#BonTon | Valentina Expressions

Always On The Right | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

There is always something good to learn on “Tendance” the French show I watch on my TV almost every day.
In one of the shows, I learned about buttons and how they evolved during the centuries.

Buttons photo by Valentina

There was a time when buttons were almost more important than the dress or at least complimented the dress in the same splendor. The first buttons appeared in the XII century Europe and soon became very popular among rich and nobles, who competed with each other in extravagance and opulent fashion. Buttons became so luxurious, often made with precious stones, even painted as miniature art on canvas, and became status symbols only nobles and the rich could wear. Under King Louis XIV high society demanded crazy luxurious buttons and buttons with royal images, thus the King limited the fabrications.

Men, military or not, wore swords on the left, it became a custom in the XVII Century to sew buttons on men’s clothing on the right and buttonholes on the left to allow sabers or swords to be easily removed and not interfering with buttons. I thought men’s buttons are on the right to distinguish from the female garments. Women, in fact, had their buttons sewn on the left and buttonholes on the right to allow servants to dress them easily. Nothing has changed since then, except servants don’t dress us anymore.

Osprey, Men-At-Arms #016 Frederick the Great's Army

Osprey, Men-At-Arms-Frederick the Great’s Army

By the 1950s, the Golden Age of buttons ended, giving the way to leucite and plastic buttons. With the youth revolution of the ’60s, buttons became very colorful, often displayed political, love and peace messages.

Source: https://etsy.me/2IMU0ti

Nowadays, nobody gives great importance to buttons, the main function is to fasten a piece of garment, rarely made to embellish. Zipper, Velcro, and metal fasteners substitute buttons. This black redingote with lucite buttons suits me and defines me perfectly in my bold character. Those clear buttons give visually a high value to the garment.

Redingote

Find my buttons on Etsy: https://tinyurl.com/y6swdu5v

Button Covers by Valentina

Always on the right is not only about buttons. In the civilized world, where good manners still make a difference, women wear hats tilted to the right side of the head, a sassy way to say “I look good”. However, wearing a hat tilted to the right means she can talk and show her face to the man accompanying her. He must walk on her left to give her his right arm in a sign of respect. I don’t feel offended being feminine and allow men to be attentive to me. If a man wants to respect and protect me, I let him and welcome him with open arms.

Always on the right. Again, a woman walking with a man must walk along the side of buildings, not along the sidewalk where there might be dusty cars parked or traffic going by. Who makes up these rules? The bon ton does.
In America, people drive more than they walk, I realize these customs might sound absurd.

Always on the right. In elementary school, we are taught to write with the right hand. In business, it is customary to attach a name tag on the right side of the clothes and as we shake hands with the right hand, the eyes go directly to the name tag. We greet a familiar person with a kiss on the right cheek and the military salute is always done with the right hand.
Don’t we give the right of way when we drive? It’s the rule of driving laws, and if we don’t respect it, we are in for big accidents, huge fines, and hard consequences.

I don’t know why this curious Sunday digression took place in my mind, I guess I wanted to rattle off my thoughts.
Happy Sunday. 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 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 storyteller and finds inspirations everywhere to write her stories. She needs your story to design your dream home or your dream look. She is a public speaker, a mentor, and author. Check out her books on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Her latest books: ©The Road To Top Of The World is on Amazon
https://tinyurl.com/y7tuyfh8

Are We Losing Manners? | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

The rules of Conduct, or Etiquette of everyday life have always distinguished the humans from the animals. The rules of conduct have had a great value in the evolution of man, an intelligent way to regulate his own life and the life of others.

However, the revolution of the ‘60s brought into society a refusal of conventions and restrictions, resulting in a new thinking and new set of non-rules. The proper manners of the Victorian Era considered as being too fussy, too constricted and not very expressive of human freedom, were thrown out the window completely, giving way to casual behavior, casual language, casual dressing and casual eating.

(Photo: The Oyster Lunch. Painting by: Jean-François de Troy – 1734)

Most people consider Etiquette a set of behavioral rules, but in reality Etiquette is a value system that helps us understand how not to offend others while harmonizing our own daily life.

Good manners and good customs are not the same thing and therefore it is not easy to distinguish one from the other. Good manners become in time the customs of the society’s next generation. The generation of the ‘60s not only rejected Etiquette and the value of good manners, but also refused to teach them to the generation they created. It just so happened that in the course of 50 some years we have become accustomed to see bad manners and often we feel numb around people displaying bad manners.

(Photo: Elegant Marrymaking. Painting by: Peter Angellis. Date unknown).

Having good manners is not for “dandies”, it symbolizes self-control and reliability, but it also translates in owing one’s emotions. Having good manners makes a good impression in business, on people with hiring power, on new friends and allow us to open doors. It has been said: “kindness will give us friends”.
Who on earth wants to be around disrespectful and badly mannered people?

In the last few years, etiquette schools and forums are now springing up like mushrooms, as society wants to evolve and return to the respect for others, politeness and even dressing up for our own self-respect, or eating with proper manners.
I find the non-existence of table manners one of the many prevalent faux pas in today’s society. Let’s start by learning table manners.

Using the proper eating utensils will not only show we are knowledgeable in food and we know the sequence or function of each utensils. It also will automatically bring a certain elegant behavior. Our gestures and posture will take a special attitude. Click on my link below to see many eating utensils for proper eating. Some of them have been forgotten, but not in my house. I own them all and I use all of them, impressing my guests every time.

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Being an interior designer does not mean my work stops in building comfortable homes and creating attractive home décor. My work continues in styling other aspects of life. As one of my associates says:
“Valentina will style your home first and then your palate”.
I shall be ready and prompt when you need help in styling your life. Ciao,
Valentina
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.  As an interior designer with a passion for kitchens and cooking she loves to remodel homes and loves to turn unattractive spaces into castles, but especially loves to design kitchens and wine grottos.
©RED-A Voyage Into Colors, her new book on the subject of colors is due to be released very soon. Check out her books on