HOW VERSAILLES INSPIRES FASHION

Chateau de Versailles is a place of inspiration and dreams. A reality so unreal, it takes your breath away. It is no surprise to me that such a place, continuously creates inspiration in the world of high fashion. 

Marie Antoinette, or the Queen of fashion, was known for her quirky innovative style and trendsetting ways. Is it possible that she was also inspired by her home? 

DETAILS

When you walk through the private rooms of Marie Antoinette, take your time to see the details. 

The intricate blending of textures, colors, and shapes will leave you in awe. No detail is overlooked, and it is as if you are living in a work of art. 

COLOR

The colors found at the Petit Trianon and the Grand Trianon are exhilarating. Combinations of colors you would never imagine to cohesively work, somehow create such beauty. 

My current obsession with adding turquoise to burgundy, is highly inspired by these very rooms.

NATURE WALKS

By far, the most inspiration is found in the long walks around the grounds of versailles. 

I know it maybe tempting to rent the little golf cars or pay to be driven to each destination, but it is in these silent long walks that you get a true taste of the magic that exists. 

Some of my most inspirational moments have occurred just walking in puddles, and imagining Marie Antoinette's life. 

Fashion is most beautiful when it coexists with its surroundings. It never tries to hard, and has a melodious harmony.

MAIN CHATEAU

The main Chateau is vibrant, imaginative, and powerful. It is extremely reminiscent of Louis the XIV,  or more famously known as the Sun King. 

The energy is strong, and dynamic. 

The famous "Hall of Mirrors" is filled with glorious chandeliers and optical illusions, created by the strategic use of mirrors. 

The wooden floors are beautifully arranged in geometric design. 

GEOMETRIC BEAUTY

The use of Geometric patterns is cleverly used throughout the parks and rooms. It creates a beauty that mimics nature with a contemporary touch. 

It amazes me how such techniques of shapes and geometry are still being used in modern day fashion. 

xo,

Maya

Fall Daily: Style Through the Eyes of Claude Monet

Saint-Georges majeur au crépuscule (Eng: Dusk in Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight or Sunset in Venice; 1908-1912; Oil on Canvas. National Museum Cardiff, of Cardiff Whales.

Did you ever wonder what Fall must have looked like through the eyes of impressionist painter Claude Monet? One of my most favorite works of art is his, Sunset in Venice, Saint-Georges majeur au crépuscule. 

Sunset in Venice, was inspired by a trip Monet took with his wife during the Fall season (October-December 1908). It features the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the glorious warm colors created by the sunsets of Fall. 

Monet often painted looking out from his hotel room; however, San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk appears to have been painted from the waterfront. San Giorgio Maggiore was painted in six various lighting conditions, and varies slightly by the ‘nature of experience.’

                  FASHION STYLE TIPS INSPIRED BY MONET

When I get inspired by anything, the main focus is on what I like, and why. 

Sunset in Venice, is therapeutic to look at, and warm in texture, and color. How can I infuse those positives in my style?

First of all, where is the warmth coming from? 

The soft textures of Monet's brush strokes, warm colors, and gentle shading of ombre transitions, make the entire piece pleasing to the eyes.

Adopting those features into your style, can be accomplished by infusing the same combination of color choices, and the selection of textures or materials that create a soft, warm effect.

Join me Everyday for Daily Fall Style Tips? 

xo,

Maya

Fall Daily: Style Inspired by Poetry of John Keats?

Fashion inspiration is found in unlikely places. Why not poetry? 

The beautiful words of John Keats, and his descriptive vision of an Autumnal walk, are filled with bundles of creative inspiration on the very essence of Fall. Like a sweet melancholic melody, let the words of Keats inspire you!

"To Autumn" by English Poet, John Keats, was composed near Winchester.  Ironically, it became his final work in a group of poems known as Keat's, 1819 Odes, and he passed away a little over a year after its publication.

