Fashion | Valentina Expressions

High On The Heel

07 Dec 2025 7 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: BrocadeShoes, Fashion, FrenchShoes, HighHeels, ItalianShoes, KingSun, lifestyle, Shoes, ShoesRedHeel, Style

I am addicted to shoes! There, I said it!
I wonder why I keep finding so many women with the same problem. Feet have the difficult task of supporting the whole body’s weight like sturdy platforms, but they are not the prettiest part of the human body. I think, because of that, women want to beautify their feet with attractive shoes. They also care for them with massages and spa treatments. In fact, in Italy, we say “happy feet, clear mind”. If you often have a headache, most likely, your feet are tired and sore, or constricted in the wrong shoes.

When I first arrived in the US, I saw women filling up shopping carts with shoes. To me, that was absurd at least then. In Italy, we bought a couple of good pairs for winter and summer, and that was it. I was new in the country and every custom looked strange or awkward. Still, it didn’t take me long to learn and absorb the culture. Now, I lead the pack of women buying shoes with a shopping cart.
Lately, these colorful brocade ankle boots have sparked my fancy. They lace up in the front through antique hooks. They look like what the French Can Can dancers wore in the 1800th. I bought three pairs. The unfinished wood heels bothered me, the only detail that made these shoes look low-class. My artistic sense told me I needed to paint the heels black. So, I did, I painted them with an acrylic waterproof pen and a coat of varnish. I loved the result, and anyway, these are not shoes for a rainy day.

High heels were not born as the prerogative of vain women. They were mainly intended for men of power in positions of command. They were also made for warriors on horseback. The function was to keep the warriors’ feet firm in the stirrup of the saddle. In the 1600s, King Louis XIV of France, known as the “Sun King” (Le Roi Soleil), designed shoes with red heels. He created them specifically for himself. No one was allowed to wear heels higher than the King’s.

Soon, women fell under the spell of the high heels. The society’s mood of that period was very coquettish and feminine for both men and women. Psychologically, women felt more beautiful in high heels, more attractive, flirtatious, taller and slimmer. Their power was to seduce men to gain power and social status. They started with the feet. Shoe makers started to pay attention to women’s feet. They made very feminine, pointed silk slippers called sabots. These shoes featured small heels. To show the tips of the shoes, furtively peeping out of the long dresses, was sexy and flirtatious.

From then on, we know what happened to women’s shoes. Heels got bigger and chunkier. At times, they became slimmer and taller like a stiletto. Sometimes, heels have become uncomfortable. Still, we will wear them as long as they make us feel and look good. We will keep wearing them even when they hurt. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services/#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant. She recently certified as a colour analyst/therapist. She is also an author of 6 published books, a storyteller and a longtime blogger. Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Time For A Montgomery

07 Nov 2025 13 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ItalianLifeStyle, Autumn Fashion, Fashion, Frog Coat Buttons, Montgomery Coat, Style

Montgomery is the state capital of Alabama. It is also the site of significant events in the American Civil Rights Movement. But a Montgomery is a piece of clothing. Most elementary school-aged children in Europe wore it to school during the last century. It was considered a garment for preppy school kids, especially in England. In my native Italy, adults and children are equally fashionable. My mom and her sisters were designers and tailors. They dressed us kids as though we were going to walk a fashion runway. We were so cute. Our Montgomery coats, red or blue, were paired with the iconic T-Bar leather shoes, red or navy blue, as well.

The Montgomery coat was seen long before I was born. At the end of the 1800s, the Royal Navy created the Montgomery coat for sailors as part of the uniform. It was made out of duffel cloth, a thick boiled wool, resistant to water. The garment was characterized by frog buttons made of horn, a hood and two large patch pockets in the front. A British general, Bernard Law Montgomery, wore it often in battles over the uniform, hence the name of the coat.

Since then, many actors, singers and writers have worn this coat. It goes in and out of fashion with the mood of the moment. This year is coming back again, and I bought myself a similar version. It only has one frog closure instead of the classic three frogs, and the sleeves are shorter. That’s OK here in California, it is cold only a couple of months out of the year. A thick and heavy Montgomery would be out of place.

