Personalized Fashion

By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

Style is personal, and fashion should be as well.

That stunning amber pendant that was your late grandmother’s; the oversized boyfriend shirt that actually came from your main squeeze’s closet (with or without his permission); the gold bracelet that has charms representing each of your children (or pets, or whatever); that kinky little felt hat you always wear that you found in a secondhand shop in Paris on your senior year vacation — all of these items are a part of who you are, an outward hint of your personal story.

They are not just fashion statements, they are statements about you, a public calling card that helps to introduce the world to you and your style.

The trend today in fashion is definitely personalized chic, and the concept is being incorporated by big-name brands around the globe, allowing women (and men) to create truly singular garments and accessories that not only stand out, but showcase their individuality.

Mixing and matching unexpected garments and giving them a personalized touch can make your ensembles an expression of your own artistic brand and let your creative streak shine through in a world of cookie-cutter fashion.

Stop following the fad pack and wearing styles that are a dime a dozen, and start expressing yourself with matchless items that have been personally stylized for you, about you and by you.

Proudly Mexican

One sure way to make your clothes and accessories a personalized expression of yourself is by incorporating homegrown fashion into your wardrobe.

Fortunately, Mexico has a great portfolio of local designers who draw on indigenous and traditional art as well as modern urban trends for their inspiration.

One example is the handcrafted beauty of the gold and silver jewelry produced in Oaxaca by Oro de Monte Albán, which blends pre-Hispanic motifs discovered at ancient archeological sites with updated contemporary concepts.

The brand’s latest collection draws on the colonial art of lacemaking to produce a truly feminine, truly Mexican, truly unique selection of filigree earrings, chokers, bracelets and rings.

Oro de Monte Albán is a 100 percent Mexican-owned company that has been in existence since 1943.

The fourth-generation, family-run enterprise prides itself on conserving the beauty of pre-Columbian art styles and handcrafting each piece of jewelry using Oaxacan artisans, so each piece is unique, a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Oro de Monte Albán is the only jewelry designer authorized by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to produce gold and silver reproductions of pre-Hispanic art.

Monogrammed Handbags

It carries all your personal secrets and your can’t-be-away-from-for-more-than-a-few-hours stashes of makeup, personal hygiene products and essential documents.

So why not make your purse as unique as what it carries?

Samsonite’s new #GenerationGo ladies handbag collection for spring and summer – which was just launched in Mexico – offers a variety of elegantly structured purses, backpacks, cosmetic bags and laptop cases that are not only sleek and sophisticated (in understated tones of red, blue, black and beige), but also come with personalized monogrammed chrome lettering that make them exclusively your own.

These new designed-by-Samsonite-personalized-by-you accessories offer complimentary monogramming (up to three letters) to give your bag a contemporary style that is as classy and solitary as you are.

Samsonite, which has been producing durable and innovate luggage and travel solutions since 1910, has incorporated the resilience and rugged practicality of its suitcases and overnight totes into its ladies’ handbag collections, making them stand up to the wear and tear of daily life while never losing their classic shape and style.

The personalized Samsonite handbags are now available at Liverpool, Palacio de Hierro and other major department stores across Mexico.

Beauty Your Style

Even cosmetics and beauty products can be personalized in today’s world.

Take, for example, Amway’s new Artistry Signature Select Personalized Serum, which I have mentioned before in this column, and which allows every woman to create her own especially customized elixir to target her individual skincare concerns.

Whether your concerns are sunspots, wrinkles and saggy skin or a dull, acne-prone complexion, this personally tailored, powerful, triple-action serum delivers extraordinary results that dramatically improve skin’s appearance in just a few weeks use.

Each serum is prepared by the user herself, mixing in three of five different amplifying pods into a botanically enriched base, based on her particular skin.

The pods are selected according to the user’s three biggest skincare concerns.

Blank Canvas

But if you really want to take your personalized fashion to a whole new level, check out Kipling’s new Blank Canvas collection.

This limited edition collection — which includes a backpack, a satchel tote and an overnight bag — is part of the company’s larger Live Light rebranding campaign, blending minimalist design with sleek functionality.

The Blank Canvas bags come in an unadorned neutral gray color and mimic a drawing canvas, leaving plenty of room and space for you to express yourself by decorating them with your own artistic designs.

Each bag comes with a set of water-resistant pens in various colors so you can release your inner da Vinci and turn it into your personal magnum opus.

And to finalize your masterpiece handbag, Kipling offers a variety of straps, keyrings, charms and, of course, those signature little monkeys that have become synonymous with the brand.

Here in Mexico, Kipling has incorporated the Blank Canvas collection into its ongoing street art and social responsibility campaign.

Kipling has hired five local artists, the so-called Kipling Squad – composed of artists Cecilia Maafs, Cocolvú, Francesco Pinzón, Sofía Castellanos and Alan Daniel – who have been creating pop-up street art murals throughout Mexico City and inside some of its 20 stores nationwide.

The artists have also each personalized several Blank Canvas bags with their works to create wearable art that will be auctioned off at the end of the month, with the proceeds going to help build playing fields for public schools with limited financial resources.

The pieces are currently on display at Casa Picnic Gallery in Colonia San Miguel Chapultepec through Monday, June 3, and will later be shown at various Kipling boutiques throughout the country.