Monday, October 15, 2012

Iris Apfel

Iris Apfel
August 29, 1921-Present


Iris Apfel, a native new yorker, born to an entrepreneurial father and fashion-forward mother.  After studying art history at NYU and marrying her husband Carl, the pair began Old World Weavers, creating textiles for furniture.  In the past few decades she has worked under nine presidents and been the subject of many museum exhibits.  At some point caught the eye of the press with her outlandish style.



You ask her a question and she'll freely give you her response and along with her signature owl-shaped glasses and endless amount of beads and bangles that's most likely why people can't forget her.  Case in point, I'm sure a good bit of people see Iris and think she's too eccentric, but she definitely catches your eye.  So, why not be different, why not try something new, instead of jumping the gun being completely positive that you won't look good in something you usually wouldn't even try on.  Do it anyway!





In my experience, all it takes is one person, a stranger of course, to give you a compliment on your appearance and it's a done deal.  I'm sure there's some very reasonable explanation of why it has to be a random persons admiration, maybe it's because your friends and family are partial and an unknown has no reason to lie.  So I encourage you to try it.  Find something of your own to make your signature piece.  Mrs. Apfel has her larger than life accessories, Anna Wintour has her stylish never changing bob…..  I guarantee that it will give you a boldness you never knew you had.  










Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Bohemia

"Bohemainism:  The practice of an unconventional lifestyle….involving music, artistic or literary pursuits."



A lesser known fact, some of these groups that were usually associated with being wanderers actually chose poverty for unknown reasons.  They were and still are very colorful people, blending bold ethnic prints with an attentiveness towards the ever popular "free love."  While they are still referred to as offbeat and bizarre, I believe this is what draws people to their culture.  And although bohemians didn't frequent hair salons years ago, these past few years have been a different story.




More and more often, women are coming in to salons asking for a "natural" look, the same look that bohemians used to be able to pull off free of charge.  Long gone are the days of lying around in fields of green braiding each others hair and weaving together necklaces made of daisies.  We no longer have the luxury of achieving the sun-kissed look simply by letting the sun "kiss" your hair and skin for hours on end.










Monday, October 8, 2012

Be Bold!

A lot of people associate the fall with dull, matte shades of everything….clothes, hair, skin, make-up, etc…And while a number of these things do look appealing in black and grey, it would be awesome to step up your hair color a bit to offset the monotone shades of winter.  Even though your skin might be lacking color you can still give your hair a nudge by brightening up what you've already got!






"In winter the sun becomes a bit bluer no matter what coast you're on."  This less intense version of the sun is what dulls out your skin and hair.  By maintaining a deep, intense shade of color, it will brighten up your skin tone and add a little life to your color-less wardrobe.



Statement Piece


Today we visit the topic of the statement piece.  What is the point of a statement piece, or better yet what exactly is a statement piece you ask?  Nine times out of ten I suggest wearing a statement piece when putting on an understated outfit that needs a little flare.  For example, if you're wearing a LBD (little black dress) which is a statement in itself, and need something bold to make the outfit pop, you need to add color to catch the eye.  









Anytime you wear something solid in color or made mostly of one fabric, you need something to break the outfit up so you don't look like a building block.  Now, if you're wearing an getup that has a bold print, stick to solid colors, such as silver or gold for your statement piece.  Often times it's the jewelry that brings together the outfit, but it can also be the jewelry that can likely be the newest trend out there.  That means that being able to wear it might only last one season.







If you want to make more of an investment, go for a great pair of heels or handbag that will definitely be an eye-catcher and will give you more bang for your buck!  Of course these things tend to be a bit pricier but to me, they become a collectors item.  It really all depends on what part of your ensemble you want to catch a persons eye.  So what's your decision?  Are statement pieces for you?  YES!





Saturday, October 6, 2012

Winter Blond

Who says you have to go dark in the winter?  Not me! 
 If you have the right complexion, don't be afraid to keep your summer strands.  Depending on your skin tone, the only maintenance required could be a root touch-up.  However, if you tend to lose a little bit of your coloring during the fall months, have your colorist tweak your overall lightened tone with a more golden hue.  This way, it will save the integrity of your hair come summertime!