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

Fashion in the paintings

As people our aim is always to improve our culture or technology and to go further and further. However we like the old at the same time. The term “vintage” is very popular nowadays. So many people prefer vintage jewelry, clothing, shoes and even furniture. However for us the vintage means mostly the 1960’s, 50’s or maybe 20’s. How about visiting much earlier times?

I decided to make a little search on the fashion of the women of the great artists. It is important to see the depths of the paintings because they give you many aspects of the time. Today I will look at some paintings from the aspect of fashion… Let's imagine that we have those clothes today. What kind of changes would you do?

The Italian painter Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the artists who depicted many beautiful women in his paintings. Let’s start with La Belle Ferroniere. This is a painting attributed to Da Vinci or his school, dating back to the years 1495–1499. We can’t see the whole dress here. However it is clear that it is a long red dress. We wouldn’t wear such a dress in our “modern” day but the upper part could be used a nice top. 

The square cut on the breasts make women look elegant. And it is possible to use large necklaces with such cuts. The ribbons around the shoulders could be used to decorate t-shirts and shirts as well.

  

“Lady with an Ermine” has the same kind of cut on the top of the dress.

Sandro Botticelli is one of my favourite artists. I find the painting “The Birth of Venus” fascinating. Here it is not possible to talk about any outfit of Venus because she is naked. But the woman on the right who tries to cover her has a nice dress if you look carefully.

Take the white long sleeve top under the dress out and that is a nice dress to be worn in summer days with open shoes or in winter with long boots and a cardigan over it. We can adapt any past outfit to our day with little changes.

 

The same is valid for the yellow dress on the left in that painting “The return of Judith to Bethulia”. The style of the arms is really different. 15^th century is a treasure for fashion. 

A lady of Raphael. I added that painting too because I love the necklace there. Ruby, gold and pearl are a great combination.

The women of Renoir have a great understanding of fashion also. Last year I had visited an exhibition called “Impressionism and Fashion” in Paris in Musee d’Orsay where you could see the original dresses in the paintings of some artists. I had tried imagining there which of them we could wear today… It was a nice experience to see both he original paintings and the dresses...

The dress on the “Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary” is still can be used as a night dress in a ball or wedding. But I could cut out the tail…

And that is a cute little girl dress from the painting (Railroad) of Eduard Manet. 

Again by Manet (A bar at the Folies-Bergere)...

 

The style of the upper part of the jacket of the barmaid could be used in our day too. Actually the cut reminds me the dresses of the women of Da Vinci...

 

I would be happy to hear from you as well. On which paintings do you see your dream dresses or jewelry?

Red and Love, Red and Valentino

Today Valentino presented its new collection in China under the title "COLLECTION SHANGHAI 2013".

China is so far for me to watch the fashion show on-site. However they made it possible to watch the show live in the internet which I find very cool.

When fashion and red come together, they remind me always Valentino. 





As most of you know there is even a term like "Valentino red". Red is also a symbol of love. Red  and love, red and Valentino... 

I took screenshots of the pieces I liked the most. In the new collection red and its tones are again the main colours.

 


The collection was designed by the Maison’s creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli...



If you missed the show, you can watch it in the website: http://live.valentino.com/

"COLLECTION SHANGHAI 2013" includes a collection of Ready to Wear, Haute Couture and new accessories.



Trousers look really elegant...

On November 15th, a collection from the show will be available for purchase at the new Valentino Shanghai flagship store at IAPM. 

According to the info in the website of Valentino, the brand lovers outside of China including New York, Milano, Paris and Rome will have to wait till April 2014. 

Because the collection will available for purchase worldwide at that date.

Metallic revolution

I define last year and also this year as the years of metallic colours. A few years ago people would find it peculiar to wear such shiny skirts, dresses or jackets. However since last year the look of 80's disco clothes became everyday clothes of today.

by Clements Ribeiro

Especially in winter times they make people look a little bit more vivid... Silver, gold or bronze are to be seen everywhere...

by H&M

I wear those skirts anytime I want. When I go out for dinner or when I just go out for a walk or even at work... I don't like to categorize clothes...





If you find the correct combination you can wear any clothes anywhere as long as they are not so extraordinary.

by City Triangles

 



For instance that dress on the right is categorized as a night dress. However just wear a black cardigan over and it is a "shiny" daily dress.





