August 2008 - Featured Articles

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The Art of Fashion Feng Shui
By Arlana Tanner

The Eastern philosophy of positive energy flow is no longer just for furniture or homes. Now, there is a new twist on an old tradition. The concept of Feng Shui has been redefined to be used on a much more personal level, transforming how we dress and what we attract into our lives. The fact is, everything from your hairstyle to the style of your shoes affects your personal “chi” (personal energy), and can be enhanced by the use of Feng Shui.

This enhanced concept is called Fashion Feng Shui and, earlier this year, I traveled to Boston to train as a Fashion Feng Shui facilitator. I had the opportunity to train under Fashion Feng Shui creator Evana Maggiore, whose background lead her to develop a self-empowerment system that will connect you to your true essence by dressing with intention. Maggiore is both a Feng Shui Master and an international award winning Image Consultant. Maggiore and her business partner, Louise Elerding, began applying Fashion Feng Shui to personal appearance and style in the late '90s, which they describe as a holistic method for creating harmony and balance in appearances

Learning to use this energy in your life is very powerful in many ways. Just as you can change the energy of your environment to attract positive energy, the same is true of your most intimate environment, the clothing that you wear. Individuals project a certain "aura" based on how their organic color scheme mingles with the energy of various colors.

According to Fashion Feng Shui, people are mirrored in nature and their coloring (hair, skin and eyes) is reflected by the colors of these elements: water (black and dark tones); wood (blues and greens); fire (reds); earth (yellows and browns) and metal (whites).

Individuals can be a combination of the following schemes:

Water -- If you have very dark hair, skin and eyes, you may be perceived to be mysterious, exotic, or sensual. Your organic neutrals: black and dark tones

Wood -- Blue or green tints to eyes, hair (ash) or skin (olive) link you with the energies of heaven (blue sky) and earth (green plants). You may be perceived as approachable and natural. Your organic neutrals: blues and greens

Fire -- If you have red tones to your hair, skin and eyes, you naturally attract attention. You may be perceived as dazzling, warm or exciting. Your organic neutrals: reds

Earth -- If your hair, skin and eye colors evoke the richness of golden fields of grain, you may be perceived as stable, conservative and familiar. Your organic neutrals: yellows and browns

Metal -- If your coloring is very pale or silver-toned, you may be perceived as refined, delicate or aloof. Your organic neutrals: white, pastels, grey.

Everyone is a combination of these energies. It’s exciting and fun to learn how to use them every day to find balance and harmony in your life. This is the most powerful self-image tool I have ever come across. It pulled all the elements of my style together and has helped me to attract wonderful opportunities into my life. The results from using Fashion Feng Shui, both personally, and for my clients have been amazing.

Arlana Tanner runs Crystal Vision Image in Red Deer. Tanner says that, "By honouring your essence, defining your intention and dressing in harmony with that energy, you will create an image that is empowering and in balance with who you really are, and is essential to developing the person you really want to be." You can learn more about all the services she offers by visiting www.crystalvision.ca

Visit www.fashionfengshui.com for more information on Fashion Feng Shui