We discuss all aspects of winter fashion, from hats to choosing a fur coat, with Alena Guseva, personal stylist, TV expert and fashion blogger!
Is there an alternative to a fur coat and is it possible to wear it with boots “grinders”? How to choose a hat suitable for face shape and hair color? Natural or artificial fur, what to choose this year? Together with the stylist Alena Guseva we reveal all the secrets of winter fashion!
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For those who prefer not to listen but to read, we have prepared a transcript of the conversation!
Marianna Makarova: Good afternoon, friends! You are listening to the podcast of the magazine Burda Style, with you I am the chief editor Marianna Makarova. And today, our guest, Alena Gusev, is a personal stylist, beauty coach, fashion blogger, author and host of fashion and style workshops and trainings, and a TV expert. Hello, Alena!
Alena Guseva: Hello, Marianne! Hello dear friends! Again, I am very glad to be with you.
MM: We are also very pleased. Alena was already in our studio and we had wonderful conversations that related to autumn trends. And today we want to talk, probably, on the most burning topic. The weather on the street is minus and the main thing that worries most of our women is how to dress warmly, but look stylish?
AG: This topic is very important, because we often choose comfort, especially in winter, for the sake of warmth before the style. But, in fact, there is a very good compromise. For example, the topic of the header.
MM: Yes, hats are an awesome topic! I know that most women feel awkward from the fact that on the one hand - of course, I want to warm ourselves and I want my head not to freeze. But it is complex that not all hats suit them.
AG: Here is the moment: the very first rule that applies to all face shapes and, you can say, all ages is not to choose a cap that is very narrow and very shallow. This means that it is better not to choose a hat that resembles a rubber hat in appearance.
MM: Oh, of course. We don’t want to look like in the pool in winter!
AG: I very often observe this situation both on the street and even on my clients, when the hat seems to be full size on the counter or in the storefront, but when the hat is put on the head, it turns out that it squeezes it very much. On the one hand, the cap presses the hair, and on the other, it strongly fits the head. It should be borne in mind that when we have a magnificent hairstyle, it always adorns any face shape. When our hair is combed very smoothly, then, accordingly, there is a feeling that something is missing. With a hat exactly the same effect. If you take a hat, then it should hold a little shape. It is desirable that this was not a thin and smoothly knitted hat, but that it was knitted at least of medium thickness.
And even better, if you have a medium-sized face, and here it also depends on the proportions in the face - small features, thin or, conversely, facial features are medium or large, then in this case you can even take a large knit.
MM: Here we are talking about hats, but the topic of hats is not limited to this. For example, I remember myself in my youth when I really loved a headdress like snood - it is universal and just wonderful in itself.This is for you both a hat and a scarf - two in one. But I don’t know, is it now appropriate for a woman, let's say, of an elegant age, to wear snood?
AG: The question will only be what material this snud is from and what kind of texture it is. With him it’s just like with your favorite dress - if it is a high-quality yarn and if this yarn is not very fleecy, then it will look stylish. And if we have a snood, and it is very fleecy, and thin woolen threads stick out of it in different directions, or it is made of acrylic, then with such a not very high quality product, for women of elegant age, this snood will only take years. If this scarf is of high quality, then color will play a special role in it - there must be lightening (light and pastel colors). Or you need to go by a different principle, for example, when we have a brunette in front of us, we need a deep chestnut color or better in the colors of precious stones.
Who what wear MM: Is a woolen shawl banned? Loved by many Russian women.
AG: A scarf with Russian patterns, in fact - it, as an element of our national costume, embodies centuries-old traditions. And I also always have a hand reaching for him, because I want to carry this in myself, and so that in my image there is Russian-style DNA. But the catch is that he doesn’t suit everyone. A lot of blood is mixed in beautiful Russian women, so you need to look according to your type so that the style scarf does not carry it away into a kind of Masha. We have such an expression "beloved Masha." Therefore, with a scarf you need to be careful. There are women whom he really suits - so noble and beautiful! But more often I see women on the street in whom it goes a little into such a rustic style. The word "collective farm" is not very nice to say, but the meaning, I think, is understandable.
