There’s something about nailing a style that no-one else is wearing! That’s one of the key benefits of choosing style over fashion, we can procure and develop our own look. Style feels more comfortable for us, more aligned with our personality and understanding what works for our body shape is a great way to invest in ourselves.
STYLE OVER FASHION
Our personal style is something quite different and more unique to the individual. Whereas fashion directs us to collective and even global trends at a given period in time. The fashionistas among us will closely follow the trends and feel compelled to stay up to date. Often, whether the style flatters or not. Fashion is readily available to us all but the turnover is sadly now unsustainably fast unless we choose wisely and less frequently.
CHOOSE YOUR PIECES MORE CAREFULLY
I put my hand up here that like many of us, I have been equally guilty of panic buying but then relegating the garment to the back of my wardrobe. Perhaps it doesn’t fit so well, it doesn’t flatter our shape or maybe the colour is wrong for us. There are lots of elements at play here.
Creating our own style, helps us to avoid these impulse purchases. That’s what I love most about style over fashion - the way we can develop our sense of self, a feeling of comfort and authenticity. Dressing for who we are now, in the moment, is always a good strategy.
STYLE IS AN INVESTMENT IN OURSELVES
As a child of the 60’s and through play I learnt at an early age that our clothes have the power to support us and as a vehicle, can elevate us to aim higher. You’ve heard the expression, dress for the job you want? It means that our clothes are part of the vision of where we see ourselves in the future. Our image and the clothes we wear are one of the key methods of communication and can help us set intentions for the future.
CELEBRATE YOUR INDIVIDUALITY
Many of you reading this will have at some point copied the look styled on a mannequin, shown in a magazine, or even copied from a friend. The likelihood is that this way of dressing is very rarely going to work for us. Our body shapes and proportions will vary as will our personal preferences. For example, I love to see women wearing linen and a bohemian style but does it work for me? Absolutely not, I enjoy a more structured look and don’t enjoy being creased! Creases make me feel uncomfortable. Finding those key elements that make us feel good helps us to feel more confident.
EMBRACE YOUR STYLE PERSONALITY
Whether you select new or pre-loved, choosing only what resonates with you and your values ensures that you will be happier to care for and wear your clothes for longer. Understanding more about your style personality will help you define a more comfortable style for you.
Consider what really resonates with you. Do you prefer clean lines over feminine detailing perhaps or neutral colours vs a bold print. or maybe you like your clothing to make a statement or are you happy to blend in?
Answering some of these questions and carefully assessing your wardrobe may provide some clues. Or give me a call and we can find out together.
CONSIDER THE SUSTAINABLE ELEMENT
One key point here is that fashion has become too disposable. Instead of the historic two clothing seasons annually, we are subjected to more regular turnover of collections. Often in the fast-fashion chains, this can be as regular as twice weekly.
This is a shocking pace and our planet with its natural resources and associated garment workers will pay the price.
Investing in pre-loved apparel creates the opportunity to explore hidden gems and a wider range of styles above the current trends. I love to visit York Designer Dress Agency for my pre-loved shopping.
However I believe that our clothes go so much deeper. I have been considering the subject of style over fashion a lot since the release of the Barbie movie - the most iconic fashion forward doll. The movie nostalgically took me back to my childhood. Barbie inspired me to dream and to imagine my future self. I found Barbie to be a positive force and subsequently that playing dress-up in any form can be the catalyst to other elements of positive change.
Of the many things that I loved about it, my biggest takeaway was the fact that the film celebrated individuality. Our own personal style allows us to do just that.
See your wardrobe as a positive way to express yourself and as a vehicle to enjoy many of life’s joys.
For me? Style over fashion at every turn!