Fashion is like Physics (for me) - YouLookFab Forum

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Fashion is like Physics (for me)

Thistle

Veteran

I realized as I am struggling to dress my third trimester self that fashion is like physics for me. I was not very good at physics. Tenacity and a good friend who did get physics got me through, but I never really "got". As he would say, "and then you see,".

No, I don't see. But I can learn to recognize different types of problems and I can learn the steps to solve the problem and get through the class. Not that I was going to major in physics, but then it wasn't really an option for me.

I think the same applies to fashion, but the rules are harder. More fluid. Less universal. And they change more.

I get dressed because I have to (42F this morning!), and I know people judge you by how you do dress. So, as long as I have to get dressed, I want to do it well.

Still learning the different problems and their solutions.

Over to you. Do you just "get" fashion, or is it learned? Or somewhere in between?

Dressing

43 replies

Latest reply was from Emily

Neel

Veteran

Definitely learnt and still learning :). I am not the one who was born with a keen fashion sense!

Windchime

Veteran

For me, it's more studied than instinctive. And I'll never be brilliant at it--I'm trying to think of a comparable class--something I enjoy a lot but don't have natural talent for. Maybe some type of sport? Many others do a lot better with a lot less effort.

And I don't have the excuse of being in the third trimester of pregnancy. Good grief, Thistle, I think if you just put clothes on for the next couple months, you're doing great!

You can reassess your relationship to fashion after the baby arrives.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Interesting. I think being fashionable is learned. Knowing what flatters your body is learned. (Not the same two things.)

I would say "taste" is innate--but I think, it too, can be learned--some of us anyway. I never realised until my Grandmother had lots of money to spend on house hold décor that she didn't really have any taste. But I made a deliberate effort to learn what good taste was--in both décor and fashion. (As a teen my favourite magazines were Vogue and Architectural Digest. There wasn't the plethora we have now.)

I just think taste is learned in a more intuitive, less obvious way.

As for style--defined as the ability to put together entire outfits which achieve whatever objectives you are aiming for (being fashionable, being warm, being venue appropriate, being attractive, etc...) is also learned.

But it is like anything else--sometimes it comes easier to some than to others.

Joy

Veteran

As Neel said I'm still learning. Like Physics,it's not intuitive for me either. When I first started buying my own clothes, I actually thought that I would look like the model or my friends wearing the same outfit. How dense is that!

Gaylene

Veteran

Ah, this situation sounds familiar--both with physics and fashion. Oddly enough, I found that a big part of my issue with physics was with my mindset. I had convinced myself physics was difficult and that I didn't "get" it. I was stunned when my chem prof casually mentioned that a whole section of the course we had just completed (and which I had found quite easy and interesting) was actually physics! The power of a label and how it can play havoc with our thinking was driven home to me.

Maybe quit thinking of "fashion" and just think of dressing well for yourself and the people around you might make the whole thing easier. You just might be better at this than you think.

Beth Ann

Veteran

The challenges of pregnancy makes the challenges of dressing a moving target!

I've only had a sense of what I like, but working at fashoin, the way one would work to master physics, allows me to move from finding interesting clothing (pretty clothes) to a working wardrobe that helps me present myself with more grace, polish and confidence. That's not to say that I've mastered the form. I find that the basic understanding comes relatively quickly, but the refining takes a lifetime!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Fascinating question -- and responses!

For me, it's a bit of both. My sense of colour is pretty intuitive. Also, I think I always had an intuitive awareness of what I liked to wear, what my core style is -- although I sometimes fought against that as too "dull" (since my core style is pretty classic.)

But I definitely have to study and learn the details, and my goodness, it's been almost a full time occupation for at least three years now and I still don't think I have it "down." So obviously there are elements that don't come naturally to me.

I find proportions difficult to judge in the mirror. So that's one issue. And I never understand where the wind will blow.

At the moment, I feel like someone who knows how to cook by following some recipes. I can locate really good recipes and excellent ingredients and put the "meal" together with attention to detail and care. The results are usually pretty good -- enough that I get compliments and feel good about what I have achieved.

But I'm not yet a "natural" cook -- the kind who just grabs whatever is handy on the shelf, in the pantry, or at the market, and concocts a completely original meal that tastes amazing and has everyone wondering: "How does she DO that???"

I leave that to the Angies, the Annas, and some of our other illustrious members for now. And meanwhile, I practice by copying.

Thistle

Veteran

I love the cook analogy! Yes, so like that. I can follow a receipe, but heaven help you if you eat something I "invented".

amiable

Veteran

Definitely learned for me - and a very long learning curve at that. I'm used to being pretty smart in most things (physics was tough for me too), but fashion is just....not the same. I can't memorize a set of rules and have it work every time, because the rules aren't spelled out, and because they change, and there's so very many variables...

