Subscribe to the mailing list

* indicates required

Rococo Fashion

Moschino Rococo Fashion Show
Marie Antoinette with a Rose by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, 1783

Cake and couture...the perfectly sweet combination that epitomizes the era of Marie Antoinette. She ruled the late-1700s fashion scene as the Dauphine and later Queen of France from 1774-1793. Her years in the French palace were forever marked by her style choices. 

Moschino Rococo Fashion Show
Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher, 1759

Before Marie Antoinette arrived to the palace and made her mark on French fashion, Madame de Pompadour embodied the beauty of Rococo style. She became famous as the mistress to King Louis XV. She epitomized the look of the era with luxurious gowns that included soft pastel hues, decorative details and romantic designs.

Mid and late 18th century fashion for women during the Rococo period included plenty of ribbons, lace and ruffles on heavy silk brocades, gowns fitted with corsets and silhouettes widened by panniers. The goal of a woman’s gown was always one of elegance, extravagance and beauty. 

Moschino Rococo Fashion Show
The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard, 1767

Moschino Rococo Fashion Show
Candy colors, florals and romance abound with Moschino designs perfect for Marie Antoinette or a Rococo painting. Pictured in collage: Declaration of Love by Jean Francois de Troy 1731, Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette & Rococo worthy Moschino designs

In the Company of Women

In the Company of Women book review
Book image via Grace Bonney on Amazon

Artists, designers, chefs, musicians...makers of all sorts are featured in the book, In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney. Each woman featured in the book is an entrepreneur and through an interview style approach, Grace learns information about the women’s views of success, business and working as a female maker.

In the Company of Women Artist in Workshop Photo
Image via Design Sponge : Seeing the artist in her workshop allows readers to envision working as a maker.  

Designing Your Career with Elaine Welteroth

Masterclass Review Elaine Welteroth
Original image via Instagram @ElaineWelteroth
There is design for our homes and our clothes, but there is also design for our careers. To design something means that a decision is made about the look or function of an object (like a building, dress, etc.) and then plans are created before the object is made. Just as a fashion designer sketches out the idea for next season’s clothing collection, you can craft a design for your career journey. 

Elaine Welteroth wearing turquoise power suit for Masterclass
Image via MasterClass: In her class, Elaine takes on the topic of powerful careers while wearing a strong suit in a shade of teal that pops. 

In her Masterclass, Elaine Welteroth tackles this very topic of “Designing Your Career.” Elaine has become an expert in navigating career dreams in her own journey. She made history in 2012 as the first black beauty director at Teen Vogue and again in 2016 for reaching the high profile role of editor-in-chief. Her history making ways did not stop at the acquisition of those titles. While working at the helm of Teen Vogue, Elaine also made a point of helping the publication evolve from solely covering fashion, to incorporating cultural and social topics. 

Elaine Welteroth wearing gingham suit with book More than Enough
Image via Instagram @ElaineWelteroth -- Elaine pictured with her book, More than Enough. The book is part memoir, part life and career advice. 

 Many would have believed her career had reached its climax by acquiring such admirable positions with Teen Vogue. But Elaine had other ideas and began making career transitions. Since leaving the magazine in 2018, Elaine has branched out as a book author, public speaker, television personality with The Talk and Project Runway and most recently, as an expert in her career themed Masterclass.

1980s Power Dressing

1980s women's work fashion collage

 
Bright colors. Polka dots. Kitschy phrases. Flowers. Mixed prints.


1980s power dressing by Moschino
These fun looks as seen in the suit dress above are not what you would normally imagine powerhouse women wearing when they entered the 1980s boardrooms dressed to impress. However, designer Jeremy Scott at Moschino offered a fresh spin on 1980s era power dressing for the modern woman in his Resort 2021 collection. 

1980s power dressing by Moschino
Pattern plays were used throughout the collection, as seen here with polka dots and vibrant colors playfully juxtaposed against the backdrop of a traditional pant suit. 

Growth Mindset

Growth mindset for your career

Growth is a fundamental idea for every part of life, including our careers. What better way to start thinking about the idea of growth than to look at the flowers and plants in our gardens? 

For a plant, the journey begins with the seed. Though seeds vary in shapes and sizes, each seed holds the potential to burst forth new life. But the future of that seed depends on the right conditions. Without the right inputs and environment, the potential of what is possible for the seed never comes to fruition. We will never see the peonies bloom if the seed doesn’t first have soil, water and sunlight. 
  
For many of us, we have a desire to achieve goals and reach our own definition of success. The seed for our future self is present, but how do we get to the end goal we dream about? Scientists have found that mindset matters. Like plants, our brains need the right inputs to steer our life and allow us to grow into the potential we each possess. Mindset may be the most important input our brains need to help us boost growth and move forward. 

The Science
The term growth mindset has its roots in research that dates back more than three decades. Dr. Carol Dweck coined the terms growth mindset and fixed mindset after studying student attitudes about failure in the classroom. During her studies, she found that if students believed they could become smarter they would also spend more time studying and practicing their skills. Their beliefs influenced their actions, which in turn impacted their achievement levels for the better. This belief in the power to transform the brain became known as growth mindset. On the opposite end of the spectrum is fixed mindset, which just as it sounds, does not change or develop beyond current conditions. 

Growth mindset definition

As studies about the brain and mindset continued, neuroscientists discovered that connectivity between neurons (the brain’s messengers) can change and improve. This ability to essentially re-wire the brain with new connections and increased strength (known as neuroplasticity) leads to speedier transmissions within the brain and body. 

The guiding force to recharging the brain with new neuron connections? Mindset. A person’s mindset guides behaviors and behaviors dictate outcomes.