Who wouldn’t want to start their day taking a stroll past the window displays of Tiffany’s sparkling, beautifully designed diamond eye-candy?  You must admit, the adorable, yet somewhat hollow-feeling imagery of the petite, dressed-up-for-no-reason Audrey Hepburn in the opening of Breakfast at Tiffany’s pretty much says it all.   

A bit of background of the author:  I am currently majoring in Graphic Design at the Rhode Island School of Design.  I plan to work on page layouts for a major magazine when I graduate.  This summer I’ll be interning at UK Cosmopolitan Magazine in London.  I’ve always been extremely interested in fashion (I almost chose to major in apparel design when I first arrived at RISD), style, and the VIP glamorous lifestyle that is exposed to us through magazines.   

Now, I’m not naive, and I’m not stupid.  I know that what we are shown, splashed exquisitely on the pages, is not exactly reality, nor is it the kind of life someone would necessarily want.  Who really appreciates being hounded by strangers and blinded by flashbulbs wherever they go, never getting a moment alone?  However, it is intriguing nonetheless (and not fully fabricated), and I can definitely appreciate the numerous events that require sleek put-together style and a flirty cocktail dress.  This is not so much about celebrity as it is about the style celebrity status can afford and display to the world.  

Just a little insight into my loves: I find dressing up extremely fun and satisfying, and not in the least a chore, as some think of it.  Who cares if it takes a couple hours to look fabulous?  Some people choose to look fabulous to establish a kind of superiority and status over others.  But for the non-self absorbed, it is a celebration of fine design and self-expression.  It is an art form to know how to accessorize and put together a look that balances originality and timelessness, without looking overdone or, on the other extreme, plain boring.  Above all, a successful look (for a man or woman) encompasses Class, Confidence, and Attention to Detail.   

It’s more than clothes and shoes.  A Look is about you.  What you wear gives off an initial impression, but how you wear it completes the look.  A beautiful woman can wear an incredible Blumarine dress with spectacular Manolo Blahniks, but if she isn’t confident wearing it, the overall look suffers and she fails to stand out.  Since how you feel about yourself is made up of many aspects of your life, (and most magazines cover more than fashion alone), I will “stray” to other topics as well.  Don’t forget… you’re invited.   

-StyleSophisticate