Friday Fashion | Valentina Expressions

Your Aura Color | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

07 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #PinkGreenAccessories, #PinkGreenCombination, #PinkGreenFashion, #PinkGreenVibration, #PinLacyPoncho.

Welcome to my Fashion Friday.
One of my most liked fashion colors combination has been apple green with soft pink. Pink exudes feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth and self-love. Wearing pink presents a person as peaceful and not threatening. The softer shades of pink are very feminine and give out a youthful look. Of course, with this combination in the photo, I wore a piece of jewelry in a darker shade of pink to create a feeling of order and protection from hostility. That’s what dark pink does, protects the wearer from provocations. Pink lacy poncho is my crochet creation. https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

If pink has a suiting effect on our behavior, green is the safe color. Green has the powerful energies of nature. It symbolizes fertility, growth and life. Egyptians wore green eyeliner, as green was considered the eyes’ healing color. The energy of green is all about the ability of sustaining changes and the freedom to pursue new ideas. I am in constant evolution, new ideas, whether possible or not fill my days, the important thing is to have them. That’s the reason I wear green often.

Both colors are very friendly and easy on the eyes of the viewers. If your natural color, texture, and skin’s appearance allows it, please wear the apple green and pink combination, you will see a change of attitude to positivity.

Everyone has a personality color. It is that particular color, which excites you when you see it and it is not the color you wear as a habit.
It is, in fact, your aura color.

If you believe in the power of gemstones, carry or spread around the home and office:
Pink gemstones to promote love, order and protection.
(Photo Pink tumbled Mangano Kalcit – Peru http://www.stengarden.com/stenar/trumladstenar/mangano-kalcit-trumlad.html)

Green gemstones to promote wealth, growth and balance.
(Photo Green – Amazonite – Russia https://crystal-cure.com/amazonite.html).

Are you debating which is the best color for you? I am here, take advantage of my online color and fashion consultations. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer working in the USA and Europe since 1990, specializing in interior and exterior, color analysis, kitchen, bath, wine cellar, and outdoor kitchen designs. Often people describe her as “the colorist” as she loves to color her clients’ world and loves to create the unusual. “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also was seen on RAI – Italian National TV and has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Author of three published books, the latest ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors is on the subject of colors.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Summer Of Love | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

16 Jun 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #1960Exhibition, #1960SummerOfLove, #CountercultureMovement, #DeYoungMuseum, #HippiesFashion, #SanFrancisco1960s, #SummerOfLove

Welcome to another episode of Friday Fashion. This is a trip in the ’60s era and what a trip it it.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

“Turn on, tune in, drop out” a famous counterculture-era phrase popularized by Timothy Leary in 1966. He spoke at the Human Be-In, a gathering of 30,000 hippies in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco where he pronounced the famous phrase. In his album with the same title Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out, recorded in 1966, we can hear his views about the world, humanity, nature, about adopting native American Indian symbolism, the meaning of inner life, the LSD experience, about keeping peace and many other issues, which afflicted youth.

And that was the atmosphere of the ‘60s, a “trip without a ticket”. The counterculture movement led by artists, poets, writers, musicians, designers and performers was an expression of arts as much as it was a political movement. San Francisco, Haight-Ashbury district became the center of the hippie’s movement. In 1967, The Summer Of Love event attracted as many as 100,000 young people from all over the country, protesting against political and social issues, the Vietnam war, social injustice and challenged the mainstream American society.

Making colorful posters with “trippy” graphics and bold colors became one of the arts of the counterculture movement in the ‘60s. Music events, gatherings, life expressions, drugs, fashion, free love, everything was publicized with posters attached from wall to ceiling in stores frequented by attentive hip crowds. DeYoung Museum did the same in this exhibition and dedicated a couple of large rooms to posters.

In these rooms one feels the commotion and confusion of the era. The baby boomers visiting the exhibition relived the decade as it was yesterday. I could hear some people singing along or repeating famous phrases pronounced in video clips of the era. “Sitting On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding resonated throughout a few rooms and a few people danced to that tune. The psychedelic room was a “trip”. Bean bags on the floor invited to lay down and listen to music, relax and relive the Summer Of Love in full colors.

Say it with a button, or better attach as many buttons as you like on your clothes and pass on the message. Political buttons personalized the clothes of The Summer Of Love to let the bourgeoisie know how the youth felt about things they rejected and were no longer valid for that generation of the ‘60s. Messages on the buttons using satire, criticism and emphasizing the “good effect” of drugs were very clear.

