Looking for that special something? That je ne sais quoi certain women seem to be born with? If mad fashion skills aren’t in your genes, never fear. You can easily cultivate your own personal style.

You know her. That woman that always seems to look good. Whether going to a show or coming from the gym, she is always put together.

What does she have that you don’t? One thing. She’s mastered her personal style.

And you can too. Following are five things you need to know when developing your own style.

5 Things You Need to Know to Develop Your Own Personal Style

1 Know what works for you // This sounds broad, but is much simpler than you’d think. Keep this one thing in mind and you are practically golden. Ready? Here it is: Do what works for YOU. Not your sister, not your best friend, not the actress on your favorite TV show. YOU! You know how you don’t necessarily look great in your bestie’s lip shade or love your colleague’s signature scent as much on yourself? Same goes for fashion. It’s ok to copy, just be sure the articles speak your name, not someone else’s. Not everyone can rock fuscia or turquoise. Certain styles look better on one figure over another. Learn what works with your body shape and skin tone.

2 Know your mission // Yes, even fashion speaks of your ideals. Do you want to stick with organic fabrics? Maybe ethically produced garments are important to you. Or perhaps you love vintage and thrift shopping. Figure out what and whom you want to support, learn about it, and buy those who meet your beliefs.

3 Know what works with your lifestyle // Those who work at home likely won’t buy the same items as someone who works in a corporate environment. Some women may feel more comfortable in pants than skirts or dresses. Certain lifestyles don’t lend themselves to heels or chunky jewelry. Give some thought to what you do during your day and dress appropriately. For example, I happen to love jeans but ripped denim doesn’t segue very well into a meeting or appointment. Try white or black denim and dress up your tee with a colorful sweater or pretty scarf.

4 Know how to show something off // I like to think of this in terms of makeup – if you are going with a bold eye, you play down the rest of the face, and bright lips pair well with a neutral eye. Choose one item and go big. A jewel toned blouse, colored jeans, funky arm candy. Going bold in one area while keeping the rest of your look neutral equals tasteful style with a signature look.

5 Know how to Be Authentic // The most important thing in showing off your personal style is confidence. It may be cliché, but feeling good and being comfortable with yourself is key to a great appearance. As fashion great, Diane Von Furstenberg, quotes in her book “The Woman I Wanted to Be”…”The way you look is important, but who you are and how you project it is eventually who you will become and how you will appear.”

Flip through fashion mags, check out blogs, and peruse Pinterest for inspo. Then prepare to get your personal style on.

Related on EcoSalon

Are You a Style Icon?

Now & Then: The History of Fashion Media

Livia Firth: Fast Fashion is Speeding Up Climate Change

Image of woman with style via Shutterstock

The post 5 Simple Steps to a Personal Style All Your Own appeared first on EcoSalon.

Dear Google Glass, You’re still creepy.

Even with a Net-A-Porter and DVF (Diane von Furstenberg) upgrade. Yes. Even with that.

I don’t know about you, but I would let Diane von Furstenberg style anything I plan to put on my body, Band-Aids included. After all, she once said “Simplicity and sexiness, that’s what people want. At a price that’s not outrageous.” All of her designs inspire sexiness and simplicity. But a DVF-designed Google Glass?

Sigh.

Apparently, DVF has designed five new frames and eight new shades of Google Glass. They went on sale last week and are retailing exclusively online at Google.com as well as the online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter.

Google Glass may be the future of technology, but news flash: we’re still living in the present. We’re all supposed to be wearing shiny silver jumpsuits in the future too, but we haven’t dropped our gorgeous DVF wrap dresses for them just yet.

Think I’m exaggerating about the stigma surrounding Google Glass? Have you seen this Jason Jones segment on “The Daily Show?” Yes, we should be respectful of the fashion and/or technology choices of our fellow humans. But come on. This computer on the face thing is getting kind of ridiculous. Even the Borg had better style sensibility.

What’s worse is this video of the princess herself WEARING a pair of the Google Glasses. Throughout the whole video she looks like she’s resisting the urge to scratch an itch—the itch being the obscene, obtrusive computer stuck to her face. Diane, please, it’s one thing if you’re going to sell these glasses, but please don’t wear them.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Related on EcoSalon

Thanks for the Wrap Dress DVF, But It’s Hardly Liberating

Google Glass: Window To A More Complicated World?

