Your Mid-Week Fashion Inspiration: The POWER of a makeover!




  Makeovers.  The TV is full of them.  Gok; Trinny & Suzannah; Queer Eye...........& then there's the ones that make over your homes; your life; your weight.........endless!!

Why are we sooo hooked on them?!  I know that I'm always in happy tears after watching most makeovers; I just LOVE seeing people get a second, revived, chance of life.

I think that's where it's at.  We come into this world, we take on a persona that the world begins to relate to & see us by.  Folk get to put us in a hole; "Oh, yes, that's so-&-so; they are this way......." - creating familiarity.

But what if that familiarity becomes unconscious drudgery for the individual concerned?



Before Hair-Makeover....never felt quite "me"...



After Hair-Makeover - that's better!

 
This can happen at any age, but is most often recognised around our 40's  (Ahhhh, I'm 46........That makes sense!).

Makeovers are DELICOUS.  They are a chance to reinvent & renenergise oneself.

That's part of what I adore with offering Wardrobe Angel.  I love sharing the new potential with my clients, whether we are working at home with one's wardrobe, or having a textile adventure whilst out shopping.  I am known to get a tad animated when I see what a new colour or cut of a garment will do for a woman in my care, it's truely exciting!! 

So many of us spend so many years hiding ourselves, or presenting ourselves in someone else's image. WHO has created the "You" that you portray?  I've had many women share with me that it's their mother that they hear judging them in their minds when they choose their clothes.  And more often than not, it is also their partners.  Does this sound familiar to you?  If so, who are you trying to please?

It's the likes of Madonna, THE Queen of Reinvention, who inspires me to continue to step up to the mark once again; as in, who am I being today??  Who do I WANT to be?  Looking at my self from fresh new eyes; I ain't ready to settle in to just 'growing old', folks!

So, here's my latest hair-makeover; I'm prepared to celebrate!!



 

Mmm, I actually took a gamble & bought hair-dye from the supermarket ($15; thankyou!), got a freezer-bag & put holes in it, then garnered the help of a patient friend handy with a crochet hook & away we went!  Playtime!   I don't suggest all of us go out & try this, but if Dita Von Teese can....................ha!!

My dear friend & radio show hostess & astrologer Tania Gilchrist said recently; "Hun; you're the queen of Do-It-Yourself Gorgeousness!"  Thanks Tans, 'cos I carried the persona of a tough "bloke" through my time as a signwriter (I was 20 years in the trade); I was happiest when I was dressing like a bloke, & acting like a bloke (I did drive myself hard in those years); I related to earlier years when my mum & I lived in the bush on the Coast & life was all about survival & getting through one day to the next.  We made sure that whatever we wore, we could keep warm & dry in, or could walk for miles & miles (We often had no car).  BUT, we DID play "Big-girl dress-ups" when we went to town!!  (With gumboots & torch in tow!)

I know that my fellow girls in our dear city of Christchurch will relate to that last paragraph; ladies, it's taken some time for us to get back into our heels, hasn't it??!

And you're asking what does this have to do with reinvention?!  Everything.  Again, the persona of how we wish to present ourselves to the world.  Dior would not have come through with the New Look after the war if it hadn't been for women going without.  I know that since the earthquakes especially, I am taking more time on a day to day basis to treat myself to dressing up more, as in, how I wish to go out into this world.  (But I ALWAYS go with my torch!  Some habits don't go away!)

So, watch out, because me & my team of Angels will be out & about soon, spreading some Fun with Fashion & Inspiration goodness JUST for you to enjoy!


And in the meantime, here's some fun homework for you:

Chose a garment that you normally keep "For special occasions" - & wear it tomorrow!!  & we're probably talking about a dress here, more often than not.........Dress your garment down with jeans, or a cardi, or tough it up with a denim jacket & tights & boots; add a hat; or a long necklace, or a scarf.............and WHY do this??!!  Because every day is a GIFT, and, you ARE worth it!! 

I would love to hear what you did!  Send me a photo & I'll pop it onto our Wardrobe Angel Facebook page!  Have fun!!  





Do YOU call on an era for YOUR fashion inspiration??

Hi there on a stunning, sunny Christchurch day!