(“Big Smith” jacket, circa 1970 by Jean Stewart)

Many of the youth of the ‘60s suffered confusion, anxieties and panic attacks. Psychiatric wards saw an increased in young adults hospitalized for a “bad trip” as it was described. To cure and to keep such patients distracted from their confusion, hospitals involve them in the making of elaborated embroidered hospital scrubs. This one below is a beautiful example of the intricate work done by hospitalized youth.

(Hospital scrub – Circa 1968 – Cotton plain weave with cotton embroidery from the collection of Arthur Leeper and Cynthia Shaver).

Fashion too marked the era. It was a non-conventional fashion, extravagant, colorful, geometric and free-flowing, aiming to liberate women from constriction of corsets and girdles of the previous decades. Many designers took inspiration from Bohemian life, native American Indian style and various ethnicities, adding denim to all the new natural fabrics ever used before. Denim represented the working-class fabric, it was durable, affordable and it meant rejection from the middle-class upbringing, thus denim mania became the counterculture look.

Crochet clothes returned strong from the past. Both women and men wore lace, appliquéd fabric, embroiders, fringes, tie-dye, silk screened clothes, hand painted shoes, colors and crochet garments became unisex, corroborated by button pins with messages mocking society. Everything and anything was fashionable as long as it was colorful.

(All work of art displayed are from the permanent collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco).

Not only in San Francisco. Youth of the ‘60s took upon themselves the counterculture revolution to change and transform societies all over the western world. A lot of the policies of today would have been unimaginable without the ‘60s visionaries.

(All photos taken in the De Young Museum by ©Valentina Cirasola).

However, almost sixty years later, all is to be questioned again. The kids and grandkids of that generation are still seeing wars, hatred and politicians making personal profits from their positions at the expense of people who work for the nations. Natural food so much wanted by that generation is almost inexistent, diseases related to artificial food are rampant, social injustice is still here and fashion…..well, there is nothing new, doesn’t teach individuality and it is not making any statement.

The Summer Of Love exhibition at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco is well researched and worth the visit. It is an inspiration for the youth of today. It will be open until Aug.20, 2017 and if you are in the area, don’t miss it. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

I am Valentina, a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style has surrounded me since the very beginning of my life. My many years of experience in design business led me to offer consultations in both fashion and interiors, so much so that I can remodel homes as well as personal images. I am passionate about colors and I encourage my clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. I am the author of three books, one of which is a book on color theory: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Balayage And Ombre Hair | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

28 May 2017 8 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BalayageAndOmbre, #BalayageHairColoring, #FashionableHairColoring, #HairFashion, #PurpleAndGrayHairColoring

Look out for new words in hair styling!
Ombre is a style, it’s a transition of a lighter shade from a darker shade. Balayage is technique. It come from the French word “to sweep”. With this technique dark pieces of hair are left at the bottom to create dimension and a natural sun-kissed look. Both hair colorings are variegated, extravagant, luminous and an ensemble of colors never done before. It seems one color is no longer accepted. Hair stylists are getting creative combining many colors in one hair do.

Have I ever had the urge to dye my hair purple? Yes, many times and I refrained each time from doing it. I am afraid of the level of chemicals that will go in my hair and not only that, something else prevented me from doing it: matching clothes in all the colors I like to a dual or multiple hair coloring would be a real challenge. I would feel locked in a few clothes color solutions and no longer free to do as I please.

Before your hair go under a major color restyle, think about a few issues. You chose an extravagant, modern hair color, let’s say purple and silver.
Will it suit your skin coloration?
With the new hair color, how many colors must you eliminate from your wardrobe?
Is it worth to redo your wardrobe (unless your clothes are outdated) just because your new hair color doesn’t match anything you have?

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

While I am writing this post, I am looking at this ensemble of flowers left casually on the table waiting to do something with it and I am noticing the colors are very similar to a Balayage Hair Coloring, composed of purple and silver-gray (shown in my board). Hair colored this way is very attractive, but the combination of purple and gray will add years to your face, unless you wear the right color clothes. The usual black will look good, however do you want to wear only black for the duration of your dual coloring, when there are so many luminous colors to choose from? In my palette, I selected colors that will play a lively game with clothes and the gray in the dual colored hair, especially if your eyes are blue.