MM: To everyone who does not see us, I want to say that Alena is sitting in the studio in a very elegant hat, which serves as an alternative and the exact opposite of a scarf. Are winter hats relevant? Are you cold?
AG: Maryana, I want to shout: "Yes, yes, yes! Actual!" (laughs). In fact, many people ask me this question, and I answer everyone that beauty warms! Traditionally in Russia they said "red sun", because it is beautiful. Beauty she really warms: when I go in this hat I feel warm!
Who what wear MM: Well, among other things, it is natural felt, it is made of very high-quality wool, so it certainly warms. And I think that it is not forbidden to put on some kind of patterned silk scarf under such a hat? Or is fashion already gone?
AG: There is such a direction, and even some designers this season showed on the catwalk in collections the principle of wearing how to wear a scarf under a hat. But the only moment that again is not for everyone. And we cannot totally recommend this to our dear listeners. Whether it goes or not, one has to look at the shape and facial features.
MM: Well, well, I think we figured out the headgear ...
AG: And here it is, Maryana! I think that we should definitely recommend another type of hat, such as a fur hat. And if at the same time you imagine a cap with earflaps, then there can be a lot of variations.
MM: Again, recall the cap of Barbara Brylsky, which probably every fifth resident of the Soviet Union had! The famous red fox hat.
"The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!", 1975 AH: Yes, we must imagine its shape, but not focus on this color and long-furred fur. Now this form of hats has undergone reincarnation - faux fur. These hats are available in the form of a faux fur hat in pleasant and non-standard colors. For example, it may be powdery pink or a complex blue-green color. Or, for example, a magnificent gray-pearl color, as you are now top, Mariyana! It is incomparable and the color is gorgeous. This color always makes the face and image so sophisticated more youthful.
MM: Alena, but let's go back to the fur. You have now touched upon a topic that, for me, for example, is considered very complex.And I can’t even convey the whole gamut of my feelings ... I must say right away that I don’t wear natural fur! For various reasons: it seems to me that this is now not very practical and not even environmentally friendly. And besides, I always had cats at home, and there is a feeling that when I iron a fur coat or fur hat, it’s as if I had my fur coat. I have complex feelings, so I want to ask right away. We live in a country where furs have always been in fashion and they have always been popular. What to do now? Follow this ecological trend for faux fur or are natural furs still acceptable and do they have a future?
AG: Mariyana, about the cat - it was so piercing! I want to say that those who believe that the future is artificial, eco-friendly are also right. And wearing natural fur is neither humane nor environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, we must pay tribute and respect the opinion of those of our listeners who wore, are and will continue to wear natural fur - they have every right to do so! There really are also our original roots, when the fur was part of the national Russian costume and everyone wore it - from emperors, princes and boyars to peasants, for example, in a sheepskin. Our right to choose, because it can be beautiful and warm in both fur. The only moment, fur coats from faux fur are so being beaten so that they simply look more relevant to you. It is not fashionable, but more relevant. Fur coats, which are made of natural fur, have a certain classicism in them, and classic is always about elegant age. And therefore, to make a fur coat made of natural fur look relevant and stylish, here you need to apply some tricks in the configuration. Think about what hat and shoes you can choose for a fur coat? Even it’s important to choose a bag so that it looks relevant, and not as if an image from the 90s.
MM: And tell me, please, if we are talking about styles, which cut is now relevant for a fur coat?
AG: First of all, I want to say about the moments in the cut. There should not be horizontal stripes! Here is what I’m now observing on the streets, it seemed to me that this had already gone into oblivion! Horizontal stripes on a fur coat and horizontal stripes on a fur vest are absolutely not relevant and it is better to leave such models, for example, for a summer residence. Well, in addition, it expands the silhouette, makes it overweight and reduces growth, even if you are of average height. Regarding the style, the highly fitted fur coats are not there either. And please, such an example. There is a beautiful fur coat, but there are accessories on it - such huge shiny plastic buttons or buttons as huge crystals. All these moments reduce the fur coat to the rank of not stylish and not relevant, even strange fashion objects. The fur coat should be very concise, better than a straight cut. If this is a trapezoid, then let there be a slight, minimal expansion.
