Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Wearing Christmas: Evergreen


All these deep veridian shaded garments need is the perfume of pine, fir, or ceder to complete their holiday enchantment.
 



Forest Assured Jacket

Forest Flower Oxfords

Frances Deco Earrings

Knife Pleat V-Neck

Sequoia Dress
Moss Tweed Pencil Skirt

Knitted Deer Valley

Let Cardigan Empire bedeck you for the holidays.  Gift yourself or a dear one a Fashion Package: combining a theoretical look book & a practical virtual shopping session

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Wearing Christmas: Darling Deer


Someday I would fancy a domesticated deer.  I would name my pet Stella and feed her orchard apples and dandelions.  And on Christmas she would give the small neighborhood children rides. Until my neighborhood is zoned for Odocoileus Virginianus, or my home is permitted deer ornamentals, I vow to add another Christmas ensemble trimming in her honor.  
Sleigh Ride Tunic
Betsey Johnson Snow Angel Fringe Drop Earrings
Blue Deer Sweater Lace Up Booties
Fawned Over Dress

Knitted Deer Valley

Let Cardigan Empire bedeck you for the holidays.  Gift yourself or a dear one a Fashion Package: combining a theoretical look book & a practical virtual shopping session

Monday, December 6, 2010

Wearing Christmas: Cozy Crochet

My modernist husband defies the frivolous festooning of our home.  

He cites the need to rotate, dust, and store holiday home frockery as adequate arguments for avoiding such traditions.  I on the other hand would appreciate the opportunity to deck my small halls.  I look forward to the day when Coco too can voice her favor for holiday flourishes and outnumber our standstill.

Until then, I compensate by ornamenting my own costume.  Today I'm dreaming of winter white Crochet Cozies.


Flawless Taste Heel
Aphrodite Printed Jersey Top
Cutback Crochet Skirt
Snowflake Sweater Bracelet
Thigh High Crochet Leggings

Crochet Flower Headwrap

Laura Lace Dress

Let Cardigan Empire bedeck you for the holidays.  Gift yourself or a dear one a Fashion Package: combining a theoretical look book & a practical virtual shopping session

Friday, December 3, 2010

How to Pose for a Photograph

Studies of common sensory have shown that as the festivity of holidays increases, the rate of photography follows a positive correlation.
Following is an introduction to posing for said photographs.  Each pose is engineered to be figure friendly.  Meaning, they shed the 10 lbs that camera flashes tend to adhere.  So charge your battery and clean off your memory card.  You and your holiday frock are going to look pretty as postcards this year.


one. tall elegance
click to enlarge
Ease and effortless efficiency combine to create this classic pose.  First, imagine there is silken cord suspended above your pretty head.  Your elegant neck extends long while your shoulders drop away from your ears.  Arch your back slightly bringing your chest forward and those arm rotators back.   Finally tuck in your tummy, but stop before you cross into visible ribs. 
two. hands on hips + crossed ankles
click to enlarge
Hands on Hips: Holding the arms away from the body keeps upper arm fleshies from flattening.  Placement of the hands will also draw attention back to a narrow waist or trim little hip. If you choose to execute this pose with only one arm, make sure to employ the arm angled toward the camera lens.

Other add-ons 
Waist Rotation: Turn your shoulders three-quarters toward the lens, rotating from your now visually narrowed waist. 
Asymmetry:  Doing something slightly different with each side of your figure will make your shot more interesting. Asymmetry can sprout from seeds as simple as a tilted hip, a dipping shoulder, or leg bent slightly more than the other.


Ankles Crossed: Crossing one foot in front of the other keeps your pose playful.  It reports the status: "ready to stay a while, weight shifting to accommodate lingering." Either cross both feet flat on the ground for a lengthening effect, or advance your posing prowess by balancing the crossed foot on the toe.


three. pointed toe + pocketed hands
click to enlarge
Point & Turn: 
Like a prima ballerina, point and spin your front toe to add inches faster than toe slippers. Point your piggies toward the camera then rotate a quarter set of degrees away from your back foot (where the majority of your weight has been planted.)  Unlocking your knees and shifting your weight to the posterior heel will keep you from looking stiff.  

Hands in Pocket:  unless you promenading in a full skirt with ample pockets, it's better to hint at hands in the pocket via thumbs or finger tips, rather than cramming your digits into a too tiny pant space.

four. profile > over the shoulder
click to enlarge
Profile: 
This position showcases the full silhouette, offering a two-dimensional image more curves and less width. Start by placing your feet perpendicular to the camera's gaze.  Then give your neck a slight spin toward the shutter.  For optimal results, angle your head slightly down and point your nose away from the camera.  This will sculpt those neck muscles and allow you to showcase rather than flatten facial angles.  Experiment with tilting your face a little up or a touch down, a little left or to the right, but keep your gaze on that camera.
 

