"Describing Your Style Persona"
Here is another interesting exercise from You Look Fab: Describing Your Style Persona.
Lots of ladies feel that they don’t fit into any of the personas I’ve suggested, OR, they fit into different ones at different times, perhaps depending on their mood. This makes perfect sense. Don’t ever feel that you have to box yourself into one persona exactly as it is defined. It’s also perfectly fab to dress in a bohemian style one day, a preppy look the next, and a classic vibe the week after that. This chameleon integrity merely becomes part of your style. The fashion personas are there to serve as a starting point....
Fashion personas aside, it’s often easier to describe your current style and the style you aspire to achieve in your own words. This is an essential exercise that I do with my clients at the start of a style renewal or a style refresher because it breaks things down in the simplest way. First, jot down whatever thoughts come to mind about your current style, then try to isolate the key adjectives. Do the same for the style you aspire to, and try to whittle it down to five to ten adjectives for each of them. It is great if fashion personas are among the adjectives, but feel free to use whatever adjectives describe your style the best.
I'm honestly pretty pleased with my current style. What I can't do very well is define it. Angie's way of using adjectives and working toward a persona (or personas) is probably a better starting point for me. I'm also going to list what I avoid, because that reveals what I pursue. Asterisks indicate ones that I feel particularly strongly about. I'm also going to add what I avoid, because that helps me define the opposite.
My style is...
figure-flattering
figure-emphasizing *
feminine
comfortable *
early-1940s-shape inspired
colorful *
effortless
neat and tidy
detailed
vintage (although hesitate because for most people "vintage" is 1970s and the 1940s don't quite compute)
interesting
strictly weather- and situation-appropriate
stylishly practical for each situation *
varied/non-repetitive
going in spurts (all full skirts for a week, then all leggings, etc.)
waist-defining
ladylike *
eye-catching but not for shock value
traditional *
fun *
I avoid for me...
outfits of nothing but neutrals
nothing but neutrals on top
outfits and pieces that require constant fiddling
shapelessness
figure-obscuring
tight pants
minimalism
too many frills
fussiness
most pants and trousers (mostly because fit is so difficult - I can name 4 separate fitting issues)
too much repetition
clunky/ungraceful shoes
eye-catching color or patterns on the bottom
"retro"
"bombshell"
Note on the last two: This is more a functional avoid, not a deliberate. I don't particularly like obnoxious polka dots, pencil skirts, peter pan collars, cherries, Betty bangs, halter tops, so-called "victory rolls," bangle bracelets, bright red lipstick, or candy-shop color schemes on me. That list just so happens to define "retro" and/or "bombshell" and (to an extent) "rockabilly" for most people. So functionally, though not deliberately, I avoid them.
I hope it doesn't need to be said that the list of avoidances is for me only! It has no relation to what I'm objectively drawn to or away from.
Lots of ladies feel that they don’t fit into any of the personas I’ve suggested, OR, they fit into different ones at different times, perhaps depending on their mood. This makes perfect sense. Don’t ever feel that you have to box yourself into one persona exactly as it is defined. It’s also perfectly fab to dress in a bohemian style one day, a preppy look the next, and a classic vibe the week after that. This chameleon integrity merely becomes part of your style. The fashion personas are there to serve as a starting point....
Fashion personas aside, it’s often easier to describe your current style and the style you aspire to achieve in your own words. This is an essential exercise that I do with my clients at the start of a style renewal or a style refresher because it breaks things down in the simplest way. First, jot down whatever thoughts come to mind about your current style, then try to isolate the key adjectives. Do the same for the style you aspire to, and try to whittle it down to five to ten adjectives for each of them. It is great if fashion personas are among the adjectives, but feel free to use whatever adjectives describe your style the best.
I'm honestly pretty pleased with my current style. What I can't do very well is define it. Angie's way of using adjectives and working toward a persona (or personas) is probably a better starting point for me. I'm also going to list what I avoid, because that reveals what I pursue. Asterisks indicate ones that I feel particularly strongly about. I'm also going to add what I avoid, because that helps me define the opposite.
My style is...
figure-flattering
figure-emphasizing *
feminine
comfortable *
early-1940s-shape inspired
colorful *
effortless
neat and tidy
detailed
vintage (although hesitate because for most people "vintage" is 1970s and the 1940s don't quite compute)
interesting
strictly weather- and situation-appropriate
stylishly practical for each situation *
varied/non-repetitive
going in spurts (all full skirts for a week, then all leggings, etc.)
waist-defining
ladylike *
eye-catching but not for shock value
traditional *
fun *
I avoid for me...
outfits of nothing but neutrals
nothing but neutrals on top
outfits and pieces that require constant fiddling
shapelessness
figure-obscuring
tight pants
minimalism
too many frills
fussiness
most pants and trousers (mostly because fit is so difficult - I can name 4 separate fitting issues)
too much repetition
clunky/ungraceful shoes
eye-catching color or patterns on the bottom
"retro"
"bombshell"
Note on the last two: This is more a functional avoid, not a deliberate. I don't particularly like obnoxious polka dots, pencil skirts, peter pan collars, cherries, Betty bangs, halter tops, so-called "victory rolls," bangle bracelets, bright red lipstick, or candy-shop color schemes on me. That list just so happens to define "retro" and/or "bombshell" and (to an extent) "rockabilly" for most people. So functionally, though not deliberately, I avoid them.
I hope it doesn't need to be said that the list of avoidances is for me only! It has no relation to what I'm objectively drawn to or away from.