Road To Personal Style

There is a lot of talk about Personal Style in the magazines and in fashion books and from an image consultant or personal stylist. I talk about it a lot with my clients. But what is is that makes us say YES, THAT’S ME! to one dress and ABSOLUTELY NO! to another? Most of us understand what works for dressing our bodies (see Helpful ArticlesShortcut to Your Best Color and The Three Basic Body Types). But once we establish whether we look better in skinnies or bootcut, what is this thing called Style?

I think it revolves around a combination of art appreciation, nostalgia and our core beliefs about who we are and what we stand for. The art appreciation is what do you believe to be beautiful? The nostalgia is what engages you with positive emotions such as confidence, happiness, feeling loved. The core beliefs part would be those things that remind you of or are symbols of you as your best
self. Here are some examples.

Art Appreciation:

Jackets or tops that are cut at architectural angles
A brooch that looks like it was created during the Rennaissance

A pattern that is abstract on a dress or a scarf that has a seashore scene
Color combinations that put you in your happy place

Nostalgia:

An eighties oversized leather jacket
Keds
A lace dress or blouse with ruffled sleeves The bracelets you bought on your travels

Core Beliefs:

Wearing only clothing made from organic, fair-trade cloth All your jewelry is artisan made – no imitations or mass produced
Wearing designer labels because those clothes are the best of the best

Shopping only thrift and consignment stores because you really support pre-cycling

So Style really very personal. It has to do with taking a stand on what works for you from the three categories above. You can and should bend the current fashion trends and dress codes to stay true to you. You never HAVE TO wear jeans or a dress! You may be creative, dramatic, romantic, classic or any other style label that you have read or heard about but how you express that is what makes it Personal Style. It’s about enjoying being you and making getting dressed a very rewarding part of your day because what is in your closet says, YES, THAT’S ME!

Wishing you lots of happy times wearing the clothes that make you feel stylish and special, someone with a lot of PANACHE.

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