 


 


The same rule is valid for the black&gold tunic too. With a black cardigan, tights and long boots, it is nice daily outfit.

by Promod

Of course if you are person who likes to shine...

Ankle boots

November is the last month of autumn. We are about to welcome winter and also thicker clothes and long boots. So before getting colder and the winter freezes us, it is just time for ankle boots.

  

I bought recently those black boots by La Strada. The shiny stones and the leather belt around were the main reason why they attracted me. Such details make even just a simple black boot look stunning. It gives the boots a designer look.

And those brick colour boots (by 5th Avenue) can be combined with a similar colour or a black dress and with black tights.

This year I spent so much money on ankle boots. But I find them really comfortable. It is possible to wear them under jeans too. However I prefer not wear those brown boots (by Claudia Ghizzani) under jeans not to hide their beautiful design.

You can just wear a long pullover and leggings with ankle boots as well. Those above are by Scholl.

I wear those brown boots above sometimes under jeans but they are nicer with a mini skirt or dress.

Men wear what women want!

Freedom is an asset of life. You may not have much money, you may not eat in posh restaurants or you may not wear very nice clothes... All these are not an asset for happiness. However freedom is different. There is no happiness without it. It is a must for all the human beings. Freedom and independence! For the men it is also very important. Men don't like to be said what to do, what not to do. But there is a fact: Women interfere in their independence without making them realize. It is especially so in clothing.

I offer you look at the old photos of the men and how they get dressed up in years. You will see something even they didn't realize. With each women in their life, their way of dressing up also changes. I never believe in the lie of inner beauty. Nobody cares about it in our time although everybody claims to be different. Both men and women. Otherwise no women would have dreams about Brad Pitt or Bradley Cooper or no men would have dreams about some beautiful models or actresses. Let's be honest.

And men are not free in what they wear. Women tell you what kind of clothes they like in men or talk about how nicely a famous actor gets dresses up and without you realize they put those ideas in your subconscious. Or they are more direct and just take you to a shop under the excuse of helping you by shopping. It is a direct interference in your independence but the result is most of the time better than before. Especially if you are not capable of creating your own style. So women change you as they wish...

I betrayed so much secret about women... On the other hand women just get dressed for themselves and really freely. So many men and even the women think that the women have make-up, wear nice clothes while they want to look nice in the eyes of men. Yes, there is a little truth here but the main reason why women want to look so nice is first for themselves and secondly for the other women. Yes, you heard right. A woman never wants to be blamed by another woman because of their clothes. I will write about that in another article.

Happier girls are prettier?

Is it possible to change your mood according to your clothing? I believe there is a “vice versa” issue here. It is both possible. What you wear might affect your mood and also your mood might have an influence on what you wear. At least it is like that for me.

Think that you woke up on a gloomy day. It is winter, cold and raining. Or you are just gloomy inside. You look out of the window and see people running around with their umbrellas in black and dark blue. In that rush nobody cares what they wear or how they look like. What is important is just to arrive at a safer, drier place or to catch the bus or subway and to be on time at work. 

Just sit for a while and think about yourselves. Isn’t it the same for you? Do you really care about your clothing as soon as you open your eyes. Most probably not. You have other worries. You have to get ready. You have to prepare the breakfast. If you have children you have to make them get ready for school. And if you have a partner or husband, you even have to prepare them for work. They are like grown up babies most of the time. And you? You forgot yourself again. You didn't have the time to think about what you wear or how you look. In that rush most probably you will choose some gloomy dresses that fit your mood. In that case your mood affects your choice. You will not much care what you wear. You will just open the door of the wardrobe and take whatever comes or just wear what you prepared before sleeping to wear in the morning without much thinking.

On the other hand let’s take the issue of changing your mood with your look. Every woman wants to be beautiful. Every woman wants to be spoiled. And those are the elements that make you feel better. There is no doubt about that issue. Positive feelings are important for the success at work or school too. So my suggestion is going thoroughly about what you wear the next day or waking up a little bit earlier. Choose the dresses that fit you the best and that make you feel beautiful and different. And put on some jewelry and make-up. Not in a rush! 