Fashion Forward: 9 Wearable Technology Trends For Your Closet

The post The Google Glass DVF Makeover Doesn’t Change a Thing! In Fact, the Face Computer is Worse Now appeared first on EcoSalon.

This week’s Link Love edition is here! Goodies from the anti-fast fashion front, the vegan world of Cinnaholic, and the totally awesome world of snails.

Big ups to Livia Firth for slamming fast fashion. [via Xpose Entertainment]

Another attempt to socially network books has bitten the dust. Maybe readers just want to be alone. [via Salon]

This is how fashionista Diane von Furstenberg starts her day. How about you? [via Well+Good NYC]

Could the future of Cinnabon be vegan? [via Eat Drink Better]

You probably never gave snails that much thought. These images will change all that. [via demilked]

Related on EcoSalon

Link Love: Fast Fashion Gets Called Out + Cleaning Your Yoga Mat + The Veep Gets Naked

Link Love: the Coachella Diet + Courtney’s Bringing Hole Back + NYC’s Sad Gentrification

Link Love: Moby on Veganism + Quinoa Milk! + The Roos in Your Shoes + The Kimye Spoofs

Image via demilked

The post Link Love: Diane von Furstenberg’s Morning Routine + Vegan Cinnabon + Snails are Basically the Cutest Ever appeared first on EcoSalon.

Our guide to this year’s best fashion exhibits.

Did you miss the magical Savage Beauty exhibit at the MET last year?  Take comfort by buying the book – a showstopper in itself – and vow not to miss another this year. Curatorial staff are realizing the particular appeal of fashion exhibits and the increased ticket sales potential. If an article in WWD on how museums are “getting fashionable” is any indication, they’ve cottoned on. “There’s a loyal following — besides the fact that fashion is fashionable,” Pamela Golbin, chief curator at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris was quoted, “There’s something very intimate about clothes.” More and more new fashion exhibits are popping up here in the United States all over the world. Several exciting ones are due to debut this year.

Here are our top 10 don’t-miss fashion exhibits of 2012.

1.  Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion, opens May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Featuring over 80 designs by Schiaparelli and an installation that will give the effect of the two designers being in conversation with one another on subjects such as art, politics and the role of women now and then. With director Baz Luhrman serving as the exhibition’s creative consultant this show promises to follow up on the success of last year’s groundbreaking Alexander McQueen exhibit.

2. FIT NY and the CFDA collaborate to celebrate Impact: Fifty Years of the CFDA at the FIT museum from the 10th of February through until the 17th of April. The leading trade organization of fashion designers presents a tribute to the creativity of American talent and will showcase designs from Halston, Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Rudi Gernreich, Bob Mackie, James Galanos, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Isabel Toledo, Rodarte, and Proenza Schouler.

3. Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, North Carolina continues thru February 26. Pioneering clothing that was comfortable, casual and enduring in its construction and style, Coco Chanel (1883-1971) remains a pivotal figure responsible for much of what is still considered modern in women’s fashion in the 21st century.

4. A retrospective of designer Christian Louboutin at London’s Design Museum opens March 28 – July 1 and promises to be as red-hot as his signature soles. The exhibition coincides with the publication of a coffee table book documenting Lobuoutin’s work. Mulholland Drive director David Lynch photographed some of the designer’s most fantastical creations and John Malkovich wrote the foreword.

5. If you are in London, you must check out Fifty Years of James Bond Style at the Barbican, opening in April. In addition to Mr. Bond’s Savile Row tailoring, expect to see  lavish Bond-girl finery by Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Roberto Cavalli, Thierry Mugler, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and Donatella Versace.

6. Also opening in the 2012 Olympic Games host city is the sure-to-impress Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum 
running May 19, thru January 26, 2013. Featuring evening wear from the V&A’s vast collection of British designers, the exhibit will show a selection of royal ballgowns including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s “Elvis Dress” designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals.

