Friday Fashion | Valentina Expressions

Embellished With Colliers | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

17 Dec 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #Collier, #DesignerKnitwear, #KnittedNecklaces, #Knitwear, #Neckwarmers, #ValentinaCirasolaFashionDesigner, #WinterScarf

Welcome to a new Friday Fashion episode.
What is a collier? A collier usually refers to a piece of bulky and imposing jewelry necklace. Put them on and they will turn heads for sure!!!! Each piece will make a statement regardless if it is worn with a casual or semi-formal outfit. My colliers are interesting alternatives to a scarf and have two functions: keep the neck warm and embellish the clothes. Often each piece has glass embellishments and colorful beads.

I love to create with yarn, fabrics, beads, glass and various findings. The design comes as I go along, ideas develop as I see the work growing and colors….ah, it is never a challenge for me. Colors don’t have to match, I know they will look good together no matter what I do. To look at a bowl of fruit is sufficient to find inspiration.

I have one kind of woman in mind when I am making these colliers: a woman who likes to be different, likes to stand out in the crowd, likes to receive compliments and likes to feel well dressed for any occasion.
Each pieces is a decorative art, wearable in the daytime with a flowing skirt, boots and hat as if she means it…. or for an evening out in town over a simple black dress to add some sparkle in the face.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

Above: This collier went to Scotland

Above: This collier went to Las Gatos, CA

Above: This collier went to Berkeley, CA

Above: This retro style collier went to Italy

Above: This collier went to Canada

Above: This collier went to NYC

(Above: This collier went to England)

I work very hard all year to create original pieces with attractive colors that will embellish women of all ages. Find more my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

I am so happy many of my pieces are scattered in the world making their appearances at parties, special occasions or in someone’s everyday life. I am so honored, thank you all. 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

Renaissance Denim | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

10 Dec 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #DenimSkirt, #EmbellishedSkirt, #RenaissanceDenim, #StainedDenimSkirt, #ValentinaExpressionsEtsy

Welcome to a new Friday Fashion episode.
Do you think the function of denim is relegated to cowboys, rodeos, farm work, rough life and casual dressing? Think again.

I discovered that after a few stain and dye baths denim can have a different life. The stained denim purposely gives a worn out look for a versatile outfit.
It can become elegant enough for a soirée to the opera or casual enough to wear it with boots and still raise the level of the party.

To say these skirts are originals, one-of-a-kind pieces is an understatement. Some clothing details of opulent Renaissance inspired me to create extravagant and eye-catching modern pieces to wear anywhere.
Wearing these skirts one becomes the conversation of the town. The wearer will gain physical courage and strength, will exude energy and will stimulate excitement for others.

The skirts are embellished with passamanterie, modern or antique lace and a few sparkling items to illuminate.
Color varies and the fit is amazingly sexy. (Click on each photo to view it larger).

(Brun-Taupe-Gris)

(Bleu-Vert)

(Bronze- Brun – Or)

They are available in my Etsy store. https://goo.gl/WnfGo8 and ready to go to let you shine at holiday’s parties. 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

Secrets Of Dressing You First | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

03 Nov 2016 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ImageConsulting, #PersonalFashionDesigner, #SecretsOfDressingUp, #ValentinaCirasolaFashionDesigner, #WardrobeAssessment, Fashion

Welcome to a new Friday Fashion episode.
I will be hosting a fashion seminar on Nov. 13, 2016 at 10:30 in Los Gatos, CA. This is the third seminar of this kind this year.

(Graphic Source: Fashion cliparts.co)

In my 26 years of designing career I have built home style and comfortable spaces.
I have built stylish wardrobe, personalized line of clothing for each person and built closets to host those beautiful clothes I design for them.
I have built flavorful food through my books.
The list goes on and on. With my fashion studies and an Italian degree in fashion, I made a business for several years before I became an interior designer. Today, I am bringing forward this knowledge and help women finding their best look and style in which they can feel comfortable, beautiful and powerful regardless of age. If you are:

Newly divorced and want to be seen again;
You lost or gained weight;
You are tired of the same look
You often say: “I have nothing to wear” ;
You want powerful work clothes;
You want to gain self-esteem;
You want to look good anytime, anywhere

This Workshop Is For YOU.

Find the event on Eventbrite. Click on the link to register:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/become-friend-with-your-closet-and-your-body-tickets-28674216353

Lunch is included. If any of you is closer to Los Gatos, CA, I hope to see you there.

