Statement necklaces

Fashion is a world of changes and actually a world of rapid changes. Sometimes what we find old becomes trendy suddenly. And it is the case for statement necklaces...

In the recent years we have seen that very huge necklaces became popular.

They change completely the way an outfit looks.

For so many designers statement necklaces are a compulsory part of their collections.

We see those necklaces in many different colours. What important is that they should be huge...

The material is not just stones and chains. Fabric, ribbon, leather or sometimes even wool is used to design.

 

 

It is for head but I use it as a necklace sometimes.

Small but chic

Sometimes it is not very comfortable to carry bags. Especially when you think that we carry a little depot with us. We put everything but necessary into our hand bags. However it is not always necessary to carry huge bags when you go out at night or go for shopping. 

In the recent years long wallets became very popular. 

Designers put more effort now to create new styles of those kinds of wallets. 

Almost each bag designer produces suitable wallets for the bags also. 

However you can use those "little bags/long wallets" separately as a bag too. 

The tendency is increasing.

Just put money and the necessary cards into the wallet and that is enough.

Those who visited Paris knows sure that design... But I find it cool too...

Argan oil for hair

Most of the time we are not happy with the colour of our hair.  If we are blond we want to have darker hair or vice versa.  However constant painting damages the hair. Like mine. After years of painting, my hair was really damaged. I used many hair care products but they didn't help much.

I recently found a natural product, the argan oil. For the first time it functioned. So I wanted to share my experience with you.

It is very easy to use.

You put a few drops of oil on your palms and rub it into your hair from the ends to the roots. The hair should be dry.

And then you wait like that 30 minutes long. You can put on a shower cap too if you want.

After 30 minutes you wash your hair with shampoo.

I hope it will have the same effect on your hairs too...

Dress codes

It is difficult to decide what to wear before going to a party or attending an event. Dress codes are helpful in that regard.  But of course if one knows the meanings of the dress codes. Here are some tips about the most common ones…

Business

Men should wear dark business suits, chic professional shoes and of course a suitable tie. The women should choose business style dresses and stockings. 

 

And they should have also neat hair and manicured nails.

Business Casual

It is somewhere between casual and business style. The men can wear shirts with a collar such as a Polo shirt and cotton trousers. The women can choose also same kind of a style. For instance tennis shirts, khakis and skirts are suitable. However the jeans aren’t allowed.

Casual

You can wear almost everything. Jeans are allowed in that case. Women can wear dresses or skirts as they wish. 

Long or short. However they should look neat.

White Tie

It is the most formal evening dress code. It is chosen in ceremonial events such as state dinners, balls or weddings. Men are expected to wear a black or midnight blue tailcoat, matching trousers, a white bow tie and a white low-cut waistcoat. 

Women are expected to wear full-length dresses such as ball gowns.

Black tie

It is worn only for events after 6 p.m. and less formal than white tie. A jacket with silk facings or of wool. White dress shirt, a black bow tie, cufflinks and black shoes are usual for men. Men can put also a handkerchief in the breast pocket. 

For the women it is expected that they wear formal evening gowns of full length.

Cocktail

Men are expected to wear dark suits and tie (sometimes not) and women are expected to wear semi formal short dresses (ending at the knees). 

Each woman should keep a short black dress in her wardrobe for such occasions.

Let’s go to Paris for shopping!

Paris is accepted as the capital of fashion. Actually Paris is the capital of many things. Love, art, shopping… A city which hosts the most famous fashion designers of the world and the foremost fashion schools of the world offers many options for shopping as well.

The most famous shopping street of Paris is Champs-Elysées which also inspired many composers. To go there one should get the metro line 1. You can arrive at the street if you get out in any of those stops: Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau, Franklin  Roosevelt, George V or Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile. 

Champs-Elysees

In the street you can find chain stores such as Zara, Promod, Mark&Spencer, Benetton and also the international fashion brands such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss. There are options for all the budgets. And the Disney Store for the children...

You should also discover the passages along the street which look like hidden if you do not look carefully. For instance Arcades des Champs-Elysées is one of them. And one tip: If you are hungry while walking on the street and do not want to spend much money, you can visit Marks&Spencer's (100 Avenue des Champs-Élysées) food department. There you can find sandwiches, fresh fruits, juices and many other things to eat.

From the Naf Naf shop in Champs-Elysees

Another popular shopping area is Boulevard Haussmann. The famous department stores Printemps and Galeries Lafayettes are there.

