NCR: Sima Says > Style Counsel

How to translate style reference & inspiration to realisation

I recently posted a photo of myself form my wedding on Facebook. It is always surprising and humbling to receive an outpouring of compliments. What was more fun and interesting was the messages and texts that came in asking how I came to decide on my wedding “look”. A lot of people commented on how it was “So You”. This to me, is the highest praise and marker for success.

So I thought it would make a good blog post to share my process. To give a broader scope and because this blog is shared with Kristin, I’ve included how we came up with her look for Comic Con in 2013. A much more casual aesethic, but one that did have a very distinct style reference and inspiration.

My underlying ethos is to always extract the person into the thread of creating a persona. I feel this is what gives authenticity to the end result. Whether it’s creative directing and styling a client or myself. 

For Kristin, pictured above - we had spent many days together over the course of a year where she expressed wanting some kind of change. Something subtle that would be very her while not sabotaging the look she needs to have for her role as Catherine on Beauty and the Beast. 

The look for Comic Con was birthed out of Kristin wanting new specs. I took her to a tried and true favourite of mine called New World Optical in Vancouver that sells great vintage frames. The eye wear was inspired by a young Charlotte Rampling. While researching I loved the image of her in an easy button front shirt. Her hair and low maintenance look just oozed a laid back confidence. I presented the idea and inspiration to Kristin - she loved it and I started pulling pieces to bring the original reference into a modern day representation. It was that easy.

For my wedding - I researched a young Sophia Loren. Someone I’m often compared to when I dress up mostly because of my big eyes and love of eye liner. I pulled together some old photos that showed the kind of hair and eyeliner I would like to have on my wedding day. Sophia Loren has been around forever - so these images were OLD. I didn’t want my look to be retro. I wanted a modern day interpretation of it. Which led me to a shoot with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for W Magazine from a few years back. The shoot with Angelina Jolie was styled with a vintage flair. Similar to the original look of Sophia Loren I referenced but more current. I then took these two looks and shared with them my two friends and wedding guests Angela Victory (who styled my hair) and Zabrina Matiru who executed my make-up. Because we are all visual artists - it’s always best to show vs. tell. Share photos and try and articulate how you would like to feel. Both ladies are professional make-up artists and we’ve enjoyed working together on various jobs throughout the years. My hair brief for Angela was “the morning after the night before” and for Zabrina it was “I want winged eye liner and false lashes”. I’m not a fan of overly styled hair. My default vibe always has a hint of Bohemia in it yet I love a bit glamour - especially from days gone by when women used to dress up. My dress had a 1950’s silhouette which I’ve always been a fan of. I didn’t want to hold my breath or suck any body parts in. I wanted to be relaxed and comfortable and present. Having a team that understands you is part of the success of executing a look and being happy with the end result. This is why so many celebrities who partner with stylists and hair and makeup artists keep the same person with them for an extended amount of time. For me, having two women I am friends with and who are both married themselves and understand what it’s like to be the bride was a bonus. There was no stress, no re-dos or tension or tantrums. Like all good relationships there was team work and trust. It’s important to recognize the difference between inspiration and imitation. My goal was not to re-create a look that had been done before - it was to take elements of styling and make it my own. For me - I never checked or double checked what Angela and Zabrina were doing. I trusted them, looked in the mirror when they were done and was happy with what I saw. I flipped my hair upside down once and ran my fingers through it with Angela on stand by - we looked at each other - I picked up my bouquet and we were out the door. 

And that is how I came to look the way I did on my wedding day! ~ Sima

Wedding Portrait by: Darian Wong, bts. courtesy of Marnie Herald.

Angelina Jolie images: from W Magazine. All other images via the web.

Kristin Kreuk Comic Con BATB Sima Says Style Wedding Angela Victory Darian Wong Zabrina Matiru inspiration Angelina Jolie W Magazine Sophia Loren wifelife stylist Marnie Herald Charlotte Rampling

Aug 02, 2014
  1. mariannemarks reblogged this from newculturerevolution
  2. mariannemarks said: This post is so special, cause I loved Kristin’s change and I was expecting news from your wedding! :) I need a change too. Maybe this post will help me a little, like a start point. Thx for sharing!
  3. newculturerevolution posted this