Wearing the Maxi Skirt

Are we creatures of habit, fearful of showing the world our true selves? Or do we dance as though no-one is watching?

If I was wearing this skirt, I'd be dancing and sleeping in it. 

I see very few women wearing the maxi skirt. My belief is a 'fear' of standing out too much if they wear this long, flowing, statement piece. For many it looks too formal, or the opposite, bohemian.  
As you may be very well aware, I try and steer women away from wearing what fashion dictates and instead help them to shine with what works on them. The maxi skirt is one of those trends that comes and goes. For me it has always been 'in'. I think I still have a skirt from 20 years ago. 
Well as it turns out, the long skirt is having a come back which you will see in coming months.  
The maxi skirt suits many body shapes purely because 'it' in itself is not just of one cut. It is either flared, straight and narrow, pleated, high waisted, asymmetrical etc. In other words it is not limited to only tall, thin women. If you wear it well, it can look sensational. Trust me. 

I say, get out of your jeans and into a maxi for some fun, femininity, sexiness and originality. 

Below are my suggestions on wearing the maxi skirt all year round. This feminine skirt can be worn during the day or evening, casual or formal, summer or winter. At work may be a little tricky, but it depends on the type of work.

Divine forest green chiffon skirt worn with either a patterned cardigan or gorgeous silk blouse can transform it from day into night. Colour your world with shoes and accessories.

Stand out in a bright skirt worn with stripe jacket or feminine camisole. Wonderful spring/summer look.

Love a bright maxi skirt with wrap tops. Wear them with boots for the colder months or nice little flats in the spring/summer. Just so versatile. 

Speaking of Green 

The tulle flared maxi skirt worn with a silk camisole and flats or a stand out jacket and high bold coloured shoes is great look for those daring enough.

Pattern and lace skirts are fun and feminine. Don't be afraid to mix various patterns together, as you can see above with the edgy combination of paisley skirt and stripe blouse. Experiment to see what suits you. The lace skirt is soft and stylish worn with a silk wrap top. To give a casual feel, a denim jacket fits the part. Again add a jolt of colour in there with the accessories.

Lace skirt, patterned jacket, bright accessories.  The 21st century Boho woman.

Continuing on the subject of lace and pattern skirts. Worn with fur(or faux fur) vests, this is super stylish. Combined with sexy boots, vintage handbags and earrings.....yum.  Again  as you will see above on the right, the multi patterned mix of the skirt, vest and shoes can all work well together if you get the 'pattern mix' right. Don't be afraid.

Winter Chic

The neutral effect. It's not always about bright colour. I love wearing a long white or beige skirt with a soft blouse in the summer. In the winter wear it with a wrap cardigan or belted coat. Can't go wrong here.

Lusting after this polka dot lace skirt. I'd wear it with a belted wrap cardigan in the winter or with a silk lace camisole in the summer. Like the first image, wearing this skirt would make me want to dance, eat and sleep in it.  

I hope you enjoyed this latest post on How to wear a maxi skirt all year round. 

All garments in my styling pages were sourced from Polyvore, Net-a-Porter, Farfetch, etsy, asos and pinterest.  Browse these websites to find your perfect maxi, blouse, jacket, shoes and accessories. 

Like all of my fashion posts, I could have gone on for ever with various ways to wear garments, in this instance the maxi skirt. I find it hard to stop.  The maxi skirt is certainly a piece that is versatile enough to have many different looks. I do highly recommend experimenting to see what works on you. And more importantly be a little darling. My belief is, you only have to do it 'once' to break the fear factor. 

Should you require, I would be delighted to help you with putting maxi skirt outfits together, or any look for that matter. I can be booked for a personal styling and image consultation either in person or on line.

For all enquiries please email me on stylebygessica@gmail.com 

And of course I would love to hear your feedback. 