To Autumn

by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,

Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,-

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

WHEN POETIC INTERPRETATION MEETS FASHION:

"While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;" (To Autumn; Keats)

"To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,"

 (To Autumn; Keats)

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun" (To Autumn; Keats)

Join me everyday for more Fall Style! (Posting everyday in October and November)

xo,

Maya

Fall Daily: Harvesting Wheat Fields Inspire Golden Dreams

Vincent van Gogh. Wheatfield with a Reaper, 1890.  Oil on canvas, approximately 2' 5" by 3".  Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

If the sunset is the golden hour of the day, Fall is the golden season of the year. Harvest time is marked by the the final gifts from nature and the fields are painted golden.

Yellow gold is a mixture of sparkling golds and somber burnt yellows, and it continues to inspire Life in all of us. 

The climactic "Fall effect" of life meeting death, is somewhat appropriate to the somber shimmer of golden yellow. The color has even sparked inspiration in such Artists as Vincent Van Gogh, who often used the color in many of his most famous works. 

Vincent Van Gogh once wrote to his brother Theo the following message regarding his "Wheatfield with a Reaper" painting.

I then saw in this reaper – a vague figure struggling like a devil in the full heat of the day to reach the end of his toil – I then saw the image of death in it, in this sense that humanity would be the wheat being reaped. (...) But in this death nothing sad, it takes place in broad daylight with a sun that floods everything with a light of fine gold."

If there is one color to add to your Fall line up, try a bit of golden sun!

Join me tomorrow for more daily Fall Style! (Posting everyday: October, November)

xo,

Maya

Is Your Fashion Style Getting Boring? Lets Refresh!

Do you ever feel like your clothes lose its appeal after wearing it once? How do you keep it fresh and prevent your style from getting stale and predictable over and over again? 

The key lies in your brain. Think of your style as like a conversation with a friend. When you speak with your friend would you use the exact same words, to say the exact same ideas, over and over again? When your life starts to get repetitive, your mind gets stuck. In order to keep that wheel of life moving you have to keep on challenging yourself. 

Fashion is just like life, and it is easy to get stuck on a style that works. Whether it be a certain haircut, how you do your makeup, or a clothing preference. It is easy to get comfortable and fall into a routine.

Why take a risk when you find something that works? 

Change will create change. This does not mean to throw away who you are, or to forget all your previous fashion preferences. This simply means, try something new. It is the equilvalent of trying "Ethiopian" food, or some other exotic cuisine your palette has never touched. Yes, you may hate it, but then again you may love it. Either way, new experiences keep your mind fresh. 

How? 

 One of my favorite ways to shake up my style is trying clothing and accessories from different regions. Either you can travel and find  local markets, or you can even try finding ethnic jewelry in your own town.

Surprisingly, it does not cost much to make a difference. Change works like a domino effect, started by a singular idea.

 If it feels scary but you some how desire it, give it a try. As long as it is not permanent, what's the worst that could happen? 

Recently I cut off my hair. (If you follow my blog you would already know this, and if you follow me on instagram you may have even watched me do it. )

To summarize, my hair has been unbelievably long for most of my life, and cutting it off was terrifying for me to do. However, to my surprise, I quite like it. All my clothes look different on me, and my overall appearance is slightly different. You would be surprised how changing one thing, causes you to slightly change other aspects of your style. Shorter hair gives off a sportier, playful vibe, and this has me wearing my clothes in a different way. My style these days has become more minimalistic, cleaner lines, and less color.

If I debate with myself regarding my style now verses before, there would be no comparison. You see, all of it is still me, no better, no worse,  just changing.

I can feel myself evolving and growing, and there is something quite beautiful about that.  When you change something in your your style, you change something in your thoughts.You see things you might not ordinarily see, and challenge choices you may not ordinarily take. 

Whether you go extreme or try something light, keeping your style fresh means trying something new!

