Is style instinctive?
Yes, and style can also be learned.
There are very few women who own original style; most of us learn from others, follow the lead and interpret to suit ourselves.
The key is to interpret.
We don’t have to be original trailblazers but we do need to make a style our own. Copying to the letter never works in any medium, how we dress is no different. Replicating is a fast way to feel disappointed because we never ever look exactly like the original.
More importantly, why would we want to?
Style Notes: How To Make Style Our Own
*Identify someone to admire, to aspire to.
Understand the elements of their “look” and define why it appeals. What are the attractive features that reoccur in the way they dress?
* Be realistic. Are the components that appeal wear-able?
I adore the above photographs of Marion Cotillard for Dior. The style is one I admire and would ideally wear but I know a skirt so full is not for me. I would wear the full skirt and nipped-in jacket adapting the fullness to suit my figure and my age.
I call it tweaking. I want the “look”; I simply have to adapt the pieces.
* Appreciate your shape and work with what you have.
I wish that I were a foot taller, slim-hipped and looked like Giselle. I never was and never will be despite my Herculean efforts at the gym. This does not mean I can’t interpret style to suit my shape. It doesn’t mean I can’t wear the latest and greatest.
Knowledge is everything and being familiar with the tricks that flatter and enhance our positives is always my focus.
Style is for us to determine, not the other way around.
*Create a wardrobe of essentials.
Personal style for most takes time, enthusiasm and financial investment. Great style can be built on good basics. Invest wisely in those essentials that bring pleasure, boost confidence and make you feel well put together.
Remember the cost per wear formula. It truly works.
*Repeat successful outfits.
When something works, run with it. An outfit can have many re-incarnations and some of the most stylish women I know wear the same combinations over and over. Why re-invent something that is already successful.
Individual style is about re-interpretation and investment. It is about being aware of who we are, our lifestyle and the opportunities available to us.
Everyone can have fabulous style; the joy is in the discovery. xv
images, marion cotillard for dior, jean baptiste mondino