I will remind you that this blog isn't about what's the latest & greatest in the fashion world, but moreso, a place of inspiration for you to draw out more possibilities for yourself to play Big Girl Dress-Up's; here, any fashion snobbery goes right out the window, & in instead comes a walk into a palette of colour & experimenting in order to stretch one's style-muse; a rediscovery of Self.

And, this is where I bare MY wardrobe to the world, with the intent to inspire you to dress up YOUR Big Girl (ie; your gorgeous Self).

For this week's Mid-Week Inspiration, I invite you to look toward the past decades to see if there is anywhere in particular that speaks of the You that you portray, or wish to portray.

The wonderful thing with doing this is that this is a very playful, harmless, creative process, to bring out a latent Style-Bunny who may gain more confidence with new styles & colours, with an anchor to call on.

And there are soooo many references to look at!

Most often, we go to the movies for our style icons.  Think:  Audrey Hepburn; Marilyn Monroe; Emma Peel, Angie Dickenson (Yes; check out some old "Police Woman" shows & you'll see what I mean!), to name a few.

So, we're talking about, say, from the '30's, '40's, '50's, 60's, '70's, and, now you KNOW you're getting old when the '80's are now talked of as being "Retro", and the '60's are talked of as being "Vintage"!

And, many women of today access this very exercise to inspire themselves; think Dita von Tease, who has called on the elegance of the '40's as her main-stay look, which interestingly, in it's own right has inspired other girls to rediscover the joys of the incredible sewmanship of those times.

Here are a couple of my own inspirations I like to play with.............

Calling on the 1970's.............

This wee beauty is my Grandmother's coat circa 1970's.  I love it when winter comes about & I can bring this fun item out for play.

Grandma was THE most elegant lady I had ever seen; she was always so polished; even her home was coffee-book stunning (Grandma was into stylish minimilism way before it was given a word..........).  With me having lived on the West Coast in the bush with my awesomely wayward mother, my grandmother left a lasting fashion impression on me!  I don't know what she would think of MY style however, but she would be suprised to see her coat still having a life!

Somehow, I travelled around NZ for years & had this coat in storage all over the place, & she is still as good as new.

I like to bring her out walkies with a few fun additions to bring her up to modern-day wear..........

And, don't mind me, but I LOVE sharing clothing history; every piece has it's own story to tell........

The BOOTS came from Trade Me, these are fully lined; sooo warm.........and the HAT came from a small millinery company based in Mapua, Nelson, who have since closed; I visited them on their last sale day; was a trifle sad, knowing these guys with their amazing skills no longer have the viability to keep in business.

The SKIRT; ahhh, second-hand, many years ago.......pure wool,

& top off with a burst of colour with red tights.



SO, if you see me trotting down the street & you recognise me in this outift, please tap me on the shoulder & I'll shout you coffee!!

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Another era I love to play with is the 1950's.  I loved all the sexiness, the fabrics, but oh, the designs & cuts of the garments.........swoon-time..........

These dresses found their way into my life when I was inspired to call into Valley Girl; one of my fun fashion haunts; for cheap & cheerful, fun & flirty.  And, centrally placed in our dearly-missed Cashel Mall, it was on my weekly inspiration-run.

These dresses were on sale for, I don't mind saying, only $15 each! 

Made with cotton & linen, they wash well, & wear well.  It was the cut that got me though; their construction was definitely straight from the bygone era of the '40's & '50's, & I was, amongst others, totally start-struck.  So much so that I had to buy a dress in each colour........

So, amongst others, we were twirling in happy abandon in front of the store mirrors........I think these dresses should be given out instead of Prozac - guaranteed to lift anyone's day!!

These dresses can absolutely be prettied up with red shoes & small red gloves & a wee black jacket for '50's elegance, but I'm looking forward to having mine take me through winter......

I like to pop a black cashmere jersey on underneath, add a black neck-cowl, a big, fun ring, grab a bright beret, a black swing-petticoat for added layering;

And then to add a modern tough edge, a demin jacket does the trick as a warm cover-up.

And, throw on the tights & add girly 1940's inspired shoes, or, flat boots for an urban finish (Plus, very practical for walking around our uneven roads!)



And, if you see me on the street, ditto to the coffee & catchup!!

Share with me your fashion infuences & be part of the fashion inspiration - "Viva la Ropa!" - Spanish; for Long Live Clothes!

Take care, & live each day to your fullness.

