Advanced Style

Here is a quick view of two of New York’s most stylish and innovative women, Tziporah and Debra.I have been an admirer of Tziporah Salamon’s for a long time and just recently found the perfect opportunity to meet with her. A few weeks ago Tziporah was sent a link to a post I had done on Debra and was immediately struck by her style and creativity. She emailed her right away and they have been in contact ever since. The other day I had the chance to get together with these two wonderful ladies to sit down and discuss the healing power of style and how fashion should be fun and expressive,as Mimi Weddell used to say, ” It lifts you up from this earth”.Debra and Tziporah dress up because it makes them feel good and they can express themselves and share their art and creativity with the world around them. These woman are the true fashion icons, truly original, strong in their identity and willing to share their gifts with others.

The other day I spent a wonderful afternoon with artist, Malcah Zeldis and her daughter Yona. Who better to describe this fantastic woman than her daughter.

Yona writes,” A good friend said to me, “Your mother is not just a great person, she’s a great event!” And it’s true. Her super-sized style is apparent in her art, her clothing and her décor. Born in 1931 and raised in Detroit, she spent nine years of her life in Israel, and returned to the United States in 1958 to settle in New York City. After raising my brother and me, she finally found the courage to pursue the life of an artist, a long held dream of hers. Although she did not study formally, she achieved her own form of expression with her brightly colored, densely packed oil paintings and gouaches, as well as with her sculptures, many of which were created using found objects. Today she has a thriving career which includes many museum shows (the Smithsonian and The Museum of American Folk Art are two high points), important private collections and numerous publications. I was always enchanted by the way she dressed and I can still remember outfits she wore back in the 1960s, when I was a small child. Some highlights: a pair of floor length cherry velvet evening pants (cut so full as to resemble a skirt) worn with a glittery purple belted tunic and long strands of red crystal beads, a wool coat in a black and white checkerboard pattern with black fox trim, a white, hand embroidered caftan from Israel, a cotton summer dress in a denim blue, with contrasting red stitching (there was a matching bow for her long black hair), a sleeveless shift in sky blue and brown, with what looked like a red, black and white target dead center. I loved her look back then, and I still love it today.

I saw this woman at The New Museum and loved her fun and unique sense of style. We exchanged cards so hopefully you’ll be seeing more of her on Advanced Style in the future!

Its my instinct to be drawn to things that are over the top but there is something to be said about understatement. It allows you to concentrate on subtleties and the beauty in simplicity. They way this woman carefully pinned her hair, the wrap of her scarf and the subtle hint of color it provides creates a stunning look.

This woman was walking down Madison Ave in her chic red blazer, a color that has been very popular among the advanced style set lately. I can’t wait to go out and take some photos this week, and see people in their Spring colors!