(Photo in my board of purple and gray hair found on http://www.haircolorsideas.com/bright-hair-colors/purple-hair/silver-purple-ombre/attachment/silver-to-purple-ombre)

Use colors to your advantage, even grays are elegant when played out right and mixed with the right colors. 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
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Report In Summer Colors | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

19 May 2017 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2017SummerColors, #2017SummerPantoneColors, #HowToWearYellow, #SummerBrightColors, #SummerFashion, #YellowClothes

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.
Which of the 2017 Pantone colors do you like to wear this summer? Primrose Yellow, Pink Yarrow, Flame, Lapis Blue or Hazelnut? These bright and bold colors will completely put you in a bright light and finally leave out the winter hibernation behind.

Soft colors, neutrals and dusty colors, Bohemian patterns and crochet garments paraded on all runways this year. It was all about the ‘70s revisited and how to wear old ideas, such as bell bottom pants in a new way. Crochet is in the spot light this year, as the new texture and even though it is an ancient art, only a few people today know how to master it. New crochet garments are versatile, feminine, wearable for many occasions, romantic and chic, as they soften the look and hide parts of the body we don’t want to show. I particularly have become attached to dusters and shoulder wraps and I have made a big production for my online Etsy store, all sold out. https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

Colors speak about you. Let’s say you create an outfit with Lapis Blue, Primrose Yellow and Hazelnut, what do these colors say about you?
Lapis Blue is linked with positivity, calmness, loyalty and peace, indicates that you’re a trustworthy person.
Primrose Yellow is a sunny, energetic, vibrant and happy color. Not many people feel confident in yellow. I heard a few people saying yellow makes the face look like yellow jaundice. Yellow tells others that you’re confident and like to receive attention. It’s very welcoming.
Tan – show that you’re down to earth, as all the variations of brown do. It tells you are emotionally stable, grounded, dependable, trustworthy and honest.

Here is my composition of an outfit you can wear this summer using these colors. Basically, I am suggesting a couple of ways to wear this outfit and a great way to cut the clutter in the wardrobe. With one beige pants, you can wear the tank top belted or not, or in alternative with a dressier shirt. Dress the outfit up or down with peep toe shoe or loafer, with or without the crochet jacket, or a longer crochet duster. The blue bag matches the blue jewelry.
This ensemble is perfect for work or for a day of shopping. (Click on the photo to view it larger).

Find all these items in my list of sources.
Summer Crochet Jacket by Valentina – https://goo.gl/y6ziWJ
Tapered Pants – Ann Kein $79
Yellow Tank at https://www.shirtspace.com
Blue Asymmetrical Jewelry – Etsy Daniela Palatnik
Blue Belt – https://www.alwaysstyle4you.com
Peep Toe Shoes – Kate Spade $298
Yellow top with volantes – http://www.debenhams.com
Blue Bag – Chloé Marcie Bag
Bohemian Belt by Valentina – https://goo.gl/OVioGh
Yellow Loafer – Aerosole DSW $60

Look sharp even when is hot, but keep in mind your skin tone. If your hair is brown, dark brown, or red and your skin has a warm tone, choose all the warm colors including red, yellow and orange. If your hair is blonde, black, or ash and your skin is light, or pinkish, choose al the cool tone colors including blue, green and purple. Look sharp even when is hot. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Go With The Flow | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

12 May 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ConvertedScarf, #HowToWearLargeScarf, #HowToWearPonchos, #SummerClothes, #SummerFlowingClothes, #SummerPoncho

Welcome to a spring episode of my Friday Fashion.
Spring is here with fizzy air, cool winds, fun colors, flowing skirts. That desire of leaving behind the heavy bulky winter clothes and slip in something light, breezy is growing. Soon, even Summer will arrive and we need to prepare for the heat. I am dreaming of tropical beaches, my naked feet being massaged in a white sand like sugar and blue waters giving me a sense of calmness. (Click on each photo to view it larger).

Getting dressed, even for hot days, is a form of art that requires talent, skills, discipline and practice.
Spring and Summer are the season that encourage people to get sloppy and loose in the appearance, almost like saying “it’s hot I don’t want to dress”. Going in flip-flops everywhere is not going to help a personal image nor raise a personal a self-esteem, just saying….
Explore some creative ideas of getting dressed in these warm seasons in your special way that is different than others. Make a collage with your clothes and sculpt your image.

(Let it loose poncho style)

I want my clothes for spring and summer to give me a sensual benefit of these two seasons and have a few practical functions as well:

I don’t want the clinging effect to my body;
I want them to be loose and flowing without making me appear boxy;
I want them stylish and versatile;
I prefer breathable, natural fabrics over polyester or synthetics.