Yep, thanks for spelling it out so clearly. I think that one thing that keeps me interested in fashion is indeed the learning curve - it continues to challenge me. But that also makes it frustrating.

E

Veteran

I think both. I've always been able to pull a room together, so I must have some inherent visual sense. But I had to learn which colours and shapes flattered me best. And it wasn't until I discovered thrifting (post-college) that I could really begin to experiment stylistically without budget or 'what's in style at the mall' restraints. Nowadays I seem to have absorbed most of those lessons, but the forum is still educating me about fit! Learning the lessons isn't a huge struggle for me though: it feels pretty natural & I can usually guess what the forum will say.

Unlike, say, driving, which was very difficult for me to learn and never became unconscious. I still feel stressed whenever I drive, although I've been doing it fairly regularly for 10 years. And I'd certainly never do it for fun! Whereas my sister took to driving instantly and is perfectly at home behind the wheel.

celia

Veteran

First I think you are being too hard on yourself, 3rd Trimester is not the moment when you can evaluate your affinity with fashion.Clothes that still fit, get dressed and out of the door at all is a win.
But back to your question,for me Physics was much harder, which doesn't mean Fashion is easy.
I think I do have an innate sense of colour and sometimes an item looks so flattering on me that even I can recognize it. Besides that most of my 'fashion sense' is learned.
What really gets in my way is my self-image and body issues,and my misplaced sense of rebellion.
Sometimes I dress things that I know are not particularly flattering on me just because I feel like it, and sometimes I don't feel good on outfits that are flattering because I find myself focused on the size of my hips or legs.

bj1111

Veteran

Interesting that rebelling in one form or another is a feature is how we dress. I get this because I spent the past few years rebelling against the dress code but now want to conform more for professional reasons and have to relearn what looks conventionally flattering while retraining my eye and obviously my wardrobe.

cheryl

Veteran

I love fashion and I think I get it but it is always changing and there is always something new to learn. Fashion is a hobby for me as well and I love the process. I also think fashion is totally subjective so I say follow your heart and wear what you love and what makes you comfortable and happy.

Elly

Veteran

I've been interested in fashion since I was in my early years, probably because I'm very visual. That said, I have a hardcore practical side to my personality and it took years for me to find adult women discussing different ways they both enjoy fashion as art and keep things practical. Plus, like E, I never had a budget to spend on clothing until adulthood beyond replacing basics and picking up whatever was available discount when my occasional clothing collection was decimated.

I think my biggest struggle with it today is getting fits and proportions to look right on my body--- which is both tall and long muscled limbs and very curvy depending on who you compare it to and how you dress it. Personality-wise I love boyfriend jeans and button downs--- but my body would rather I wear slim jeans with fluid but not oversized knits.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I think you can learn how to dress well. For me fashion is intuitive, emotional & visceral. It's always been like that.

shedev

Veteran

For me fashion is more like art. Highly subjective, part intuitive, part practiced. Tastes change and some just won't get it.

Anonymous

Fashion is learned for me. It never came intuitively. As a consequence, I actually do treat it very much like a problem that needs to be solved. I start with a given event and the image I need to project at that event.

Something that helped me immensely was identifying what silhouettes work for me. Admittedly, I only have two primary silhouettes, but they work for me and my body type. They help me stay focused and avoid the "fluidity" of fashion because somethings I am never going to wear well or comfortably.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I think it is lots of study and attention that informs my gut reaction when it comes to whether I like something on others or myself.

anne

Veteran

I had to reply once I saw the word "physics'. My worst academic subject at high school! And one my husband, who studied engineering just "gets".

I also very much relate to having to learn and apply the rules of fashion and not getting them instinctively. I do think I am making some slow progress.

One difference is that since I was a little girl I have been interested in clothing (particularly from a historical point of view). I am still interested in it of course! And I still don't find it easy.

Unlike some other posters, I am not particularly visual, except where words are concerned, and have no natural talent for say "pulling a room together" as E puts it. In fact it is the sort of thing I don't even think about until I go to someone else's house and can admire their handiwork.

Third trimester is hard though. Don't let that colour your feelings too much - I second Celia's wisdom on that.

unfrumped

Veteran

I am so not brilliant at it.

One thing that confuses me is how to use my own "eye"--one school of thought is trust it, be true to liking what you see. But, the "eye" can be educated --perhaps educated in a generic way and not just for that season-- and then you can "see" differently. But on some level you are still going by what you see.

Then there is Fashion. Fashion might mean, things have changed and what you think looks good to you, doesn't look so to certain outside observers. Now, I think there's a whole spectrum of that, so it's not all or none. But are you really re-newing your eye for your own self, or to match some other expectation? Ideally they coincide.

