Read A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style for Free Online Page A

part of the martini itself. Carrie Bradshaw wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if she and Mr. Big both drank a magic potion and sang the same infernal love duet for four hours. The thirty-minute television format is the ideal medium for her banter and romance.
     
    So should it be for you and your clothes. For Kierkegaard, a “classic” results when form and content meet in perfect harmony. In our case, the content is the person inside the garment; the form is the garment itself. Some form and content marriages are quite obvious. Examples that come to mind are Paris Hilton and the line Heatherette, or Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy. Rarely, if ever, have those four names appeared in the same sentence. Nonetheless, what is important is that the particular strengths of the content—Paris and Audrey—are showcased by the form. What isn’t successful is choosing a rigid form and trying to wedge one’s unhappy content into it. If one is lucky enough to have a Monica Bellucci-esque figure, wearing a Hedi Slimane Dior man’s suit might be difficult. Borrowing androgynous elements while respecting the line of one’s figure, though, will be chic. A more quotidian example might be the financial consultant who goes to work every day in black slacks and pumps, but loves anything related to ballet. By switching those black slacks for a softer, slightly full skirt, paired with a slim black turtleneck and a belt at her true waist, she can bring some of the form she loves into play without sacrificing loyalty to her content.
     
    “Yes, yes,” you say, “form and content are fine, but what about this collection of soul-stirring clothes now outside of my closet?” Lovely question! Those are your clothes for the next seven days. Each day you must wear one soul-stirring item. Think of it as strength training for the style muscles. Too often we “save” things we love for a special occasion; as a result we rarely wear the very things we love best. Perhaps that silk slip dress could go to work with black tights, flats, and a cashmere cardigan. Throw that sparkly cardigan on over a tank top and jeans. Just get them in the rotation. The confidence you’ll gain is the reward for all your hard work.
     

 

     
The Blind Spot:
If getting rid of things were easy, there wouldn’t be an overstuffed closet to be found. After you have assembled your Soul-Stirring Pile, take another look. Does everything deserve to be there? Be ruthless. If the thought of giving away an item that was so fun five years ago makes you sad, by all means grieve. Then get rid of it.

     

 

 

     
The Lesson:
It seems there is a dearth of fashion icons available. We are always surprised that magazines trot out the same people year after year: Rich hippie? Paging Talitha Getty! Mediterranean siren? Forty-year-old photo of Sophia Loren, coming up! American aristocrat? Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis,
bien sur!
Fashion editors often include a list of pieces that will “help you get the look.” Truly, could anything be sillier? These women were very much products of their time and place and “getting their look” really means putting on a costume. Are Talitha, Sophia, and Jackie worth studying? Yes. However, what is far more helpful than asking you to gaze upon the same pictures of the same—albeit fabulous—women is coming up with some new inspirations! This is not to discount the idea that you can—and should—learn about style from others. The problem is that the selection of role models has become, well, a little tired. By providing a new selection—some whom you will know well, some whom you may not—we hope to find you a style mentor who actually works for who you are.

     

 
    “Why not be one’s self?
That is the whole secret of a successful appearance.
If one is a greyhound, why try to look like a Pekinese?”
     
    —Edith Sitwell
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ICON AND A MENTOR
     
    In order to become a fashion icon, one has to be seen. Simple enough, but