With Love

Gessica 

Iconic Photographer Melvin Sokolsky

"With the awareness that I was prone to live in my own head much of the time, and inclined to severe self-criticism, I began to have doubts whether I could create images on film that reflected the images in my mind's eye." Melvin Sokolsky

The 1963 Bubble series shot in Paris over ten days, and created for the Harper's Bazaar Spring collection by New York photographer Melvin Sokolsky, is still to this day one of the more innovative photography experiments ever.
Although Melvin never had formal training in photography, using his father's box camera at the age of ten gave him a head start in producing exquisite work.  

His Inspiration of the bubble series came from a re-occuring dream where he saw himself floating in a bubble across exotic landscapes. 

At the same time he was fascinated with the intricate design and shape of the faberge egg: hence the bubble was formulated, made of plexi glass and aircraft aluminium.  

The challenge however was to position a telescopic crane at each location from which the bubble would be suspended. 

The model Simone d'Aillencourt would hop into the bubble that was suspended a few feet off the ground. After being locked in safely with an air vent for her to breathe, the bubble was raised into position. 

In his own words, "there were times when this choreographeed dance turned into a Laurel and Hardy comedy. The morning we shot on the Seine, the bubble was lowered overzealously into the water, flooding it up to Simone's ankles, and in turn ruining an important pair of designer shoes."

Various locations through the streets of Paris

 In the Making

Purchase his Paris Art book 1963-1965 

Stunning photographs.....Enjoy

Gessica 

Loving Lace

Chantilly Lace, crochet lace, linen lace: Love it.
Although it is not clear when lace originated, it is believed to have surfaced in the early sixteenth century and that place was apparently Venice. As Venice was an important trading centre, it was in this city on water that the first lace pattern books were produced and the fabric itself. By 1600 quality lace was being made in other countries in Europe including Spain, France and England. Travelling noblemen and aristocrats ensured this new fashion trend was introduced into fashion houses through-out the world.....and it hasn't looked back since. 
Season after season lace dominates the Haute Couture runways around the world. Understandably, most people associate wearing lace with weddings, formal events and Haute Couture.The seriously stunning formal gowns made with this feminine delicate fabric gives us reason to think we can't wear it any other way. 

Valentino

Well I say that is not the case. You can wear lace less formally, during the day, and even to work. Cleverly put together it works all year round summer and winter, formal or non-formal.  
Not everyone likes to wear lace or it may not suit you. However there are many people I have met that love it, but struggle to find ways to wear it well and not just in a formal occasion. This post is for those of you, and also those not sure about wearing it yet curious all the same. You'll be surprised at how a little bit of lace can make you feel so luxurious. 

Divine blue Chantilly lace detail.

Black lace blouse worn with straight or wide legged white pants are such a stylish spring look and depending on your job, a casual work attire. Add some colour and pattern with shoes, accessories and handbags. 

Flowy lace and silk blouses worn with jeans are chic and sexy. Whether you wear flats or high heels, mix it up with colour and pattern as demonstrated in the images above.

 Lace skirts, silk blouses, cardigans = feminine and soft. The right mixes are good for both work and play. 

More skirt styles. As you can see lace in pretty pastel colours are a more casual look. Wear yellow with silk blue blouse and flats or high heels. Wear pink with Red jacket and boots. Each will also go well with simple black cardigan. It is a matter of finding the style skirt and colours that work on you. The tailored red jacket with pink skirt is a gorgeous corporate look. 

One of my favourites. Black lace skirt worn with either a jacket for formal affair or played down with cardigan for day wear. Flats or boots, necklace or earring. Can't go wrong. This look is quite boho and sophisticated at the same time. 

If you like lace but afraid where to start or don't like too much of it, I suggest to purchase an item that has a touch of it. Such as above, this wool and  lace trimmed skirt worn with jumper is a lovely introduction to lace in your wardrobe. Another option is to add lace camisoles under blouses for that soft feminine touch.

Stand out Orange. An evening affair....with a nice black or red slip under it.  Wow.

There is something about vintage black lace dresses that says " I feel very womanly".  Beautiful, sexy black dresses worn with interesting heels and accessories can transform an otherwise plain black dress into something a little more special.  

