#OneOfAKindFashion | Valentina Expressions

What People Do In The Streets

Going out the door is a question mark every day. One never knows what will happen or what one will witness. There are pleasant or unpleasant encounters. One can discover new restaurants or stores. Occasionally, one gets compliments from excited strangers. Admiring street performers is another possibility. One can walk at leisure, enjoying spending time relaxing. Others rush to get somewhere without noticing their surroundings and lose some of the street excitement.

A few years ago, I created an extravagant and original piece of knitwear. It was unlike anything I had made before. I needed to place it in my Etsy store. Still, I wanted to collect some reactions from people in the street first. This was a marketing strategy without paying for astronomical strategists’ fees.

I wore it over a black top and went out strolling in one of the upscale towns in my area. I strolled up and down the street. I looked at store windows. I sat at a cafe to pause and show off the piece I was wearing. Then I continued strolling up and down. I received a few curious comments, but nothing told me I was wearing a hit piece. I was ready to leave, almost disappointed that people didn’t react as I expected.

One woman changed my disappointment in a heartbeat. She saw me from across the street. She ran to me to ask where I bought the piece I was wearing. I told her I made it, and that was the only piece I had. Given the knowledge she couldn’t buy it anywhere else, she insisted on selling it to her directly from my body. I acted surprised, but didn’t let her insist too much. We went to sit in a cafe, made the transition and became friends. I never expected to sell it in that manner. I was only looking for strangers’ reactions as a thermometer for my next move.

From that moment on, I created one-of-a-kind pieces, which I called colliers. A collier is a term in jewellery making. It indicates a large necklace piece which covers a major part of the neckline and chest. My pieces are made with yarn and beads, and they fit the description of colliers. Their role is to embellish the neckline and keep the neck warm.
(open the picture to view it larger)

Streets are a theatre for humans to express and act out their lives. Anything can happen, just like in a scene on stage. Ciao,
Valentina
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color analyst/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

Painting With Yarn | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

It’s hard to believe not too long ago I used to paint with acrylics, oils, watercolors, crayons, and Indian ink. Creativity and space are the most important things needed to become an artist aside from having a good amount of money for supplies and organizing art shows. I had enough space when I was painting, my only complaint was about how expensive the supplies were, but I never thought I was going to run out of space, then I moved to the States and my space became a necessity. Real estate here is super expensive. I bought my home and I thought it was enough until I moved in. Soon I realized my home is cute, colorful, and compact. My dilemma has been how to occupy my rooms sensibly to assure me a comfortable living. I had to give up painting, to make room for my office, and all the large drawings I had to do when I was on home remodel projects for clients.

For someone like me who likes any art, giving up painting was hard. Something else had to take place to feed my soul and it did. My interior design work provided me with enough satisfaction, the drawings of interiors I did for work, satisfied that hunger for art I had. Seeing their joy, seeing how at ease they were at the end of each project, receiving the gratitude of their journeys with me was and still is the best.

Abstract Top – Front

OK, that art was related to my work. Again, I had to find new art just for me. I learned to sew, crochet, and knit at a very young age. Once I had the basics down, I ventured in exploring free-form in crochet, and sewing. Patterns never interested me, my imagination always told me to go to the abstract and asymmetrical lines, the same as I do in the interior design because they are easier on the eyes, they hide angular corners and all the not pleasant curves.

It has been many years since I revived these art forms, originally created as hobbies. To see something grow out of nothing, without a pattern or a thought is so rewarding. I just start a thread with a needle and the rest is all a big question mark, almost until the end, when I start to see where I am going.

Abstract Top – Back

Strangely enough, the inspiration for this abstract crochet top came from one of my coffee cups, hand-made by a ceramic artist. My best inspirations seem to come when I am around food.

Hand-painted espresso cup

Although I didn’t want to, my crochet art has become a work, I have produced so much that I have run out of space again and I had to open a store to sell all my production on Etsy. Enjoy all my products here where aside from knitted fashion you will find hand-carved exotic wood pens, blank cards made from my photography, button covers, and more, all made by me.

Now, I paint with yarn. It has been eight years going to trade fairs where I present and sell my original one-of-a-kind pieces. Working without a pattern, I can’t repeat the same piece again, thus originality is guaranteed.
“Originality is the greatest form of rebellion” – Mike Sasso.
Ciao,
Valentina
Fashion Services

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 5 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. She has conceived a few new books of various subjects to which she is working simultaneously. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel. She never gives up trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. Some years ago, Valentina became a TV producer/host producing shows under her label: Valentina Design Universe. The goal of her shows is to entertain, inspire, and inform, while she is living her passion. Get a copy of her books here:
Amazon and Barnes&Noble