Elegance is an amazing thing! We always accurately define it in others, but we cannot always recreate it ourselves, and even less often we can explain clearly and simply what quality it is and how to achieve it.
The French language, from which the word "elegance" is borrowed, seems to make our task easier: élégant means "refined, graceful, sophisticated, elegant." But as soon as you delve deeper into the subject, the very essence of elegance begins to slip away and become more complicated. In the framework of the new autumn collection "Soft Power", which became the theme of the month, let's talk about this mysterious phenomenon and try to figure it out!
“Beauty is pleasing to the eyes, and elegance captivates the soul,” Voltaire wrote, “Elegance is the art of not surprising,” Jean Cocteau repeated to him, “Being elegant does not mean to be striking, it means to strike into memory,” he said. Giorgio Armani But what does it really mean to enchant the soul and strike into memory? How not to cause surprise, not to catch the eye and still dress so that any casual viewer calls you elegant? Do I need to have an innate quality or can I learn this art? Does elegance depend on the type of figure and appearance in general, or can elegance as quality be tried on with a dress that can be considered elegant?
As you can see, there are much more questions with an elegant style (and they are definitely much more complicated) than with many other styles, such as boho or smart casual! Today we will try to figure out what elegance is and where it lives, using five important terms as an example, which are said and written by those who know firsthand the elegance.
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1. Simplicity
“Elegance has a low voice,” Sophia Loren said and added bluntly: simplicity is the essence of elegance. And you don’t have to go far for a specific example: the famous little black dress in its classic version is minimalistic up to absolute simplicity!
Of course, the complex cut of elegance is not a hindrance, it’s more about the details and silhouette in general, but the fact remains: if the emphasis is only one. Moreover, the accent in this case may not be a bow and a brooch, not a deep neckline and not a risky cut, but those small details that may seem to some to be completely invisible: a fitting boat neckline on beautiful shoulders, a waistline accentuated by a cut, elegant folds on the skirt. Do not be afraid that you will be lost without additional decorations against a background of brighter, more extravagant and inventive ones - elegance itself is an ornament.
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2. Convenience
Coco Chanel has repeatedly spoken out on the subject of elegance, and even if this statement is not the most famous and not the most eloquent of all her aphorisms, the main thing is that its essence strikes exactly the target: "True elegance always implies an unhindered possibility of movement."
Of course, the charming and infinitely graceful ladies of the last century, pulled into tight corsets to pallor and dizziness, today seem extremely elegant to us, but modern elegance does not require sacrifices. It is a great pleasure to feel absolutely comfortable in your clothes, and by depriving yourself of it, you will somehow involuntarily give yourself away, because discomfort inevitably affects your movements, mood and how you look in general.
Pattern of the month: an elegant dress for any occasion
3. Relevance
If you go a little further and look into the etymology of the word a little deeper, it turns out that "elegance" comes from the Latin "choose", eligere. This nuance suggests that elegance is inextricably linked with legibility, and this in turn implies not only the ability to choose an outfit, but also to choose it appropriately, with a full understanding of where you appear in it. Even the most elegant dress will look so out of place on a forest walk that your image will literally be lost against the background of awkward and strange inappropriate.
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4. Accuracy
It is extremely difficult to give the impression of an elegant person, if you are disheveled, your makeup swam, and your simple and comfortable little black dress needs an iron. Elegance does not require diamonds or the names of expensive brands on the tag, and if it does require anything at all, it is neatness and pickiness in relation to the condition and appearance of the clothes.
Camel - color of elegance: 34 patterns in different shades
5. Personality
Elegance is extremely dependent on fashion, obeying only the most global epochal shifts. Yes, today we don’t go for a daily walk in dresses in the New look style, but otherwise the elegant style in clothes is extremely indifferent to momentary trends and new-fashioned trends. And even if you take something from the pages of gloss, whether it is a style or an actual color, everything should go through a certain adaptation to the rules of elegance: from simplicity to relevance.
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In the end, we must state that elegance is still a certain state of mind. It is not so difficult to create one elegant look, strictly following the necessary requirements, but in order to maintain the entire wardrobe in this style and maintain it daily, you need to have a penchant for it, because, as Rei Kawakubo once said, fashion is a reflection of what happens to the person inside.
Does this mean that with such an inclination one can only be born? In no case! Many women come to an elegant style only over time, gradually honing their wardrobe, image, and manners. Moreover, many invent their own formulas of elegance, introducing elements of other styles into it, experimenting, trying, discovering new things.
We sincerely believe that Burda has always been and remains synonymous with elegant style, which means that in our Catalog you will find patterns that perfectly match all the elements of elegance!
More interesting articles and elegant patterns are waiting for you on the Themes of the Month page!
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Photo: vintagedancer, Dior, unique-vintage