(Tie it in the back)

(Tie it in the front)

I purchased a variety of convertible scarves with arm holes, which become ponchos, regular scarves, shoulder wraps and bikini covers. I can wear them in many ways as shown in my photos, loose, tied in the front , tied behind and even as short dresses.

(Let it loose as dress or blouson and wear it with leggings)

Above here is another examples of a converted scarf with arm holes, from Monroe & Main and how they suggest wearing it. It becomes a great shoulder wrap for any occasion.

Winter will look very colorful wrapped in these converted scarves under a coat. Try them, they are a pleasure to wear, especially when the wind blows.
Go with the flow. 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
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Colors Matter | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

07 Apr 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BlueandCharteuse, #BoldFashion, #CasualFashion, #ColorTalk, #DressWithChartreuse, #HowToCombineChartreuse

Welcome to a Friday Fashion episode.

The question is always: black clothes or color clothes? The answer for me is always color clothes and I will never stop saying this, people wearing black, to my eyes, look as if they are mourning their life.

The youth of today prefers black as the uniform of the century and they wear it 24/7. The youth of today want to fit in the crowd and don’t much care to be original. The youth of today follows a current common to all and want to be approved by their peers who all wear the same style and the same colors, black, grey and beige.

Then, there is the crowd of adults who falls in the same category of the “army of people dressed in black” as I call them. They think black is elegant, easy to wear and slimming.
True, black is elegant, especially for evening events and glitz, in the day light it take energy away.
True, black is easy to wear, because it doesn’t need any thinking or artistic skills to match it with something else and more black items. It’s also easy to wear because it doesn’t show any dirt….
As far as slimming….. it will work if you believe it …. Black doesn’t receive or reflect light, thus a large person dressed in black looks like a dark large box. (Click on each photo to view it larger).

In my life, I never wanted to fit in. I dress in all colors, I put on what I like and looks good on me, regardless of fashion rules of the moment. I don’t paste myself with well-known signatures to feel important or rich. My everyday clothes are colorful, smart and stylish, enough to push two guys working in a grocery store to talk about my colors for an unusual long time, even disregarding the line building up behind me. One was a cashier, the other one helped bagging the grocery.

They were dressed in black, both had faces decorated with rings and tattoo covering arms and necks. They smiled and greeted me, I smiled back. They looked and kept looking, I smiled and kept smiling.
Then the cashier guy unexpectedly bursted in compliments. It seemed everything on me had caught their attention. They described my blue sunglasses (from Sorrento, Italy) like a blue sky on my face. They couldn’t believe such bright green apple pants combined with the night blue crocheted sweater was matching so well. It was almost like going through an x-ray machine, they scanned everything I had on and declared I was the best dressed woman passing in front of their eyes that day.
I thought I was only dressed casually for grocery, what would they say if they seen me really dressed for an occasion….

The conversation evolved from my colorful fashion to my colorful food and what I was going to cook with the items I bought. The guys were truly surprised that I had crocheted my sweater and I could cook as well.
Well, I will leave this last issue to a different post on Lost Art.

Front side – https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

Back side – https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

This only tells me one think: if these guys see an army of people dressed in black, gray and beige, day in and day out, what is there to be excited? The same would be in offices, in the street and any other place. Then, someone trots along with color energy, suddenly people smile, feel happy and inclined to start a friendly conversation. It means colors open people’s eyes wide and wake them up from the sedated colors they see every day.

Fashion should be fun and invigorating, it should give us confidence to express ourselves, it should make people smile and wanting to admire us.
Be a leader with a contagious personality. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

I am Valentina, a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style has surrounded me since the beginning of my life. My many years of experience in design business led me to offer consultations in both fashion and interiors, so much so that I can remodel homes as well as personal images. I am passionate about colors and I encourage my clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. I am the author of three books, one of which is a book on color theory: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

A Good Match | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

27 Feb 2017 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2017Greenery, #ColorComboWithGreen, #Greenery, #https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/a-good-match/, #Pantone2017Colors, #PantoneGreenery, #WordPressPhotChallengeAGoodMatch

The color of this year is Greenery, says Pantone, Institute of Colors.
Greenery includes green foliage, vegetation, undergrowth, underbrush, plant life, flora, herbs and green vegetables. Often people associate colors with holidays. It’s OK to wear green for St. Patrick’s Day, but not any other time, many people think this way. The other day, I heard a friend saying she would feel a potted plant if she wore green. OK, green is not her color and many feel the same. It’s hard to dispel this myth, when it is inculcated in people’s mind that green clashes with their skin tone, corroborated by expressions such as “green with envy”- all these beliefs contribute to keep green color away from the wardrobe. Green is a good match to many colors and I will prove it.

