ELEGANCE
HOW TO APPEAR ELEGANT, GRACEFUL AND HAVE AN AURA OF A HIGH-STATUS LADY
(PART 1)
Elegance is a magical quality that a woman can possess no matter where she comes from, her financial statement or her career. Mostly I see elegance to be expressed in two ways:
i. Appearance (clothing)
ii. Behavior (etiquette)
Both go hand in hand, you cannot dress elegantly and behave badly or be ill-mannered towards others and you cannot be of the best behavior and dress shabbily. It just doesn’t work that way. In this journey of transformation, we are going to study both.
As Yves Saint Laurent said, “Without elegance of the heart, there is no elegance.”
Wikipedia describes elegance as,
“Elegance is the attribute of being unusually effective and simple. It is frequently used as a standard of tastefulness, particularly in the areas of fashion and decoration. A synonym for beauty that has come to acquire the additional connotations of unusual effectiveness and simplicity. It is frequently used as a standard of tastefulness particularly in the areas of visual design. Elegant things exhibit refined grace and dignified propriety.”
In my studies, I have come to understand that elegance has far more to do with what a woman lets go of than what she adds (Tonya, 2020). That simply means letting go of your comfort zone and exuding grace and honor as you step into the “new you”. This, I think is the most difficult part of the journey because most of us are set in our ways and it becomes difficult to let go of our bad self and incorporate a new and refined us.
A person’s appearance tells a lot about them, hence an elegant lady should dress with class and taste. These include dressing for the occasion and dressing to make others around you feel comfortable. For instance; not exposing cleavages or wearing short clothes that bring out all body parts and worst of all wearing see-through attire. We will go into details in our subsequent blogs on things elegant ladies never wear. For now, we will concentrate on being sophisticated, polished, and timeless as we start the journey of transformation in order not to be overwhelmed. For me, I believe most elegant styles are modest and decent and that is what brings the aura of graciousness to a person.
If life in fashion has thought me anything, it is “dress as you want to be addressed”. I found out being elegantly dressed can help a lot of people to get away with a lot of things that others would be called out for. Hence, ladies, it is very clear that your style can define you, make you, and unmake you wherever you may find yourself. Have you noticed people who do not dress well are sometimes looked down upon on certain occasions? Please it is always better to be dressed up instead of dressed down even if you do not know where you are headed to. Please take note of that.
You can be an elegant lady without breaking the bank. It is possible!! You can become a high-status lady without spending a lot of money on shopping and body transformation. You must stay true to the part of you that makes you feel like yourself. Don’t try to imitate or be somebody else. Focus on yourself, look deep inside yourself, and find a style that makes you happy and feels comfortable. That is what makes you unique. However, with that said, we still need each other to get to our goals.
It is important to note that there is no cause for you to go beyond what you can afford because that puts pressure on you and you do not enjoy your outfits. Although, it is inevitable to go through some kind of struggle during this transformation not only monetary but also criticisms from other people; It is Okay. This is because, at the end of the day, you know what you will gain from it and those criticisms help you in your refinery and to grow stronger in your journey.
In the second part, I will focus on sharing some of the things to pay attention to with your appearance.
HOW TO APPEAR ELEGANT, GRACEFUL AND HAVE AN AURA OF A HIGH-STATUS LADY
(Part 2)
Have you heard the saying “Dress the way you want to be addressed”. That is my theme when it comes to dressing up. It is important to look good wherever you are going. It is good to over-dress to any event than to be under-dressed so take note of that. Don’t let criticisms define you and hold you back, especially for the “fear of change”. If others can, so can YOU.
The following are three tips that are important to consider in this transformation:
1. Fit of garment
2. Color
3. Grooming.
Fashion Sense: Dress to impress yourself and not others. Clothes change behavior and the way one sees herself. Check if you feel classy, chic, and confident in what you wear. A good style sense can help enhance your looks and at the same time pave way for you in high society by enhancing your confidence.
Elements of elegant fashion
i. FIT OF THE GARMENT: This is perhaps the most important of the elements. This is a silent cue that communicates your style, personality, and wealth. It just gives you away if you are not wearing an outfit right. A lot can be said about someone based on the clothes they wear.
Don’t wear clothes with sizes bigger than your body. You should always have clothes in your size and in situations where you buy a bigger size because it was finished in your size but liked the style, there is the need to contact a tailor for alteration to make it fit your body. Let your clothes be well made and not chunky. Bigger clothes make one bulkier. Pay attention to details. Wear clothes that are just for your size and not either too big or small.
Do not hide your bodyline. Showing your silhouette makes you slimmer. It is flattering and feminine. The garments you wear should flow with your body line. I personally prefer garments with longer lengths because I think they do exude more elegance than mini clothing. For instance: mini-skirts no matter how nice and “killer” it may be, screams “look at my legs” than a midi skirt or swooshing pair of trousers.
The fit must be prioritized. First, it’s about accentuating the actual shape of your body, like defining the waist and hips, the shape of your arms and legs, or the shape of your shoulders. And second, it’s about accentuating those details. Like a sharp-shouldered jacket that creates an extra-strong shoulder line. Or the princess seams and welted pocket positions on a jacket that draw attention to a defined waist. Structured items are often tailored and form-fitting. It should be delicate in some sense and no need of buying branded items. Zara items when well-made and tailored to your body size can be as refined as a Burberry piece. Just know your size for the fit.
ii. COLOR: Color choice in clothing is very important. Some colors make one look pale by washing them out or making one look older. No matter how good the fit is or beautiful the cloth is; if the color is not befitting to your skin tone, do not buy. It is believed that some clothes can make you slimmer especially wearing black clothes so you can have a few pieces in your closet. You should stay away from fantasy shopping and following trends because I think it is just a waste of money. We will study “color” as a topic later on in the “outfit” blogs.
Skin tone: Check your skin tone and hair color in your choice of clothes. This helps to bring out the best in you.
Flattering colors: Take the advantage of colors that flatter you. Figure out your own color palette and go for what works for you during shopping.
Know your “wow” colors: “Wow” colors bring out your color tone without fading you. They are the type of colors you wear and everyone is marveled at your appearance. Wearing the right colors make you feel comfortable and look like “a million dollar”.
iii. GROOMING: I kept the most important of these three to the last to have lasting memory on our minds. Your appearance should be crisp and fresh, very tidy visual, flawless, neat hair, pressed clothes, scent, pulled together an outfit, glowing skin, and make-up on point. Personally, I do not think you can achieve a polished appearance without adding a little bit of make-up but not excessive use. Invest in taking care of your skin rather than buying expensive make-up. Since your skin is taken care of, a little effort brightens you up. Your image is linked to your grooming. It is important to invest in your grooming. The impression is made with clothes but grooming makes people more confident and has a lasting relationship. In meeting a person, the first thing you look at is her face. How your hair look is very important and so is your face. Take care of your hair. Make it shiny and well brushed. Make sure your hair is neatly laid and nicely styled. As one gets closer to people, you focus on the face and how groomed they are instead of their clothing hence very crucial.
Subconsciously, one starts to categorize people as they get closer with the facial looks; the skin, teeth, breath, makeup, etc., and that can affect your relationship with people. It can even make one lose trust even though they wear expensive clothing or purse. So ladies make your grooming count.
LITTLE DETAILS MATTER, DO NOT SETTLE FOR LESS. ENJOY THE JOURNEY, MY ELEGANT LADIES.
Love,
Naomi.
