I am surrounded by beauty on a daily basis. Beauty in different forms.  At times I feel as if I am in a dream world and I see the beauty in others that they, for various reasons cannot see in themselves.  This is the beauty I work to bring to the surface.  When I look at a person, I push past the image in front of me, I begin to form the image I see in my mind’s eye of this person. I use their voice as the canvas, and their words as the paint.  Enter, Shea Wolfe.  Shea is a student at the Art Institute Charlotte, where I have plucked a bevy of talent.  Shea was my intern this winter and the picture in the glasses is sort of the way she looked each day of her internship.  The images that follow, showcase Shea’s core beauty; the beauty that we do not see everyday, but is always there.  We all have it.  I encourage you to liberate yourself and find yours…

Heather Yountz-stylist, Mai Lee Vang-stylist, Anna Tucker-photographer, Shea Wolfe-model.

Work well done, guys!

Last week, I took my new Style Maker, Kimberly Brookshire on her first client shopping trip.  We started at Nordstrom and spent 3, yes, THREE hours in the dressing room with the client analyzing and buying tops.

Always remember that rules were made to be broken.  This is the first rule I teach Kimberly to follow.  Rule: Client has broad shoulders and should always wear a dark color on top and a light color on the bottom to balance the body.

The client tried on a bright orange Michael Kors t-shirt with gold accents and it was stunning on her.  However, the same top in black, did minimize many flaws.  See for yourself…

Fluid intelligence was coined by Psychologist Raymond Cattell.  It is “…the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction concerning those relationships.”  And this is precisely what happened when Jennifer went from sketch to shirt. She connected the dots and when we tried to help, she said “I’ve got it.” Now, this is some cool problem solving.

I Am Love

If  you are a “Classic” personality, Tilda Swinton epitomizes the eternally modern “classic” in this clip, right down to her proper Hermes Birkin.  This is great inspiration for any classic wardrobe. If the Birkin is beyond your budget, Longchamp is certainly a fantastic substitute. The description below of Tilda’s wardrobe evolution is phenomenal.  Kudos Nowness.com. Great styling.

Where the villa signifies prestige, wealth and, in its sprawling gardens, Emma’s essential loneliness, the costumes of I Am Love tell their own story. Says costume designer Antonella Cannarozzi, “In an environment dominated by luxury, Emma had to be the supreme synthesis of luxury itself, yet purified by the trappings of power. She had to be an iconic image, solemn, like in Russian art.” The team tapped Raf Simons at Jil Sander for Swinton’s wardrobe, a succession of ultra-modern looks that mirrors Emma’s mental state as her character develops. “At the beginning,” says director Luca Guadagnino, “she is walking the streets of Milan, almost like a chameleon, dressed in the color palette of the buildings. Then she enters into this beautiful love affair and passion ignites her-and she expresses this outburst of joy and energy with very bright colors.” The male characters, meanwhile, wear sharp suits by Fendi, embodying what associate producer Silvia Venturini Fendi calls the “family style.”

Today, I received the following email:

Hi Nicole,
I have a friend attending a wedding this weekend at 6:00 pm can you
confirm that she is not to wear pantyhose with strappy sandals.
Her dress is knee length.
Help her,

After doing a bit of research, I have found that it is not against any etiquette rule to wear stockings with sandals, it just looks a little well, dated.

My answer to the no stockings with sandals quandry came in the Winter of 1995.  I was into my internship at Bergdorf Goodman, and noticed that all of the buyers and creative directors would come to work with bare legs (or bare legs would appear once they were inside the building) I, without asking went ahead and took the plunge and went bare in the dead of winter.  Later, I got up enough courage to ask my buyer about this and she said that Anna Wintour (the Editor of American Vogue) had decided that she would stick to her style aesthetic and not change her footwear preferences with the seasons, hence the bare leg revolution.

So, according to the fashion clique, stocking with sandals go against all that they have known for the last 15 years.  However, we are into a phase right now where dark or patterned hose are being worn with towering heels, and of course this look is new and fresh at the moment.

