My Elegance

I am a very list-oriented person. I have made lists of the lists I need to make (sad, I know. I wish I was joking!) So, true to fashion, I've made a list of the five factors I feel make a woman elegant. Of course this isn't concrete and everyone's opinion may differ, but I feel like these are the things that I want to polish to be a little more refined, even if only to myself.

• Having a graceful demeanor under pressure.
• Being pulled together & classy even when casual
• Eloquence of speech
• Poise & gracefulness
• The ability to mix and mingle in any setting (formal, professional, relaxed, etc.) without sticking out like a sore thumb or simply blending in with the crowd, but rather, standing out as an individual without actually calling attention to yourself.

Any other thoughts/suggestions as to what makes one elegant?

Oh, one more thing. Elegance is viewed as a feminine trait, so I am trying to determine the male equivelant. Sophistication? Suaveness? Urbanity? Hmmmm. I feel like I should know this. Next time, I will have my answer! lol

Are Black Women Not Considered Elegant?

In preparation for this blog, and in order to gather information and ideas, I peruse the internet looking for anything I can find on elegance, elegant women, sophisticated women, etc. I've done several searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc, looking for lists or descriptions of elegant women. These are some of my findings:



Hello Magazine's Most Elegant List (2008)

http://www.popcrunch.com/hello-magazine-most-elegant-women-list-2008-madonna-hello-magazine-most-elegant-woman/

1. Madonna
2. Christina Aguilera
3. Sarah Michelle Gellar
4. Princess Mary
5. Nicole Kidman
6. Queen Rania
7. Liv Tyler
8. Princess Mathilde
9. Natalie Imbruglia
10. Marie Chantal of Greece
11. Lady Gabriella Windsor
12. Countess of Wessex (ANI)



Top Ten Elegant Women in Movies

http://listverse.com/people/top-10-elegant-women-in-movies/

10. Eva Gabor 1919 - 1995
9. Lauren Bacall 1924
8. Lucy Liu 1968
7. Elizabeth Taylor 1932
6. Ava Gardner 1922 - 1990
5. Ingrid Bergman 1915 - 1982
4. Cate Blanchett 1969
3. Grace Kelly 1929 - 1982
2. Catherine Deneuve 1943
1. Audrey Hepburn 1929 - 1993



Most Elegant Women Ever (2008)
http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20080808/906/ten-princess-di-named-the-most-elegant-w.html
1. Princess Diana
2. Sophia Loren
3. Grace Kelly
4. Audrey Hepburn
5. Marilyn Monroe
6. Catherine Zeta Jones
7. Ava Gardner
8. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
9. Greta Garbo
10. Carla Bruni (ANI)

 

Vogue's List (2007)
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article2806755.ece
Dame Helen Mirren; Claudia Schiffer; Jemima Khan; Sophie Dahl; Natalie Massenet; Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe; Sadie Coles; Vanessa Redgrave; Rosamund Pike; Poppy and Chloe Delevingne; Zadie Smith; Zaha Hadid; Lady Isabella Cawdor; Daisy Lowe; Susanna Chancellor; Coco Rocha; Rebekah Wade; Tamara Mellon; Stella Tennant; the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire; Daphne Guinness; Natalia Vodianova; Sam Taylor-Wood; Mary Charteris; Luella Bartley; Charlotte Rampling; Plum Sykes; Lady Antonia Fraser; Naomi Campbell; Stella McCartney; Polly Samson; Ruth Rogers; Princess Rosario Saxe-Coburg; Dame Vivien Duffield; Gael Boglione; Phoebe Philo; Olivia Wilde; Lily Donaldson; Susanne Kapoor; Charlotte Stockdale; Sabrina Guinness; Lady Helen Taylor; Jasmine Guinness; Sheherazade Goldsmith; Honor Fraser; Charlotte Casiraghi; Andrea and Alice Dellal; Marina Palma; Kate Moss; Sally Albemarle; Lady Amanda Harlech; the Queen; Alice Temperley; Caroline Michel; Sophia Hesketh

 

This is the tip of the iceberg. And while the purpose of this blog is not to denigrate anything that any of these women have accomplished nor to argue their elegance, one has to wonder why these lists are so devoid of color? Could this be just an oversight on the part of the list makers? Or is it that African American women are not generally perceived to be as sophisticated, elegant or polished as some of our Caucasian counterparts?