7. Paying tribute to the legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent — The Retrospective opens March 25 at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colarado. Organized thematically, the presentation showcases over 200 pieces that explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s developing style and turbulent inner life.

8. If you didn’t catch The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the Dallas Museum of Art, Texas (runs thru February 12) head to San Francisco’s Deyoung Museum where it will run from March 24  – August 19. Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible, his often provocative messages are enhanced by the sublime construction of his clothing.

9. Set to open on the last night of Paris Fashion Week, March 9, and run until September 16 at the famous Museé des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs exhibit weighs the careers of both designers. The show aims to compare their bodies of work and offers a potential explanation as to why Jacobs and his ready-to-wear approach could never replace Galliano at Dior.

10. Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century currently at the Groninger Museum in Holland and running thru May 6, celebrates the body-con creations of the great Tunisian-born couturier. Now in his 70’s, the designer recently became an outspoken proponent of slow fashion, saying “Four collections for women, four collections for men, another four collections to sell, and everything needs do be done within four, five months—it’s a one-way course towards emptiness. It’s inhuman.”

Top Image: Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty

The post From Azzedine Alaïa to Yves Saint Laurent: The Fashion Exhibits of 2012 appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tour de Fashion’s “Ready to Ride” bikes are available to ride now and onward through New York Fashion Week.

With Fashion Week upon us here in New York City, stylish men and women wanting to make way through the streets of the city in anything but a cab or underground are able to tap into something a lot more fun: decorated bikes by some of the world’s top designers.

The Fashion Center Business Improvement District is bringing the glamor, excitement and fun of Fashion Week to the streets of the Garment District with Tour de Fashion – a free, ‘ready-to-ride’ bicycle event including thirty bicycles, creatively customized by New York’s top designers. Bikes decorated by Doo-Ri Chung, Diane Von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Nanette Lepore, Isaac Mizrahi and some of our sustainable favorites like RESTORE Clothing and Gretchen Jones will be available during Fashion Week September 8-15.

The Tour de Fashion bicycle fleet, purchased by the Fashion Center from Bowery Lane Bicycles, are handmade in New York City and will be available at tented bike stations located on the Broadway Plazas at 40th Street. Interested in buying one of the stylish cycles? Bids started today for post-fashion week purchase. Get on it by going here to Charity Buzz.

Had it not downpoured for the kickoff bike ride, you would’ve seen me proudly riding a bike from RESTORE but instead, we all huddled under tents in the Fashion District.

Check out who we saw.

(Above, Barbara Randall, Fashion Center BID Director)

Designer, Yeohlee Teng on her Cutter Ant bike

The Fashion Center’s bike (above left) and below, bike designer Emily Saunders

Designer, Emily Saunders

Designer, Sarah Canner, Bowery Lane Bicycles owner, Patrick Bernard, and RESTORE’S Anthony Lilore

Nicole Miller’s stylish ride

Designer Betsey Johnson rocks her bike with roses and VIP passes

The winner for best helmet? Betsey Johnson

Rebecca Minkoff gets inspired with studs

Gretchen Jones’ Talisman bike channeling Patti Smith and Don Juan

Feather extensions with KAELEN

Nanette Lepore ties a bow on it

Nanette Lepore and Carlos Falchi

Images: Amy DuFault

The post EcoSalon at NYFW: Tour de Fashion’s Borrow A Bike Kicks Into Gear appeared first on EcoSalon.

Is the wrap dress really that flattering and easy to wear?

So iconic is designer Diane von Fürstenberg’s famed wrap dress, it holds a place in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Introduced in 1972 by von Fürstenberg, the wrap dress achieved peak popularity in the mid to late 1970s. The Met summarizes: “Its fundamental form was already deeply embedded in the American designer sportswear tradition; a new woman designer translated the style into 1970s fabrics and colors, generally brighter, bolder, and more synthetic (and stretchy) than the early examples to which the silhouette and design principle are indebted.”

A DVF wrap dress was the first designer piece Shannon Lorraine, owner of New York sustainable designer showroom FoundFuture, aspired to own. “It felt like a coming of age thing, silly but true. Plus, if your boobs fall out a bit, it’s just part of the sexy allure of the dress,” says Lorraine.