First, I suggest not to wear green around the face if it feels that uncomfortable, wear it at the bottom or as accessories.
Second, mixing colors is an art and a fun art. If you really want to mix your own green and create original combinations, just remember that green is a secondary color made with blue and yellow. By introducing some yellow into green, the result is avocado and by adding more of the blue to the yellow the result is turquoise. Avocado and turquoise are good match with silver, cream, gold, black, brown and even rust.

I have composed two combinations, one for spring-summer and one for fall season. Both combinations are easy to wear, casual-elegant and classy, perfect to leisure around or for work.
Don’t tell me green is a difficult color, these are a good match anyone can wear.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

Spring-Summer: Turquoise – Avocado – Beige

In the above composition:
Turquoise Shirt – Reborn Collection Green Garden
Avocado Pants – Paul Smith Green Avocado Cotton Blend Pants
Avocado Bag – http://www.poshmark.com
Wedge Sandals – Badgley Mischka Women Cashet-Ii
Suede Wedges – Soludos – Saks Fifth Avenue

Fall: Green – Rust – Brown

In the above composition:
Moto Jacket by Veronica Beard – https://www.veronicabeard.com/stevie-fringe-moto-jacket.html
Knit cardigan by ModCloth – https://www.modcloth.com
H&M Suede Dark Green Pants
Leopard Scarf – http://www.scarfand.com/scarfands-crinkled-leopard-infinity-scarf/?gclid=CKic2MqeqtICFYhsfgodmNg
Shoes by Monroe&Main – Heelcap Oxford
Dolce&Gabbana Animal Print Bag – http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp

Still afraid of green? Don’t be, I am here to convince you of the contrary. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Walking Fashionable | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

17 Feb 2017 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #CaliforniaFashion, #DonalJPlinerShoes, #ElegantMenShoes, #ManFashion, #ManShoes

Welcome to my Fashion Friday episode.
My parents and their siblings were in their late teens when WWII broke out. After the liberation by the hands of American troupes, the entire Europe fell in love with everything American, products, fashion, cars, food and English language took over the world. Roll time forward, Italy, many years later, there I was watching American films with my fashionable aunts who, like everybody else in Italy, loved Hollywood. (Click on each photo to view it larger).

We admired the class of American actresses, dressed impeccably, hats & gloves, their hair always in place, nails always painted red and that infamous cigarette holder forever between their red lips. They exploded elegance with body language, through their clothes and in the expressions they used. Never, I heard blasphemy and vulgar words out of their mouth. The actors were not far behind, charming in their manners and so well-groomed. I believe, back then, people centered life around looking perfect in every moment of the day; even homes showed in films, often set in California, were so elegantly decorated.

Roll time again, forward it many more years later, I moved from Italy, now living in California. I came here and didn’t find all that elegance I saw in American films. California is still under the influence of hippies and bohemian free people, casual is the style. There is nothing wrong with casual, but when being casual borders untidiness, then it’s a different story, we can call it slovenly, or lack of self-respect. At times, I feel people go out in their pajamas and don’t even bother to wash or dress. Californians live in flip-flops and sweat suits every day. Stores sell cheap merchandise with high price, fashion choices are awful for both men and women.

Hollywood today,…..well…. it is not an exemplary place, it’s only a platform for venom and vulgarity.

One day, I was walking in a posh area, elegant stores all around and very casual people walking in the streets. Something caught my eyes. Returned on my steps and saw original men shoes artistically displayed in the window. It was the store of Donald J. Pliner. I asked a woman working there, if she knew who is the typical client buying these shoes. She couldn’t say, probably thought I was a weirdo. I asked for permission to take photos and left, irritated by her lack of interest.