Autumn has started and I am happy. Colours in nature are glorious, the weather is pleasant, food is earthy and comforting. For me, this is the best season. Ciao,
Valentina

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant. She recently certified as a colour analyst/therapist. She is also an author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Elton John and Me

08 Oct 2025 3 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: Elton John, Fashion, lifestyle, Original Fashion, Personalized Fashion, Style, StyleIcon, StyleIconCompetition

Will you vote for me?
A few months ago, Elton John and his partner announced, on Instagram and Facebook, the “Style Icon” competition for 2026. Its main focus is fighting AIDS forever and everywhere. They made it into a fun event tied to fashion. Anyone with a flair for original fashion statements can join.

I sent them some of my photos and forgot about the event. Two weeks later, I was notified of my acceptance into the competition. Now comes the fun. I don’t know anything about my competitors, what their style is or how many votes they are receiving. I know I have been in first place since the start, but that can change very quickly.
The first round of voting started Monday, Oct. 6th and will go to Oct.16th. December will be the final voting round.

I need your hand, will you vote for me?
I hope to make it to the final elections in December. I will need the help of all my friends, family, and acquaintances. Below is the link to vote for me. You can read the program. You can also see photos of me in my personal style that got me into this competition. You can also choose to donate to Elton John’s Foundation for this great cause of helping AIDS patients. Donations are tax-deductible and count as votes for me. Thank you, with love and gratitude. ❤️❤️❤️

https://styleicon.org/2025/valentina-cirasola

Ciao,
Valentina

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color therapist, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. She was recently certified as a “Color Analyst.” Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Traveling Kaftan

24 Sep 2025 12 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #HistoryofKaftan, #Inspiration, #Kaftan, #KaftanFashion, #LifeStyle, #ModernKaftan, #Travel, #TravellingKaftan, Fashion

I have been part of a project called “Travelling Kaftan” by Gale Low, one of my digital friends on Facebook. The whole project started with an unusual idea. The psycho-pandemic was chaotic. I think the world was played up. While we were all on forced lockdown, she wanted to spread joy and love in the world. She aimed to do this by sending a Kaftan to various places. She invited her most active Facebook friends. I was one of her favorite friends in this project and surely lifted everyone’s spirits.

Gale lives in England. She received the colorful Kaftan from her sister in South Africa. Gale sent it to someone she knew. From that moment on, it travelled to many locations in the world before it reached me. I received it from someone in Texas and I sent it to someone in Malta.
After receiving the Kaftan, Gale required the participants to wear the piece. We had to photograph ourselves and write a small inspirational phrase. Finally, we had to post it on Facebook and share it on our pages. I was told this Kaftan was hand-embroidered in Hawaii. It is a spectacular work of art.

I wrote:
“Where there is color, there is music.
Where there is music, there is love.
Where there is love, there is happiness.
Where is happiness, there is food.
Where there is food, there is wine.
Where there is wine, there is warmth.
Where there is warmth, there is a fire crackling and a sense of home.”
From @The Drawer Of My Thoughts”

Today, a Kaftan is a fashion statement. Modern designers have made it from silk, bamboo, linen, cotton, printed fabric or encrusted with jewels and beads. It is mostly used as beachwear and loungewear. Its history goes back to ancient Mesopotamia. It is also found in Middle Eastern countries, Northern Africa, and some parts of Europe and Asia. Worn by royals and high-roller, powerful people, it meant “social status”. The shape has always been large and flowy. This design allowed for riding horses and enabled comfortable sitting on the floor with legs crossed.

I suggested that Gale write a book about the Travelling Kaftan, with all our pictures and our stories.
I hope she is doing it. Ciao,
Valentina

An Art Deco Evening

07 Apr 2025 16 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #ArtDecoDinner, #ArtDecoFashion, #ArtDecoStyle, #DiningInStyle, #Style, Fashion, Food

I often dream of slicing through time to find myself in a different era. I feel influenced when I watch period films or read stories from other times. I believe every era had rough times one way or another. Still, when my fantasy plays, I notice things that today aren’t here anymore. For this reason, every now and then, I organize theme dinners. For two or three hours, I enjoy reliving the atmosphere of another era. Yesterday, Sunday, was the turn of an Art Deco dinner. I asked the guests to dress to match the era, even with only a few details. This helps everyone feel part of a relatively prosperous and frivolous era. Guests are usually happy to follow the suggestion. They often show up fully dressed in a costume of the specific era. Here, costumes can be easily rented or bought at a reasonable price.