If you succeed to make yourself to look different in the society and giving up being a ghost, there is the happiness. You might have many problems but at least by feeling different and attractive, you push those worries deep into your subconscious during the day. Don’t forget that: Happier girls are prettier girls… 

Or not? I would be happy to hear your ideas too...

Shopping as a therapy

Nice dresses, shoes or bags... Most of the time we buy even if we don't need anything. As a woman when you enter a shop, you forget the problems for a while and get lost among the colours of the fabrics or the shine of the jewelry. However I find shopping most of the time as a placebo although I love it. The affect goes on till you arrive at home. And if you put the bags somewhere around and then never look at; you must be sure that shopping has the same affect on you. Today a fashion designer, Duygu Karatas is my guest. She sees also shopping as a way of therapy for women. And what does fashion mean for her? Let’s read…

How do you define your style, Duygu?

I like creating a balance among my clothes. I mean in colours. They should fit each other. I can’t wear clothes with big patterns such as flowers or big birds. I know my body more or less and I can also cut and sew for myself.

Duygu Karatas

That must be an opportunity for you. What do you sew for yourself?

Mostly skirts. I find skirts very comfortable. Mini, long… I can use any kinds of fabrics. Denim, cotton, silk…

White is easy to combine

Do you like shopping? What does shopping mean for you?

Yes, I like shopping. But I buy mostly shoes and bags. To be honest it is difficult for me to buy other clothing because I can create myself.

Black bag&shoes

Do you have some favourite colours in clothing?

I choose this year mostly the popular colours of 2013. I prefer pastel tons. 

White is a must for me. I can combine any colour for example with a white skirt, Capri pants or trousers. 

Big hats look elegant

You are working in fashion branch. What did you study?

I studied art. But I design and sew since my childhood. Since last 10 years I have been working as a fashion designer. I design mainly tricot. I play with colours and wools and try creating something new. Tricot is different than weaving. It is more technical in the creating process, more complicated. You have to know everything about both trico machines and the wools so that you can give life what you have drawn on the papers. 

Which brands or designers‘ products do you like other than yours?

I like the designs of Yargıcı.  I buy also in Twist, Henry, AllSaints, Bershka, Maxmara and Mango. For example till now I didn’t buy anything in H&M. Although I like the designs there, I find its forms not much suitable for me. If I buy something there I have to make changes, shorten etc. I don't like making changes when I buy something. 

Mini black dress for a dinner or party

Is shopping a passion for you?

I am not a shopaholic. It is more like a play for me. I like going into shops and look at the things and then think which ones I can combine with something I have or something in the shop. 

Do the shop window designs affect you?

Yes. Actually I worked on that area too for a while. However I mostly understand the concept inside by looking at the window. So there were several times that I didn't go inside because of that. I know what they present inside by looking at the shop window.

Do you shop online?

No. I never buy a cloth that I didn't touch. I have to touch it and feel what kind of fabric it is. Is it wool or cotton? I have to know it. So you can’t understand it by just looking in the internet. 

White shorts are her favourite

Which fabrics do you find more comfortable?

Linen, voile, cotton, silk and denim.

Do you follow fashion shows?

Yes, I try visiting some shows. They help to get some ideas about the new styles or colours.

Both elegant and sportive

How do you get inspired?

Firstly we define popular colours of the season. Then by combining it with the design we try creating a new style in the tricot. It is not as easy as creating a t-shirt. Because you can’t use print in tricot as in t-shirts. It is not so easy. So I try creating a balance among all the elements. 

For summer nights...

What do the Turkish women wear nowadays? What is popular there? Do they follow fashion?

Of course. We have everything here what they in Europe have. We go simultaneously. Neon colours and tunics with authentic designs are popular nowadays. Platform shoes and flare trousers are also worn much. Everywhere is multicolored nowadays.

Turkish women seems to be a little bit crazy about shopping?

Yes. Shopping is actually one of the therapy methods for them. We love display a little bit. If you don't follow the fashion, you are sidelined.

Do you have some suggestions for women?

Yes, I am a little bored of the two parts combinations such as skirt and shirt or trousers and t-shirts. The dresses are fashionable nowadays and they should enjoy wearing dresses more. 

It is also comfortable and elegant. They can combine it with colourful bags and shoes. I am also careful with the balance between the colours of the shoes, bags and the accessories and even the watches. I find it important too.