(Photos taken inside the store Donald J. Pliner -https://www.donaldjpliner.com)

Shoes tell a lot about us. It’s encouraging to know someone still cares for personal image. I like to understand where are the men wearing these shoes, because out there, feet are wrapped in UGLY.
Thank you Donald J. Pliner for designing for men who care to look good for themselves first. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

I am Valentina, a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style has surrounded me since the very beginning of my life. My many years of experience in design business led me to offer consultations in both fashion and interiors, so much so that I can remodel homes as well as personal images. I am passionate about colors and I encourage my clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. I am the author of three books, one of which is a book on color theory: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Feet In Short Trunks | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

04 Feb 2017 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #AnkleBoots, #HowToWearAnkleBoots, #ShoesFashion, #ShortBoots

Welcome to a new episode of my Friday Fashion.
Shoes are object d’art, symbol of status, taste and tradition. Shoes are the world’s favorite fetish. Women collect shoes as treasures and show them off in any occasion. Nowhere in world, but in America I have seen women at the cash register with a shopping cart filled with shoes. As soon as I learned the art of filling my closets with shoes, it was the end of me believing that a couple of pair of shoes for each season was sufficient. Now, I am addicted to shoes and created a storage problem, just like every woman I know. Buying shoes for the sheer pleasure of buying them is fun and it helps the economy, but do we know what style will complement our legs and make them look perfect?
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

In the Italian language, ankle boots are called “tronchetti”, translated in English become short logs or trunks, OK, ankle boots. You see, knowing the etymology of a word, will help us decide, take an action, or understand a situation. If a shoe looks like a short trunk or log, it means it is chunky, stout, stocky and only a slender leg can wear this type of ankle boot, otherwise the leg will look like a stump.

There are tricks of the trade to fool the eyes.
1. With shapely legs is best to wear a very dark stocking to slim down the legs, or wear pants that go just a little beyond the edge of the boot, without covering all the details.
2. For someone with shapely legs, the skirt must be short, from above the knees or higher to elongate the legs.
3. A short person with shapely legs should wear only long pants with this type of short trunk boots and never wear a long skirt and ankle boots together.

Red is not a color for holidays only, red tomatoes grow in the middle of summer and red poppies bloom in spring and summer. Wear red in the summer, when a boost of energy is needed or when you want to make a statement.

Pied-de-Poule or houndstooth is a woven pattern of textile clothing almost similar to the barnyard. To think that this pattern is only good to wear with a black & white outfit is a mistake. Wear it with any solid colors you like, no patterns and let the houndstooth shoes make a statement. The red apple in my photo is suggestive of a color.

Need help with your wardrobe this year? Contact me any time, I am ready for a new adventure. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Gold and Fringes | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

03 Jan 2017 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2017Celebrations, #2017FashionColors, #2017FashionTrends, #2017GoldenVibrations, #DressingForEndOfYear, #GoldandFringes, #Welcome2017

I was supposed to publish this post last Friday while the celebrations for the entrance of 2017 were going crazy, deciding what to wear at the last-minute, getting organized for the evening and the first bottle of bubbles being opened at 3:00 pm, in the exact moment my family and friends were turning a new page in my homeland Italy.

What I was going to wear and where I was going to celebrate the new year sounds futile and irrelevant when somewhere else in the world there was already the first terrorist attack in those small hours of the night.
My blog is not about politics or social troubles, for that we have politicians. My blog is about changing seasons, changing trends, color philosophy, peace and harmony in our cocoons, feeling good with the clothes we wear and why not having fun with travel and food? (Click on each photo to view it larger).

Studying the new year’s colors and trends, gold has come up everywhere in home décor and in fashion. The roaring ’80s style is returning strong and the ’70s style is lingering with fringes, wedge shoes, Bohemian memories of miss-matched colors and prints.

On the evening of December 31st, I wore golden shoes studded with glass beads paired with an animal print golden trousse, aubergine short skirt with black fringes long to the ankle, a classic boat neck top, an off white coat with a large aubergine chiffon scarf.
The fringe over my skirt it’s a removable piece. I made it to wear interchangeably over pants and skirts of all lengths.

I read the zodiac and the numerology of 2017, everything seems to point out to a new cycle of wellness and serenity.

Summing the numbers of 2017 we get number 10, which is the symbol of Love and Light. Number 10 brings all sorts of new changes into our life and there seems to be an element of luck because it resonates with the vibrations and energies of leadership, optimism, confidence, independence, creative powers and success. Number 10 is the perfection.
I absolutely adore to read about 2017.

Let’s make this 2017 a stellar year. I am so glad you are here illuminating my days with your thoughts, stories and personal experiences. Happy New Year everybody, all the way through. Welcome 2017. Ciao,

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

Copyright © 2017 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved
I am Valentina, a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style has surrounded me since the very beginning of my life. My many years of experience in design business led me to offer consultations in both fashion and interiors, so much so that I can remodel homes as well as personal images. I am passionate about colors and I encourage my clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. I am the author of three books, one of which is a book on color theory:
©RED-A Voyage Into Colors available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w