EDITOR'S LETTER: September 2013

BIG CHOP! NEW LOOK!

These past few months have been terribly busy for myself, in which I figured I needed to make some changes in my schedule, and life. Along with the pending shift in seasons, the first change was my "Big Chop" of my hair and the beginning of an old, but “New Look”, none the less (This is my second time going bald). Considering it is now September, the quintessential equivalent of New Years in the fashion world (Fashion Week begins September 5, 2012 in New York City), I'd figured chopping my hair off and sporting a “New Look” goes perfect with the fact that fashion is primarily about transformation and self discovery. I am quite disappointed in myself for I have not had the time to come up with my usual stream pf posts for #IMFblog these past months, and this has prompted me to figure out how I can streamline my life a bit more as to cater to my busy schedule. Having been growing my hair since last April, as if I wasn't spending enough time styling it after work and on the weekends, my hair was one thing I spent most of my day thinking about! I figured to myself that, in my fashion, if a style is not easy and convenient for oneself, then that style may not be the right style one should be maintaining. In my fashion, style must be effortless for it to exude our true character, otherwise we might as well be in 18th century Paris during the the era of Marie Antoinette where preparation for ones look took hours, and required the assistance of many maids. The fro had to go! When I decided to take my scissors and razor blade to my head, upon the first chop of hair, I instantly felt liberated, as if I was preparing for a new frontier, and it could not have come at a better time for myself, because at this stage in my life, I am more than ready to take on new horizons in my life. I have no idea what the future holds for myself, but my New Look has inspired a strength within who I am, and a certain freedom from my typical mode of thinking that has me feeling bolder and more refined.

My new robe I've been developing for myself goes
perfect with this Fall's trends. Vogue's 2013  September
Issue declares coats and robes are the new handbag.

I recently came across an Andre Leon Talley quote from Vogue Living: "Luxury is...to be able to take control of one's life, health and the pursuit of happiness in a way that is joyful." In my fashion, attaining a luxurious lifestyle is the pursuit of a style all one's own, and as the late Diana Vreeland had proclaimed, "There is only one good life, and that's the one you want, and you make it yourself!" Luxury is not defined by the necessity of wearing Dior everyday, or living in Paris, or even having a lot of money to do things like that. Its about finding the things one truly enjoys about life, and having the guts to pursue what one enjoys in a way that brings a certain meaning and value to ourselves and those we interact with.

My new look and increased spiritual outlook on life
 has me feeling like what I call, an "Urban Monk"! 

A phrase I have found myself reciting to people more often these past few months is my belief that in life, “It’s all about the visual!” I have found this to be true not only because I realize the difference between how people interact with things that are attractive, and things that are unattractive, but because in my research I found that 50% of our brains are in fact dedicated to the information we receive visually. There are many unconscious processes within our brain that occur when we look at things, and ultimately our brains control how we feel largely based on the things that we see. Going forward with the rest of the year, I am planning to elaborate more on this, and hopefully this will put more into perspective, how we respond to things that are beautiful, and why as Diana Vreeland always said, “The eyes have to travel.” Of all of her eccentric quotes (this also being the name of one of her biographies), this is one of my favorites, because I believe in this phrase, and that it applies to our lives more than we imagine. I intend on continuing this month with info from Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible, and the The Secret World of Couture, and later on hopefully before the month ends, we can go more in detail on the Science of Beauty. As I said before, I have gotten really busy lately and I’m so disappointed that my posts have been slacking compared to prior months, but as I said, with my BIG CHOP, will come big changes, not just in my schedule, but to #IMFblog content and presentation, so continue to visit and see what information I find to inspire us all!