rolled into the new year. Usually, in December I leave everything I am doing to stay away from the internet and detox for a month. This time it took me longer as the last December’s energy in the Universe was so bad, I really didn’t want to be part of it. It was the first time in my life I did not celebrated Christmas and New Year, the food was ready and so was my beautifully decorated table, but the seasonal sickness hit me at that time made me not at all interested in the celebrations, although I tried.

Pope Benedict XVI passed away at Christmas Eve, leaving the world with the impostor Cardinal we have right now. One of my dear school friend also passed away on New Year’s Eve. The ugly news kept coming in December, I just couldn’t wait to go into another dimension full of colors and light.

I am just now resurfacing from my hibernation and it’s almost February. As I always say, January is a trial month, it doesn’t really count, at least for me. My new year is now full of colors as always, except for the white I have been wearing almost every day as a purification and cleansing.

My numerology coach says 2023 is the year of the skin, it means we must take care of our skin, choose a type of body detox to implement but also it means to hug people and become in contact with the skin of others. As we know lockdown put a great distance between people to the point that we use a fist or hit elbows as a salutation, hugs and kiss have disappeared from our daily socializing. Let’s return to be human again.

The number 7 is the karma’s number for 2023. This is the year of Neptune, the return of the warrior souls, it will be a year of sacrifice.

That’s the reason I chose to wear the color white for the whole month of January, it’s my way to detox from the accumulation of bold colors energy and outside influences. Colors, food detoxification, home purification and staying away from electromagnetism of electronic devices is my way to obey to certain laws that govern in the Cosmos.

These two pieces are my knitted creations available in my Etsy store. Although white is not my color, I can see the benefit of wearing it with some beige, gold and a bit of orange, all in a small quantity. The focus must be the white covering the body for purification.

This year, if you are a warrior and you want to be on top of what 2023 will do, save your soul by creating anything beautiful, anything that makes you happy, because the moment the opposite forces see your happiness doesn’t depend on what they do, their decline will start. Contrast negative forces by using colors, a lot of them and add love, which is never enough. Create, create, create.

“When there is no color, there is no energy and when there is no energy, there is no life” ~Caravaggio~ I totally agree, Ciao.

Valentina
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My books on Amazon

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

First Rain In Color

03 Nov 2022 7 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ColorfulAutumn, #RainandColors, #RainFashion, #RainSeason, #WhatToWearInTheRain

Yesterday, we had the first rain of the season and perhaps the last before a long time, it was a gift coming down from the sky. Here in California never rains, the sky is always flat blue and rarely has clouds. We have sun and soft wind, no seasons, it’s beautiful and boring at the same time, as a photographer would describe it. The soul needs a change of season to get rejuvenate and the body will respond better from summer to winter to new vibrations.

We bag for rain here, often I feel I want to do the rain dance, like Indians did. It was strange to see all that water released on our heads like a bomb. I watched it hypnotized for a while, the sound of the water hitting the ground was music. Finally my trees and plants are now clean of spider webs, they will grow more luxuriant, the air feels refreshed and maybe I will fall asleep with the sound of rain beating on the roof.

I had to get out just for the pleasure, I wanted to get wet and wear luminous colors. I don’t have to wear grey and dark colors just because the sky is grey. My raincoat is chartreuse green, I took out an apple green hat, a large hand painted scarf with all those colors mixed in the blue, a pair of jeans, a string of pearls and I was ready to celebrate this bounty from the sky.
What colors will I wear in the next rain? Ciao,

Valentina
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My books on Amazon

Copyright © 2022 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

The 28 Of Every Month

29 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EnergyOf#28, #EnergyOfNumbers, #Number28, #NumbersandChakras, #Numerology

In numerology the number 28 represents the end and the beginning of a cycle, the moon’s cycles, the woman’s cycle, the cycle of life, the cycle of this earth. In ancient time the month was considered 28 days long and not 30 or 31 days. Through the sacred mathematic, human beings communicates with the universe, our numbers are embedded in our DNA, which has the frequency of Fibonacci sequence of numbers. Our DNA talks about sound, frequency and numbers related to the day we are born, even our name and last name have a vibration related to numbers that determine our life moves. The number 28 represents the Crown chakra (head).

The colors of the number 28 have everything to do with the hues and vibrations of the sun: gold, yellow, copper, orange. The number 28 is a very strong number because it represents the head, decision, ideas, goals and communicates with the solar plexus, where liver and gallbladder are located.

The addition of 2+8 = 10, the perfect number. If you are a 10 means you are excellent in everything you do. Do you remember the 1979 Film 10 with Bo Derek? She was perfect in her body measurements and she was beautiful. The title was not a casual choice, the producers must have known the importance of numerology.

Numbers are like a tailored dress, fit differently on each person. Let’s start a new cycle of life with a total positive attitude. Ciao.
Valentina
Fashion Services
My books on Amazon

Copyright © 2022 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Colors and the Moon Phases

28 Jul 2022 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ColorEnergy, #ColorTheory, #ColorVibrations, #MoonandColors, #MoonPhases, #WhiteandGoldColors

I talk a lot about colors, I wake up and see colors, I feel colors like no others, I live in colors and think in colors. I follow the moon phases and combine colors to them. We know the Moon affects everything on Earth, people, animals, cultivations, the movement of the waters, the shifting of the Earth and births.
The planets and their colors revolving around our birth moment determine our lives. Usually people don’t regards colors as something very important, not me.

This week we are under the influence of the Waning Crescent Moon. In this phase, the Moon is less than 50% illuminated. To get the light into our spirit and balance the darkness this kind of moon brings, I suggest wearing or be surrounded with something white and gold. I explain the reasons in my short video.

As I said the color white brings light and reflects light back. The color gold besides that shimmering infusion of wealth that makes us feel luxurious, is very beneficial to the solar plexus chakra (Manipura) located in the stomach area. That’s the area where all our feelings reside and where we manifest our dreams and goals. The Waning Crescent Moon will last this current week until the next phase when it will change to Waxing Crescent Moon, Aug.1.

Let’s find some inspiration for this week for white and gold. Ciao,
Valentina
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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 styles in their homes and with the clothes they wear. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Follow The Bee

28 Oct 2021 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BeeJewelry, #BlueandLight, #BlueEnergy, #BlueInspiration, #BlueJewelry, #BlueVibration

“If you follow the bee, you will find a new home” I heard it this week and I like it.
Lately, I have been following the blue color in all tints and tones. Perhaps, I am associating blue with a transformation that for me has been taking shape during the course of 3-4 years and it could last 300 years, I don’t know.
What I know is the energy and the fastest vibrations I feel from the blue colors help me overcome these hard times we are living.
I want my soul to be awake when something larger than life will hit us. The blue colors make me feel there is no separation between me as a human and nature. The high frequency of blue makes me see things clearly and doesn’t feed the dark entities. I want to stay connected with my soul, the galaxy of the universe above, and I want blue skies to be my roof.

“Follow the bee” might be a figure of speech, it might just mean I want to live in the high frequency of love, be focused on what I want and what makes me feel good: have fun, be happy in my colorful environment, eat real food, listen to elegant music, converse intelligently with a few good friends, paint art and avoid at all costs to let my fire go out.
Love and beauty multiply and will change my perspectives of the future.
Dark forces are dense energy and feed on violence, fear, envy, jealousy, hatred, resentment, and even junk foods.

“Follow the bee” might just mean to be part of the female colony who want to stay stylishly feminine, and want to take over the world lighthearted with love, art, dreams, and the perennial female energy that makes this world go around. Ciao.
Valentina
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