Advanced
Over the Shoulder:
Intermediate and above models can rotate their walkers an additional quarter set of degrees so that their back and shoulders are angled toward the photographer.  (This is a great pose if you’ve recently completed many sets of squats and upright rows.)  The head is then rotated into a profile view.  Turn your best side towards the photographer and smile coyly.  


five. seated
click to enlarge
Sitting:
Unless you see multiple chins as a sign of financial affluence, when cameras emerge, ensure that the lens never descends below your own line of sight.  When seated, lean fearlessly in towards the camera.  Very few cameras have been shown to have a biting disposition.
click to enlarge

Sitting Continued:
Although your shoulders are advancing forward, your weight should stay on your seat.  This will keep your thighs from squishy, squishing unnaturally.  And unless you aim to exhibit your inner dominatrix, keep your knees together.  The feet can be slung apart, crossed at the ankle, draped to the side, but the knees...together.


freestyle extras
click to enlarge
Pigeon Toe:  
Commonly paired with eyes cast down, this pose adds an element of fragility.  It's slightly awkward and ingenue.

Grip:
 
If you're wondering what to do with your hands, hold on.  Grip the bundle of your scarf, your jacket lapels, or other available fashion ornamentation.  A soft grip brings emphasis to individual elements and depending on the rest of your pose composition can convey any disposition from shy to confident.


Hands Above:
Whether fidgeting with hair locks or petting the neck, this pose has the same slenderizing effect as hands on hip but adds a coy, indirect, feminine appeal.

Hop, Skip, Spin:
Let yourself feel pretty and you will look pretty.

Jolly photography developments to you and your kin!

Allow Cardigan Empire to style your kin for their next Family Photo. Click here to book a family-sized virtual shopping session.






Thursday, December 2, 2010

How to be Photogenic

 

For passive prowlers who prefer to watch rather than read...
And tomorrow a Fitting Room Friday Special featuring photo posing demonstrations by a 36 week, nearly 37 week pregnant amateur model

Allow Cardigan Empire to style your kin for their next Family Photo. Click here to book a family-sized virtual shopping session.


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Happy Birthday to Jules

I enthusiastically heart the beautiful and clever writer of Pancakes & French Fries.  Check her out and win a Customized Fashion Look Book from CE.

How to Smile for a Photograph

Our goal is to master such an effortless grin

1) Practice makes photogenic
One of the most camera pleasing persons I have the pleasure to know really pretty well has a hard drive full of self portraits.  Photos from web cams, snapshots taken at arm's length, timer-delayed shots.  Since this self-proclaimed model was an adolescent, she visually cataloged every handsome hair day or fetching ensemble with a few snappies of herself.  The results: missy knows the angles which flatter her features, how to instantly differentiate between pouting and perplexed, and photographically foremost, she has mastered her smile.

Posing amateurs like you-sies and me-sies can commence in front of the looking glass, but for robust results collect two-dimensional images of your mug on that digital camera of yours. Without the cost of film, you can pose, purge, and practice without price. 

Like a crooked Cary Grant
2) Build a smile wardrobe
One frock won't suit every occasion and neither will a single smile.  From tender closed mouth moments to raucous full grin occasions, you'll need a small wardrobe of smiles to appropriately express each exposure opportunity.  

Start by mastering your natural smile.  Your lips should unveil your upper teeth while cloaking most of the lower pearls.  Extending to around the incisors, aim for about twenty percent more expression than you might expect.

To call upon your expression apparel, let us summarize the philosophy of Mr. P. Pan: keep a happy thought in your pocket.  Then pull it out before the photographer flashes.  You can also warm up your smiler with a quick chuckle immediately before the shutter yawns.

After you've mastered your basic beam add at least another pair of options to your portfolio.  Whether it's a quirky smirk or a coy simper, find something that exhibits your unique entity.


Someone wishes they had applied liner
3) Smile with your eyes
If you're just s-mouth-ing, you won't show happy.  Start sm-eye-ling by coordinating your eyes and mouth.  Far from  limiting you to a trite, traditional emotion, a range of possibilities are available.  While some slightly squinted rainbow eyes will shiny up many a lens capture, you can also experiment with looking up for innocence, slyly to the side for curiosity, or marginally down for a shy effect. 

And don't forget your eyebrows.  While lifting them lightly will help your smile appear natural, there are a full range of expressive possibilities available through these horizontal strips of hair.  Just keep practicing and continue to expand your smile wardrobe.
Post-script: To avoid shutting your eyes as the aperture exposes, close your peepers as the photographer counts down.  For red eye termination, focus on a bright light, thereby shrinking your pupils and the surface area available for retina reflections.


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