Love, Jackie Farina  

YOUR MID-WEEK FASHION INSPIRATION!

**** TAKE A JERSEY...****

Here in New Zealand, winter is coming; it's time to get warm!!  So, my Midweek Fashion Inspiration will hopefully give you some interesting ideas to help you toward your winter layering.........I don't know about you, but I sure do feel the cold!

Here's a look that I love playing with, especially because I have a very "up & down" figure, whereby I hardly have a waist; as I'm sure others can relate to.....  So, I have to "create" curves, and because I also have a short torso, I need to accentuate a much-appreciated long line in the body.

So, first off, take a looong jersey.........

And then look after those cold leggies by adding knee-high boots (I like my brown ones when I'm wearing grey; they soften the look ) Then, because I'm serious about feeling the cold, pop on a pair of thick blokey work-sox.   These come over the top of the boot & break the line by adding a pop of colour.

And I have discovered a WONDERFUL source of DENIM LEGGINGS; so very comfortable - check out Trade Me User Name "XQZ"  for their "Fashion Tights Skinny Jeans Style" - yes; I am sharing MY fashion secrets with you!!  (And let them know you saw their reference on this blog!)

Now we can have some fun with layering!!  I have a few options here...........

This is a grey SHRUG that I made myself (I will post prices soon).  The drop at the front gives a nice, long line, & the back is shorter, sits about waist-height across the back, so gives definition of waist by showing the small of the back; a girl needs as much definition as she can.  And the matching grey tone gives a nicely casual-elegant look.  Check out the necklace options - again, creating the "long-line" thru the torso.

But wait; there's more!  Soooo many options!  I love a bit of denim.  I found this beautifully-cut long-line vest in a 2nd-hand store; it looks gorgeous on, & cuts well into the body, giving a lovely curved line.....

And; can we wear denim-on-denim?!  Yes; ONLY if the denim is of different shades, AND, if there is colour from another garment showing thru between the denim pieces.

Speaking of shaping into the body, this ever-so-slightly-a-couple-of-seasons-back (I don't care - I LOVE it; it is sooo versatile!) bulky cardi also works well to accentuate a curvy figure where there isn't one..........

And, finally (Just for now) there's another option using another cardi that I picked up from another 2nd-hand store, & I had to justify its use - it's a rather muddy-dark blue colour; looks great with the leggings.........

                  

Plus, a wee cardi/jacket of this cut is great for shorter/petite women, as it stops at the hips, rather than stopping too far down the line of the body...........as for those of us who need the illusion of shape, this style "nips in" at the waist just nicely.  (Sorry; computer won't let me pop these photos side-by-side today....!)

I hope you enjoyed that!!  Keep an eye out for my next installment!

Welcome aboard!

Greetings Fellow Angels!  Much a-plenty has been happening for our dear city of Christchurch! 

What stands first & foremost of course is the loss of our dear central-city, due to the Feb 22nd quake.  And goodness, I was sooo looking forward to blog about what is so great about our own fashion mecca, our High Street fashion precinct. Sadly, no longer to be.  I was in love with High St & its surrounding aspects of Poplar Lane, Lichfield Lanes, right thru to Cashel Mall, & our dear Lady-of-Old, New Regent Street; oh, for the shopping!!

However.  As true-grit Cantabrians, we are not a breed to lie down for long.  As a community, we have smartly gotten up & brushed ourselves off, & looked to the next sunrise of inspiration to carry us forward toward a New City.

And, my thoughts & true cheer goes to our retailers, who have pulled on our true pioneering spirit, to pick up & forge ahead, restoring normality as quickly & as best as they could, for our Fashionistas to be able to continue to feed their need for fashion.  Be it window-shopping for visual feasting, or indulging in well-deserved happy purchases.

It will be my aim to keep YOU, the reader, up-to-date with who's where; and also, who's wear!

Wardrobe Angel is about Inspiration Through Fashion, & the Celebration of Colour & Form.

Life goes on folks, let's give it the energy it needs - let's make EACH day matter; including how we choose to adorn our Life Vehicles; our Bodies.  Grab a slash of colour RIGHT NOW & have FUN with it; paint your world with vibrancy!  And don't worry about making mistakes; make the excuse that you are in your creative mode & laugh off any uncertainty!

Warmly yours,

Wardrobe Angel