Terminology-coats

On a rainy day like this although it is not cold it is time to talk about coats...

The military coat is a reinterpretation of the military coats, it is usually long, crossed and with metal buttons.

The pea coat comes from a style used by sailors, it finishes under the hips and it is crossed.

The car coat falls above the knees and it is a classic, usually it is with buttons and it is crossed.

The wrap coat has extra fabric in order to be able to wrap the body and it is adjusted by a belt.

The cape coat has no sleeves, just holes. It can have a belt or a hood.

The topcoat is in A line figure, it gets buttoned on the front, it has a collar and pockets on the sides.

The parka is a casual style, stuffed coat. It can be short or until the middle of the calf.

The cocoon is wide, it gets above the knees and the sleeves are not completely long.

The trench coat is a classic and it has become a fashion icon.

The bracelet sleeve coat can be long or short and the sleeves end between the shoulder and the forearm.

The toggle coat is usually made of wool, it has a clasp on the front and it has a hood.

The chesterfield coat is just, with flaps that can be simple or double and sometimes made of velvet, it is of a masculine style.

Terminology- jackets

And we move on with the technical part with the jackets.

The smoking jacket is the female version of the male smoking jacket. It can be of simple or double flap.

The suit jacket can be of simple or double flap, it has a classic twist and pockets on the side.

The peplum jacket accents on the waist, with wide hem and structured shoulders.

The boyfriend jacket is of large fit, it has a masculine cut and you can roll up the sleeves.

The safari jacket comes usually in neutral colors, khaki, military green or white. It has a belt and there have been many different versions.

The military jacket has epaulets and metal buttons although the length might vary.

The bomber jacket is of leather, with zipper on the front. It has a slightly wide blouse fit and finishes right on the waist.

Terminology-dresses

It was time to get a bit technical so we learnt the basics concerning terminology.

Dresses are like a canvas, very versatile so you can show your personal look.

The wrap dress is a variation of the Kimono, it crosses the front part of the body and it ties on the waist. It is flattering to many different body types.

The shift dress is straight without definition on the waist. The hem is under the knee and normally is sleeveless.

The strapless dress can be tight or loose, long or short but the idea always is to emphasize the breasts and the shoulders.

The sheath dress is similar to the shift one but it is tighter to the body. It has a cut on the waist and the hem ends on the knee.

The line A dress is called like this because of its shape.

The empire dress has the waist high finishing under the breasts.

The halter dress does not have a back and it ties behind the neck. It can be long, short, tight or loose.

 The Al Bies dress has to do with the way the fabric has been cut, diagonally. It allows to follow the natural lines of the body.

The asymmetric dress either has only one shoulder or a hem on the side. It can be romantic or bold.

The shirt dress is inspired by the man's shirt, it can be with a collar or not and usually it has a belt.

The full dress is tight to the torso and the skirt is wide, with volume, sometimes in a bell shape.

Prints, details and colors

Paul Cezanne said "There is no model, there is only color".

As far as prints are concerned tonal ones attract less attention. The darker the background  the more flattering it is. If you are a petite size girl go for small designs with low contrast. If you are tall try bigger prints with more contrast. Big prints work only with light contrast and in a diagonal form. Vertical stripes always make you look better than the horizontal ones. The diagonal stripes that are more vertical than horizontal create an elongation effect.

Details on clothing pieces are used to emphasize a part of the body. For example a neckline with ruffles on a shirt is giving emphasis to the breasts and the neck and the straps of a long-back dress focus on the back. Try having only one detail per look.

The most flattering colors for you depend on the color of your skin and the color of your eyes. Women with pale skin and brown or blond hair look good on saturated bright colors like violet, red, royal blue and emerald green. If you have a mid tone skin try lavender, coral, turquoise and olive green. A woman with black hair and pale skin would look good on olive green but stunning in emerald. If you have imperfections on your body (and we all do) try not to use bright colored fabrics on those parts. Having a monochromatic look makes you look thinner, especially in dark colors. Marked and contrasting colors in horizontal lines divide your body and will make it look wider and shorter so be careful!! Bright and light colors can accent parts of the body and illuminate your face. It is recommended to use maximum 3 colors per look. Use colors strategically combining the dark with the light to balance your figure.

