Words of Inspiration

Because I usually share quotes on Style, or Image, I was not sure if this would resonate with you. So I am about to add some flexibility to the Style Wisdom, to add quotes that are relevant, although maybe not so obviously related to the Personal Image world. 

Quotes are a great free source of inspiration. They are the legacy of those who have been through challenges and experiences before us. The power of the spoken or written words is amazingly profound.

Words are POWERFUL, they can help lift us up, encourage us, fill us up with enthusiasm and give us strength.

Let us choose our words carefully, because we are constantly talking not only to others, but to our own selves.

Fill up your internal talk with words that are encouraging or soothing, or empowering, or whatever it is that you need each moment.

Words have so much power! I hope that the words shared in the Quotes of the Day will help you, inspire you, uplift you, encourage you, and even help you challenge restrictive ideas on how you should look.

TRENDS What you need to know

Trend spotting! I like to walk the streets of Manhattan, for me there is no better way than city walking to find about what is up and coming and Trending! What are artsy people actually wearing? I find my biggest inspiration are people ;-) from new designers which might not be very well known...yet, and Art Exhibits. And of course I participate in New York Fashion Week every year, so it keeps me so in tune with what is happening in the Fashion World! But you know what? I still prefer to do Street-Style walks, and capture as much as I can with my camara! "Normal" people are so much more inspiring!

But you might not be so lucky, yet, but thanks to blogs and online magazines you can also search for trends on the internet!

So we have finally Trends! We have arrived at the last key of The 5 Keys to Dressing Well! What a journey!

Hopefully you have answered many of the questions I posted for you, and that has helped you to identify your own unique style. You also should have by now, more of an idea of the colors that best suit your own personal coloring!, what your body shape is, and also what lines and cutting flatter it.

You might now be at the Closet Clearing stage, and that is quite arduous, I know! You need to invest a lot of time to clear up your closet, but it is totally worth it! Not only you will have more physical space for new items in your closet, but emotionally and mentally you will feel lighter, as you let go of those things that don't flatter your body, are too old, too torn, or don't suit your current lifestyle!

You should also be learning to invest your hard-earned money in pieces that you will wear many many times, because you now know how to shop, and won't be taken by any new fad that comes along!

So you are now ready to learn about TRENDS. Lots of "things" seem to be trending at the same time nowadays, so how do you know which trends to "follow"? if any at all...

I suggest you check out fashion magazines like Vogue UK, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and the online magazines like Style and Refinery29, these are all very good options to browse through monthly. There are also plenty of blogs that give you up to date, real street-style insider info. Also do an online search for your local area and see if there are any blogs worth following in your town, the chances are you share the same "dress codes" seasonal weather and lifestyle, so it can help you stay current.

If you are one lucky girl and live in a big urban city like Paris, New York :-), London, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, just walk the streets and you will have plenty of inspiration!

A few ideas that are now trending for Summer

• polka dot denim

• carry all backpacks 

• flower printed pants/jeans

• buttoned up blouses

• bra tops

• denim vests

More on how to differentiate trends from fads...coming tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Seven Things to do Right Now to Improve Body Image

SEVEN THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW TO IMPROVE YOUR BODY IMAGE
By our Guest Writer: Gigi K.


Most of the women in the world were born into societies that celebrate, admire, and visually feed on how the human body looks, especially a women's body.

Our bodies have been since the beginning of humanity one of the biggest inspirations for the most beautiful works of art, but also the "object" of so many abuses.   

If you also dig deeper, you can see that even women themselves along history have found many ways of mistreating their own bodies. And we have come a long way, but still there is a lot to be done.


The Body is such a beautiful creation! It is important that we understand it, accept and appreciate it, as it is the most "obvious" part of us, the part that helps us to visually communicate to others who we are.

There is so much to say about the role of a woman's body in society, how it has been and  is still used and abused by many. But what I want to focus in this post, is in how WE as Women, relate to our own bodies individually.

I believe that each woman's relationship to her own body is the stepping stone that marks how others will view and treat "it". For ourselves, for our daughters, we need to start changing.

Some psychologist argue that the way in which we view our bodies is directly related to the way we view ourselves.  And If that is true, then it means that if we change the way we view our bodies, then we will change the way we view ourselves, so, Let's START!!!

1. Everyday upon waking up, I will focus on a part of my body that I really like. It can be anything: my toes, the way my eyelashes curl naturally, the color of my eyes, the shape of my hands, the way my shoulders stand, the shape of my nails, the shape of my lips, the thickness of my hair, the authenticity of my smile, the strenght of my legs, etc, etc...Search every inch of your body, and think, of colors, textures, smells, shapes, flexibility, and find at least one thing.
2. Make an effort, not to compare yourself to anybody else. Everybody is different. We were created different. We don't have to strive to be like anybody else. If you do what I suggested in point one, you won't feel the need to compare much!
3. Every time catch yourself spending too much time in front of a mirror, simply focus your gaze at that part/s of your body that you really like, smile and then just walk away.
4. Exercise is part of life, we were created to move, the body is designed to move! Please move it! No matter what you do, if its dancing, cleaning up, jogging, joining a gym class, going for a bike ride, or walking the dog, remember just like dogs need daily walks, we also do! And this is not about looks! it is about a basic body necessity.
5. Refuse to wear clothes that are unflattering, or uncomfortable. Make sure you buy clothes that fit well and that make the best of what you have got. Every body shape or silhouette has clothes that were specially made for, and that fit that type of body shape very well. Look up for brands that embrace your body shape, for example if you are a rectangular body shape, (your upper body is bigger, you have strong shoulders, and chest, and your legs are thinner) then don't try to fit into a  brand that makes clothes for pear or hourglass body shapes. 
6. Surround yourself with people and things that make you feel good about yourself! People that support you, and don't judge you constantly. 
7. Most of all, treat your body as the vehicle that it is, it can and will help you, achieve your dreams. Your body is in YOUR care, again....your body is in your care, and nobody else's. Do not give up the responsibility and the joy. It is yours, take good care of it, and you WILL see a change, inside, and outside.

