The Space Between My Peers

So perfectly refreshing that it stopped me in my tracks, was that really a magazine cover without cleavage? Closer examination revealed a composition of simplicity and beauty.

What elements make this arrangement so aesthetically appealing?

Clothing selection: Natalie Portman’s pixieish crop significantly decreases the visual weight of the star’s hair. Thus, with her fair-skinned luminosity, the painted linen Prada balances her visual lightness.

Photography: Balance is not all about symmetry. Note how the neckline acts as a frame for the face.

Color: The overall beauty of the composition includes the background (matching the dress and framing the face) and the surrounding print layout (the black enhancing her hair and eyes, the pink bringing out her cheeks and lips).

Rip it off and take it home (not the magazine cover, the artistic concepts):

Visual weight: Choose clothing that harmonizes with your personal presence. Volume, texture, and depth of color all add visual weight.

Balance points: Simply stated, a neckline that is deeper than the face is long is a distraction.

Color: Try a neutral that is the same color value (dark or light), but not the same color, as your skin; accent with colors from your own personal coloring (eye, cheek, hair, or lip color).

Natalie Portman is a work of art, but so are you!

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Just a few little things on my mind today, concerning this blog. First of all, I submitted yesterday’s post for publication on Out2.com. At 8 am PST, it was featured on the front page of the fashion section, with a great picture added. Currently my post is the top feature on the “at work” page. (Ironic that the editor initially approached me about sharing my content because she thought it fit her professional section well!)

Presumably this move should increase traffic. Hence, the ads. So far, however, I can still pretty much identify each individual who has visited The Space Between My Peers today.

Clicking on my own ads or encouraging you all to do so would be in violation of my agreement with Google, so I will not know what exactly is behind those links. Please feel free to notify me, however, if you notice something that I would not want; I do retain veto power.

Secondly, as this opportunity has caused me to again examine my motives for blogging, I encourage you to participate with me in considering the big picture. Is the information presented here of value to anyone beyond us? That would be the real motive for wanting to increase traffic. The mercenary aspect is just because I am praying for a laptop.

Last, but not least, I confess that I’m mystified by blog-itics (the politics of getting noticed in the blogosphere). The notion that value is measured by the number of other bloggers linking to you puzzles me; does that mean that because my sister and my husband own the only blogs that link to mine, my content is of little value? Still, I would blog, if only for them.

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With the current popularity of knitting, it should come as no surprise that crochet is one of this year’s big spring looks. So why does that idea prompt groans from both men and teenagers? Because they’re sick already of seeing mature women’s undergarments.

So, if you have see-through garments (crochet, sheer, or peekaboo) you would like to wear and still be viewed as professional, try this principle:

Wear a see-through garment as an accessory, like a scarf, not as an article of clothing.

For example, a sheer blouse in teal could be worn in many professional settings as long as it topped a matching teal, or black, long-sleeved tee-shirt. And, for Casual Friday, a crocheted sweater in a neutral could layer over something bright.

Do’s and don’ts:

• Do wear a tee-shirt under a knit or crocheted sweater. A camisole in a color normally associated with underwear doesn’t cut it.
• Do wear a sheer tailored blouse, with a matching shirt under. A blouse has the advantage, over a scarf, of offering camouflage to the less slim.
• Don’t choose a skin-toned garment to wear under something sheer. People will have to look closely to see whether you really are properly clothed.
• Don’t wear black underwear with a white shirt. That look has passed, and it now just looks tacky.
• Do approach the wearing of lace with caution. At best, it is associated with romance or considered a little old-fashioned. At worst, it looks like lingerie.

It’s up to you to protect your professional presentation. When in doubt, don’t.

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Here in the Great Northwest, winter is far from over. I will be wearing wool sweaters until at least the official first day of Spring. Back when this was a baby blog, I described the formula I use to calculate the number of sweaters I need. But, even if I have enough, about this time of year I start to get tired of them.

So, for the past several days, I have been seeking new combinations. Yes, I know, I shouldn’t have any that I haven’t already discovered; after all, I did recommend that we all style in each new item when it enters our wardrobe. But, I have either been too lazy or (should I offer you the opportunity to vote?) spending too much time blogging.

