Hella Personal Style Newsletter: February 2013

Welcome to my monthly newsletters and news alerts. In them, I will bring you up to date on the world of fashion and style. Specializing in the PSC principles for over 25 years, I will help you by translating the overwhelming world of fashion news into a  straight forward manner, so that you can apply it with confidence and ease to your own existing wardrobe. After all, don't we all feel happy when we are participating in the fun, while not losing our own personal style?

"Personal style is when all the elements of visual design come together in a way that suits us. Then we are able to express our inner and outer beauty in a natural, effortless and authentic manner."

-hella

personal stylist and educator

Spring is in the Air: Closet Tips

There is no doubt about it, Spring is here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am sure you have been enjoying the sweet fragrances of cherry, plum, and apple blossoms, while marveling at the beautiful pink, white, and reddish blossoms that are everywhere (which is good luck in the Chinese new year tradition).

So how does this relate to your closet? I find that when the sun shines brighter and the air is warmer, its time to bring the outdoors, indoors, especially to our closets. Take everything out of your closet and give it a good airing out. You will find that as you take things out with the intention of "freshening up," you find items that accidentally got lost in the shuffle; as well as clothing that simply had their last seasons run and need to go. This is the perfect time to note what's missing in order to complete spring outfits for the coming months. A project like cleaning your closet can seem so dreadful and sound so cliche, but actually, really is rewarding, fun, and productive. That is IF you approach it with a casual, easy attitude, just like you would when doing a bit of weeding in the garden or rearranging furniture in your home. Actually, that is what you are doing; in with the good air, out with the bad; freshening up, weeding out and rearranging your wardrobe. Take out your heavier winter clothing, but keep your sweaters that are season-less, such as cashmere or light weight wool blends (we always need some sweaters in our bay area climate) and put them in a separate area of your closet, or put them in an off season closet. Store them in canvas wardrobe bags, never, ever use plastic or leave them on hangers straight out of the the dry cleaners, the chemical residue wreaks havoc on your clothes. Then as a reward for spring cleaning your closet, consider shopping for a new top or two in a color that you have never worn before, try it in the spirit of spring and a new start!

The Circus of Fashion by Suzy Menkes

As many of you know, Suzy Menkes is one of my favorite fashions writers. She is not only a prolific and brilliant writer, she is personable, kind, and welcoming to others interested in the field (I had the good luck of meeting and talking to her). Here is a recent article that she wrote on the state of fashion shows and all that goes on in and around them. She expresses much of what I have also been feeling about the fashion world particularly over the last two years. I  hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. As always, I look forward to any comments you have. Click Here for the article!

Girl with the Pearl Earring

I recently saw this exhibit at the S.F. De Young Museum. While gazing upon the show's highlight, Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring, I was struck by her eyes. It was not just the look of "immediacy" which is noted in the museum notes, but it was something more subtle. Suddenly, I realized that the young girl's luscious silk top and matching turban-like-scarf were EXACTLY her eye color (a very unusual green/gold hazel). Matching the sitter's eyes to the color of the clothing they were wearing, was something that was not typically done in portrait painting from this period.

Also when you are there, be sure to see Rembrandt's Century, his 60 etchings are simply magnificent. It's hard to imagine that he could capture so much emotion in etchings. He actually loved this technique as much as painting, and its very apparent when you see them. In this extraordinary graphic arts exhibit there are a total of 200 engravings, etchings, woodcuts, ink drawings, and watercolors. These works are done by other major artists of the 17th-century, a truly rich time in the history of the Dutch Golden Age.