Avoir du Style

Avoir du Style:  to have style

There's something I've been thinking out for a while; I haven't ever written about one of the loves of my life- Style and fashion. I've written about Modesty and Sewing, which are kind of related but I guess every time I thought what can I say, but then I guess I can just share a love rather than give advice. So here goes...

The art of wearing clothes is something that's always intrigued me…

Colour, pattern, texture, shape, all swirled into a mix, that can completely change a person’s mood, ‘age’ and how other people will respond and judge them.

Its like music, it’s so individual, to each person, the blending of material to express a unique soul, a flavour and taste that is so beautiful. I guess this is why I have so much of a problem with ‘fashion’, it doesn’t say anything about the person, it doesn’t speak; whereas a woman in a feminine dress with a cardigan and loads of tats does. And that’s not something I’d ever do but it doesn’t mean it’s still not beautiful.

                                                                  (pinterest)

And the pursuit of this beauty is something that intrigues me; working with the body, with its unique colourings, not against them. And sure the style world has lots of tricks on how to make your hips look bigger or smaller or whatever -there isn’t essentially anything wrong with that.

This is why I guess I’m so into modesty too, and against it at the same time. Because you learn of all the motivations for dressing, the fact that dressing sexy isn’t fishnets and corsets (wow did I just say that) some men find girls in oversize jackets hot. But men and clothes is a whole nuther topic.

So here is a little introduction to style. It was actually pretty hard to write because it’s such a diverse controversial topic. But how about you? What do you think about clothing and style?

Updating the last update

Oh wow! Excuse my terrible blog posting - the last real post was a new years one!! Oh dear, so much for wanting to post more :/

So what have I done lately? Got my licence, school work and contemplated sewing again :) My favourite place to haunt at the moment is the dreamstress (she runs a challenge to make a historical costume once a fortnight ) dreaming about getting some costume done in a fortnight so that I can make something. Well it's only been dreaming as I haven't got the patterns or material to pretend to start :/
Although I have started fixing a bodice of on my Regency dress that I made years ago -the bodice length is way too short, and on a Regency dress that looks hideous. Got so far but don't know if I have any material left -lol.
But even if I had a costume I don't know where I would wear it -Costumer problem #1. So I was thinking of making some undergarments, something that would go underneath the stuff I have. But corsets are kinda out of the question as I don't have half the material, although I have drafted a elizabethan pattern :P
Today we went through the linen cupboards and Mum gave me a few sheets, so now I have lots of ideas buzzing round my head, mostly including part silk table cloths. Ah oh well.

Anyway I have to have lunch, hopefully I get round to posting again soon :/

sewing again

Yes already! You'd think I'd had enough after Oamaru's flurries. Well no, today from 10am to 5pm I was hard out sewing. (With some professional photography in-between ;) ) I was helping with the flower girl dresses for a friends wedding. Well there was actually five of us all set along the extended table working all five machines. It made quite a sight, blue, and lots of purple satin strewn across it, mingled with threads, ribbons, pins and at least three quick-unpicks. Our goal was to have seven dresses done before the end of the day. It was intense I tell you, Samara managed to finish two dresses, the rest of us completing only one, my excuse? Ahh strange shoulders and confusing fabric -mostly my fault :) Oh well, it was quite a lot of fun, and I got some of the material to make a dress for myself - so I guess I'm not nearly finished with sewing...*

Tiffany

*I wrote this yesterday but only just managed to get publish

Some fun

 So this is what I got up to today ;)
(second title: what you can do without a computer)

So I raided the dress up box and tried some steampunk... da da da ddahhh!! (drum roll)

                                            Then posed in front of the camera serval times...

                                                                heehee it was lots of fun!

                                                                         -Tiffany

Style or shortness?

Ok that sounded bad....
but it is a little continuation on this modesty stuff I've been spouting ;)
-It's completely open to discussion.

Length of clothing  -great

Anyway there was this picture I found, it was talking about pants/skirts. It was a picture of a leg with several marks upon it.
bottom mark on the leg said (lower calf) matronly 
the next at mid calf, prudish
the one above old-fashioned
then proper at knee length
Flirty is at lower thigh
cheeky at mid thigh 
followed by provocative,
asking for it, slut  and at the very top: whore.

I found that very interesting, and slightly amusing. I for one tend to stick at proper for several reasons.  
One, it's not so bad on windy day -this is skirts :) 
But two is because actually (according to several modern fashion books) skirts that rest at mid thigh, in the curve just below your knee and in the curve between your knee and your thigh are actually the most  flattering.
And anyway I don't get all this nonsense about only 4 fingers above the knee (how does that work anyway? You have to bend over to measure which is silly, 'cause when you straighten it becomes several inches higher)  
But then all of this doesn't really matter to me -cause I'm in love with circular floor scrapers :)
And it doesn't to matter to you (if you are dressing yourself not your body)
it's just interesting...



   

Was it about modesty after all?

Ha! I know that is some title! And I know a lot of you have very different opinions on it.
But I have been wondering was the cut of our clothing "the point"?

Low tops, collar-bone scrapers, mini shorts and long skirts. These things are all very different... here I want to refresh you on some of them:

                                                        (Source: Christina Pernes on pintrest)







                                                     (Source: Paula Bidle-Stear on Pintrest)
         


                                                    (Source Paula Bidle-Stear on Pintrest)




                                                    (Source: Paula Bidle-Stear on Pintrest)


Long skirt? you think High neck? Both of them look see through! 
Well yeah I tried to get ones that were "Fashionable" and not too "ugly" 
I mean honestly I could have pasted on a heap like this:


                                                           (Sharon Yarnell on Pintrest)
But it doesn't really matter. Fashion isn't the point. "Worldly-ness" or "Unworldly-ness isn't either. Well it has nothing to do with what I am talking about. 

I at the moment strongly believe that one should only wear clothes that suit one's body, here's a non-example:
                                          (Source: AainaA-Ridtz A R on pintrest)



But then I noticed what is flattering tends* to reek with sex appeal in books like Trinny and Susannah's "What not to wear" and after alot of looking and talking to Mum it really after all isn't about modesty- it isn't about protecting men, as the above picture is no security guard against lust (normally underneath their as modern as us). Men are men (remember they are human and emotional too; not wolves ready to eat a woman what ever books say) But if you take the men issue away and see why (I think) modesty was invented, to stop objectisim. (I think I just made up a word :D ) 

Take another look at all the pictures. All of them. They have three things in common: they are clothes, they are considered "feminine" and they all make women look like objects. And that is the problem. Women should never dress to be something to look at. You are a person. 

And I think a good way to avoid this is by dressing in a style that you like. That seems to reek what you love, that is a extension of you- not your body. Dress to show you are a woman, but make sure its lose enough to show you are a lady. Dress so you have a sense of self respect - don't give a toss for what anyone else thinks.    

Then you will be able to add the men part back in. And you will be absolutely fine. Sure you can't stop the occasional stares, but by now that is something well out of your hands - you dress in a style that is you and nothing else.

P.S what's this about thinking that you have to meet your Fathers approval? I believe that your Daddy in Heaven is inthralled with you when you dress like you. So be fearless. Be you. And don't ever worry about clothing again. 

                                                (Source Maelily Edmond (me) on Pintrest)





*not always but dresses shouldn't fit your shape like a too tight glove 

-Miss Tiffany
hmm maybe I should do something on makeup next and way this blog is here to air my thoughts :)