Another, "Please help me describe my style!" thread - YouLookFab Forum

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Another, "Please help me describe my style!" thread

marion m.

Hey everyone! So for the longest time, I've been having trouble figuring out how to define my style/aesthetic, as I feel that what I'm interested in is all over the place and that I have little to no direction. This has resulted me into impulse buying where I purchase something that catches my eye and rarely end up wearing it, or constantly trying to re-invent myself through adding/deleting pictures off of moodboards and even making multiple accounts online.

And so, it has come to a point where I need your help: Just by looking at my current moodboards and outfits, how would you describe my style persona? What style descriptors would you use?

I do have a Pinterest account and after viewing a suggestion on narrowing down your favourite outfits to 20 (it was actually 10, but I couldn't resist adding more), I posted them up here:

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Here are a couple of more links to get an idea of what I like:
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You can also go through the rest of my Pinterest boards if you want to see what hairstyles I like, nails, etc. I'll also add some info about me related to my style if it helps.

Vibe: Through my clothing, sometimes I want to give off a fun, quirky, warm, friendly vibe. And sometimes, I want to give off a cool, mysterious, observant vibe. I think either way, I'd like to come off as artsy and authentic.

What I don't like for myself: crocs, dirty finger/toe nails (which I often cover in nail polish), uggs, clubwear/anything too short + tight + revealing/high stilettos, Hollister/Aeropostale/A&F, sheer blouses, wearing (too much) make up, neon colours, etc.

Main goals: I would like to be more consistent with my style and be sure of myself, as well as dress a bit more mature and fashionable (if it helps, I'm 21 atm).

Other things to note:

- I'm Filipino (Black/dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, tan skin) and I have a dark/deep autumn colour palette
- I am 5'1-5'2 ft tall, so I have no idea if maxi dresses/skirts will work out for me
- I have a flabby stomach so I have a tendency to hide that part of my body
- I also don't show too much of my upper arms and legs. This was probably influenced from my parents' conservative views about "showing too much skin" and my mom constantly pointing out people's weight (including mine)

Oh, and one last thing I would like to note is that I'm aware that my style could be considered "eclectic," but I'm curious if you guys see anything else besides that. O: I'm in dire need to see someone else's perspective rather than my own, as I tend to get stuck in my own head a lot.

I think that's about it for now. Sorry if this ended up being too long to read! I also added some of my outfits uploaded from recent to old.

Thank you in advance for your help and feedback!! I really appreciate it.

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from Flytigress

Greyscale

Veteran

A little bit hipster, a little bit anime!

I work at a university and your style both fits in with what I see people your age wearing, but also stands out as fun and quirky, like you say. I love the sushi tee, and wearing it with the camo jacket is a great fun combination.

Your actual clothes and your pinterest board match quite well.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

As a starting point, which of these style descriptors would you tick to describe yourself? These descriptors come from Angie.

Modern Classic
Artistic Eclectic
Sporty Natural
Bohemian Hippie
Trendy Fashionista
Funky Urbanite
Androgynous Chic
Business Bombshell
Demure Bombshell
Girly Tomboy
Steampunk Gal
Tough Chic
Romantic Eclectic
Retro Princess
Euro Chic
Punk Lady
Preppy Princess
Urban Warrior Princess
Avant-Garde Eclectic
Urban Minimalist

Just looking at your pictures I would describe you as a mix of trendy fashionista, funky urbanite and romantic eclectic. I definitely see fun too so if I had to boil it down I would say:
Fun - Funky - Girly Chic

Now, do you want to settle on words that really describe your style or do you want to EVOLVE your style? If you are not always satisfied with your purchases, you might want to think about what you want to become, and come up with a set of different descriptors for that.

rachylou

Veteran

Your style actually seems pretty cohesive to me. I'd call it Sweet and Pretty Grunge. In the punk family...

Olivegreen

Yes, boho grunge...:-) after looking at the pinterest.
Depending on job description and ambitions, you might need stretch goals for your fashion? Or as Coco says, evolve your style.
I honestly get an Olsen twin vibe from you, as in the Row stuff. Clearly expensive but that kind of style could take you through the twenties and thirties. One or two of your pinterest pics could go there.
But if you are living for the moment, dead cute right now.

marion m.

@Greyscale: Thank you so much! Actually this isn't the first time someone described my style as hipster, so it's pretty interesting to see hipster come up a few times. O:

@CocoLion: Ahh, I've looked at the style descriptors and I was unsure on some of them/what qualifies as what (such as what qualifies as Retro Princess). If I were to look at just the two words combined, I would tick off Artistic Eclectic, Funky Urbanite, Girly Tomboy, and Romantic Eclectic leaning towards an interest in Bohemian Hippie lately.

I've actually never seen myself as a trendy fashionista, so that's interesting. Maybe it's because I keep confusing it with someone who dresses like Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Lopez? I'm not sure. O:

As for your question, to be honest I feel like a bit of both right now. On one hand, I'm curious to see what words other people would use to describe my style based on my moodboards and outfits: past and present. At the same time, I'm also interested in taking those said style descriptors and evolving them, such as taking out the items that don't work for me in my wardrobe/don't wear anymore and consider purchasing key pieces that I'm missing from my favourite pinned outfits (ex. loose patterned pants, statement black hat, kimonos).

But you're right, I'll definitely have to think about what I want to become and have a different set of style descriptors. I think this will help out a lot.

@rachylou: Ahh that's good to know that my style seems pretty cohesive! Maybe it's just all in my head and that I'm the only one thinking I'm all over the place hehe.

@Olivegreen: Interesting, after reading CocoLion's advice on coming up with a set of different descriptors, something like Boho Grunge came to mind. Or Urban Bohemian.