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

Shirts Collection | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

29 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #FashionItems, #FashionShirts, #ImageConsulting, #ShirtCollection, #ShirtShopping, #ValentinaCirasolaSeminars, #WardrobeAssessment

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.

I stand in front of my clothes and have no problem deciding what to wear. Everything is color coordinated and everything fits my body and the occasion.
My degree in fashion and merchandising I acquired in my twenties completely changed my life and changed the way I see clothes. I curate my clothes as I curate my clients’ homes when I design for them.

Every September and October I assess my clothes and shoes. I give away the pieces I don’t like, those items I wore to pieces, outdated clothes or clothes that don’t fit anymore. I send the rest to cleaning or restoration.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

I shop for my clothes and accessories in peculiar places, holes in the walls sort of speak and curiosity shops, it has been my quirk since a young age. Sometimes I can find an interesting piece in the strangest places, such as ceramic shop, or a vintage shop as it happened with this blue shirt below with beautiful double lacy sleeves, which cover the hands. It was a display in a French furniture and accessories shop, propped on a mannequin and not for sale. I pestered the shop owner, it wasn’t easy, but I got it.

People in foreign countries wear different things and different colors. Travelling encourages me to learn about other cultures and study what they wear. Often I bring back home a local piece of fashion of the place I visited, never seen where I live, but only if I can mix and match it with my collection. I don’t buy just to get a souvenir and leave it in my closet, I buy only if it will go with everything I have. Needless to say, I have a photographic memory of the clothes I own.

Most of my shirts have long sleeves, which I use all year, summer and winter. Some of them can be worn with jeans or leggings in the morning and a night with a fancier skirt become a more elegant attire for theatre performance.
In the summer time I roll up the sleeves for a casual look and in the winter I wear them with long sweater or cardigans. I also buy timeless items and no one will have say a shirt is 1986 or 2016. I buy clothes good for my texture and colors and that is it.
Keeping a collection of shirts or in general good clothes is a work of dedication to ourselves. It is our responsibility to keep the body in shape and be able to fit in our collection for several years.

I want a versatile wardrobe that speaks my personality and will functions in many situations. This is the sort of things I teach in my seminars. My next seminar is Nov.13, 2016. Find your ticket here: https://goo.gl/1I30OE
What about you? How versatile is your wardrobe? 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

Ankles In Straps | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

22 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2016FallWinterVelvet, #2016StrappyShoes, #AnklesStrapShoes, #BlueVelvet2016, #PowderyColors, #StrappyShoes

Welcome to a new episode of Friday Fashion.
The rage of this fall 2016 are the ankle strap shoes. I agree they are cute, adorable and everyone loves them in any versions, totally flat, or with low square heels or even stiletto type. Some shoe models come in rounded toes and some in pointed toes, some have the straps going up the calves as Romans’ slave shoes and some stop around the ankles.

I am so tempted to get a pair this year, but knowing what to do and what not to do with my body, I don’t think I will ever have a pair in my collection. You see, I am a walker, my calves have become the same as a soccer player: large, muscular and hard as a rock. I don’t mind the shape at all, but this type of legs requires shoes that elongate and visually make them slender. The straps would cut the ankles and chop the legs making them appear even larger and squatted like a prosciutto leg.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

(Front Row Shop)

(Shop Style)

That’s exactly the sort of things women should know when getting dressed. The secret of making fashion work for us is to emphasize parts of the body that are beautiful and hide certain others that are not so perfect. Doing this anyone would feel comfortable in her own body and self-esteem would be certainly higher.

The legs of the models in my photos look very nice with strap shoes because they are very slim, not everyone out there has those types of legs. Be aware.

(Denim Blue T Strappy Tassels Fringed Shoes from DHGAte.com)

Keep pairing that powdery blue for added feminine mystery. Those tassels are so playful. Ciao,

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

Copyright © 2016 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved
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

Artistry in Fashion | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

30 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ArtistyInFashion, #Britex, #CañadaCollegeArtistryInFashion, #CanadaCollegeFashion, #CanadaCommunityCollege, #Fashion2016

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.
How do you motivate aspiring fashion designers to create originality? Give them a bag of mixed fabrics, tell them nothing of what’s in the bag and wait to see what they create. That is what I saw last weekend at the local Cañada Community College in the Fashion Department. Students created some interesting clothing with that mystery bag showing their knowledge in the history of costume projected in new shapes of modern lines.