Lafayette

Around the department stores there are many passages and shops such as C&A, H&M and some non-brand shops which sell products from Far East. It is possible to find there also nice outfit.

Rue de Rivoli is another famous shopping street. If you are not tired of shopping you can walk along the whole street. There you will find many designer shops or accessories, antique and craft shops.

The Marais is very popular as well. There are many designer shops in the area. 

The ring from Marks&Spencer

If you like boutiques, Rue de Passy is a good choice for you. You can get out at the La Muette or Passy stations to arrive at the street.

On the streets around Sacre Coeur de Montmartre there are many boutiques available. 

Montmartre

For those who like designing and sewing themselves, Montmartre is the best place. There you can find many fabric shops. It is possible to buy 3 meters fabric for 5 euros for instance. Of course the prices change according to the fabric. But there are good bargains.

Some of the fabric from Montmartre

Do you like flea markets? Then you should visit Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt. The right metro station to arrive there is Porte de Clignancourt. There are upto 3000 open stalls shops in the complex. New or vintage or junk; you will find many different clothing or accessories there. It is open from Saturday to Monday between 9 am -7 pm.

From the flea market

Woman effect on women

Nice dresses, shoes, bags... Even the best... For a woman it is really important to look nice and to be called "beautiful". Isn't all that rush for that? 

Do we buy because we need one more black dress or one more red bag or one more blue skirt? Of course not! Most of the time it is a compensation for the things we lost in ourselves. By looking nice we try to fill in some gaps...

I had written before that men wear what women want and women just get dressed for themselves. To look nice! Have you ever thought that "that looking nice" is not just to look nice in the eyes of men. Yes, it is true. The women get dressed nicely most of the time to look nice in their fellows' eyes and to hear the sentence "Oh god, you look gorgeous" or to be asked "Where did you get that dress or bag?". Just think for a while: When you bought something new and nice, weren't you ready to answer all the questions about your new treasures?

"How do I look like today?"

Sometimes I find fashion as a race between women.  A woman never wants to be blamed for her clothes by another woman. So before going to a party or to a meeting it is better to ask the question "How do I look like today?" to a woman rather than a man... Or?

Nails

I like to see my nails in colour rather then natural although it is not that bad...

A little Chritsmas design...

I find purple and green wonderful together. That's my new discovery...

Shiny is always nice... At least for me

That picture below doesn't belong to me. I added it here because I loved the colours. My next aim... How do you find it?

Renaissance hairstyles

The last time I had written an article about what the women in the paintings starting from the 15th century wore. This time I would like to look at the hairstyles of those women in the paintings. Especially those of who lived during the Renaissance. I believe they have the most creative hairstyles ever.

If you want to see a variety of hairstyles I suggest starting with the paintings of Antonio del Pollaiuolo. The Italian painter painted the pictures of many different ladies. Each has interesting hairstyles which decorated with jewelry or bands.

And Sandro Botticelli... The painter of the most beautiful women... I had used the painting "The Birth of Venus" in the "Fashion in the Paintings" article. I feel the urge to use that photo once more. Because she has also nice hair. 

 

In his paintings we see mostly the women with blond and curly hair... The hairstyles might seem a little bit complex for our day. However we can make little changes. Instead of so many pearl-laces braids or headband, you can get just one or two and use them in a way you like.

Do you like to use buckles with pearl? Or buckles with shiny stones and headbands?

I try imagining those two hairstyle above by wearing a t-shirt and jeans... And I can say that it is really cool...

If you want to learn more about the women in Botticelli's paintings, you can search the name "Simonetta Vespucci"... She was a noblewoman from Genoa. It is believed that she was the muse for him and other painters of the time...

In the painting by Pierro di Casimo below, the woman is suppossed to be Simonetta Vespucci as well. That hairstyle can be used in a wedding maybe.

A painting by Antonio Boltraffi. The woman with reddish hair has a modest hair style. However it looks cool with the band around the head. Doesn't she remind you also of those flower children in the 1960's?

The German painter Lucas Cranach is also one of the Renaissance painters who painted the pictures of many women. Here are some hairstyles...

Do you like to use hats as accessories? Do you like hair buns or just leaving your hair free? Maybe in summer times buns are a better choice...

From those paintings above we can conclude that the women in the past certainly spent much more time for their hair than us... Today I hardly see any women who use hair accessories although they are easy to be found in many shops... If you have any I would like to see your photos with them and I can add them here...

E-mail: fashionkiag@gmail.com