Page 3 - RVO What Women Want Feb 2016

What Women Want • An Advertising Supplement to the River Valley & Ozark Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Sunday, February 7, 2016 • 3VV
Balanced TONES Pantone’s blended color of the year
adds soothing aspect to outfits
BY SARAH DECLERK SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
Cherry blossoms blanket the ground. In the branches above, they
dance against the pale blue sky. The wind blows. Another flower falls. This is harmony. This is peace. This is Pantone’s color of the year for 2016, an unprecedented blend of rose quartz and serenity.
“Joined together, rose quartz and se- renity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer, embracing rose tone and the cooler, tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness, as well as a soothing sense of order and peace,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. It is the first time two colors have shared the honor of being color of the year.
The pairing has a “very whimsical, very effortless” appeal, said Vicky Hawk, manager of Uncommon Threads in Con- way. “I think it’s taken us from heavy colors that we saw last year into softer, smoother colors for the spring,” she said.
“There’s a lot of ways to incorporate those two colors,” she said. “It would go great with denim. Going into spring, see- ing it with white would be really pretty, and then for nighttime, obviously black and navy.”
It is best to wear rose quartz or seren- ity tops with dark bottoms, which will make the pastels pop, she said.
Bridgette Eason, owner of Essential Frills in Maumelle, agreed that the colors can be worn in many ways. “Colored pants are really fun to do, especially in spring, so some cropped jeans would be good in those colors, and you could wear a white or cream top with it,” she said, adding that the colors would also look good on moto jackets or piko shirts with leggings.
The soft hues mingle easily with the grays and tans that recently came into vogue, said Maranda Meek, manager of
PHOTO COURTESTY LENA LEE PHOTOGRAPHY
This year, for the first time in history, Pantone has selected twin tones — rose quartz and serenity — to share the honor of being color of the year.
Whether women are celebrating prom or looking for a splendid dress to wear on elegant occasions, gorgeous gowns allow many women to escape the ordinary and feel extraor- dinary. Here are some formalwear trends coming up in 2016.
➤ Pastels: Rose quartz and serenity, Pantone’s colors of the year, and other pastels are taking the spotlight this year. “Either of those colors would be great in a gown for the dress itself, or if you did a cream or an ivory gown, you could always do those colors in your jewelry, and that’s a fun way to make it pop,” said Bridgette Eason, owner of Essential Frills in Maumelle. She added that light-pink blush and lipstick are subtle enough to wear with a dark, trendy smokey eye.
➤ Cutouts: Prom-dress designers like La Femme are going cutout crazy this year by adding openings to the sides and backs of their dresses. This versatile feature adds flir- tatious appeal without appearing too bare, and the dresses can be simple and unadorned or embellished with beading.
➤ Crop tops: Taylor Swift may be the most visible pro- ponent of the current wave of crop tops, and designers like Sherri Hill have picked up the midriff-baring fad for their spring collection. This fun, youthful look may be paired with both short and long skirts, but promgoers may need to check
QA with Gray Wagnon, advanced-practice
registered nurse, Conway Heart Clinic, Conway
Q. As a woman, what do I need to know about heart disease?
their schools’ dress codes before participating in this trend. ➤ High-low hems: Why choose between a cocktail or floor-length dress when you can have the best of both? High- low hemlines show off a great pair of shoes while provid- ing plenty of coverage in the back. As an alternative to the asymmetric look, designers like Rachel Allan have come out with split-skirt hemlines, which feature a short skirt under
a long, trainlike piece that splits in the front.
➤ Geometric beading: Beading has long been a staple
of formalwear, and this year, beading is being used to create intricate geometric designs such as circles, stripes and trian- gles. Beading is available in a rainbow of colors, all of which are sure to catch the eye when they glitter on the dance floor.
➤ Florals: In addition to funky geometric patterns, this season has brought a wave of floral prints. This fad is hard- ly fuddy-duddy, however, because it offers plenty of fresh colors and designs. Subdued pastels with faint florals can be an elegant option, or florals can go bold with big red blooms against a dark or patterned background.
Whether a woman chooses to wear every trend on this list or none of them, it is important that her chosen dress allows her to look and feel beautiful. Trends come and go, but personal style is always in vogue.
QA
with Alison Williams, Jazzercise of Conway
Q. Why is strength training so important to health and fitness?
A. It’s no secret that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns, even at rest. That is what makes resistance training so important. Jazzercise offers two strength-training classes, Strength 45 and Strength 60. So come fire up your muscles and transform your body in our hardcore, muscle- sculpting strength-training classes. Find our class schedule at jazzercise.com.
Grand on Oak in Conway. They work well in chiffon, a classic spring fabric, as well as suede, she said. “Suede can be kind of a fall fabric, but I think that color really tones it down for spring,” she added.
“Color balancing is going to be pretty easy to do if you stay in the same family of colors,” Eason said, adding that any pastel would pair well with Pantone’s col- ors of the year. She said they would work better with charcoal gray than black.
Meek suggested wearing blazers and patterned pants that incorporate one or both colors. “I’ve seen a lot of snakeskin,” she said. “I think that would be very cool in that [rose quartz] color.” Eason added that florals and geometric prints can also incorporate the colors of the year.
When wearing patterns, only wear them on top or bottom, Hawk said. “Bal- ance it out with a solid, or take a solid and balance it out with brightly colored jewelry. Have a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but balance it out with a solid.”
Accessories such as jewelry and scarves
can add a brush of the two colors. Pantone’s yearly announcement often causes an in- flux of stones and crystals in the chosen col- or, which provides plenty of opportunities to accent any jewelry wardrobe, Hawk said. Some popular stones for this year could be blue lace agate and, of course, rose quartz.
Women can also wear rose-quartz blush and lipstick, Meek said, adding that serenity-blue nail polish can be a delight- ful touch. Blue eyeshadow should stay light, she added. “You could do a brown smokey eye with a little bit of blue. I think that would be really pretty,” she said.
Eason agreed that blue eyeshadow should be minimal. “Just a wing liner or strictly a lid color with some contouring in the crease area would keep the blue where it’s feasible but not too over the top,” she said.
As with many trends, moderation may be the key to pulling off this blend. “A little bit goes a long way,” Hawk said. “You want them to see the color on you, not just the color.”
FETCHING formalwear BY SARAH DECLERK | SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
A. The number of women who die from cardiovascular
disease in the United States has exceeded that of men. Key risk factors are high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol and smoking. Other risk factors include diabetes, being overweight or obese, poor diet, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol use. Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than nonsmoking women. Women with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have a heart attack. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases after menopause because of reduced levels of estrogen. African-American and Hispanic/Latino women have increased risks for heart disease. While women may also have chest pain or discomfort in the chest, left arm or back, their symptoms of a heart attack are often more subtle: an unusually rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea or fatigue, extreme weakness or sweating.