Please, don´t!

I went with two friends to ante-premiere of “Fiddler on the roof” - wonderful play, with a magnificent José Mayer, even for me, who wasn’t a big fan of his style up until then! While we were waiting for the beginning of the play, in the bustling lobby of the Alpha theatre (São Paulo), we were watching the atmosphere. It was not something I felt like doing, nor do I have this habit particularly developed, but try as I might, I could not help noticing the exuberant clothes. It was an excruciating exercise that made me realize that there are basic principles that should not and cannot be ignored! I'll list them, without any particular order...

- Elegance is in the simplicity: the more complicated the garments, the worse the outcome, and this is always inversely proportional.

- Less is always more: also known as the “Christmas tree effect”, it contradicts the idea that accessories serve to balance the figure, causing women to be overshadowed by them. This principle also applies to makeup, which should be used to enhance features, not hide them. Anything in excess is not sexy.

- When less is not more: micro clothes – mini / micro skirts, micro-shorts, micro-dresses –are embarrassing. Anything that is micro is macro embarrassing!

- No one is immune to the years, but the addiction to youth must not go through the use of micro clothes – these are clothes that potentiate the effect of age, making the difference between the face and body more explicit.

- Young women have a decision to make: if they chose to wear micros they should not fight constantly to pull them down, trying to stretch a fabric that does not stretch. It’s not nice.

- Micro-shorts have an aggravating factor: they are casual clothes far more appropriate for the beach or similar places, rather than watching a play.

- The tight and the sin: there is a category of tight clothes and some fabrics, that are a sin to wear, and should be avoided at any age.

- Clothes that are too tight reveal more than they should, and even in sculptural women, they give them a touch of vulgarity. But if women are not skinny, then the sin is even greater.

- Satin is also a sin. It is an enemy of women except those who have perfect bodies. It is a fabric that marks and reveals the undesirable, although it works nicely in slightly wider and more comfortable pajamas.

- The body of crime: exposing the body is a risk that must be carefully calculated - nobody wants to find out everything about a woman before even the first date. And the public space is not a doctor’s office! I still do not understand what is the relationship between showing your body and improve your self-esteem, although I believe that the lower the self-esteem, the greater the exposure of the body.

- Cellulitis should be a private drama. And it's not because almost all women have cellulite, even younger ones, that we should show it to the world. Let us leave it to the beach, which is already dramatic enough.

- The stomach should only be shown if accompanied by a modeled waist. The low waist fashion deformed the body, and created a kind of wave at the hip. To expose the belly, with its folds over the pants, is not stylish.

- High heels: to wear high heels you need a straight posture, soft and safe steps. Lightness is the key word. There is nothing less sexy than a woman with very high shoes, stomping, wobbling and believing herself to be the greatest. I am so sorry, but that is not the greatest! It is far better to opt for lower heels that allow to walk safely and gracefully.

- Secret places: Handbags and clutch bags are accessories where women keep their little secrets and some mystery. They should be adapted to situations.

- Bags shouldn’t be bigger than the wearer. This hippie thing of looking for a lost object in the bag, in the midst of a crowd, passes an image of disorganization. No one should be swallowed by their own bag! Big bags are for the beach or to go shopping - and they depend on the design.

- Clutch bags demand an attitude. Who chooses a clutch bag has to know how to wear it. You cannot keep it in your hand - aimlessly, turning it around or constantly changing position as if it had something burning your fingers.

- Colors that scream: very strong colors or excessively colored patterns, is another wrong way to draw attention. Sober colors are always the best option: they are classics. The bigger the person the more restrained should the colors be.

- The interior visible: to show your underwear is a thing of the eighties, which should not even have existed. Nobody should be forced to see somebody else’s underwear – unless they want to, of course. The bra and panties belong to a category called “underwear' - for a reason.

- To innovate, only safely: to experiment new looks in days of public exhibition, parties, weddings and other events, is inadvisable. To modernize or change requires a test drive - adaptation time needed not to look like a fish out of water.

The drama is that usually a person commits not one of these errors, but several - and at the same time. PLEASE DON’T!