Lorraine is not alone in her enduring love for the dress.

“The popular design, which began a women’s fashion trend due to its revolutionary versatility, is notable for its dual status as comfortable business wear and elegant evening dress,” reads one biography. “Suitable for the changing roles of busy urban women in the 70s, the dress became a sensation and Fürstenberg sold over five million of them before market saturation and over-exposure killed its popularity while new trends took over the 80s.”

DVF Wrap dress at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, 1975–76

I say, while the versatile design has been credited as a symbol of the ’70s women’s liberation movement, and touted as a dress that looks amazing on any body type, the wrap dress actually has many faults and challenges. Warning: we’re about to commit fashion blasphemy.

As a former fashion boutique owner and rep for many sustainable designers over the years, I have observed that while the shape can work with many different body types, accentuating the waist and cleavage, it  can also be problematic for those same reasons. What if you have too much or too little of both? Too little decolletage and the neckline falls open to show your bra, too much and depending on your age, too much is either liable to get you marked with the dreaded c-word (that’s cougar), or, well, undeniably going to show your age.

As for the silhouette, slight frames can get lost in it, appearing to be all elbows and knees. Bigger girls might be glad for the flattering coverage of the legs a miniskirt can’t offer, but in emphasizing the waist, the wrap dress also puts the belly on full display. If you’ve had kids and the pooch that comes with them, you’ll be reaching for your Spanx girdle to look good in the wrap.

Oh, but there’s more. The other flawed feature of the wrap dress is the skirt. Given the slightest breeze, the wrapped opening whisks apart to show the world panties, control top hose, Spanx or maybe, that you simply like to go commando. (Hardly a revolutionary or liberating way to show the world that you’re tough as nails.)

Ask all your friends if they have a wrap dress and see if they actually wear it. I bet you they will all have a reason why they do not.

Mountains of the Moon’s Audrey Wrap

The wrap dress winner for me and my former boutique customers is this organic cotton, faux wrap called the Audrey Dress from Mountains of the Moon. The dress features a cut on the bias skirt that won’t blow open and a faux wrap top. The 3/4 sleeves also make this a great choice for women who dislike their upper arms.

But perhaps you’re a wrap-a-holic who cares little for this slanderous DVF talk.

For you, I offer the Wrap Shop at DVF and these sustainable takes on the original:

Nixxi’s Faux Wrap Dress

Lina Rennell Wrap Dress

Kelly B Acacia Stripe Faux Wrap Dress

The post Thanks for the Wrap Dress DVF, But It’s Hardly Liberating appeared first on EcoSalon.

New York City’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) recently welcomed their first 12 designers to the CFDA Fashion Incubator located in New York City’s historic Garment District.

CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg led the designers on a tour of their new home just last week.
The first 12 designers are: Alice Ritter; Bibhu Mohapatra; Rachel Dooley of Gemma Redux; Grant Krajecki of Grey Ant; Waris Ahluwalia from House of Waris; Joel Diaz from Jolibe; Prabal Gurung; Dao-Yi Chow & Maxwell Osborne of Public School; Yuvi Alpert & Danna Kobo from Ruby Kobo; Sang A Im-Prop of Sang A; Justin Giunta from Subversive Jewelry; and Tom Scott.

According to a press release, the incubator was announced in November 2009 by Mayor Bloomberg as “Part of the City’s efforts to foster the development of entrepreneurs across all industry sectors, and to encourage small businesses to locate and grow in New York City.”

New York City currently has five incubators currently open or in development throughout the Five Boroughs, with at least two additional spaces expected to open by the end of 2010. Other cities like Chicago, L.A., Atlanta and Dallas have their own incubators which foster affordable work spaces, networking opportunities, and financial support to designers loaded with talent who might not otherwise be able to thrive.

With this mentoring and cultivation of designers sponsored by the CFDA, will we see New York’s Garment District slowly come back to life from its rapidly decreasing amount of tenants? And from an eco-design standpoint will there be opportunities so that more than just two of the 12 are afforded and educated on sustainable materials for their collections?

We can only hope.

