Eye-4-Style

Here are two great dresses from Karen Kane. The black, especially, should be a staple in a girl’s wardrobe.  You can dress it up for evening with jewelry (I’d recommend earrings and bracelet since you have the tie at the chest) and heels.  If you’re wearing a single-color shoe, I’d pair the dress with a patterned shawl – coral goes great – or yellow, pink – whatever your comfort level or you have in your closet. When the dress starts wearing out, it’s a great option for under jackets or cardigans.  Pair the dress with a cardigan and ballet flats;  fun bracelet; wear for Saturday errands or lunch with a friend.  It is easy and fun and you’ll look put together!  In fact, you only need to put on a bright lipstick and touch of blush for makeup (30 seconds?), and you’re good to go!  When the dress is REALLY worn out, put it on for raking leaves or taking out the garbage.  Who says you can’t look good “all the time!”  HA!  You CAN make it work with less effort than you think!

Ralph Lauren is probably my all-time favorite American designer.  I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Ralph!  His clothes fit my body; are timeless; intriguing; fun.  I think women are afraid to try various designers.  I say, spend time in the dressing room!  Bodies are different and some designers are more curve-friendly than others.  When I say curves, I’m not referring to size.  My daughter is a size 2-3-4 (depending on item) and is curvy!  Anyway, if there is a designer that works better than others, those clothes become the ones you gravitate to.  While I shop all over the “designer empire,” there are some I know will work better for me than others.  Anyway, who says you can’t buy a scarf or shoes from a different designer to “mix it up?”

So back to Ralph ……. Ah, his store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue is just lovely to stroll through.  Ralph’s use of fabrics and textures – I’m usually excited about what he has out.  Not all the time, mind you, but mostly I’m admiring his line.  Ralph’s “everyday”  clothes fill my closet, along with jackets, coats.  Ralph is a great line for men and kids too.  They’ll always look great.  I took my 19-year old college-student son out shopping last spring.  We paid full price for blue/white stripe poplin Ralph pants and my son paired them with a few shirts from Old Navy.  The inexpensive shirts balanced out the pricier pants, but my son will have the pants long after the shirts are gone.  Don’t be afraid to spring for a pricier classic item that you can pair with trendier pieces.

I’m getting off track again, but here is a Ralph mannequin , saying “This will look great on you too!”

Yes John Galliano, I totally agree with you!  Fashion is about seducing all the senses.  I like to look at it as an art form, which can be appreciated from many angles.  Shoes, purses, dresses, accessories.  Who can debate the inspiration and design that goes into their creation?  How about a perfume?  A familiar fragrance can evoke strong memories. Even decor should be viewed with appreciation and delight. You derive satisfaction in your surroundings. How about a car?  I can get as excited about a cool car design as I can about a gorgeous dress. A few weeks ago in Boca Raton, I went crazy over a new Chevrolet Camaro . She was struttin’ and sassy.  She was all she’s been hyped up to be. Her lines had movement. I perceived power without motion. The Camaro owners even let me sit in the car. They came out from the restaurant because they saw me looking and taking pictures. They were excited because I was excited, and they shared my appreciation of the car.  “Well worth the wait,” they said, as it had been on order.  Oh yes, all senses were involved here.  Total seduction.

Just like the Ferrari and Maserati  parked in front of Truluck’s in Naples, FL, last night.  Which one do I like the best?  Why try to pick?  Just enjoy the beauty of the cars before me.  Who can’t get excited about something like that?

Anyway, back to John ….

Some people’s senses are dulled or they fool themselves into thinking “details” don’t matter.  Shame on you, I say,  or maybe, that’s just too bad.  Beauty is all around us.  We only need to open up our senses to appreciate it.

John Galliano’s fashion philosophy

A recent John Galliano design (Reuters)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:44a.m.

John Galliano thinks fashion is about "seducing all the senses".
The designer – who works for Christian Dior, as well as his own self-titled label – loves catwalk shows because they bring his creations to life.

He explained: "If a picture paints a thousand words, a show has 20 minutes to bring the muse, the mood and the feel of a whole season to life. I want to seduce all your senses.

"If the clothes are the script, the models are the silent sirens that have to bring the story alive. I love using theatre and magic to tell the tale."
Unlike other designers, John denies having celebrity muses, preferring to make up his ideal women in his head.
He told Britain’s Elle magazine: "I have two mistresses. For John Galliano, she is very English in her soul. For Dior, she is very French. Dior is a beguiling, feminine, yet feisty lady.
"She is elegant, unpredictable and utterly mesmerizing. That is the essence of Dior."

BANG Showbiz

Women have been torturing their bodies for years.  Remember Mammy tightening Scarlett O’Hara’s corset in Gone With The Wind?  No wonder those ladies were fainting all the time!  A 20” waist meant you were ready for pasture!  A wallflower with smelling salts!  Fun !

When women started burning their bras in the 60’s, they began to experience freedom from suffocation.  Our everyday dressing didn’t include the body-suit girdle, whose dual-purpose was to hold up the silk stockings.  Garter belts also fell by the wayside when the “convenient pantyhose” was introduced. Frederick’s of Hollywood will always be in business with garter belts and the like, but their garments are more for recreation than function.  But, ahem, that’s a different topic altogether ………which maybe I’ll cover at a later date!

So gals ran around with boobs and other parts swinging and jiggling.  This may have been liberating for a while, but it was not practical or attractive.  They seemed to have forgotten that gravity takes over as we age. Most people prefer not to go under the knife or endure liposuction.  We have good intentions for hours at the gym, but we don’t always fit it into our hectic schedules. Foremost, let’s face the truth: in every structure you benefit from a good foundation.  Clothes look and feel better with a good foundation.  Not only did the “foundation garments” allow our clothing to fit and look better, it gave us support.  I had back issues and once wore a special “back corset” for medical reasons and believe me, it helped!  We should have paid more attention to our mothers and grandmothers, instead of running around half-naked, parts swinging in the breeze and slouching with poor posture because we were high on life, or something…

Okay, advance 20+ years.  We’ve come to our senses and we have more choices.  Technology has brought us super fabrics in both undergarments and athletic clothing.  In 1998, a smart gal, Sara Blakely, cut off the bottom of her pantyhose to wear with cream-colored pants.  That year she was awarded a patent and Spanx was started.  Thank god!  Kudos to Sara for bringing us back to reality with the whole foundation dilemma with comfort, hi-tech fabrics and beauty!  Her timing was impeccable for the baby boomers!

Enough about women, our guys need help too.  While Seinfeld had us laughing for weeks with Kramer and George and the manseir, I think it hit closer to home than we wanted to admit.  Why shouldn’t men have the same benefits for looks and support?  Check out Equmen Core Precision for “high performance”  undershirts.  Underwear maker 2(x)ist just introduced its new “Form” collection.  Click on the links and happy shopping!  Your body will thank you for it. Also, your family; co-workers; neighbors; friends; wife; girlfriend…  Just kidding!

(Also, admittedly, this was a really tough research for me.  You’ll see what I’m talking about when you click the sites. Eye candy! It was rough but somebody had to do it!)