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MM: How to still style a fur coat: in a classic way or more youthfully and avant-garde? Well, for example, is it possible to put on a fur coat with “grinders”?
AG: It is possible, it is quite possible! Especially great if the coat is colored, for example, gray-graphite. Or a deep blue tint. Just imagine, a fur coat - it is classical in itself, and the color is not quite classic, and therefore we choose shoes here: it can be any fashionable, relevant,stylish and modern - and they will be perfectly tied into the kit! You can also add a sweatshirt with a hood and it will be very fashionable to look at any age.
MM: Well, and at the same time there will be a headdress!
AG: Yes, and even a baseball cap or a fur cap will fit here coolly.
MM: Alena, such a question immediately arises, because most of our students live in cities. And a fur coat may not be very practical for every day, because people travel by public transport and not everyone drives their own cars. But is there something more universal and more convenient, for example, the same down jacket or is it still a part of sports fashion?
AG: In fact, now the fashion for down jackets has expanded, because by the word "down jacket" we already mean a quilted coat, and a shortened down jacket "puff", and a thin down jacket, a la UniQlo, which we put on under the coat in winter.
MM: I think this is a great invention! And you just have to give a bonus for it!
AG: I agree, I also use this! In fact, it will still depend on how cut your down jacket is. When the down jacket is quilted with horizontal stripes, we remember that this expands the silhouette and makes our shapes massive and accordingly “eats” the growth. For tall - yes, wear it and it’s great! In another case, think about the diagonal line, because the diagonal will always slim and make the figure visually higher, therefore it is preferable.
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MM: And tell me, please, is the fashion for short sleeves in down jackets that have literally followed us all the past seasons already over? Or is it still permissible and how do you feel about it? This is a rather dubious style, in my opinion.
AG: I agree that this is a dubious style, if we think about where it came from. When we see the shortened sleeves by three quarters, we understand that the set requires elongated gloves. But let's recall that a down jacket, in principle and initially, is a functional type of clothing designed for comfort and warmth. Being in it, we constantly get something or discover something, and we cannot do it with gloves! And so when you imagine that you need to take off and put on gloves ten times - just wildness - and accordingly the image disintegrates. It can look beautiful on the catwalk when the whole image is assembled. But as soon as the gloves disappear, the shortened down jacket looks strange. When suddenly from there inexplicable colors and textures the sleeves of clothes stick out, then we understand that this is not comme il faut!
MM: And finally, still give us some general advice on how to dress in such a way that it is warm in the winter and the room is comfortable and convenient? And, at the same time, the image was holistic.
AG: The task is not easy! (laughs)
MM: You have a personal stylist and I think there are no unsolvable tasks for you! (laughs)
AG: After these words, how can I not answer ?! In fact, everything is solvable. A very important point when working with multi-layer, that is, using multi-layer techniques, we must remember that when we enter the room, we simply need to remove some of the layers. For example, this is a thin down jacket and a coat on top of it. And a thin down jacket, as we all know, can be folded into a tube of about 20 cm. It can be put in a bag because it is light and does not take up much space, after which it is free to walk, for example, in a shopping center in its overcoat.Other options - we can drop the down jacket, collapse it, because now very ergonomic down jackets have appeared everywhere and put it in our backpack.
And, of course, with regard to the first two layers to the body, we must remember that in winter we are often in a plus or minus state, we go back and forth from the street to the room, so things should be breathable, that is, natural. If this is a sweater, then we give preference to cashmere, wool, it is possible with the addition of viscose and cotton.
Another universal method that I use today is thermal underwear. And plus it can be some thin tops made of camel hair - I just adore them and put them on, for example, under a silk blouse when I'm going to an event. Accordingly, from above, just a fur coat is enough to feel cozy, warm, comfortable, easy and to cope with any task.
MM: Well, dear listeners, take note of the tips from the wonderful stylist and fashion blogger Alena Guseva, subscribe to the Burda Style podcast on Apple and Google podcasts, on Yandex.Music. With you was me - the chief editor of Burda Style magazine Marianna Makarova and Alena Guseva. Goodbye friends!
AG: Good luck to everyone! Bye Bye! Listen to us!
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