Book by Angela Lan

Student’s display

Student’s drawings

Student’s Drawings

Student’s drawings

(Photos were taken at Cañada Community College by Valentina Cirasola)

The highlight of the presentation was Angela Lan a 14-year-old girl who is already an author of her published book titled #OOTD Sew and Style (OOTD stands for Outfit Of The Day). She modeled for all the photos in her book and included six outfit patterns ready to copy. She wrote this book for the teenage population who wants to learn how to sew.

Sewing art is resurging again, just like most crafts and handicrafts. In a world of corporations, mass production and uniform look, it is a breath of fresh air to see youngsters taking interest in manual work.
I am hoping, they will find value in making unique clothes to spread originality and push them to become their own style and not the anonymous shades they are now in the sea of people who look just the same in all four corners of the world.

The next speaker was the owner of Britex the biggest fabric store in San Francisco founded in 1952 by her father who emigrated from Poland with the family. Sharman Spector presented her store as one of the few remaining family-owned businesses in the city, where every piece of fabric ordered goes through her personal scrutiny, tasted, evaluated and examined before going on the shelves. Her favorite country to shop for fabric is Italy, she said, I had no doubt about that. I am one big fan of Britex, there I can find fabrics from all over the world for fashion and interiors.

My pleasure at the end of the presentation was to visit local artists in their kiosks. Oh my, so much to buy……. everyone showed interesting pieces of their wearable art, really out of this world.

I do admire artists who can work on metals and come up with something as soft as rose and it is still metal.
At 7 Hands Design, I found a choker to take home with me.

The fashion field is so beautiful, rewarding, creative and so strongly competitive. Welcome new fresh minds, welcome to the world of expressing art through body and clothes. This article was published also on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine by Sally Cronin. 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 the subject of colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Become Friend With Your Closet | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

25 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #DressingUpMistakes, #RulesOfDressingUp, #SecretsOfDressingUp, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #ValentinaCirasolaImageConsultant, #ValentinaCirasolaSeminars, Fashion

….and I will add become friend with your body as well. I want to bring some novelties in the way women dress, show them rhythm and how to sculpt with accessories, how to create color combinations they never thought possible, I want to show them how to highlight their body’s beautiful features and how to hide those parts less attractive. For this and juiciest designer’s secrets, I have organized a special fashion seminar directed to women who want to look good at any age, anytime of the day, in any situation even when they go to bed.

(Graphic Source: Fashion cliparts.co)

My attitude towards fashion has been always one of respect, first because fashion is an art, an expression of one’s body through clothing. Second because it makes us feel good when we are dressed up and look ourselves in the mirror, or when we receive compliments from a total stranger. It boosts our confidence. There will be people who don’t care about fashion and don’t care to dress up ever, I don’t want to change a country, that’s not my goal. As a designer, I only want to show women who are willing to listen that transforming their look is fun and improving a personal image is easy and painless.

The knowledge women acquire at my seminars will empower them to shop confidently for the rest of their life in a way they will finally buy only the best clothes for their body and not the entire store just because something is on sale, or the offer buy one get two is too good to pass up, or because fashion dictates.

On Sept. 29, 2016, I will host a seminar in Los Gatos, CA – Dinner is included in the price.
If any of you out there lives close to Los Gatos, CA and is interesting in sharing an evening of fashion with friends, please register here through Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/become-friend-with-your-closet-and-your-body-tickets-27764193450
I hope to see you there Sept.29, 2016 at 4:00 pm.

“Beauty begins the moment you become yourself” ~ Coco Chanel

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.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Maverick Of Style | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

17 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BoldFashion, #Fashion2016, #IrisApfel, #IrisApfelFashion, #IrisApfelFashionExibition, #IrisRareBirdOfFashion

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.

Call her “A rare bird of fashion”, call her “A Maverick of Style”, the woman with huge round frame glasses is still making headlines in her third age of life.

She says a beautiful woman can live off her look as long as her natural beauty vanishes, but an interesting woman who says and does interesting things and she is not necessarily beautiful will always attract people to her because her quirks. This is Iris Apfel, interior, fashion designer of the rich and famous and business woman. In her career, among many activities, she produced Old World wallpaper to decorate most historic homes in the country and even the White House under various administrations.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

Today some people look at her with a bit of envy and a lot of admiration. She is a fashion icon and an example to follow.
Her strong fashion sense can raise the dead and can also inculcate a strong self-esteem in those women who do not have it. She can dare with bold jewelry, bold clothes and colors making everything fit together perfectly.
The secret of her successful combinations is having no rules and pair accessories that don’t look put together on purpose.

Jewelry Collection

Ethnic Jewelry

Necklaces

Scarab Bracelets

Exhibition

Sculpting

Jewelry Collection

Sculpting

(Photo credits to KQED – I photographed them from my TV while watching a program dedicated to Iris).

