A women’s physical appeal begins with her fundamental actions behind closed curtains. Learn to radiate your natural beauty and be truly comfortable in your own skin.

You’ve met her at some point. You can’t help but notice her. Her appeal is nothing so concrete as her fabulous black pants that fit her just so, or the penetrating eye contact she makes when meeting someone for the first time. She possesses an aura, an intangible allure that surrounds her like a faint scent of perfume, so that even when you come upon her unexpectedly in the produce section of the market–startled but smiling with her basket in the crook of her arm, face naked and glowing without makeup-she is more beautiful than any woman you know. She is confident, self-possessed. She is bien dans la peau–comfortable in her own skin, as the French so precisely term it.

For a rare few, the aplomb comes maddeningly naturally. Most, however, must breed it through a very private road of introspection and discovery of the authentic self. Such self-possession is not only critical to professional performance and personal fulfillment, but provides the foundation for becoming an unforgettable woman who is fully present in her own life. Though style is an integral part, self-possession goes beyond what jeans are hugging your bum to the attitude with which you’re wearing them. Like anything worthwhile and lasting, being bien dans la peau isn’t merely something to check off a to-do list, but burgeons through conscious nurturing and practice.

Part 2: “5 steps to becoming bien des la peau (coming soon)
by Margaret Everton Eliza Magazine

Get a glimpse of the team behind Christa Taylor in our behind the scenes video! And yes…I do sound like dork, I’m afraid to speak for a video camera. (I like big crowds, but not cameras…; )

Let us know what you think!

Be the first to share the video with your friends on your own blog!
Just leave a comment, requesting the code. =)

I’m very grateful to:

Michael Garvey - who taught me how to use iMovie
Jocelyn Edlin- (assistant extraordinaire) I couldn’t do any of these photo shoots without her
Grandpa and Gammi Taylor- who let us shoot at their stunning home in Tualatin, OR
Maddy and Kelly- our amazing “gopher girls”, connoisseurs of steaming, folding and dressing models!
Ruth Bryan- our videographer
Aaron: who noticed I spelt TualAtin incorrectly

Join our Christa Taylor fashion group on Facebook! or even better…invite me as a friend so I can match some names to faces! I mean it…please do, I would love it.

Sshhh! It’s a secret (that I LOVE giving hints about) we have a Big change coming soon! The Countdown has begun…

An article, written by another modish clothing fan, should capture your interest…

In her opening remarks Basya Speshel includes the following:

“In today’s world of nudity appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair, legal pornography, and court battles over public thong wear, one might expect the value of modesty in dress and behavior to have long hidden itself under a rock…However, there are in fact sites dedicated to a quiet counter revolution towards modesty.”

Jen, from Jenmagazine.com continues…

“I think modesty will continue to be a popular topic among religious people on the internet. The internet is great in that it allows people to learn about, find, and purchase things that aren’t available locally…modest clothing will continue to be found and sold online.”

Click: here for the entire article with questions such as :

1) What do you feel are the greatest advantages of dressing modestly in today’s world?

My Dad loves it when my sisters or I wear a tunic, why? Because it is both adorable and modest. It covers the derrière nicely, eliminating many of the common difficulties behind wearing pants, and it’s very feminine.

A tunic stands by itself very well, you can throw it on over denim and be ready to run out the door. It’s very easy to make a really cute outfit. If you aren’t comfortable putting different pieces together, or you don’t particularly like styling…this is the top for you.

The one difficulty they may present is their functionality over a skirt. Tunics work well over a pencil or tulip skirt, both of which have a more slim, streamlined look. I have also seen tunics paired very nicely with a straight fit, pencil dress, layered and belted.
With a few rare exceptions you don’t want to pair a tunic with an a-line skirt because they both have the same “A” shape. In an outfit we are always looking for contrast, if you have a fitted skirt, you look for a more voluminous top. If you have a full top, a more streamlined skirt/bottom creates the needed balance.

Send me pictures of your favorite tunics or even better, of you wearing your own!

I’ve noticed that a lot of people (there are exceptions) use blogs as a means to “out cry” against our culture. Everything from gay marriage to smoking bans and children’s tennis shoes are discussed. There seems to be one thing they all have in common, they all want a better world, they want something fixed or some cultural problem changed.

Many voices…any progress? Is there any change in these areas?

…Or are we all blabbing away, typing up on our keyboards our latest frustration- passionately trying to change the world…without doing anything.

I’m tired of hearing the all the bad news, I want to know what YOU are doing to amend these problems. Our culture will always get worse if people don’t first analyze the situation, dream up a solution and slowly but surely start doing something about it. In my corner of the world, modesty is the issue, and we are steadily effecting a solution.

Our mission is to be a transforming agent.

You ready? Yea, me too. But to get to the top of the ladder, you got to start at the bottom rungs. (So I’m working on becoming an expert at manufacturing *gulp)

Whatever it is that you are thinking about, posting about, blogging about, dreaming about…it’s time to do something.

Is this wishful thinking?

I think not, I’m living it.

Check out this interesting article from Washington Post: Modesty on the runway

Ladies, I have great news. We are coming up with an idea, it’s only a premonition at present, but it will become reality.

We want to provide the opportunity for you to design your dream dress. In other words, in the coming months (target launch date is Jan ‘08) any lady can send in a picture, drawing (or preferably a sample, though we realize many do not have the skills necessary for such an endeavor) of her dream dress. These aren’t formals mind you, just a not-so-normal fall dress. You as the bloggers etc, will rate which dress you think should be produced- the the best rated will be a part of our Fall 2008 lineup.

Not only that, but the winning designer will get a photo shoot and the signature dress for her very own, completely free of charge. As you can tell, I’m rather excited. It’s fall now, so keep your eyes open for ideas!

Tired of your hairstyle? Changing your part can alter your look entirely without undergoing a drastic hair-cut or color.
The direction of line in a hairdo is just as important as it is in designing clothes. Different angles and parts can create certain illusions and make your features more or less visible. They help create a needed visual focal point for your face.

For round and square-shaped faces the part starts at the crown (divide the top of your head into 4 with the top 2 at your forehead, the crown is the Left, rear corner) and comes forward diagonally. long, slender face needs the opposite angle.

Straight part:
These parts are made right down the center, lined up with your nose.
They are used for an oval face, but can give an oval illusion to wide and round faces. A center part lengthens the face, the forehead, and the nose, because the vertical line of the part carries the eye up.

Side Part
—The side part can be done on either the left or right side of the head. They are used to direct hair across the top of the head. The side part helps develop height on top and make thin hair appear fuller.

Diagonal part
This type of part is typically done when you have bangs. A diagonal part is made on each side with the bangs hanging in front of it. They can be used to create the illusion of width or height in a hairstyle.

Zigzag part:

This type of part is used to create a dramatic effect. To create the part, take a comb and draw a zigzag line from back to front. At the front, separate the hairs from left to right.
Below is an example of a very wide zigzag. You can also create dramatic results with a thinner zigzag line.

I’m curious to know how many of you gals part your hair from (your) Left to Right. Or do you randomly choose depending on your mood?