Thursday, August 19, 2010

My Personal Style



Fashion and style were two things I only really became aware of during my final year of study. I have some great, fashionable friends who helped me realise style is a personal thing and you can't just follow the herd.


Of course it took me a lot of bad purchases and unflattering choices to realise this...

About a year ago I began investigating how to discover my personal style. I found this article on College Fashion about a personal uniform and began thinking about my favourite pieces in my wardrobe and what I wear most often. Another blog that helped me alot was Charade and her amazing Dream Style Series. Just the exercise of taking everything out of my wardrobe and realising what I had in there was a revelation!

A big step in finding my personal style was researching what looked good on me. I took a look at this article on College Fashion and found i was a "Deep Autumn" I discovered some colours I had never considered wearing before! I also found being more critical in the changing room helped - taking in a lot of items and if something didn't look right learning to walk away...

I also started a "Style Scrapbook" - a notebook where I stick pictures from magazines that inspire me. I include pictures of clothing that I like, but also outfits put together by the magazines to help me sort out my daily outfits. I find Instyle, Madison and British Glamour are great for outfit inspiration - I love finding new ways to wear the clothes I already own!

Elements of my personal style I try to incorporate into my outfits include:
  • Black. It's my base colour - I like it better with a bit of sparkle though!
  • Bows - I have a pair of bow earrings I wear to work almost every day...
  • Silver - I own a few pairs of silver shoes and wear them often with jeans and black pants
  • Purple or cobalt blue - I find both these colours compliment my hair, skin and eyes and I always get comments when wearing them.
  • Puff/Bubble hem skirts - I have a favourite grey one in a heavy fabric perfect for winter.
  • Metallic and sparkles/sequins - Something I'm always trying to find more of!!
  • One off, vintage pieces - I love owning something nobody I know has.
  • Studs - Sandals, tops, earrings...
It's amazing what you discover when you begin analysing what you really like when it comes to fashion - it helps you find your own image and you feel comfortable in your own skin. I would highly recommend reading the above articles if you are trying to find your own personal style.