Gigi K. is a Certified Image Consultant, graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York City. She is a freelance bilingual Spanish and English writer of fashion, health and image issues. She also holds a Pilates Certification and teaches pilates and yoga to her local community. If you are interested in contacting her you can email us at lookbookyou@gmail.com, and we will be more than happy to connect you.

Nail Art!

M Missoni in Spanish Cosmo May ‘13

I tried it out last weekend, just trusting my pulse and my own creativity to come up with some crazy design that would look amazing not just on the nails, but would look overall pretty on my hands! I even thought my goal was kind of hard as I tried to do some "classic" nail art, that would go with everything I'd wear during the week. There is no classic nail art! It is crazy, fun, and trendy! But there is a way of doing it with style, it might not be classic, but it can be stylish...

After painting them with a base of OPI bright orange, I proceeded to draw little dots with a dark gray color, that I think its called Lincoln in the Park at night....is it? Well, I don't remember and now I am feeling kind of lazy to go and check it out...anyway.....I ended up messing it up, when I started to incorporate a lighter version of orange, plus a light blue! Yes! I admit it, I had to use polish remover because what started as a cool trendy activity that would make me even trendier ;-) became a messy affair. I started to put coats and coats of different colors on top of one another, and it became a paste, difficult to remove!
So now, I found this blog, and she gives tons of ideas on how to do your nail art, and best of all, they are inspired on beautiful clothing designs. Check it out it is MissLadyFinger and this cool pictures are from her blog.

Taylor Swift in J.Mendel at the Met Gala ‘13

WOMEN'S DAY!

Women's Day...

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."  Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906, abolitionist and leader of the American women's sufferage movement.  

 

 

"Dejenme decirles lo que pienso sobre la bicicleta. Pienso que ha hecho mas para emancipar a la mujer que cualquier otra cosa de este mundo. Le da a la mujer un sentimiento de libertad y de auto-dependencia. Me levanto y gozo cada vez que veo a una mujer andar en bicicleta...es la foto de la Mujer libre y emancipada." Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906, abolicionista y lider del movimiento americano por la mujer.

we have come a long way, but the road is steep, if a bicycle could do that for us then, imagine what we can accomplish now!

To my Grandmothers both gorgeous and elegant, both with their own unique styles. 

Both, bycicle riders and riders of life, riding the roads with all of its ups and downs....

Happy Women's Day!

Ela y Nona, for your examples of Love, Grace and Courage to stand up for yourselves...I thank you!

pinterest-160a7.html

Shoe Obsessed?

Prada

Louboutin

"An intimate extension of the body, shoes convey a wealth of information about an individual's sexuality, social status, and aesthetic sensibility. High-heeled shoes, in particular seem to embody our complex feelings about sexuality, gender and power" Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, The Museum FIT

 

Aperlai

Pierre Hardy

Alexander McQueen

Azzedine Alaia

Giuseppe Zanotti

Manolo Blahnik

I love high-heeled shoes, I just love the way they lift you up, from your calfs up till your bum, and make everything look so perky and cute, and elegant, and sophisticated (if you wear the right pair, that is)....but I only wear them for special occasions.

In shoes I look for beauty in design and comfort for my feet and spine. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that I care a lot about my posture and what the consequences of wearing high-heels daily will do to my future body as a whole...but that is no reason why a girl like me cannot enjoy now the pleasures of wearing and looking Hot in heels like these!!!

I just loved the exhibition called "Shoe Obession" that is ongoing @ The Museum FIT at 27th and 7th Avenue. Definitely some of those shoes in the Exhibit Collection are not meant to be worn at all....or are they?! You should go and take a look, it is on until the end of April, from noon till 8 pm.

Maybe you are one of those girls that wears them daily, and I salute you! You will love these! What do you think?! I would definitely wear the Aperlai's, Manolo Blahnik's (yes this time I would!), and Louboutin's...How about you? Which ones would you actually wear?

Pop of color and the come back of the vintage satchel bag!

As seen @ streets of NYC...pick yours, there are the original vintage pieces in worn-out leather, the satchel type that hangs crosswise, or the snake skin briefcase that makes you look....Oh so important! A estilo del Dr. Chapatin!....I like the new version of an old, in the pop up color of the season, hot pink....
Which one would you wear?! Or does the maletin remind you too much of middle school?!
Take a look! @ satchel; saddlebag; briefcase or maletin ...