QUOTES
Clothes as text, clothes as narration, clothes as story. Clothes as the story of our lives. And if you were to gather all the clothes you have ever owned in your life, each baby shoe and winter coat and wedding dress, you would have your autobiography. You could wear, once more, your own life in all its stages, from whatever they wrapped you in when you emerged from the dark red naked warmth of the womb to your death bed. The Thoughtful Dresser Linda Grant The energy of imagination, deliberation and invention, which fall into a natural rhythm totally one’s own, maintained by an innate discipline and a keen sense of pleasure-these are the ingredients of style. And all who have it share one thing: originality. Diane Vreeland 1906-1989 Buy less, choose well and mix it all. Vivienne Westwood You wake up in the morning and ask yourself what you should wear, and the seductive whisper of the same outfit you wore yesterday is in your ear: “Wear me.’ And you do because you know you look good, you look fantastic, but more significantly, you look like yourself and not an imposter. The Thoughtful Dresser Linda Grant At this point in fashion we don’t need uniforms, but unique and very personal pieces that separate women from the pack. Giorgio Armani Fashion is founded on waywardness, nostalgia, fakery and so forth, certainly on markets. Any designer refusing to deal in them and to profit from them must lead the austere, solitary life of the dedicated artist right in the middle of a ferociously competitive, fad driven show business milieu, trying to maintain balance in a vertiginous world. Ann Hollander Style is the ultimate self creation-it’s the most refined of all the tastes one can acquire. Self creation is truly part of the American mythology. Our book is about women who invented themselves through style-not women who were born with an innate sense of style. The style we are talking about is fascinating because it is self taught. Many of our subjects were neither rich nor beautiful. They owed more to their intelligence than what nature, lineage or luck gave to them. Fashion, after all, is just about the clothes but style is about having a strong point of view on everything. Veronique Vienne with co -author Annette Tapert on The Power of Style Spend the money, dress for lunch, make the effort. Nan Kempner Adornment has always been part of human nature. Clothes put the individual into a special relationship with the spirits and or the seasons. You do not wear your everyday clothes to invoke a deity, especially when he or she is in the position to grant you a good harvest and save your tribe from death by starvation. Nor to be interviewed for a new job or to get married. The Thoughtful Dresser Linda Grant On Ires Apfel and her one woman show at the Met’s Costume Institute… she exemplifies a stylistic genius; mixes of Baroque, classic, flea market finds and Loehmann’s. To achieve true elegance in a garment, absolute technical perfection must match the highest quality of material and a sustained finesse in the design Ann Hollander I like texture and color both. I like to be surrounded by things I love. I like comfort but it must be stylish. Have your own style don’t follow fashion. Wear what looks good on you. Get a good mirror and examine how you look in the mirror. Denise Hale Why get all philosophical about fashion anymore… It’s all so fragmented and incomplete. It just mirrors society and society is fragmented, dense and incomprehensible. Who is going to change the way we dress, the way the designers used to do? Simon Doonan Barbara Hume’s clothing is influenced by the ethics and aesthetics of Wabi, a part of Zen Buddhism, evident in the Japanese Art of Tea, or Chanoyu. Great care is taken in preparing for a tea ceremony and in the art of serving it. The ethics and aesthetics principles regarding the tea ceremony and which are most evident in the clothing are restraint, sincerity, accord and profundity. These principles harken to the beauty of harmony and refinement, tranquility and purity, naturalism and the mellow beauty that time and care impart to materials. It is about relationships and beauty in a concentrated effort. When these principles are practiced and there is respect for the inherent nature of the materials a harmonious relationship exists within the form. From this core, the merits of these principles benefit the wearer on the inside leading to outward enhancement. It creates a natural mindfulness and detachment bringing grace to the daily practice of living. Barbara Hume _________________________________________________________________________ We need things that transcend the moment, stay with us, and are not easily replaced. Amber Valletta Tailoring clothes to fit perfectly, regardless of price point, will make them infinitely more expensive. What You wear Will Change Your Life by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine |
