Wardrobe Architect Week 2: Core Style
Over at the Coletterie, Sarai has been facilitating the Wardrobe Architect project, a series that encourages us makers (and wearers) to take a thoughtful approach to wardrobe design and construction.
Last week's exercise focused the various elements that form our personal style (history, philosophy, culture, community, etc.). I'll have to play catch-up on that one, but today I will focus on week two's theme: defining a core style. This week's questions are especially timely for me; as the curator of a fashion blog, I obsess about my own style (and veer away from it) way too much. It helps to put those neurotic thoughts down on paper and use them to make better buying and making decisions. So here goes...
When you are wearing your favorite clothing, how do you feel (e.g. confident, sexy, poised, powerful, etc)?
Comfortable and playful, in that I could dance or run or jump at any moment; approachable, in that I could fit in to whatever social context I might find myself in; confident, in that I look like an adult with her sh*t together.
When you’re wearing something that is not quite right, how do you feel? What are the feelings you want to avoid about the clothes you wear?
Silly, as though I'm wearing a costume; panicked, as though my clothing might keep me from escaping an imminent disaster.
What are some words that describe styles that you like in theory, but are not quite you?
The "quirky girl" thing; extreme femininity; uber-coordinated outfits. The styles I gravitate toward but always feel supremely uncomfortable wearing usually involve knee socks, bows, and lots of makeup. And while writing a blog encourages me to play around with styles that I wouldn't normally wear, that's not necessarily a good thing. To be honest, there are several outfits on my ModCloth style gallery page (and on this blog) that I have never or rarely worn in public. This drives me nuts, because I'd like to actually reflect my personal style on my personal style blog. But every time I decide to do a photo shoot, I'm like "IT HAS TO BE AN OUTFIT!" So I try outfit-ify whatever piece I want to show off and end up looking like someone else. Maybe someone cute, but still someone else. I guess my first step to recovery is giving up the knee socks.
Finally, the exercise helps you narrow down your core style to 3-5 words. Here are mine:
Classic, beachy, witty, lush, romantic.
I also created a Pinterest board to help visualize these descriptors. I may not have ombre locks or or know how to surf, but this board still feels perfectly me.