A****i
发帖数: 5546 | 1 【 以下文字转载自 Fashion 讨论区 】
发信人: sartoREAList (keep it real), 信区: Fashion
标 题: Fashion Tips from a Man (5): Elegance, subtlety, and balan
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Tue May 17 02:56:23 2011, 美东)
大部分人看到一个好的搭配，第一个反应一般都是“好看”，“有气场”，“气质好”
，但是为什么好看，却说不出道理。
"Mystery is one of the most important qualities a woman can possess. A woman
who is an open book is boring."
-Carolina Herrera
So, how do you create mystery? Elegance and glamor. Yes, these are two big
words, but if one is willing to put in the work, she can eventually master
this art. I don't think I need to talk about glamor -- this is discussed
everyday on this board. Let's talk about elegance.
Elegance is a very abstract concept -- it's not a particular design, but
rather a sensation you can deliver by your entire look, from far to near,
from head to toe. It instigates all kinds of imagination in your audience -
- you have class, you have taste, you know how to arrange the details, you
know yourself, you know your audience, you look different and better than
all the other 99%...
To achieve a state of elegance, keep two things in mind: subtlety and
balance. You want to look nonchalant rather than trying too hard. You want
your entire look, including hair, makeup, and nails, to be balanced --
everything at the same level, nothing stands out or falls short too
much.
Now, let's start from the basic elements of style -- shape, color, and
pattern/texture.
Shape is the first thing a man notices about a woman, before he even focuses
his eyes on her face. You always want to create a feminine shape, from top
to bottom. This is where the hairdo and high heels come into play. Now,
for the middle part, you want to create that hour-glass shape: large bust,
narrow waist, curvy hip, long, firm legs. A critical piece here is getting
well-fitting clothing. Almost without exception, most of the off-the-shelf
clothes do NOT fit you. You need to know the exact measurements that fit
you. I have seen too many women buying things only based on their design
but not caring about their fit -- this is the wrong approach.
Take, for example, the photo below of CH -- she does not have a big bust,
her arms are not skinny, and her waist is not very narrow. However, she has
a carefully tailored shirt that makes her arms look thinner, her shoulders
look more square (which gives a more athletic look, and she cocked up her
collars to neutralize the square shoulders). Her skirt has a big
flare, which makes her waist appear smaller. Moreover, the black skirt
makes her lower body appear leaner and draws our attention to her well toned
legs, which are further accentuated by her high heels. Obviously, she put
in a lot of thoughts into creating this seemingly simple but extremely
elegant look.
Color coordination by itself is an art. A basic rule is that you do not
create more contrast than the natural contrast between your hair and facial
complexion (so that people's attention is drawn to your face, not your
clothes). This is generally not a problem for us Asians, unless you have a
very dark skin tone. It's hard to generalize as to what works and what
doesn't. You will have to experiment, and then stick to the combinations
that work for you. Remember the color wheel and the contrast colors -- two
colors that are separated by three colors on the wheel. These will be you
basic starting points. Play with tint and shade (adding white/gray/black),
and you will see all sorts of possibilities.
Here is an excellent article about color coordination (it applies to both
men and women, and even to interior design):
http://www.mens-fashion-tips.com/color-coordination.html
I remember seeing the red and green theme photo shoot-outs on this board.
Unfortunately, there weren't many shots that showed sophisticated color
coordination (different shades of red/green, matched with other hues).
As to pattern/texture, I think most women on this board already have plenty
of experience with that. |