Navy blue and white (or we can call it nautical) is a classic, clean and fresh look. Minimalists and traditionalists love it. However if you want to be up-to-date add saturated bright colors such as purple, green, bright yellow and fuchsia. This is a look I created based on this concept.

Pale and neutral colors like grey from head to toe might seem plane and cold but if you add pastel colors like lavender, peach, light blue or pale pink you will end up with something sophisticated. This is the look I created to give you an idea.

Khaki and olive green always give a bohemian touch. To give a spark try using different fabrics like silk and satin in colors like orange, burgundy and burnt red. This is the look I proposed.

Face types and makeup trends

"The best thing is to look natural, but it takes makeup to look natural." Calvin Klein

The oval shape is considered to be the perfect one and here are some tips on how to give your face this effect.

If you belong to the square type you should shade the four ends of the face that are the temples and the jaws. Illuminate your cheekbones in a C shape and the chin.

If you have a round face shade in a descending way the cheekbone and illuminate your nose and the chin to elongate visually.

If your face is oblong shade the down part of the chin and the hairline. Illuminate the cheekbones horizontally so as to widen the zone.

If you are part of the triangle category shade the lower angles that create the triangle, the jaws and illuminate the temples, the chin and the cheekbones.

If your face has a inverted triangle shape shade your temples and the chin, illuminate the forehead, the cheekbones and the jaws.

If you are the rare diamond type illuminate your temples and the jaws.


The trends for the summer 2011 are Terra copper, Raw fined, Pop Classics and Ice Dreams.
For Winter 2011/2012 the trends are the Cat Eyes, Smokey Eye Metallic, Natural Minimalist and Cherry very.

Different body types: What to look for, what to avoid

On the second day of the course we learnt about the different body types and what we should go for and what to avoid on every case. The assignment of the day was to create a different look for every body shape.

  If you belong to the pear body type you should focus on the shoulders and create balance between them and the hips. Go for jackets with shoulder pads or details on the shoulders, blouses with horizontal lines or prints, long V or boat necks. Avoid crew neck type shirts and shirts that are tight to the body. The look I created is the following:

  If you belong to the V shape you should try to soften the shoulders. The ideal for you is soft, feminine blouses, cardigans and for those with narrow hips horizontal stripes to balance. Try to avoid epaulets, shoulder pads, horizontal lines on the shoulders including hems and flaps and boat neck shirts. The look that I suggest is this: 

  If your body type is rectangle your goal should be to elongate the body. What you should look for are wide skirts with layers to create volume, jackets with wide flaps, wide leg pants and wide belts on the waist. Try not to use skirts very tight to the body. What I propose as a look is this: 

  If you belong to the hourglass type try to define the waist, elongate your figure and emphasize your curves. In order to do that use pieces that fall softly on the curves, dresses and skirts that tie to the waist and monochromatic separate pieces. It is better to avoid anything that is too tight or too big, very thing fabrics, long and square jackets and shirts and jackets that finish at the widest part of the hips. My proposal is the following: 

  Last but not least if you belong to the apple body type like me try to redirect the sight from the center of the body towards the face or legs creating a long vertical line. Say yes to long shirts like tunics, cardigans and jackets, Empire type dresses and blouses, type A figures. It would be better to avoid belts on dresses and shirts, blouses that have elastic on the waist and pants and skirts with details on the waist. The look I created is this:

(It is not me in the picture).
All styles are created in www.polyvore.com

What I learned the first day of my summer course "Fashion Image and Styling"

"Fashions fade. Style is eternal." Yves Saint Laurent

The most common styles and their characteristics are:
Classic: Chiffon blouse, pencil skirt, classic and neutral colors
Minimal: Structured figures, color blocking, monochromatic
Romantic: More is more, volume,lace,frilly
Bohemian: 70s, layer over layer, prints
Ladylike: Very feminine, 50s, emphasis on the waist
Mix and Match: Contrasting colors, mix of prints, ethnic
Chic: Follow trends, elegant, stylish

Our assignment of the day was to create 2 looks. The first one was our style at the moment and the second one how we would like our style to be in the future.