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"The Art of Dressing" Through Tziporah Salamon

Sep 05 2015

Dressing creatively is one of life’s greatest pleasures – Tziporah Salamon

So, you want to elevate your style to the next level?! Well, Tziporah Salamon and her highly exceptional eye for style and genius way of dressing, may just be your answer. Tziporah (pronounced ziporah) is one of New York City’s most stylish women over 60. She is widely known for being featured regularly on Advanced Style, being Bill Cunningham’s muse and having been chosen for Lanvin’s Fall 2012 campaign.

Tziporah’s life has always been surrounded by fashion, with her Father being a tailor and her Mother- a seamstress. Her parents are of Hungarian Jewish descent and both survived the Holocaust. Her Father managed to survive the labor camps by sewing the Nazis uniforms. Throughout her childhood in Israel, her parents would always make her clothing. Her Father made little boys clothes, while her Mother made little girls clothes. “I would literally wake up in the morning and there’d be a pile of clothes for me to play with. Sometimes I was a little boy…Sometimes I was a little girl and I was equally comfortable always with both,” she recalls.

Eventually, her family packed up and moved to New York. She went off to Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D in pyschology, but later realized that it wasn’t for her. She moved back to New York to be closer to a world that has always held a special place in her heart- fashion. Throughout the years, she’s had several jobs, ranging from a hat check girl to a saleswoman at Bergdorf’s (where she was told to not outshine the clientele) to a waitress and hostess. She currently teaches part-time and has her two famed classes- The Art of Dressing and her one woman show- The Fabric of My Life. She also does guest lectures, personal styling and closet consultations.

Throughout her lifetime, Tziporah has amassed quite a collection of mainly vintage and antiques finds, while also mixing in current pieces (her favorite designer is Comme des Garcons). She dresses daily, her outfits always taking on a persona of a painting. Sometimes it takes her a year or more to plan out one outfit. Her way of dressing is literally an art form.

I had the privilege to sit in on her Art of Dressing seminar in Los Angeles recently. I was so excited that our LA trip coincided with the time of her seminar. I felt like it was fate. Ever since hearing and reading about the Advanced Style ladies, I immediately was entranced by their style. It was creative and not “normal.” I started following Tziporah on Instagram and just fell in love with her use of vintage and mixing patterns, textures and color. She also always is never seen without a hat. So after hearing that she was in LA when I was, I had to attend. The seminar took place at a beautiful “Old Hollywood” style home in the hills of Los Feliz and spanned the course of a two-hour session of getting to know your body and learning how to dress creatively. During that time, myself, along with 19 or so other stylish women sat on the edge of our seats as Tziporah taught us tricks on how to elevate our way of dressing and to not be afraid to experiment. Fashion Illustrator- Justine Limpus Parish was also in the audience, sketching Tziporah in her different looks. Tziporah would start out with a classic base piece and just when we thought the outfit was complete, she would layer on more…and that made the the outfit look even more fantastic! She played with pieces that ranged from a 1910s lace jacket to chunky bakelite, lucite and amber bangles; lovely 1930s Pongi silk Japanese pajama sets and vintage denim. No outfit was complete without a statement hat, a funky pair of glasses and clever shoes (I died over the Prada Japanese style platforms). It was just so intriguing to be in the presence of this artist, as she was working her magic with only a small closet of clothing and a table of accessories. Her pleasant and captivating personality shone as she explained the “method to her madness” with detail or an amusing story. The evening ended with networking, photos and dress-up. I of course, left feeling INSPIRED!

Some takeaways from Tziporah:

I cannot wear what other people wear..because I’ve always had clothes specially made for me. I love vintage for that reason…With vintage, somehow you get more for your bucks. And it lasts longer and its great. (She credits her favorite vintage shop in LA – Golyester.)

When it comes to dressing, you have to think about proportion, silhouette, color, texture..all of that goes into consideration.

Always buy good shoes… You can’t scrimp on shoes.

You have to figure out what suits you.

Don’t wear obvious labels or logos. (Putting emphasis on the “double C’s”)

Always buy quality of quantity!

When women hire me, I don’t want them dependent on me, I teach them so that I can leave them and they can be masters of their wardrobe.

If you’d like more information on Tziporah, to contact or book her services and find out more on her seminar- go HERE. You can also check out the articles on her on Advanced Style.

