Style Advocate

I Prefer Fashion: Personal Style Put Together

I love fashion. I love its rudeness, its lack of adherence to the rules, its impatience, its all consuming purpose of self expression, or lack there of.

In a world where it is bizarrely socially acceptable for a child to dress like a streetwalker and a grandmother to dress like a dominatrix, it is almost impossible to fail at expressing one’s personal style successfully. Fashion is diverse and ever changing, it waits for no one, and is the very definition of cosmopolitan.

I am a true believer in the fundamental concept of personal style. No one person should be able to dictate what is “in” and what is “out”. Not everyone should have to opt for the same look. True Fashion is exciting. It’s inspired, and to be stylish should not mean that one must conform to one type of look.

Personal style is what defines us. It allows us to portray ourselves in the light we want to be seen in. There is an infinite amount of potential to create. It has a theatrical element, being able to create a persona or character; it can have elements of historical reference or simply serve the purpose of functionality and comfort. What is important is not necessarily that you follow a specific trend, but that you understand the foundations of how to put a specific look together.

What you need is inspiration, an idea. Once you have that, you are able to develop a basic concept into a beautiful, fully realized, finished product. There is an art to it, however. Once a key concept is established, it is important to have a point of reference. I keep a file of inspirational images on my computer, as well as blogging, and maintaining a sketchbook dedicated to cataloging outfits that contain qualities of my personal style. I, by no means expect the average student to show this level of dedication. I just have an obsession with fashion in general. It is important, however, to develop a style specifically tailored to you as an individual. Like it or not, what you wear projects a certain image, and it will initially affect the way people perceive you. The saying “ dress for the job you want, not the job you have” springs to mind.

It is important to invest in your wardrobe. Of course, I am not condoning spending your student loans on a shopping spree. I do think, however, that one’s wardrobe must consist of three things: Staples, Statement Pieces, and Long Term Investments. I strongly believe that this is the best approach, especially on a budget!

Staples are the basic pieces that make up the foundation of an individual’s wardrobe. This could consist of pants, tops, little black dresses, etc. that one would consider standard necessities, and can prove versatile when paired with Statement Pieces.

Statement Pieces are the accessories or pieces of clothing in one’s wardrobe that can be added to an outfit to define your style. These would be things such as jewelry, scarves, bags, belts, jackets, dresses, shoes, eye wear, hats, and so on. They have to demonstrate specific style properties. It could be the pattern, texture, detailing, colour, or the construction of the garment itself that gives your interpretation of a trend a sense of originality. For myself it would be my vintage purses, printed scarves, and eclectic ring collection. These could also be seen as Investment Pieces.

The Hills’ Lauren Conrad writes in her book “Style”: “Should you spend $500 dollars on a trendy fringed dress that you hope to have an excuse to wear… someday? No! But going a little crazy on a pair of black platform sandals that you’ll get a lot of use out of over time is understandable. It really comes down to a cost-per-wear situation: a $300 dress that you can wear to ten parties becomes much more affordable than a $60 dress you’ll wear once and toss.” 

There are tons of places to find inspiration. With today’s resources it is truly limitless. Runway shows are now streamed on the Internet, while blogs and online ‘zines are spreading like wild fire. Magazines are no longer the best way to keep up to date on current trends, but there is nothing quite as nice as being able to turn the page between your fingers, and the convenience of online shopping literally brings millions of wardrobe options, and thousands of shops from all over the world right to your fingertips. Sites like topshop.com, nastygal.com, and asos.com carry a diverse variety of brands and styles. There is something for everyone (male and female.)

Fashion bloggers such as Tavi (http://www.thestylerookie.com/ or  http://rookiemag.com/) and Ashley Madekwe (ringmybell.blogspot.com), have great style concepts. There are also sites such as lookbook.com, and polyvore.com that let you follow style bloggers, and look to them for inspiration. My favorite style inspirations come from online shops such as freepeople.com and allsaints.com.

Proper self-expression in a sea of university students (dressed as if they were homeless) can sometimes seem an extremely daunting task. What people don’t seem to understand is that it isn’t that “sweat pants are not an option”, it is that it comes across, as “I simply don’t care.” You are completely capable of dressing both comfortably and appropriately. Stop making excuses. That being said, there are some pretty stylish sweatpants out there, and despite how some people may feel, sheepskin boots are glorious. At the end of the day, it is completely dependent on how you put it all together that makes the difference.