PIOL - The Magic Dress

Don't we all have this Cinderella inspired dream that a secret "fairy" delivers a custom fit dress to us for  a very special occasion. It is designed just for us, made from a high quality fabric, color and patterns of our unique choice and on top of everything it is fabulously flattering!

PIOL , new online venture of Anne Dayton, an artist whose family founded Target, promises to make that dream come true. 

As an image consultant, I got really excited listening to the interview with the company's founder on my favorite ReFashion podcast. It seems that consumers are getting a bit exhausted with the idea of fast fashion that serves you a different item almost every week for an affordable price. Those dresses may follow the most current trends but the fit and quality of material leaves a lot to be desired. Every well organized fashion wardrobe needs some timeless staple that  can be worn many times for many occasions.

PIOL offers that opportunity following design principles of Edith Head, costume designer of the Hollywood Golden Age, who was responsible for amazing style of such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. The idea is very simple. You can design your own dress first defining your coloring which is based on Head's color theory, your fit based on the measurements you submit, patterns and choice of fabrics, which are sourced from Japan and Italy. Edith Head was a precursor of modern image consultant in her idea that flattering fashion style is achieved through 

highlighting your best and simplifying the rest.

If the end result does not meet the client's expectations,  it is refunded and the dress is donated to the women in need, which sounds like a great idea to me. The price of the made to measure dress is around $500, which is pretty high but considering the haute couture treatment and the uniqueness of the experience, perfect fit and coloring, as well as cost per wear, it definitely might be worth the investment. There are so many situations both in personal and professional life that the first impression matters and definitely PIOL dress makes a commitment to deliver a perfect dress for those occasions.  

I wonder how many of you would be willing to try and design such  a dress for yourselves. For me it sounds pretty exciting. 

www.barefootblonde.com

www.pioldress.com

www.galmeetsglam.com

Summer in the City in Style

Blank Cafe, Hilda Glasgow, Chanel, Scarves

Who said that Summer in the city is boring? Maybe it is hot and exhausting and sometimes it feels like living in the concrete jungle but exciting it still is.

Most of my days and evenings are spent working on the content of my future website; stay tuned, more will be revealed in the next few weeks. It's hard to focus at home, so I am always on the mission to find a perfect coffee shop with great crowd and ambience. Brooklyn is absolutely my very favorite neighborhood and I was so excited to find out, thanks to my friend who lives there, that there is a cafe in Williamsburg that is not bursting at the seams; it does not have the hipster playlist on repeat and you can even find a table there with no note attached informing you that laptops are banned during the weekend for the sake of holiness of inner balance. This magic place, which name I am almost anxious to reveal, is Blank Cafe located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This perfect oasis for hard working laptop lovers serves great coffee, and some Japanese snacks as well as charms you with classical music and spacious tables, armchairs and a sofa. Paradise in Williamsburg!

When I don't drink coffee or write, I am continuously looking for stylish inspirations both for my image consulting business and the blog. This weekend I found two amazing books: How to tie a scarf, which by all means was always a question of life and death for me. Looking at the pictures, especially of some  Italian fashion magazines for men, I was just wondering: How do they do it that it looks so great and effortless. A scarf is a very powerful piece of accessory  but not so easy to master without good guidelines. I will definitely share my learnings. The second book is Chanel: The Couturier at Work, which in great details explains why couture is quite different from what is offered by street style inspired fast fashion stores.

Last but not least, my very dear friend who lives in Chicago now, surprised me with a beautiful fashion print for my future business venture. Hilda Glasgow, who is the artist behind it, was a great fashion illustrator working for magazines like Vogue in the 1940's until 19060's. Her daughter Liz Glasgow decided to continue her legacy by creating White Cabinet.
Stay in touch for more news about Hats to Shoes!
Please share your Summer inspiration with me!

4th of July

Tomms, Steve Madden's Fringe Bag, American Flag Dyed Top, Americana Chucks by Converse

Happy 4th of July to all my readers!

Fashion has many patriotic elements in last two years, from flags, to emblems both in Europe and in America.

This weekend is a great opportunity to introduce some delicate, intricate elements of American culture or just go brave, especially with accessories. It is Summer, more things are allowed, especially in casual party atmosphere.

I came up with the following choices:

Steve Madden Bfringer Tote, because fringes are big this season and this bag is a great choice for all the music festivals ahead of us.

Retro American Flag Dyed Top

For all of those pursuing sneaker-mania:

Americana Chucks by Free People

and 

Classic American Slip-on from Toms.

Enjoy and feel free to experiment with America-inspired fashion!