America’s First Lady of Philanthropy , Jean Shafiroff, the hard working fundraiser, who is on 8 boards, is undoubtedly on the go , dressing at important events; a veteran well-dressed guest and honouree at global galas shares some tips on Red Carpet Dressing.
FEEL FABULOUS WEARING WHAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN
Only wear a dress that makes you feel your finest, and makes you feel Wow!
FREE YOURSELF OF BLACK
Although this writer believes the uniform of the LBD (little black dress) à la Jackie Kennedy has its place. Jean concurs: “perhaps a bit of colour on the neck or show the ensemble with a coloured scarf will bring life to a black dress. But beware of black, especially if you are photographed“. I agree, and that goes for wearing white, too.
FIT MUST BE CORRECT
“So often an actress will wear an outfit that has been borrowed and maybe they will love the gown for a red carpet moment, but if the fit is not correct, Forget it!” Jean expounds. The Journalist agrees: to see a woman in a great couture gown that has not been fitted correctly or is just too tight, can be annoying and destroys the look.
FABRIC
Even though, initially a gown may look very pretty, an ideal first step to looking elegant is to chose a dress that is made of beautiful fabric. The journalist recalls, “I wore a Giorgio Armani gown, that looked so simple to a big gala gathering in Monaco, and I felt perfect… I know it was that crisp silk organza and the elegant cashmere wool that shaped my every move.” Recalling, HRH Princess Charlene’s Armani wedding gown, She was a picture of sheer elegance as you know Armani is the man who always uses the most beautiful fabrics. Fabric first! The style follows.
FIT THE OCCASION TO YOUR DRESSING TO BE APPROPRIATE
A gown can make you feel fabulous and often its very important to adjust your gown to the concept of the night or who you are meeting. Meeting the Queen of England, obviously is a completely different dress code than a dinner gala on the sands of the Hotel Meridien in Monaco. Jean always “nails it!” with a uniquely made gown by Victor Sousa, like when she wore a themed dress for Halloween that was tasteful, yet carried the French Culture meets black and white theme through the gowns look by Carlos Souza.
Left: Oscar De La Renta / Right: Zang Toi (Jewels Chopard)
FAVORITE OLD FASHION ADAGES:
There was an old adage, “Don’t be dressed as mutton tiring to look like lamb”. It’s an expression, my mother stated and it was from a bygone error and still carries truth. The translation is to be careful of wearing something, too young!
The second adage, augments this even further, if, “You wore it once, a long time ago, don’t wear it again”. Wearing something you wore at 21 years old and just because the style returns, simply won’t make it at 49.
Caroline Herrera, once confided in me, 25 years ago: “Always have one thing you wear that evokes a touch of mystery.”
“Always take something off prior to walking out the door!” My mother. likely an American expression from the 1930’s.