Washington Winter Show 2017

53 This page is sponsored by Bogorad & Richards PLLC in honor of The Founders Board of St. John’s Community Services day. Style for all women. We now have fourteen Nina McLemore stores and thirty women who sell the collection in private trunk shows. Yet there is so much more to do! What do we think about in creating the collection? What makes a design classic and in “good style?” I often design with particular women who are our clients in mind, their lifestyle, figures, complexions, and what will compliment them and their schedules. But I also refer to the timeless designers who have influenced me. The following is simply a short list of those I have found especially significant: Chanel, who in the 1920s, set women free from tight corsets, giving them ease of movement. Dior who created the “New Look” in 1948, where small waists and very full skirts celebrated the freedom of fabric released after the rations of World War II. Yves Saint Laurent , who started with Dior and then created “Le Smoking” and ubiquitous black pants for women. Givenchy , whose “sack” dress and shorter hems led the way to the style of the 1960s and whom Audrey Hepburn called “a creator of personality. And Courr è ges , whose space age, modern A-line designs are now back in style. With their clean lines and architectural styles, I would include Akris, Celine, and Armani among my list of most admired designers today. What do they share? I suggest these elements of strong design: Honesty, simplicity, and clean lines: Good style is not confusing or overly busy. It uses the principles of natural proportions, timeless aesthetics, mathematical symmetry, and harmonious color. Permanence: Timeless design is relevant; it outlast trends, fashion statements, and society’s infatuation of the moment. It has cross-cultural appeal. A message or purpose: Timeless design plays a necessary role in society. Clothing has always been a way of communicating status, power, and position—in a military uniform, a court gown, or a bespoke suit. Adaptable: timeless design concerns itself with the needs of living and working; it is adaptable to different climates, places, functions, and cultures. Confidence and comfort: Good style is bold and daring in its image, but it has to fit and be comfortable. Fit is an essential element of good design. There is a difference between fashion and style. “The scent of fashion is to surprise and never disappoint,” wrote Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a popular nineteenth-century English poet and writer. Fashion is exciting and new; it may be in “good taste” or “bad,” may last or may be fleeting. Coco Chanel best expressed the relationship: “fashion changes but style endures.”  ■ Nina McLemore is a clothing designer and businesswoman who focuses on colorful, elegant, and well-designed clothing for women. She and her husband live in Washington, D.C. André Courrèges’s A-line dress from the 1968 fall collection was inspired by space suits. Photo by Bettmann/CORBIS Bettmann Archives. Nina McLemore, double face wool crepe tunic over coordinating skirt. Fall collection, 2011.