OverDressed for Life

Tziporah Salamon

On a recent Sunday afternoon, 11 fashionable ladies gathered in San Francisco to hear Tziporah Salamon talk about her style and how she puts herself together. An artist of fine dressing, Ms. Salamon has created a presentation, part lecture/part show-and-tell, to teach women how to dress appropriately and with flair.

She was born in Israel to a tailor father and a seamstress mother from Hungary. (Her father’s tailoring skills saved his life at the young age of 13 in the WW II concentration camps, where he was charged with making the Nazi uniforms.) Between the two parents Ms. Salamon and her sister never went without quality clothing.  “From day one I would be sleeping, they would be sewing,” she said in her introduction.

The family immigrated to New York when Ms. Salamon was nine years old and she still lives there today. As a former teacher and with years of experience in the fashion industry, Ms. Salamon has a new mission – she wants to redirect women toward a better way of dressing. “It’s so needed right now,” she explained. “Girls and women dress inappropriately.”

To that end she is now splitting her time between New York and Los Angeles with the occasional visit to San Francisco. She feels that the current trend for sloppy and inappropriate attire is rooted in Hollywood and celebrity culture, so it is her intention to infiltrate that culture.  By setting an example, giving her presentation and eventually working as a stylist Ms. Salamon hopes to inspire women to dump their track suits and flip-flops for more elegant and interesting choices.

Photo by Ari Seth Cohen.

Ms. Salamon’s two-hour presentation is comprised of her dressing in several outfits as she explains where she found the individual pieces and why they work together. When creating an ensemble, she starts with one inspiring item and builds from there using layers of textures and coordinating colors. Sometimes it can take years to complete one outfit. She favors vintage clothing because of the rarity and high quality. She stresses the importance of accessories. “Invest in good quality basics and accessorize,” she said.  Jewelry, sunglasses (vintage), scarves and especially hats are important.  “The hat is the exclamation point.”

Ms. Salamon says there are big benefits to putting some effort into your style. “People talk to you when you’re dressed well and you’re better treated.”

Click here to view more of Ms. Salamon’s sartorial creations.