Good Luck!

xo,

Maya

Fall Style Inspiration: Golden Sunset

If the sunset were a season it would definitely be Fall. They both have dark undertones, while their overtones are vibrant, and glorious, giving off a warm glow that entices your soul. It is in these very qualities that I find myself gravitating to the warm colors of a falling sun, and the candle lit effect it creates. Coppers, brown, burnt yellow, orange, burgundy, are all colors that create heat in your eyes, soul, and life.

The complexity of Fall lies in its juxtaposed qualities of dark verses light. They do not fight or overshadow each other, but rather work in a magnificently blended harmony. It is as heartfelt and mesmerizing as life itself, and sends a glow of hope to everyone in the world. 

The earth is celebrating and  filled with magnificent displays of color. One would even say, the 'finale' of the season. Enjoy the color displays found in life, nature, and fashion, and don't let it pass you by. Be inspired and absorb these magnificent colors into your own fashion style. 

After all, with the blink of an eye, there will be no light. A darkness called, "Winter". ( of course minus the billions of twinkle lights)

xo,

Maya

5 Steps to Achieving Your Own Fashion Style

Do you have your own personal style? A style that is distinctively you?

Following trends, and copying your icons is a safe way to always look good. Unfortunately, what ends up happening, are the creation of fashion clones. Masses of people, that dress exactly the same, looking rather okay but nothing that would make you look twice. 

There are a billion articles explaining how to be on trend or copy a look, but here are some of my tips to help you uncover your own personal STYLE.

1.) Inspiration Board

The best way to uncovering your jumbled mind of a billion opinions, are imagery boards. I constantly fiddle around with inspiration boards or dream boards when I plan goals or projects. 

For a fashion Inspiration Board, simply start by collecting photos of everything that interests you. This will uncover your personal taste. Don't be afraid to add things that have absolutely nothing to do with fashion. This a clear way to see what you find beautiful, and from there you can start getting inspired to add it to your fashion. Some things I added to my current fashion board, are flowers, lakes, ballet, sun, rainbows, music, paintings, etc. I have attached my Inspiration Board below to give you an idea of what mine looks like.

2.) Don't Be Afraid.

Nothing kills personal style, quicker than you. We all have that little voice in our head that asks you what others will think, and whether it will be "liked" or disliked in the eyes of others. If you want your own "Style", you need to take a chance and to be strong enough to express your ideas. Some fashion looks will be horribly wrong, and a total,"What was I thinking moment?", but these mistakes will only strengthen your style, creativity and confidence, a trio of attractive qualities. 

3.) Think Outside the Box

As Alexander McQueen once said, "There are no more rules in fashion", do not be afraid to do something different. Tie your scarf as a belt, or use a chained belt and style it through your hair. You can even try clothes upside down, backward, inside out, just play around with fabrics, and see if you can find something that gets you excited. 

4.) Vintage, Antique, Thrift!

Going to shops that are not "franchised" and have history will only guarantee you added uniqueness. You have no way of being influenced by pre-styled mannequins or promotions telling you how to style their clothes. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing quite like a good rummage through a antique market, or Vintage shop. I was once in Den Haag, and came across the most adorable vintage shop filled with the most amazing vintage buttons! 

I have a bit of an obsession with vintage buttons, not only are they unique, they are a fantastic way of personalizing a shirt, bag, or even make jewelry!

5.) Mix it UP

Don't be afraid to mix it up. Olivia Palermo became famous for her ability to mix high and lo fashion, meaning couture with affordable pieces. Play with different textures. Before it was a fashion don't to wear stripes with polka dots, but now it is on trend. Keep in mind fashion rules, are really just fashion opinions. Every person has a different look, charisma, personality and body type. Finding what is your signature look is a fashion journey that continues to evolve and grow. 

Good Luck!

xo

Maya

Cupcake Inspired Look

Are you having a sad day? I know a thing or two about those days, and I'm here to perk you up. Why not be inspired by a cupcake and style an outfit around it? Today, I was inspired to style something fun and cute. I am loving the combination of pink and red and nothing is sweeter than thought of cupcakes. Take care. xx -m