A Visit to Emblem Showroom – Los Angeles

May 09 2015

During my recent visit to Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to stop by Emblem Showroom, located in The New Mart and in the heart of LA’s Garment District. It was founded by Eveline Morel (you may or may not have heard of her past endeavor, hip little boutique- Em & Co.). Emblem offers over twelve years of experience in retail, design and business management. According to Eveline, “We work with global and emerging contemporary brands whose unique combinations of quality, wearability, and style bring a unique and valuable offering for consumers. We are passionate about fashion, innovative design, and bringing style that inspires. With a talented and passionate team, and over 12 years experience in design, retail buying, and marketing, Emblem Showroom connects retailers with innovative designers and products from US and around the globe. A dynamic and multi-talented team of fashion bloggers, former retail buyers, merchandisers, and visual creative, we focus on providing value-added solutions and products for retailers to help them thrive and meet their customers’ needs. We connect brands with our ever-expanding network of stylists, social media mavens and fashion influencers, for maximum trend impact.”

Emblem houses a unique array of brands, mainly from Australia, but also from here in the States as well. The brands I viewed were: The Shanti Butterfly, Pelle D’ Arte, Elle Zeitoune, Magdalena Duma, Ashley Michaelsen, Natasha Morse Designs, Talina Hermann, Chasensully and Silvana K (they also rep Australian brands- Clarissa Avenue and Nest of Pambula).

Australian brand- The Shanti Butterfly was founded in 2002 by Justine Guyot, on the beaches of Goa. The brand’s name reflects on the “peace in the present moment, the butterfly and the pure freedom of the months the designer spent there.” The pieces I saw were effortless, yet chic and wearable. I also loved the use of prints and color, in that they were toned down, yet could easily be mixed n’ matched.

Usually I’m not a huge fan of leather clothing, but after seeing some trendy pieces from Pelle D’ Arte, my taste for leather did a 180. Pelle was launched by Nairana, who’s roots began in New Zealand; but now calls Bali home. The quilting and tailoring were just exquisitely constructed and fine-tuned into the garments. She also has a line of uniquely shaped tote bags that are just so deliciously good and versatile. Now if only I lived in a somewhat colder climate to wear Pelle D’ Arte all the time…

Sydney, Australia based- Elle Zeitoune first launched in 2010 and has since had a major following. Her brand features a variety of cocktail and party dresses, as well as coordinating separates. I was able to view the gown and cocktail collections at the showroom and was delighted by Elle’s use of structure and use of sweetheart neckline. My favorite dress from the collection is the “Ruby Gold“- a gown with cap sleeves, gold sequins and demure silhouette. I would love to see more of these gowns on the red carpet (at least here in the States).

Polish-born Magdalena Duma moved to Sydney, Australia in 1990. She unofficially launched her label after Christmas 2007, where she began selling her clothing at markets at Bondi and Glebe. In 2008, she officially launched the brand after going into business with her best friend. Her brand consists of handcrafted, European-inspired trendy pieces for the independent woman. Most of the pieces I viewed were simple and on trend for the season. I also noticed some fun quirks to a few pieces, such as a jacket with the elbow area exposed and a zippered top with feathers.

New York born and raised- Ashley Michaelsen is quite the multi-tasker! This bi-coastal designer is also known for her acting and modeling. She launched her brand when she was just 21 and believes her brand mixes playful flirtiness and timeless elegance. She draws most of her inspiration from the stylish women of New York and LA.

Chasensully is a brand based in Corpus Christi, TX and launched by friends- Tiffany Foster and Kelley Cortese in 2007. The contemporary brand features fashion-forward, youthful clothing at moderate prices.

Los Angeles based Talina Hermann launched her namesake brand in 2008 and is inspired by her own experiences here in the U.S. and her native Ukraine. All her modern and streamlined designs are also manufactured in Los Angeles. She also has a collection that focuses on original graphic patterns inspired by many cities she has traveled to, such as LA and New York City.

Natasha Morse launched her jewelry brand in Fall 2013 and has since been gaining numerous fans. She crafts her statement pieces out of semi-precious stones, crystals, glass beads, pave diamonds and gold-plated brass.

Silva, along with her husband- Nubar created the first green jewelry manufacturing company in Los Angeles during the 90s, called- Silvana K. To this day, they have recycled over 250 pounds of copper per month from certified recycling centers. Very piece is manufactured in LA and is nickel, cadmium and lead free. I absolutely love this jewelry brand! Everything about them screams statement-worthy and would brighten up any outfit.

Be sure to follow Emblem Showroom on Instagram!

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