Ahh I guess I should've mentioned my lifestyle in my post, but I was worried that it might've been too long to read. Well, right now I'm about to graduate art college next month and am coming to a point where I need to dress up for mock job interviews and professional related stuff. Other than that, the majority of my lifestyle has been taken up with going to school. Especially at art college where I had life drawing class every week and charcoal and paint on my clothes, my style's been very casual and comfortable. My everyday look generally consisted of a hoodie, a graphic t-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers or black boots. Oh, and I live in Ontario, Canada too, where the weather can be unpredictable and I get cold really easily. The dresses and skirts that I wear are usually reserved for church.

Ahh the Olsen twins' detective movies were part of my childhood, aha. I haven't looked much into their style yet actually. O: It would be really nice to have a style that could last me a couple of decades! Actually I should probably aim for that too.

Thank you for the feedback so far, everyone! It's definitely been helping out.

unfrumped

Veteran

I'm not good at "official" terms, like grunge, but I see girly, playful, sweet, young.
My favorite is #2 with the moto and boots because of how it juxtaposes a very sweet girly skirt with the more..??.. jacket.

rachylou

Veteran

What sort of jobs do you think you'll be going for?

marion m.

@unfrumped: Thanks so much! Hehe I'm seeing girly and sweet come up a few times now. O:

@rachylou: Right now my college program's aimed to do artwork (concept art) for the film, animation, and video game industry so they tend to work in a creative office studio--usually with a computer right in front of them and drawing with a tablet. Besides that, I'd also like to create my own personal artwork and become an illustrator, as well as become a painter to hang my work in galleries.

rachylou

Veteran

Interesting! You don't really need to evolve your style then. You could interview in everything you've shown. But maybe you still would like to signal *growing things up,* since you're graduating... Or just refresh.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

You have great (fun, quirky, interesting) style already. Plus what Rachy just said.

DonnaF

Veteran

^^^^Yeah, it's not like you have to prepare to go into Big Law or something like that! Whew! Especially since you are in a creative field, I would think it would be important to listen to your inner voice and instincts vs. copying/emulating someone else. I see quirky fun and that you like color and prints. Your smooth skin, straight hair, and small stature probably make it difficult for you to pull off a lot of heavy texture.

In terms of the job search: Avoid wearing anything a high school student would wear, and that means don't wear anything from F21/other junior stores to a job interview. As a *creative*, that may make interview clothing a bit more challenging since there's not a real uniform as there would be in Big Law. As Asians, we tend to look younger than we are and it certainly doesn't help if we're short to boot. I will never forget when my first boss patted me on the head -- and that was something like 35 years ago!!!

marion m.

@rachylou: Ahh that's good then! I never had a job interview before, even a mock one, so I'm still somewhat clueless as to how to dress. I have a beige blazer that I have yet to use, so it'll be interesting to see how I can pair it up with other clothing items. But yes, I'd like to signal a bit more maturity with graduation coming up and somewhat refresh my current style.

@shevia: All righties awesome, thank you for the style descriptors!

@DonnaF: Haha that's true! I guess I'm used to seeing the blazer, button down shirt, blouse, pencil skirt, etc. uniform whenever I search up "job interview outfit." But yeah you're right, I should've listened to my inner voice before I bought a beige blazer, black pencil skirt, and a light blue lace top a while ago. :/ I was supposed to apply for jobs last summer and bought those things just in case, but then I realized I would also have to accommodate people flying over to Ontario, such as some family members from Los Angeles (whom I haven't seen since I was around 14) and my boyfriend from British Columbia (we're in a LDR so I only get to see him every 3-4+ months). I also prefer loose, flowy skirts so pencil skirts are a bit out of my league.

And yeah you got it, I love colour and prints! Ahhh some of my clothing comes from F21, but the blazer and other things I got from H&M. Aww haha, yeah I'm so used to having people being taller than me and towering over my head, and there have been a couple of people who thought I was in high school still! xD

rachylou

Veteran

My line of thinking goes like this: I'd go for the Sailor Moon tee for an interview (but not the teddy bear sweatshirt), the DMs, and a plainer leather jacket and pants/skirt. Sailor Moon speaks to your profession, whereas the bear is just quirky and full of personality. I'd do just one item that stands out that way, because frankly the more mature and command one takes on... It's always been my experience the plainer the clothing gets. There are a lot of reasons for this... you're distinctly there as a force of anti chaos, to keep people focused on the work and you, you don't want to distract yourself, etc. etc. And in an interview, you also don't want people to jump to too many conclusions about you. Also, not related to fashion, take up a little more space than you're probably used to as a student...

Staysfit

Veteran

I knew you were an artist! I could spot it right away! Excellent! Congratulations and best of luck to you! I have a warm spot for all artists because my DD is entering her senior year of art school and is a painter. I love your style by the way and I see Funky, Hipster, Creative, Artistic Eclectic, and Fun. I also see Youthful, Playful and Feminine.

I went to the airport to pick up my DD when she and her schoolmates returned from their semester abroad. What I saw was a delightful group of eclectically dressed young people, each with their own unique style. Your style is part of your brand in art; I would think you want your personality to shine through in your clothes in some way in a job interview.

Anonymous

Quirky is the first word that comes to my mind. You wear a lot of stuff one of my college-aged DDs (the eccentric one) wears. She also has trouble with career clothes, saying they're boring and make her look old.

unfrumped

Veteran

I love rachylou's take on adapting for interview, adding some "presence" but still with artistic/quirky element.

Jeweled

Veteran

Marion, I see a lot of gamine style in your fun, eclectic wardrobe.
You may want to scan through some images of gamine style on Pinterest and Polyvore to see if anything there resonates with you - as a way to sort of pin down your style description.

Flytigress

I see Punky Gamine.