 

More on this as I continue my research...

 

"It's All In Your Head"

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2009 meets you (and me!) with many blessings, great fortune, and endless happiness. Since I have been a little busy (and honestly, a little lazy) lately I haven't done much writing or brainstorming for new posts. However, in re-reading the book that prompted this blog, I came across this that I found interesting and think ties in to the purpose of this blog beautifully.

Elegance is, above all else, a state of mind. It has everything to do with self-awareness and self-confidence. That's why a woman can be "beautiful" by popular standards-fashionable, or textbook attractive-and not be elegant... So in the end, although you can take your inspiration from others, be true to yourself. Don't give in to someone else's idea of style or beauty. Figure out what YOU want and like, and keep that as your compass. True elegance and style come from honestly expressing yourself.
-The Little Pink Book of Elegance

Mujeres Elegantes

While looking up various images and articles for this blog, I found a serious of four drawings by Mr. Carlos N. Molina entitled "Mujeres Elegantes" or Elegant Women. I absolutely fell in love with these pictures and felt the need to share them. Hopefully I can get some feedback from the artist as to his inspiration behind them and what message he wanted to convey through them. In the meantime, here are the drawings that will soon grace the halls of my elegant home (when I am so fortunate to get it).

The Vanity
The Mirror

The Garden

The Ballroom

Quote of The Week

 

"We must never confuse elegance with snobbery."- Yves Saint Laurent

I really like this quote and felt that it was an appropriate choice for my first little QOTW. I think one thing that keeps some people from pursuing a higher level of sophistication and elegance instead of sticking with the norm is the idea that to do so would require not only working to do better, but becoming someone who looks down her nose at others. And of course this notion is no doubt caused by the images we've seen and interactions we've had with those deemed "elegant." This is why I've made the distinction of saying that even though I want to become a more refined young lady, I don't want to be one to alienate my friends or become off-putting to others. I want to retain my approachability and (somewhat) down-to-earth nature.

Has anyone else had experiences that made you feel like sophistication and snobbery went hand in hand?

Modern Woman's Guide to Elegance

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/47974/a_modern_womans_guide_to_elegance.html?cat=4

Found this link while gathering ideas for this blog. I don't believe this woman is supposed to be an expert on all things urbane, but I liked a lot of her tips and comments. They sound like things I would have said... if I had thought of them first. :)

The Starting Point

I'm on a journey to become a bit more refined. Elegant. Since every journey has a starting point, I figured I should try to assess where I am right now. How elegant am I now?

Of course, I need to know what exactly I'm asking, which begins by knowing what elegance is. When I look it up, this is what I find:

• Refinement, grace, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners.


• Tasteful opulence in form, decoration, or presentation


• Restraint and grace of style.


• Scientific exactness and precision


• A refined quality of gracefulness and good taste


• Beauty as resulting from choice qualities and the complete absence of what deforms or impresses unpleasantly

So... D doesn't really fit what I'm trying to do here, but the others pretty much highlight where this is going. As of right now, I think that I possess most of these characteristics to some extent. I try to make the best choices as far as things I do, say, wear, take interest in, etc., although admittedly there are times when I could care less about that. I try to stay graceful and restrained in most situations, but there are plenty of times when I am course, crass, and an all around horrid person. I'm seeking to change that. I'm not quite starting at square one, since I know some rules of decorum and how to behave as a proper woman should, but there are many improvements to be made.
And of course I have plenty of questions that have to be answered along the way, like

1. Are the ideas and ideals of elegance universal?


2. What does it mean to be an elegant black woman?


3. is it possible to embrace the traditional ideas of elegance and without losing my own identity? (no Stepford wives here!)

Maybe someone somewhere will have some answers for me :)