You know that minimalism characterizes Art Deco. It is a linear style, geometric, clean without frills. The prominent colors are black, gold and silver, followed by white, powdery colors, purple, red and green.

I found the right fabric to sew the tablecloth. At the Tamara de Lempicka art exhibition, I bought the plates. On one of my many visits to antique shops, I found the printed glasses from 1920. They were even signed and I also found the two cute demi-tasses.

The black velvet pouches, to the left of each plate, contain the napkin and the flatware, something different. At the end of the evening, I will fill the pouches with cookies I made. The guests will take these home as a token of friendship. I cooked three typical dishes of the 1920s. As it is customary in America, each guest will bring a specialty of their choice or something to drink.

(I think the original 1920s demi-tasses are adorable.)

I searched for this period’s food. Deviled eggs seemed to have been a very popular appetizer in the 1920s. The main course was roast veal with mashed potatoes. For dessert, a typical of the era pineapple upside-down cake completed the dinner. The conversation was interesting and flowed to the tune of 1920s music.

It was a load of fun to get into the period dress and greet everyone with plumes and pearls. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2025 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color therapist, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. 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 Language of Handbags

04 May 2024 14 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

What The Iris Tells You | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

12 May 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #HairColors, #HairStyle, #HairStylistProfession, #MatchinHairToBodyShape, Fashion

Often, famous people inspire us, we want to be like them, wear the same style of clothes, shape, and color our hair the way they do, or copy other aspects of their personality. That’s what magazines do, portray artificial beauty to sell cosmetics, fashion and plastic surgery. In real life, those famous people, might not be so attractive… Before copying someone else’s style, stop and think, is the style of that famous person good for you? Does it suit your personality or character? Does it improve your look? Our uniqueness distinguishes us from everybody else, knowing how to exalt it and correct some defects in the body is an art.

Usually, a person will match the colors of the clothes to the skin color/texture, to the color of hair/eyes and to the body shape. We do the same when we decide on a new haircut and color, but this is not enough. I think a hairdresser is like a tailor, they both cut according to the body shape and create something custom that only fits that person. However, this is not always true with hairdressers. I met a lot of incompetent people who, if only can hold scissors in their hands and know how to mix colors, can be considered hairdressers, resulting in so many people with a wrong haircut for their head shape.

I think hairdressers should know how to interpret the cranium’s shape of a person and design only for that cranium. Knowing the formation of a skull means knowing when to increase or decrease hair volume, where to cut and where to thin out. A hairdresser should know how to frame with the right haircut an oval-shaped face, a round face or a triangle face just by looking at the bone structure. To me, it is a logical thinking.

How about hair color? I found most of my answers to colors in the iris of the eyes, for any situation, whether I choose colors for clothes, hair, home environment and even gardens. It has been said the eyes are the mirror to the soul and that’s the reason I draw inspiration from them. The nuances of the iris suggest which shade or highlight to give to the hair for a natural look or a nice three-dimensionality.

Kalea Jerielle Unsplash

A dark eye might have an iris with a yellow tint, a copper tone, or red nuances, one of those is the highlight to use on the hair. A light color eye might have an iris with a dark blue ring, a Chartreuse ring, or even a purple ring and grey/brown nuance. One of these will be the nuance of the hair.

In my youth, I knew an Egyptian woman transplanted in Italy, living next door from my family. She had one purple eye with a visible yellow splash in the iris and the other eye was yellow-green with a purple iris, all this rarity set in an olive color skin. Aside from her beautiful eyes, I can never forget how she matched the color of her clothes to show the gift of her rare eye colors.

As I always say, fashion harmonies our body, hair too must balance the rest of us, therefore turn your unique self in your power, harvest it, preserve it and celebrate it, no matter what the age. 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/xUZfk0
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

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