Party dresses. Red or blue or green or purple...doesn't matter. Lace is not all about black as seen above. Mix it up and add your flair. 

More night time affair. A lace jacket with hot pink or orange skirt...or straight white pants. 

Talking about Vintage. A silk and lace slip, worn with flats is ideal for day wear, or adding a silk slip in a colour such as red or black makes it a night time cocktail affair. In the winter add a gorgeous wrap with boots and you are ready to go all year round.

And back to haute couture.....stunning Dolce and Gabbana 2014 collection.

I hope you enjoyed this post on how to wear lace in more ways than one. There are many more ways, I could go on for pages and pages.  If you would like further advice on wearing lace, or where to purchase items photographed above, please don't hesitate to email me on stylebygessica@gmail.com.

And I would love to hear your comments....so write away on the bottom of post. 

Enjoy

Gessica 

Transforming Paper into Fashion

There are always artists pushing the boundaries with creating out of everyday simple items.....such as paper. Working with such a delicate material and painstakingly molding it into a spectacular dress or any object for that matter, is just pure talent. Having the patience to intricately cut stunning designs from paper via hand or lazer and then glue, sew, knit or weave the pieces together bit by bit shows both discipline and passion.

Paper made clothes and accessories (mainly as costumes) were used as early as the 19th century. Apparantly during wars and crisis, alternative materials were required for clothing, and paper provided the easiest and cheapest method. The use of paper in fashion became a short lived novelty in the 60's when American Scott Paper Company produced a dress as part of a marketing stunt. Customers could send it $1.25 and receive a op-art design dress made of 'dura-weave'. It started a huge craze that had fashion houses following suit producing and selling paper clothes for women, men and children. Even bridal gowns were produced. It was the eye catching colours and pop art designs featured on these garments that had people loving this trend. However by the end of the 60's, the novelty soon wore off.....they were generally ill-fitting, uncomfortable to wear, couldn't wear them in the rain, flammable, and trashed after a few wears. Since then designers such as John Galliano, Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen have used paper in their creative collections as expressions of art. 

I'm so enchanted with the whole paper fashion/art style, I felt compelled to write about it. So exquisite to look at, one of these dresses sitting on a mannequin in my lounge room would give me joy. 

There are a few talented paper artists out there...some stand out more than others. Here are my picks...

Jum Nakao, Brazilian born from Japanese parents. Inspired by Origami Art

I would have to say Jum Nakao is one of the most recognised talented paper artist today.

In his own words "All of my works, for example, the paper made fashion lines, have a playful relationship with the spectator. This lightness is necessary to get a distance from reality and a connection with the invisible, with people's imagination, to let them see it from a different perspective - a less realistic one."  

In one of his fashion shows (as you will see in photos below), after the models walked the catwalk, they were made to rip the paper dresses off.

Hours and hours of work making these elaborate gowns.......

In a matter of minutes all that work ripped off...... in the name of 'art'

A little more of his work.....

Hard to believe these dresses are made of paper...Click here to view more of his work. 

The Makerie Studio

The exceptionally talented duo behind Makerie Studio are Julie Wilkinson and Joyanne Horscroft. These two women who spread between New York, London, Milan create three-dimensional paper sculptures for window installations, events, editorials, galleries, private collection and much more. They don't stop at fashion, click here to view their other stunning designs such as birds, architectural sculptures and window displays.

Elin Johansson

This coat by Elin is made of cotton paper. It was cut into strips and glued together. Then hand knitted to shape. Wow, wow and wow.  

Tara Keens

Trinidadian Architect Tara created this divine sculptural dress for her masters thesis which she named "ecstatic spaces"(a befitting name). It was one of a series of carnival costumes made from folded paper and twisted rope. View more of her architectural paper work here you won't be disappointed.

And to think even shoes made of paper....

I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I have in researching it. There are thousands of stunning paper sculpture images that I spent hours viewing and almost as many wonderful artists out there creating these pieces. Well done to you all.  

The question is.....Would you wear one?? 

With love 

Gessica