“Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.”
-Oscar de la Renta
After reading this quote, I immediately felt a strong connection with it because I agree with Oscar de la Renta’s definition of fashion and style. His purpose for this quote is to inform the audience that wearing fashionable is just wearing what everyone is wearing, but adding style to it makes it your own. With style, there can be several versions of the same outfit. Personal style is something that each person has naturally. He is reminding the audience that the only true way to stand out from the crowd is to be you because anything can be duplicated. With his definition of style, I can see why he has become so successful. Style is something that comes from within and no one can take that away.
Oscar de la Renta is a mainstream fashion expert and designer of a highly successful line of women’s luxury fashion. He left his native country of the Dominican Republican at the 18 with hopes of pursuing an art degree at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. Although painting was something he loved to do, he has always had a love of fashion and began his first fashion line in 1965.With the support of his now deceased first wife, who was the editor-in-chief of one of the world’s most popular fashion magazines, Vogue, his fashion line has flourished captivating the audience of the wealthy. This quotation was part of an article by writer, John Heilpurn, on the Vanityfair.com website where he is describing his interview with Oscar de la Renta. This article was written in September 2009 under the “style” section of the site.
This quote connects to me because I believe that self love and self confidence are the first steps to being comfortable with ourselves. Once an individual realizes who they are, they can then accept all aspects of their lives. I also view style as something original and not man made. I chose this quotation because it emphasizes the importance of being you. This quote made me question why someone would not want to be who they are. It is so much easier to do. I am inspired because as long as I am being myself, Oscar de la Renta, one of the most successful fashion designers in the world, is telling me that I have style. I agree with this quote because I have always viewed fashion as something that society is telling me is acceptable and appropriate, but the moment I realized that I could not keep up, I stopped trying to fit in and began doing more of what I like.
Quotation 2
In this quote, Maya Angelou is explaining that there are voices behind the words we see on paper. There are personalities, perceptions, passions, and imaginations behind the words we read and write. Spoken words create pathos and that is where the audience can see how passionate and connected the writer is to them instead of imagining it. The speaker then has the ability to express themselves in a way they could not do on paper, they can show how excited they are instead of writing that they are excited. With the human voice, words become so much more powerful and reveal so much more about the writers. Maya Angelou explains that the power of words is more deeply expressed when they are spoken because the writer can use emotion, expressions, gestures, and the tone in a way they cannot do with words.
Maya Angelou is one of the most amazing writers in the world. She has experienced and accomplished so much her lifetime. Just to name a few, she has received 50 honorary degrees, she has written several successful books, and she has taught all over the world and even speaks four different languages. She has always had a passion for the arts and dance and this is what she has been surrounded with most her life. She was also a member of the “Harlem Writer’s Guild”, an organization who helped support African American writers during the Harlem Renaissance era. Angelou was also a part of the civil rights movement working along with both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. This quote comes from one her most popular novels, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings which is a print publication.
This quote connects to me because I sometimes find it difficult to find words to explain exactly I am can trying to say. I do figure it out eventually, but I do feel that it would be so much more effective for me to use emphasis on certain words, for example, to get my point across. I chose this quotation because Maya Angelou is someone I admire. This quote means that the power of words is revealed more when they are spoken versus them being written. This influences me to choose my words more wisely and make every one of them count. This quotation makes me question whether or not I am a better communicator through writing or speaking. It inspires me to work on speaking more in front of a crowd. I do not disagree with Maya Angelou.
Work Cited
Heilpurn, John. “The Importance of Being Oscar.” VanityFair website. January 22, 2014.Web.
September 2009
Oscar de la Renta.” 2014. The Biography Channel website. Jan 22, 2014.
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