5 Fashion Rules from Madame Gabrielle a.k.a. Coco Chanel

I was reading Chanel: A Woman of Her Own by Axel Madsen, when i stumbled upon some fashion tips by Chanel herself... Well, it was mostly to promote her line but, nonetheless, what Coco says goes...

Chanel Fashion Rule Number 5: 

A woman should mix fake and real. To ask a woman to wear real jewelry only is like asking her to cover herself with real flowers instead of flowery silk prints. She's look faded in a few hours.

I love fakes because I find such jewelry provocative, and I find it disgraceful to walk around with millions around your neck just because your rich. The point of jewelry isn't to make a woman look rich but to adorn her; not the same thing.


NOTE: Mix and Match. Unless its the end of the world (knock. knock. knock) there is no reason to wear accessories like a Christmas tree (even that has the dignity of editing)... Edit your look. A bling-bling, out of place, can ruin a whole look. Decorative necketries call for simple earrings and vice versa. There's no need to match silver with silver or gold with gold... as long as it makes sense. You're good to go.

Chanel Fashion Rule Number 4: 

For a dress to be pretty, the woman who's wearing it must look if she were nude underneath.

NOTE: Fit...fit...fit. A good outfit should fit you well... Always try-on clothes before buying them. It actually saves you more time by preventing you from going back to the same store to get a replacement. Or if you're really that persuasive about something, look for a good tailor around your area. A good fit doesn't count size but the comfort and confidence of owning a well-fitted outfit.

Chanel Fashion Rule Number 3:

I am against fashion that doesn't last. I cannot accept that you throw you're clothes away because it's spring.


NOTE: Invest on classic, good quality items. A crisp white dress shirt never goes out of fashion. Trend colors change every year so its up to you to choose the right accessories to update and upgrade your look.

Chanel Fashion Rule Number 2: 

You've got a pretty face and a pretty brow, why hide it?


NOTE: Study your body. Know your own physique's strengths and weaknesses. Flaunt what's hot and hide what's not. 

Chanel Fashion Rule Number 1: 

A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future.

                                                       - quoted from Paul Valery, poet


NOTE: A perfume is like a shoe, its not good until you try it on. Choosing a perfume doesn't end by sniffing it from a piece of paper or spritzing in mid-air. It's not for you... until its on you. We all have unique body chemistry, acidity and the like... makes choosing a scent a very personal and intimate thing. A technique you can try is after choosing a scent that you really like, spray it on your wrist and stroll around a little.. after a time, smell it again... some perfumes tend to smell harsh upon spraying but softens after a period of time.


“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

Goin' Tangerine...

For the year 2012, Pantone, the world-renowned  authority on color and provider of color systems, named Tangerine Tango as the color of the year describing it as "vivacious and appealing".

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Over the past several years, orange has grown in popularity and acceptance among designers and consumers alike. A provocative attention-getter, Tangerine Tango is especially appealing in men’s and women’s fashion. Fashion designers featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2012, including Tommy Hilfiger, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Steffe by Shaun Kearney, Elie Tahari and Adrienne Vittadini, are incorporating this attractive orange into their spring collections. A fun, lively take on a traditional autumnal hue, Tangerine Tango will surely carry through to fall fashion as well.

Looking into world history and culture we can further explore the influence of this color into our lives. From the depths of religion and tradition to the enchanting color of nature...

T'boli headress

Chinese beads

sunset

Buddhist monks

saffron

the fruit

African jewelry

On a realistic note, Tangerine Tango appeals not just to the way we look but so much as to the way we live. A midst all the challenges we face on a daily basis, this color challenges us to face everyday with verve and vigor, to be bold and daring in making our life's decisions and to be energetic in making these decisions work. Because seriously, the future is not bleak tennis white (or that's what sci-fi movies in the 90's say so...). The color of the future is yours to decide.