With our "Champagne Taste and our Beer Budget" we take a Wallet-Friendly Look at the Feel of Luxury Fashion Trends this Season.
Being "ON Trend" is not just about the ability to purchase Designer Fashions, but to understand "The Feeling" the Designer is expressing.
From the Fashion Runway we chose the collection of Ralph Lauren to explore the "Look for Less" without the Sacrifice of Style. As always Ralph Lauren has such a Clean Fresh "Vision of Fashion" and this season he is again true to his Trademark!
Although many of the Fashions we reviewed are featured with a Modelesque image, we found the individual garments to be in alignment with the Style of "The FUSE Woman."
We hope you Enjoy!
The FUSE Fashion Team
JUNE FASHION
FASHION EDIT
STYLE
TRENDS
FASHION
JERRI SCAIFE
THROUGH MY LENS
by Penelope Bent-Lippincott
I have been photographing women professionally all of my adult life. This year marks my Fortieth year in this industry; and needless to say, I am so very grateful for all the amazing women that I have shared this exciting experience with, and for all that I have learned.
My camera lens has been a very intimate and private doorway into the lives and the emotions of the women I have photographed; and I thank them all for trusting in this most intimate and creative process.
I began shooting in the late seventies and early eighties as a Boudoir Photographer and then on to Fashion as the years passed. Being one of the very few female shooters at the time allowed for a much more honest narrative and collaboration with my clients.
Through those early years, I learned how to angle and adjust my subject for that "Perfect Picture;" but more then that, I learned "Visual Design." I also learned about a woman's spirit, illusion, and light.
I learned the Art of a Woman's Individual Style and how her Style Transitions with age.
Here is what I learned Through My Lens.
PART 3
As a CREATIVE* I have, for better or worse, always navigated through life and its challenges with my sense of "Feeling" rather then Logic or Reasoning.
I chose my relationships, my work space, my wardrobe, etc. all by "How I Felt About It." Rarely did I ask myself if my decision was a wise one. You can only imagine how many wild missteps this approach created, but what a "Hell of a Ride!"
Through my work I discovered most women I worked with had never really asked themselves how they felt about their own lives. Their primary focus was to encourage others to feel good or to introduce a loving feeling to the relationship.
Working as a Boudoir Photographer, my job was to partner with my client in the creation of an image that would evoke a positive feeling from their loved one. Rarely did a woman wish to be photographed for her own personal review.
I can only share with you how surprised I was to learn the impact of a "Single Image" and how these same women discovered new feelings about their own beauty and themselves.
So the question is--how do we see ourselves and how do we feel about what we see?
From the beginning of time, little girls have always always been given mixed messages regarding their own beauty; and I feel confident these messages have not always supported a healthy sense of self.
While we learned very early on the cultural fear that a compliment could lead to conceit, we were not prepared for the diminishing effect this idea has had on many women.
Regardless of all the advancements of women in our world today, many women still struggle with their true feelings about the work they do, the image they present, and the relationships they develop.
There is always this little voice asking "who do you think you are" or screaming "you're not smart enough, pretty enough, talented enough, young enough" and the list goes on and on and on. And all the while these messages are strangling your dreams and distorting the truth.
Do I have News for You! In all the forty years I have been photographing women, I have NEVER and I truly mean NEVER photographed an Ugly, Stupid, Untalented, or Too Old of a Woman. Now maybe a few arrogant, self centered ones, JUST KIDDING!
Truly the camera never sees anything but the actual creatures without any of the cultural or self-imposed labels.
If a picture is worth a thousand words and the camera never lies, then our truth and how we feel about ourselves is fluid and changeable.
Take a moment to really ask yourself how you feel about all the aspects of your life. If you don't feel good about what you see, then make a change. We all have the ability to create a new picture of ourselves--our lives, our relationships. A picture that "Feels" good to us, one of confidence, creativity, and excitement.
No one has your feet tied to the dock. They may be a bit tangled up; but, they sure as hell aren't tied down. Keep your eyes on the horizon. What have you always wanted to do? What Changes do you Feel like making? DO IT & DO IT NOW!
Most importantly, forget about "Making a Mistake!" In my experience there is no such thing as a Mistake. A "Mis -Take" is just a simple flashing announcement that an "Adjustment is Required." No inventor created a perfectly functional prototype out of the gate. What fun would that be?
Enjoy the Feeling!
*A CREATIVE is an individual who doesn't quite fit into any box. Many see them as rebels. A creative leads with thought. Some brains are just wired to want to create, invent, explore, and innovate.
STYLE TRENDS - The FUSE Woman
METRO MARKET PLACE