Dressing up, she says, should be a great experience for every woman, creating originality while following one’s personality, making a personal style, putting things together differently every time and breaking rules. She encourages to play, have fun with fashion and amuse people with the clothes.

According to Iris, composing, layering and sculpting are the three key elements when putting an outfit together.
Composing the outfit based on one’s body shape. It is the same process a musician uses to compose music with different notes that make harmonious sounds.
Layering colors to awaken dormant energy. Layering lines and patterns to create an interesting rhythm.
Sculpting is done with accessories, large and small, glitz and flat finish, long and short, ethnic, antiques, vintage and modern, finally playing with texture that makes jewelry appear as one piece.

Iris owns one of the few most beautiful jewelry collections in the country and often lends it for exhibition in museums. It conquers visitors with great success every time. It seems to her that “finally people caught up with her style and as much as they don’t want to be bothered with it, as everybody wears the black uniform these days, they do yearn for style”.

She could never be friend with anyone who wasn’t curious, commented in a TV show, I couldn’t either, I add. She is a very interesting character the reason why she is lasting so long, touching and inspiring so many people.
Be different, be curious and experiment with new looks, you will see many doors opening for 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. To better help people in 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

Art Is On The Ground | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

02 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BerlinStreetArt, #BerlinStreetFashion, #ManholesArt, #ManholesPrintedTShirts, #PiratePrinting

Welcome to my Friday Fashion.
In the European news this week I found something interesting: Pirate Printers, it has been around for a while, but this morning was a news to me.
“Whatever covers garbage does not look like garbage in most cases” ~ says an article on Berlin’s street art. There has been an exhibition in the past called
“Under Our Feet-Manhole Covers in Berlin“. Special exhibition in the photo technology department. Click the title to visit this original exhibition.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

(Schöeneberger Town Hall Manhole)

It was an exhibition of photographs depicting manhole covers by industrial designer Annett Stroetmann. The artist has a fascination for utilities covers that are literally part of the ground beneath our feet. She revealed a facet of industrial design we usually don’t consider art, we stump on it mindlessly and ignore something that might be covering sewage or electricity.

This is not all, a new movement in Berlin made of collective artists Raubdruckerin (pirate printer) is now printing manhole covers, vents, and utility grates on t-shirts and bags by applying ink directly to the streets and printing on-site in known cities as Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris. The collective of artists sell their creations through an online shop

(above: shot from my TV)

(Above: Berlin Manhole)
Manholes are not just square or round covers to disguise unattractive sites, they are designed to beautify sidewalks. The collective of artists extracted beauty from urban signage, as there is beauty all around us and in a way forced us to see it. The graphic on the streets, once printed on fabric look pretty snazzy and do not look as sewage covers. Who would have imaged it and yet these young artists did.
Very clever and original!

(Above: Paris Manhole)

I will never look at manholes the same way again. Welcome new ideas, welcome new possibilities. 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. To better help people in 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

Velvet and Suede | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

06 Aug 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2016FallColors, #2016Velvet, #FashionFall2016, #JewelColorVelvet, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #VelvetShoes

Welcome to a new Friday Fashion episode.
Be prepared to be draped in opulent velvet this coming fall 2016, but not the kind of velvet royals upholster their chairs or we find in aristocratic houses. Most designers went liberally over boards with velvet in their new collections, a new fluid material that will emphasize femininity and body shapes. In a modern way, it will still look luxurious due to the sheen and light of the fabric. What’s beautiful about the new velvet fabrics are the vibrant colors ranging from indigo blue to deep red, parakeet green to orange, saffron and blush hues, in addition to the new languid cuts and styles.
Keep your velvet sharp and ironed. If you don’t know how, let professionals iron it for you, they won’t crush the pile.

What kind of velvet garments can we wear this Fall 2016? Short tuxedo jacket-dress, jumpsuits, midi skirts, blazers to work and even evening gowns, but please don’t wear velvets from head to toes and don’t try to match velvet accessories to a velvet outfit.
A few more things to look for this Fall: plaid with a new twist and asymmetrical lines, colorful furs, eclectic styles are always in, bell sleeves, frills and ruffles, velvet or suede shoes. It’s all in the details.

In my last trip to Europe I found a beautiful hand-embroidered floral Renaissance fabric. I knew exactly where to use it. My military jacket, plum color, now has a new soft look with that floral fabric. I will wear it with red suede boots. 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. To better help people in 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