In my previous articles of my finding your style series, I tried to define style, gave some tips on how you can find your own style, and described some general styles. Let’s take that one step further and see how you could then describe and name your own style.
Why is describing your style even important?
I believe that if you can describe your style and know exactly what makes you YOU, you get more clarity on what you like and what you should buy. It’s something I also like to do for myself as lately I have found that my style is all over the place. I’m not clear exactly what my style is, what elements I need to compliment my style and how I can buy pieces that I will like for a longer term.
A clearer definition of your style and its key elements, can help with shopping and prevent you from buying things that you will wear only once or twice. It can be quite overwhelming to have clothes in every different style in your closet and I feel that it will become much easier to dress yourself successfully if you have a good sense of what your style is and can describe it in a few words.
How to describe your style?
There is no one easy answer to this. I’ve been reading several books on the topic (reviews will follow later) but I also asked the question at the YouLookFab forum where women have been asking themselves the same question and came up with a few ideas.
One idea I really liked was to create your own style statement, based on the book: “Style Statement: Live by your own design“. The idea is to find 2 words that define who you are and your style. You discover this by doing several exercizes and answering questions about yourself and your favorite outfits. I was intrigued and have ordered the book straight away from Amazon and I’m eager to start reading it soon.
As an introduction to the style statement I thought it would be great to show examples of style statements in practice. Here are the style statements of some of the wonderful women that answered my question in the forum.
Style statement: Demure Bombshell
Name: Natalie (Goldenpig
Style description: Retro ladylike silhouettes, lots of patterns with some pattern mixing, muted autumn colors or black/white/red, rich textures, waist definition, and shoes with ankle straps.
Style statement: Utilitarian Fashionista
Name: Rae (website)
Style description: Anything inspired by a men’s uniform (from car mechanics shirts to business suits), tempered by bright colors, a feminine fit, and a long leg line.
Style statement: business bombshell
Name: Mary K
Style description: Pencil skirts in every color, blazers in every color, high-heeled pumps in every color, patterned blouses and scarves.
Style statement: Casual, feminine, fun
Name: AJ (website)
Style description: the 3 words say it all. All the clothes need to fit that description.
If you want to learn about how you can get your own style statement you can order the book at Amazon. I will go into more detail about the style statement and how you can define your own, once I have read the book.
How about you? Do you have a style statement? I look forward to reading them!
Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.
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Hello,
I’m a 5’10” rectangle. I know I can wear ‘anything’ I like (supposedly) but I thought I heard DVF state that older women cannot wear a wrap dress. That’s not good news! Do you agree?
Nanette
Absolutely not. And I can’t imagine she would have have said that. The wrap dress is one of the most flattering dresses around and will look good on women of any age.
Very lovely post and I know this does not relate, my name is Sylvia too and I love your blog. I am a blogger too(smiles)