So, to summarize:  If your friend chooses to wear skintone or lightly colored hose with sandals she will look very dated, indeed.  However, she could choose to wear dark or patterned hose and brandish a very up to date look at the wedding. My standing answer is always that you must dress according to your style voice and we would much rather her be comfortable and dated, than fashion forward and stiff.  When you are uncomfortable in your clothes-that is never a good image.

Anna Wintour with signature bare legs.

A dated  hose with sandals look

The fresh way to pair stockings and sandals

What is Style, Really?

Dictionary.com gives this definition of Style:

“A particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode or form of construction or execution in any art or work: Her painting is beginning to show a personal style.“

Fashion insiders take this definition literally and craft a uniform that clearly communicates their point of view EVERYDAY.  That’s right, EVERYDAY.  They do not deviate from their “uniform.”  Discipline is the “secret” ingredient that allows one to create phenomenal style.  Style should be particular, distinctive or characteristic.  Not ordinary, indistinct, or random.

Designers create a “look” for their houses and the best designers can create a new direction in clothes, but still keep this core look (DNA) in tact.  This is the way great wardrobes are built.

What are some ways that you can create great style?
1) Find a signature accessory and wear it relentlessly.
2) Find a silhouette that compliments your body type and buy it in different colors, prints and fabrics.
3) Find the one thing that clearly communicates your voice.  It could be a flower, a color or your makeup and stick to it year after year.

It doesn’t matter if it is “out of style”, truly stylish women dress beyond the trends.  What matters is that you tell the world EXACTLY what you want and need them to know, without saying a word.

Anna Wintour embodies consistency in all aspects of her look.  From her alligator “Callamu” Manolo Blahnik’s to her ever present necklace and her printed shift dresses, Anna’s wardrobe mimics a very consistent, very unified designer’s collection.

I love the fashion industry, especially the side that people rarely see.  The designer’s workroom (atelier) and the artisians that occupy that space.

For Fall 2010, Dolce and Gabanna take us into that world.  The seamstresses, the pattern makers, the designers.  The emotional side of the industry that comes to life when you “touch” the clothes.

There is magic in the touch.  This touch should be your guide as you purchase your wardrobe.  If you touch the garment and feel the hand of the fabric and it feels good to you, try it on.  Once the garment is on, notice how the fabric lays and molds to your body.  Does it tug in any place?  Pull in any place?  Are you smiling as you look into the mirror?  Good.  You are experiencing the magic artisians experience as they create fashion for you. You are experiencing Emotional Fashion. Buy it!

Esquire Magazine’s Best Dressed Real Men in America

Featured in Esquire Magazine’s September and October Issues 2009

Featured on the Today Show

Spoke to our students March 2010

www.ontarioarmstrong.com

The Why behind the What

I have always been enamored by clothes. How did they get so beautiful? Where did the fabric come from? How was that garment made?

These were the questions that led me to Parsons School of Design in NYC. Once there, I found that it was not the finished product that I loved, but the process behind the design. The history of fashion; the personal stories of Charles Worth, the Duchess of Windsor, Salvador Dali. The personal struggles of fashion; Tommy Hilfiger’s failed business attempts. The pressures of the fashion world; evidenced recently by Alexander McQueen’s suicide, and Fashion’s tremendous success stories; Phillip Knight on the Forbes 400 list. These were the stories that spoke to me. These were the stories I wanted to share with the world, and who better to share that with than the minds of the future! Welcome to our world.

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*photos courtesy of:allposter.com,metmuseum.com, telegraph.co.uk, thegirlinthetrilby.blogspot

Today in class we talked/learned about Alexander and how he committed suicide. When I heard about it I was very sorry for him and who he designs shoes and clothes for.

We also learned about fashion week. We learned that it is hard to keep track of  all the fashion shows you are going to that day and you also don’t get much sleep. But at the same time it is very, very exciting. We also learned that going into the fashion  industry is a very big and hard thing to commit to.

~Gabbi Montgomery