Regardless, NYCEDC President Seth W. Pinsky says “This diverse group of designers is a reflection of the depth of fashion talent New York City is known for. It is because of designers like these, as well as the retailers, wholesalers, and numerous fashion-related businesses that choose to locate here, that New York City is, and will remain, the world’s fashion capital.”

Image: Gemma Redux

The post CFDA Fashion Incubator Announces First 12 appeared first on EcoSalon.

EcoChic Geneva could be a designer’s toughest challenge or wet dream.

Being asked to incorporate not only their current designs but sustainable textiles and their country’s myths and folklore, the show and exhibit will be unique to say the least.

Green2greener, in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, (UNCTAD) will be hosting EcoChic Geneva Wednesday January 20-21. The EcoChic Geneva Fashion Show and Exhibition will feature sustainable fashion in two parts: Eco-Couture and Ready-to-Wear.

Highlights include the launch of a sustainable fashion exhibition featuring many designers whose work with sustainable textiles marks a first, “But all have embraced the opportunity to make a statement about sustainability through fashion,” proclaims the website, noting many designers are incorporating their cultural heritage for inspiration. Let’s take a sneak peek at what to expect:

Oliver Tolentino, L.A. Fashion Week

The Eco-Couture designers, including Alexandre Herchcovitch, Diane von Furstenberg and Oliver Tolentino,  are just a small, international  sampling of designers who will create a showpiece look out of sustainable textiles specifically for this event.

Nixxi, Spring 2010

An equally impressive part of the EcoChic Fashion Show will feature sustainable and ethical ready-to-wear looks by fashion designers from around the globe. Top eco-designers including Elena Garcia, Deux FM, Edun and Nixxi will take a stab at interpreting the plight of today’s sustainable designer having to source from more conscious companies to employing fair trade workers.

Elena Garcia for EcoChic Geneva

And after all is said and done, EcoChic Geneva hopes to “bring together senior representatives from the private sector with key decision-makers from government, civil society and other public sector organizations,” who just might have a say so in all that is sustainable fashion.

Let’s hope the designers come wearing fashion forward duds but also their game faces to impress. Everything counts.

The post EcoChic Geneva Looking Good and Green appeared first on EcoSalon.

Badgley Mischka Red Carpet (2008)

As an international icon, Barbie has been lucky enough to have designers like Anna Sui, Diane Von Furstenberg and Derek Lam custom-create both lavish ball gowns and wardrobe essentials. I can only hope that of these hip designers, there will be one or two visionaries helping the immortalized Barbie evolve into something more substantial – if she has to be part of our toy line-up, at all.

In April 2010, Barbie will get another marketing stroke of genius (if not another revenue boost) when designers from the Toronto Fashion Incubator take part in the TFI New Labels Fashion Design Competition. Canadian’s women’s wear designers with less than three years experience will be given the task of creating and presenting 15 fashion looks in which three of them will be Barbie-inspired, little black dresses taken to new extremes.

Adriana Gut, Barbie Brand Manager of Mattel Canada says in a press release: “Our partnership with the Toronto Fashion Incubator further solidifies Barbie’s place in fashion. Her role within the program will celebrate the launch of Barbie Basics, a new line of dolls that invite girls of all ages to customize, personalize, and play based on the timeless fashion classic – the Little Black Dress!”

Judged by some of the most influential people in the fashion industry today, the winner will be presented with a $10,000 cash prize provided by Mattel Canada as well as a prize package valued at over $25,000 provided by ELLE Canada.

As iconic as the LBD is, how about making Barbie symbolize more than excess clothing and unattainable beauty, Mattel?

Why not commission the same TFI designers to create sustainable garb for the almost 51-years-old Babs?

Some might say eco just isn’t in line with who Barbie is, with her made-in-China ideals. Maybe Barbie is too old for green, stuck in her baby boomer ways.

According to the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s site, TFI New Labels® is a national design competition for apparel designers looking to make it in Canada’s fashion industry.

“We are tickled pink to partner with the makers of the most iconic fashion doll in history,” says Susan Langdon, Executive Director of TFI.

Image: Toronto Fashion Incubator

The post No Green in Sight for Boomer Barbie appeared first on EcoSalon.