Angie's year-in-retrospect thread (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-2012-here) made me look harder at what I liked --- and looked like --- last year.

And responding to today's UWP thread, I felt myself groping in the dark for a sense of my own style again. Much of last year, I told myself to be patient: it would make sense in the end, surely? But contrasting myself to UWP actually helped clarify --- just a little --- what IS my actual (as opposed to fantasy/aspirational) attitude.

I'm not 100% there yet, but I thought I'd take a stab at identifying key elements I'm attracted to and take it from there. Those of you who've seen my older outfits, feel free to weigh in for or against these descriptors!

I'm attempting Angie's five-adjective definition, per Caro's suggestion in another thread. Not all of these appear at once in my outfits, or even at all. But they do, I think, inform the choices I'm happiest with --- and I want to embody them better in future.

1. Eco/Earthy --- How's that for an abstract start?! And I wondered for a while whether this is really a subset of Ethnic (see 3 below). But seriously, even in a classic button-down shirt, I'll often choose the one with wooden or pearl buttons over the plastic one, all things being equal. I like natural materials, and not just because they suit me from a tactile perspective (another possible point of confusion due to my sensitive skin) --- I like knowing they are ORGANIC (even if traditionally grown), biodegradable, in a sense both timeless and evanescent. I also have a weakness for recycled/reclaimed materials --- I was so sad they didn't have the pants made from plastic bottles in my size and I've been craving this clutch crafted out of a Tropicana juice pack!

2. Eclectic? --- I'm not sure if this is the most descriptive, um, description. I'd love another, more specific label if someone can see one. Essentially, this represents the whimsical as well as the unexpected and unique: The owl pendant hiding a watch between its wings, worn with the tweed skirt and Chinoiserie-inspired jacket. The one-of-a-kind garment that defies a name (is it a shirt or a jacket or a cardigan? skirt or dress or smock? slingback or mary janes or gladiator?). The juxtaposition of casual and dressy or of traditional Indian and modern Western (something Angie suggested for me when I first started posting). The wedding band with the stone dangling off instead of fixed. Even the piling up of elements in excess (five different prints, all different buttons in the same garment, embroidery-on-applique-on-patchwork...).

3. Ethnic --- One of the easier ones. Given my own cultural background, 'ethnic' often means 'Indian'; but not always. Sometimes it can mean Cambodian inspiration or basketry from Botswana. But I generally like having an element around me with a specific cultural provenance. This can extend to nostalgic or old-fashioned jewellery or a modern rendition of a traditional craft (many Indian textiles and handicrafts are amenable to this). I'm often drawn to 'heritage' patterns --- Liberty florals and tweeds, paisleys and plaids, ikat and batik, kimono prints...

4. Textural --- Easiest one so far. Not just tactile, I also love visual texture and texture in motion (which means hectic patterns sometimes, a delight in false plains, moving folds and drapes that change in the wearing...). Depth and dimension are what I'm looking for. I like not having too many elements in an outfit. When busiest or warmest, I will eschew all accessories. Yet if my garments are too flat, simple and solid, I feel like a paper doll --- lacking dimension. There are people who look great in solid dark-washed jeans, white T-shirt, red ballet flats and yellow bag; but unless there was interesting texture in at least one or two of those, I'd feel less than confident in that outfit, even if I admire it from afar and even if I look fine in the mirror.

5. Tomboy?? --- This is the toughest one. I'm still grappling with the idea of this. I'm not sure if it is exactly tomboy-ish that I mean. But this is a tendency I've suppressed for a long time, so I'm taking my time teasing it out in the open. I'm no longer comfortable being entirely conventionally feminine or ladylike in the way I dress or present myself. I often *feel* 'too pretty', even if it looks right, when I wear a pair of ballet flats or pumps with a skirt or dress. I crave boots, or oxfords, or gladiators --- something less feminine, something more masculine or at least gender neutral, a 'stubbier' shoe. The same thing happens with Indian tunics, where I feel 'too girly' if I wear the traditional 3-piece set the conventional way (scarf across shoulders, very minimal thong-style footwear) --- I feel better if I can change my shoes to a more substantial, less ladylike style, even if it is just a more gender-neutral style of Indian slipper; with the scarf worn one-shouldered or across the neck as a man might, or simply left off; if there is a collar or other masculine styling incorporated in the tunic. A floral shirt feels better with a more neutral pair of straight-leg pants or jeans than the conventionally-more-feminine coloured skinnies. I'm still struggling to find a shoe that feels 'right' with a saree, and consequently rarely wear sarees, much as I love them! (Maybe I should try slipper flats.) On the other hand, I'm not really aiming for androgynous (think my body shape militates against that!) so much as juxtaposition or neutrality.

Thanks for reading, if you had the patience! I'll remember to bake you a tea cake, or Indian scones if you prefer, next time you drop in