Charm School 101: Fix Those Saggin' Britches!!!!
New York Senator Eric Adams launched a statewide campaign referred to as "STOP THE SAG", because the hidden undertones of wearing such obnoxious styles is reminiscent of someone that truly doesn't have good self-image or stellar self-esteem. Personally I automatically think this is another "hoodrat" that might rob me, or may carjack me if I sit at the streetlight too long. When are the youth going to embrace themselves and feel comfortable in the skin they are in? If my President's slacks are not sagging, then doesn't that say something about the trend? I can remember the French designers Marithe et Francois Girbaud, and their exorbitant jeans that every minority wore with pride as they stood on the corner sipping malt liquor beer in a paper bag, in most lower socio-economic status areas. They felt they had reached Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and were worthy of sitting with Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Tally with their hoods on their heads, oversized Timberland boots, and Girbaud jeans, when instead of walking the catwalk, they would've cleared out the building because people would've feared they were the disciples of Shug Knight going to a gala affair. The Upper East Side would never be the same.
About Tracey Smith:Tracey Smith is a successful publicist, image consultant, and writer. She is the founder of Decorum Consulting, a boutique public relations agency. Ms. Smith received her Bachelor of Science degree in speech-language pathology pre-med from Hampton Institute with a minor in psychology. Ms. Smith gained invaluable experience in sales and management in the pharmaceutical industry, and has held positions in sales training, management, and product analysis.
About Decorum Consulting:DECORUM Consulting is a boutique agency that specializes in public relations, media relations, brand management, image consulting, and executive finishing. Founded by native Chicagoan Tracey Smith, who possesses an extensive knowledge of sales management and product marketing from her very successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. The goal of Decorum Consulting is to achieve top-firm results while maintaining at all times, the personalized attention only offered in a boutique environment. The clientele ranges from medical thought leaders, lecturers, authors, radio personalities, and foreign policy experts.
Contact Information:
Decorum Consulting
Chicago, IL
decorumconsultingllc.com
The Cartier Tank Watch
By Tracey Smith
I have often wondered why fashion is very similar to traveling elegantly through time. I am a child of the sixties who has the staunch, crisp, starched collared Southern upbringing of many of my era. Being a sixties child meant having to exemplify decorum, conservatism, and a certain sense of style that exuded our coming into our own independence and flair. Washington, DC had the most premier dressed couple residing in the White House, haute couture de Camelot, which was benchmarked by private designs by Oleg Cassini and Brooks Brothers suits. During this poignant period of my life, even the most leftist, militant groups of believers, i.e. The Black Panther Nation, were neatly dressed in a unison façade, from well coiffed afros, black turtle necks, leather jackets, and black Ray-Bans. Somewhere in my growing up and traveling through the golden speckled Cartier tank watch of time, I've seen that same outfit, actually I may have seen it on Craig Mack while he screamed "Mad Flava in ya Ear" on MTV, with a zeal and exuberance that could never be duplicated. Fashion defines you. It is the mirror into your soul and personality.
At one glance by looking at someone wearing a pair of Bruno Magli black pumps with a signature St. John suit, echoes a borderline women's charity group uniform, but yet quite classic. I have been taught to romance your fashion, treat it like it's your best friend, because it truly allows the public to have a Birdseye view into your persona. First impressions are lasting impressions, and your lasting impression should be
stellar, confidence exuding, stylish, and charismatic like a panther in the night. These soliloquies are the staples that have been passed down like a baton of excellence by the matriarch of my family. I believe vehemently that to a certain degree there is a hint of curiosity or fascination with nostalgia in all of us. We admit it in the way we style our hair, shape and darken our eyebrows, to the simple tube of red lipstick in our make up case. Fashion is a derivative of a costume, and when one must choose which part they will play, or which act is to be performed, their costume should be carefully selected so that the part is fulfilling to their audience. While attending my Home by the Sea, I was and still am a devout supporter of anything monogrammed, layered, and madras plaid. To wear ones initials was a sign of a true independent, there was no shame in your name, and one embraced their name with a cocky panache of a prep school student from Exeter. The sheer quality of the wool was even classified by its layers, and the font that one chose to wear on their sleeve had to represent a boldness and belief that someday you would be sitting at the helm of a boardroom table. Fashion enables imagination. The Bohemian prep wore as many Lacoste shirts that could squeeze under their wool Ralph Lauren sweaters, and even if it were cold, wearing Sperry Topsiders without socks was apropos.
