Being chic has more to do with having a personal style than with following trends. The best thing is to fix some rules and then find some exceptions which can go well along with.
Every woman must have the capacity to chose a style, a way to get dressed able to make her feeling at ease as well as to suit her, considering her personal characteristics and learning how to recognize and highlight her qualities.
Once identified a style, some variations on the topic could be introduced, by choosing clothing items and elements maybe not at all aligned with that style, on the contrary creating some 'incoherence', but able to activate our appreciation and a good feeling.
Having said that, here we are with my first exception: the style fusion. I usually wear a chic elegant style, but sometimes I make myself alive with a black leather pant, a silk lace shirt with jabot, flat boots, heavy cashmere cardigan, fur coat maybe paired with a Dior golden bronze bag. Discontinuity is fun!
Anyhow, whatever the style is, a woman must find one or two Fashion House reflecting her own taste, to wear at least a 'sartorial' piece, an item enhancing the figure with harmony of shapes and originality, with attention to its cut and proportions, definitely owning the importance of the uniqueness. This will give an immediate elegance, natural but standing out at the same time, modular, whether for the day or the evening.
To pair complementary colors is the best way to be chic. As an example, I never match more than two different colors together and in any case always in shade or in combination between them. When I give myself the possibility to pull together strong colors and not necessarily complementary, I do it discreetly, being really careful to avoid too loud results.
Black is an eternal theme. According to Yohji Yamamoto, for instance, it is not only a color, but a way of being, a particular attitude towards the world. Coco Chanel considered black as an uniform, an absolute definition of supreme elegance. A black item in the look, as an unusual pant, an overcoat, a blazer, better if with a sartorial style, will always be a back up in any situation, adapting itself to whatever chosen style. It will be a rescue in one of those mornings when we don't know how to turn the style of the day. Elegance is not quite dressing in a formal way, but is to know how to wear - almost - anything.
A flashy jewel, a red lipstick, a gaudy t-shirt. While being chic it is also envisaged the possibility to wear an important element, provided that it is the only one, with a certain sense of limit and balance. And here we go with the second of my exceptions: there are sometimes so unique mixes that are so beyond rules, and make me going too far maybe a bit both with jewels or with a decorated showy bag. The real point is to be able to wear certain accessories so that they can become an essential part of oneself's look.
It could seem almost predictable because said by a 'bag lover': with the right bag, for instance, you can leave everything simply discreet, because an important accessory will do all the rest. I very often start dressing up from the bag, and the rest will follow. I feel horrified when I hear certain ladies saying they use always the same bag, just for laziness!! Alternating the bags along the week days according to your outfit must be a daily habit, such as brushing your teeth... I confess I brush my teeth three times a day, and sometimes it happens to me to change the bag even three times a day, when the occasion is there!!
The shoes then would deserve a specific chapter and we will certainly talk again about them in the future. For the time being it is appropriate to clarify which kind of shoes should get along with the selected look, especially according to the activities of the day. Very high heels are not recommended when traveling, but are strongly advised for formal and elegant occasions. The tip here is to chose comfortable shoes, without frills and decorations, able to be chic with many different looks.. And here we have another exception: I always find a compromise with the heels, wearing them quite often...
Red lipstick, then, is an icon by itself. It makes fuller lips, whiter smile, making you feeling better like few things in the world.
Being elegant means to be bright too, self-confident, but mainly positive and therefore smiling!!
And on smiling lips, lipstick can do miracles.
