#RulesOfDressing | Valentina Expressions

I Rather Be The Good Wine In The Small Barrel | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

Welcome to a new episode of Friday Fashion.

I know many women who are not as tall as they would like to be. The mirror test in the shopping hours is the moment of complain: “If I were a little taller I could wear this and that….” Well, we are what we are. We can alter our exterior look with colors, with the right shapes, or with plastic surgery, but we cannot alter the height, matter as well accept our body without hesitation, regret or envy and make the best of it.

There are tricks to adopt to make us appear taller, as there are tricks to make bags under the eye disappear or make teeth whiter. It is easy when it comes to fashion to lapse into the ridiculous. Ridiculous for me are violent prints and overlapping fashion in elements which lead to great confusion; excess of vulgarity, inconsistencies of certain combinations; wearing shoes that makes the ankle coarse or a skirt that cannot be wore due to physical conformation.

(Photo: DressLily)

To rejuvenate is very important, it will affect soul and spirit. Anyone wants to feel younger in a younger style and lines, however to rejuvenate with an aggressive look is not a winning move. Who cares what everybody wears, be different from others, find your personal style and learn not to blend in. With the right proportions, the right outfit, and the right colors, the goal is to feel good in the interior and exterior with what nature has gifted us.

I am a short person too. I should have suffered the missing inches as most of my friends are taller, but I didn’t, I have learned to hide my small defects and to exalt my virtues.

(Below photo unknown – Credit given to the author or maker).

To look taller follow these basic rules and go on with life:

Avoid long skirts with a lot of fabric flapping between the legs. If you must wear something long wear a pencil long skirt or dress. However short skirts on a short person are a better choice.
Avoid bell bottom pants and low-cut waist pants or shirt. Pencil bottom pants are better and high waist pants and skirts are also a better choice.
Avoid long oversize jackets. It will swallow a short person.
Avoid a ton of print, use vertical stripes or monochrome color scheme.
Avoid hats with large brims and large bags.
Avoid flat shoes and high heel above 5” including wedges, but never give up the right heels. In addition to the height, a short woman in high heels will gain a more feminine sexier walking style.
Whenever possible wear shoes of the same color of the pants. It will help elongate the figure at least visually.
Avoid long hair unless they are collected and tied above. A short dynamic cut is better for a short woman.
Avoid long nails.

Dynamite comes in small packages and I rather be the good wine in the small barrels.

I am here to help if you need to rejuvenate your look. 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

Dress To Kill? Not Really | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

Dress to kill? Not really. It’s my desire to get out of the house well put together even when I am wearing very casual clothes. If my soul is happy I am happy too, if my eyes are pleased I am pleased too and if my attire can strike a conversation and produce business, I will be even happier. Yesterday, I was dressed as I look in the picture.

I was browsing in a department store, looking for curiosities nothing in particular. At one moment a woman approached me asking for my opinion about some clothes she was thinking of buying. She said “I was well put together” and that was good enough for her to feel confident the opinion of a stranger was going to have a weight on her buying decision.

I explained to her from the point of view of a designer (but she didn’t know it at that moment) and with simple words why she should have bought one thing versus the other. Then someone else was listening and she got closer to really listen in. Then another woman got closer and more women arrived I don’t know from where. Pretty soon I had a small crowd asking my opinion on a variety of decisions and style for them. I should have asked the store to hire me as their fashion consultant!

The reason my outfit attracted people and their interest, was not just the inviting, summer yellow color of my hat.
There are rules for dressing up as there are rules for decorating homes. One can use them to the letter in a strict way, or as guidelines. The important thing is to know how to create balance, rhythm, and harmony. Those women even without knowing the fashion subject, sensed it I had it all together and felt naturally attracted by my energy.

In my outfit, I have all three elements. White is not a good color for my face, but it is needed in the summer to keep cool, thus to balance my figure I put it on the bottom part of my body. The white and dark blue stripes of my top create a rhythm because they go in three different directions; the ruched sides of this top are perfect to disguise and trick the eye just like the effect of Trompe-l’oeil designs in homes. The top had to be long enough to cover my bottom, as white tends to enlarge areas where nature has played very generously. My purse, sandals, and sunglasses are dark blue. However, without the element of surprise, that “vintage sunny yellow hat”, this ensemble would have been a common mise and it would not have sparked conversation in the store.

This is how I do it, I live my life with simple rules or common sense, as I like to refer to.

• Wearing a griffe on the clothes doesn’t make me feel more important. I know who I am and how I can help people, the griffe does absolutely nothing for me.
• Any common outfit can be dressed up with eccentric or interesting details.
• Personalize my mises as much as possible, not because I demand attention, my brain tells me it I am not interested in looking like everybody else.
• When using colors I keep it down to three and use only 10% of one of the three. In the outfit in the photo, my 10% is yellow.
• Wear colors that exalt my personality and make me feel good, regardless of fashion dictum.

Designing to me is building. In designing a personal image I build personal style; in designing a home I built harmony and in designing food or tables I build flavors. Voila’ I am here and prompt as ever to help. Consultations on-line are available. Ciao,
Valentina

Fashion Services

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

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, working in the USA and Europe. Born in Italy and in a family of artists, style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience in fashion and interior designing led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can create your personal image or your private space. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w