When walking through the Ralph Lauren store recently I saw a mural of some young men playing rugby, they too were wearing layers and looking reminiscent of young Kennedy's in Hyannis Port. The uglier the plaid the better was my philosophy, and the brighter the color the more expensive. Madras plaid is a distinct fabric from India and the more flamboyant the color, the better it looks with resort wear. My daughter has always been very steadfast about her fashion statement, and would never dare deviate from what she and her peers thought were fashion sense. She recently bought her first madras plaid shirt from Abercrombie and Fitch, and I smugly turned my head in approval of her choice of ensemble for the day. Who could honestly imagine that everything in our lives has been visited before in some form or fashion? Technology is by far the only luxury that we continue to fine tune like a well oiled machine. Fashion is repeated, rewound like a tape, vintage, loved, embraced, worn, appreciated, depreciated, bartered, ebayed, designed, created, inherited and individual. I am fashion, and so are you...la vie en rose.
About Tracey Smith:Tracey Smith is a successful publicist, image consultant, and writer. She is the founder of Decorum Consulting, a boutique public relations agency. Ms. Smith received her Bachelor of Science degree in speech-language pathology pre-med from Hampton Institute with a minor in psychology. Ms. Smith gained invaluable experience in sales and management in the pharmaceutical industry, and has held positions in sales training, management, and product analysis. About Decorum Consulting:DECORUM Consulting is a boutique agency that specializes in public relations, media relations, brand management, image consulting, and executive finishing. Founded by native Chicagoan Tracey Smith, who possesses an extensive knowledge of sales management and product marketing from her very successful career in the
pharmaceutical industry. The goal of Decorum Consulting is to achieve top-firm results while maintaining at all times, the personalized attention only offered in a boutique environment. The clientele ranges from medical thought leaders, lecturers, authors, radio personalities, and foreign policy experts.
Does anyone ever wonder what the side effects of the infliction may be? Are there any concerns of hygiene at the facility? What if it affects a future relationship? Do you think tattoo removal is as easy as White Out? What if you are lucky enough to be chosen to enter medical school and your career choice is oncology? A physician is a person who is held in high esteem, people trust their physicians with their life and clarity of decision making. Do you honestly believe I would allow a tatted physician to offer me a diagnosis? Or what about a tatted kindergarten teacher, who will guide and bestow knowledge to my pre-schooler? In my mind, I automatically associate tattoos with someone that is inebriated on substance, or residing in a trailer park, or riding a Harley like "Easy Rider" in Venice Beach...bottom line, he or she would not be my primary care physician or specialist. Unfortunately when we are young at heart, we make foolish decisions that can either remain with us as constant reminders, or we can receive a second chance to rid ourselves of the mistake, but the memory is fresh as the morning dew. A tattoo is very similar to an unwanted pregnancy; you cannot change your mind once the creation has begun to morph into completion. The premium channels, i.e. MTV, VH1, etc... stress focused decision making while being a teen or student. My hopes are to not berate your decisions but to offer you an altruistic approach to prevent cause and affect mistakes. High school was difficult due to peer pressure and bullying, but by the time college has arrived, wouldn't you think that no amount of pressure could allow one to succumb to actions that could hinder your future?
I am proud to say that I have no tattoos, and no desire to have one, regardless of how small or if hidden. Perhaps I'm not sadistic enough to enjoy the incessant poking of a needle that has been "only God knows where", or perhaps I'm afraid I might just wake up and smell the coffee and want this ugly artwork off my skin. These tattoo artists aren't Toulouse-Lautrec or Manet, they are some grimy individuals that offer a catalog of pain and enticement. Do you believe they have advanced degrees? Their only concern is your money, and the buffoonery you exhibit as you leave in visible pain and pride with your tattoo preciously covered in clear plastic bandages. So to all incoming Freshman, who feel a surge of empowerment and independence, when you take that first sip of grain alcohol and your friends coerce you to go to the tattoo parlor, you should think long and hard about the investment your family has made in you. Their child is their priceless commodity, and they are entitled to a return on investment. Think long and hard about the stupidity of a single night of substance and clouded judgment as well as the ramifications that can occur. Think about yourself. Be selfish and stoic in your decisions and remember; only you hold the key to your destiny. As an ex-pharmaceutical executive, I will be candid and state; that I would not give a nod of approval on anyone that had a tattoo, or anything that could prevent residual business in a territory where conservative residents dominated. If you are considering your future, only you hold the key, drive responsibly.