Style 2013

We all know of Classics, Bohemian, Minimalist, High Fashion, and Avant Garde, but the most important thing is to find out whatever suits one best.

By Kornkanok Yongsakul.

A few lucky women are born with style but not most of us. Style blossoms with time and experience. It begins with a sense of who you are and is based firmly on your self-confidence.

Style comes from opening yourself to the world around you, taking inspiration from traveling, books, movies, art, music, and especially from people surrounding you. When the word “Dressing in Style” becomes prominent in every woman’s mind, I am sure she will be wondering, eager to discover what style will suit her best and what style really is.

Style can be defined in many ways. It depends on the woman’s character, emotions, and true identity. We all know of Classics, Bohemian, Minimalist, High Fashion, and Avant Garde, but the most important thing is to find out whatever suits one best.

From Paris and London to New York and Milan fashion weeks, we are fascinated by beautiful creations by both established and emerging fashion gurus. These fashion weeks often set the trends that many follow. With the various different trends that emerged in the Spring/Summer 2013 collection of renowned designers from all over the world, let’s take a look at what’s upcoming to dominate the fashion world.

Let’s begin with Classics. Though clothing trends change almost every season, the classic style remains constant. Classics represent the timelessness of the wearer without overwhelming her personality. The Classic style is chic when it is paired down with beautiful simple cuts such as a nice tailored jacket with a crisp white shirt and the little black dresses (the LBD).

Think about Ralph Lauren, the great American Jet-Setter Classics brand that continues to create the identity for women worldwide. The signature look is simply a white shirt that you can pair with basically everything from jeans for a casual look to long, black full skirt for black-tie attire. It is a look that you can carry on for years without looking overdone; it outlasts trends.

Besides the Classics, another style that does not depend on trends is the High Fashion Style. You can transform any style you want into a high fashion look simply by taking a small step farther. You can make a high fashion statement anytime, just because you like the look, and not because everyone else is doing it.

One of the legendary high fashion houses is Valentino by Valentino Garavani. He makes women feel sophisticated and glamorous in his flamboyant dresses. They are so feminine, desirable, and always demure. The signature color palette is dusty pink to classics scarlet red that brings out the feminine personality. You can never go wrong with their silhouettes with nipped waist tea dresses and long-sleeved jumpsuits. Yet the classics statement item that every woman should own in her closet is the trench coat. For this 2013 summer season, the coat comes in an interesting material of PVC adorned with studded details.

From Valentino, we go to young “Alice Temperly,” the British native who makes clothes that make you feel like a princess (not Alice in Wonderland). Temperly always brings out the sweet, sexy side of women. Think about soft subtle color hues such as pistachio, coral, and dusty pink. Feminine details are important elements, from pretty colored laced party dresses, edgy geometric prints patterns to cutout details and beautiful draped red long dresses.

With the Avant Garde or Eccentric Style we see the phenomenon of no rules or formula in dressing. Eclectic women pick and choose clothes from different styles and with their own inspiration mix them together in a way that is unique to them. The best thing about this style is that it allows you to make your own rules especially when other people’s rules are totally non-applicable to you. Most of all, it is great fun.

Among the famous designers who visualize themselves as artists rather than just fashion designers is Nicholas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga. Ghesquiere always creates eye-stopping clothes, which have never been in existence. Balenciaga style is androgynous rather than feminine and tremendously influences the world.
From space-age theme to futuristic look, Balenciaga invented the new way of dressing up and down at the same time. The highlights are those flamingo ruffles wrapped around dresses and skirts in two-toned colored fabrics, and mix matched abstract prints on shift dresses made from high technology razor cutting machines. Balenciaga women are women with full confidence. They truly are one-of-a kind.

Another eccentric brand worth mentioning is Commes Des Garcons. The designer behind the brand is Rei Kawakubo. The creations is free-form fitting, creating another step beyond dressing from oversized puffer parka jacket to voluminous balloons liked skirt with high-technology fiber materials. They portray clothing as art objects rather than everyday clothes.

We all appreciate that today’s fashion styles come and go more quickly than ever. It takes a trained and disciplined eye to follow or even track down and anticipate the changes, from fashion magazines to runway shows, to finding what you want, to decide what to wear with what, and, sometimes, to get your name on the waiting list for what you want.

You can only be devoted to fashion if you enjoy the entire process. If you don’t there are a million better ways to spend your time and money. The key is just enjoying and exploring your inner self. After all, it is you who will wear something in your style with full confidence. Tell yourself that your look is genuinely great and you are the happiest person on earth.