Style. It starts from within, a sense of understanding oneself. It’s the way one walks and talks, the totality of one’s self-projection. It takes discipline to be consistent day in and day out, in creating this image of self. Some are born with it, but it can also be cultivated. Beauty can be part of style, but it is not a prerequisite. Beauty fades; style grows better with age. Money is helpful, but one can possess style and not a for- tune. Style can be expressed naturally, or thought out carefully. A woman with “Style” is capable of changing with fashion, but without sacrific- ing her own style. To project it, it takes self confidence, a sense of curiosity about one- self. Who are some of the women, past, present and maybe future, with this “it” ? For style, you have to accept what you are as a woman. You take what’s best for you, not the newest look in clothes. There are those women, not necessarily, the most physically beautiful, who are able to make themselves arresting with an exotic style. As we remember, the always outspoken Diana Vreeland, she was a consultant to the Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and editor at Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines and who was called “The Delphi Oracle of Fashion”. In her 80’s, she by passes skirts for slim straight pants worn with tunics and sweaters for day and pants or long dresses for evening. Other of our most memorable women of style are: Katherine Hepburn, the pub- lic-private mystery style, that of the determinedly individualistic actress who thumbed her nose at conventions and who did so much to popularize man-tailored clothes. Coco Chanel, was certainty a woman of style, still today her look thrives. Cecil Beaton, The chronicler of fashion, once wrote: “Coco Chanel threw a man’s overcoat around her shoulders in a chilly day aboard the Duke of Westminster’s yacht, and sud- denly fashion conscious women throughout the world were doing the same”. In to- day’s society some of our most stylish celebrities are influencing women’s style and they have the power to make famous and bring to the spotlight designers by wearing their creations or as well, in our contemporary fashion society: “Stylists”.
What does style mean, by all meanings?. Style is to know how to move the clothes and how to make them live. Fashion is not an art, painting is an art by itself and ones has to make fashion an art with style. Clothing is a craft process, like an artistic expression covering the body with different media and factors, but wearing them with style!, is a different story.
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Looking into the past history, little has changed since the formal beginning of fashion and designers in the middle of the XIX Century, when a young Englishman, Charles Worth, dressed the Empress Eugenie of France and the ladies of her court with his creations. This was the first action that gave birth to the name “Designer”, before on- ly were dressmakers following their customer’s orders but did not create designs or styles. Thanks to Worth a new era in fashion began, not only by designing but he also revolutionized the time by dressing his wife in his designs for his clients to see how the clothes looked on. And this gave birth to the first fashion model, Marie Worth! Through the years, we have had so many women of style, but the most Icons of style to imitate of all time are: Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe. And today’s some of the most recognizable women of style are Anna Wintour, Kate Mid- dleton, Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, Cate Blanchett. To name a few, of course from my humble opinion. And all this bring us to our present, from the XIX Century to the XXI century, and to celebrate style, women and designing, I am bringing you my muse, my women of style, Athina Klioumi, a Greek Goddess, a Philanthropist supporting the Miami Symphony Orchestra, an International Model, from Berlin, to Egypt, to Venezuela, to Greece, to France, to Peru, and now we have the pleasure to have her in Miami. An actress and fashion Icon, loves martial arts, belly dancing, and writes for her two columns about her passion for beauty, health and esoteric themes. Known as “Athina Divina”, this angelical and fragile figure speaks six languages German, Spanish, English, Greek, French, Arabic and she is learning now Japanese, a non stop of good energy! As I represent women, and I am pro women, and in celebration of our upcoming 15th Year Anniversary of my company Petit Pois by Viviana G, I have chosen Athina, not only because she is a woman of style, but because she represent our woman, she repre- sents my three biggest influences in designing, and the reunification of that expression: Europeans, Hispanics & Americans.
Thanks to all Women of Style! And this is The Real Life of Viviana G.
