Mujeres Elegantes

While looking up various images and articles for this blog, I found a serious of four drawings by Mr. Carlos N. Molina entitled "Mujeres Elegantes" or Elegant Women. I absolutely fell in love with these pictures and felt the need to share them. Hopefully I can get some feedback from the artist as to his inspiration behind them and what message he wanted to convey through them. In the meantime, here are the drawings that will soon grace the halls of my elegant home (when I am so fortunate to get it).

The Vanity
The Mirror

The Garden

The Ballroom

Quote of The Week

"We must never confuse elegance with snobbery."- Yves Saint Laurent

I really like this quote and felt that it was an appropriate choice for my first little QOTW. I think one thing that keeps some people from pursuing a higher level of sophistication and elegance instead of sticking with the norm is the idea that to do so would require not only working to do better, but becoming someone who looks down her nose at others. And of course this notion is no doubt caused by the images we've seen and interactions we've had with those deemed "elegant." This is why I've made the distinction of saying that even though I want to become a more refined young lady, I don't want to be one to alienate my friends or become off-putting to others. I want to retain my approachability and (somewhat) down-to-earth nature.

Has anyone else had experiences that made you feel like sophistication and snobbery went hand in hand?

Modern Woman's Guide to Elegance

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/47974/a_modern_womans_guide_to_elegance.html?cat=4

Found this link while gathering ideas for this blog. I don't believe this woman is supposed to be an expert on all things urbane, but I liked a lot of her tips and comments. They sound like things I would have said... if I had thought of them first. :)

The Starting Point

Since every journey has a starting point, I figured I should try to assess where I am right now. How elegant am I now?

Of course, I need to know what exactly I'm asking, which begins by knowing what elegance is. When I look it up, this is what I find:

• a. Refinement, grace, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners.
• b. Tasteful opulence in form, decoration, or presentation
• c. Restraint and grace of style.
• d. Scientific exactness and precision
• e. A refined quality of gracefulness and good taste
• f. beauty as resulting from choice qualities and the complete absence of what deforms or impresses unpleasantly

So... D doesn't really fit what I'm trying to do here, but the others pretty much highlight where this is going. As of right now, I think that I possess most of these characteristics to some extent. I try to make the best choices as far as things I do, say, wear, take interest in, etc., although admittedly there are times when I could care less about that. I try to stay graceful and restrained in most situations, but there are plenty of times when I am course, crass, and an all around horrid person. I'm seeking to change that. I'm not quite starting at square one, since I know some rules of decorum and how to behave as a proper woman should, but there are many improvements to be made.
And of course I have plenty of questions that have to be answered along the way, like

1. Are the ideas and ideals of elegance universal?
2. What does it mean to be an elegant black woman?
3. is it possible to embrace the traditional ideas of elegance and without losing my own identity? (no Stepford wives here!)

Maybe someone somewhere will have some answers for me :)

Why?

This blog is inspired by a book I bought on a whim and turned out to really like, The Little Pink Book of Elegance: The Modern Girl's Guide to Living with Style by Jodi Kahn. I've always been the type of person who enjoys self improvement because I know that we can all be a little better than we are now. Since I recently graduated from college and entered "the real world" I feel the need to enhance certain aspects about myself to become a little more urbane, sophisticated and overall a true Finer Woman.

So here is my goal: I want to become a refined young woman, but at the same time

• Stay true to who I am and my background
• Not alienate friends, family and loved ones who may not be on the same page
• Be able to fit in well in any environment or situation

Anything I encounter along the way that may give some insight into this (books, links, people, personal experiences & thoughts) will be right here. Hopefully within a year, some visible growth can and will be seen. Here's hoping.