Enter closet shopping. Even if you don’t have any new items, you may have combinations you have never tried. Because of the warmth afforded by extra layers, late winter is the perfect time for this project.

Wonder what I have been finding?

• Spring and summer t-shirts to wear under winter sweaters for a flash of color at the neckline.
• Sweaters that will fit under a tailored jacket.
• Sweaters and jackets that can be topped with a belt.

• Silk, cashmere, and cotton tops that can be layered three deep.

As an example, an uncommon color combo I wore yesterday: light taupe crewneck tee ( my hair color), topped by dark brown longsleeve thermal knit (my eye color), plus light blue cashmere cardigan (the complement of my light orange skin) with silver + crystal buttons (again, my haircolor). It works for me.

Results may vary. Some restrictions apply. See your closet for details.

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In the Truth is Stranger Than Fiction category, the perfect punctuation to our stiletto discussion: Glamour Stiletto Run.

Any takers?

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Most of us, when we consider the concept of wearing a uniform, find it somewhat restrictive. A few, however, would be relieved. If you are one of those few, pay close attention now. I am going to make your life easier.

When I was growing up, my mom wore a uniform. Not a company logo polo shirt, or fatigues, or navy shirt and shorts; she had a certain formula for dressing that just worked for her; a template, if you will. Wearing a suit everyday in my former professional life was the same concept. Easy, but with variety not afforded by a traditional uniform.

My early post Facing Tomorrow Without Trauma struck a chord with some of you. In it, I chronicle my development of a personal template for what to wear to church.

The project (this should be fun):

• Get out your collages (or envelopes or piles) from the Sunday project I previously suggested. You should have one for each lifestyle segment.
• Work on one season at a time. Depending on where you live, you may choose to work on Winter or Spring, or even Summer at this time of year.
• Identify a “template” you would like to use for the season you are working on, in each category.
• “Bottoms up”: Start with pants or skirt, add shirt, top with jacket or sweater. To be very thorough, plan also for shoes, coats, accessories, and even undergarments.

Here’s a fictional Winter template plan:

Leisure = jeans + cotton tee-shirt + wool sweater
Casual = wool trousers + dress shirt + blazer or cardigan
Business = pant or skirt suit + silk blouse
Social = dark sleeveless dress

Enormously helpful in my life, this concept adds structure to our thinking about what to wear. Comments, suggestions, snide remarks?

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If you’ve been with me since the beginning, you will remember that in my early post A Salty Fashion Tip I prescribed wearing a blazer the color of your hair. Then, in Complementary Colors, I offered the option of using the complement of your haircolor instead. Now, I would like to further develop the theme.

First, a clarification or two:

• Read the word “blazer” to mean any jacket or sweater.
• Most of the color combinations I suggest can be inverted, the jacket color becoming the shirt color.

Using a personal coloring-based wardrobe plan, you would expect to be able to wear a jacket in any color present in your own coloring. You would be right. But here’s the trick to wearing your skin color next to your skin:

• Separate the garment from your face with a swath of contrasting fabric.
• Choose an accent color from Beauty is in the Eye … or use your lipstick color.

Would you like an illustration? How about a tan-skinned person in a camel jacket? Now picture that person wearing a crisp white shirt with the collar outside the jacket, separating the jacket from the face. A look both comfortable and chic.

And salty!

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SMILE!

(Also works for puffy eyes, spots and wrinkles, and various sorts of wardrobe trauma. Not recommended for use with bad breath or bad teeth; definitely effective against bad attitudes.)

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What’s the secret to the uncooperative hair that distinguishes our most high profile days? In order to bring you the answer, I tested the following at a recent teen event.

12 weeks since last haircut
7 degrees fahrenheit
35 miles per hour winds
1 fleece hat

optional:
6 hours in ponytail and visor (best if started while hair is still damp)

If starting the day before: add hairspray to touch.

My conclusion? Truly bad hair is most reliably attained in conjunction with the certainty of being photographed. Make sure there’s going to be a videographer present.

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Here’s a concrete reason for parents to teach their children the skills that enable them to be considered attractive in our society. Sure, it shouldn’t matter, but since it does, let’s do what we can. We all know of people who are widely considered attractive but, if only their natural physical attributes were considered, unadorned, it would be otherwise.

Ugly Kids More Likely to Become Criminals

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