Somehow this all ties in with JFE ( just flattering enough). I know I've had the reaction sometimes to posted photos in which I'll think, well, that looks modern, but I don't think it looks that good. The best example of that is probably some of the pant lengths or widths, because of my sort of fixed notion of proportions.

I think it would be easier when we see different outfits side by side--on others or ourselves. A, or B? B, or C? Then we might be able to say, A is very flattering but possibly dated, B is very modern but not as good for body type as A, but C has the right mix

Not sure where I went with this, but there you have it.

rabbit

Veteran

I like what unfrumped said about the eye, and how it can be trained, and also about the moving target of trends over time (how 'others' see you). For me color and pattern and sometimes a general sense of proportion are partly intuitive. They are something I've also studied since I was a kid, so I can't separate nature and nurture, and I still continue to learn by trying to absorb and test new color combinations and proportions.

In terms of trends or what is 'in fashion' until YLF I'd basically get creative with what was available to me in my price range and study my own immediate environment or sub-culture for what to wear -- I'd people watch in the grocery store or the campus green or the office, but I actually almost never looked at fashion magazines, so really wasn't aware of larger trends outside of what my fishbowl was wearing. So for example right now I don't know what was trendy or in fashion four years ago and folks are a bit tired of now, because I wasn't paying attention in that way at the time.

I wonder if there is also a tie in with general underlying values in how the eye sees things. I you value a certain amount of conformity or modesty or conservatism, that will effect how you see clothes on yourself and others. If you value diversity and difference and individual expression and are comfortable with public expressions of sexuality, you will see clothes differently as well, regardless of trends at the time. But fashion is an art, and I think that all forms of art can get you to consider and appreciate perspectives you maybe hadn't before.

Thistle

Veteran

So, art may have been a worse class for me than physics I actually took an art history class to satisfy my art requirements . I knew the only way I would pass a true art class was with a low grade and a generous professor.

Nope, can't pull a room together. Always said when I could afford an interior decorator, I would. Then I had a baby, and, well, the house never looks all that great anyway.

So interesting the style journey so many of us have had.

catgirl

Veteran

I feel like I SHOULD treat fashion more like physics, instead of like a buffet when I'm starving and grabbing a little bit of everything. Some applied methodology keeps me in check. .

jackiec

Veteran

This is a great post, Thistle! Part of it is the 3rd trimester blues for sure. I think there are learned aspects of fashion and a lot of intuition and learning to trust your gut. I think you need to learn the "rules" so you can go ahead and break them with verve. I loved Physics in high school, but I know that exact feeling from university Statistics, or higher level Economics. I'm an accountant by trade and love numbers, but those courses kicked my butt. My husband likes to quote things from old Stat courses (I know we're nerds) and I can't even stomach it....

amiable

Veteran

I'm with you - I don't have a good eye to put a room together either. I need a room cook book. I do think this skill can be developed. Over the past 10 years, I've learned to cook without much of a guide - at least some of the time And I think I'm much improved in style over the past few years too....

Quietgirl

Veteran

oh, I SO agree! I am not visual but rather kinaesthetic (learning by touch). I need other people to help me see. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. You can read my post from yesterday as I struggle to learn!

I do think I can learn, otherwise, I wouldn't be here!!

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....and-lowwhy

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I don't know if it comes off as bragging to say that for me fashion has always been instinctive. Or it started as instinctive and now has layers of practice and study on top.

I find that stuff like fashion or home decorating, where the aesthetic principles are applied, is much less intimidating than something like visual art that is more unfettered. I had the worst time in art history class and and an even worse time in the one art class I had to take in high school. Give me constraints to work within, like the human body or a room of a certain size, and I'll get started: give me a blank canvas of infinite scope and I will not know where to start. This has always been true but I hadn't really articulated it about myself until just now.

On physics: I had the coolest experience when I took my first physics class in college and suddenly understood calculus, which I had taken several classes of already. These arbitrary rules and ways of describing relationships suddenly made sense: they were designed to describe Newtonian mechanics! They're a way of describing one layer of how the world interacts with itself! I never really got there with physics itself, although I've been told that when you study quantum stuff the physics sort of reforms itself in the same way. I did see it in chemistry (my major) though, which is all about layers of complexity, up and down the scale - the cell, the atom, the atomic particles, the levels of electrons, the crystal structure of inorganic matrices, the long chains of amino acids that make up proteins and DNA...

kkards

Veteran

hmmm--- interesting. i do think fashion and style can be learnt, but like physics, nope. i my experience, the sciences had one answer, maybe you got partial credit for some of your work, but there was only 1 "right" answer. IMO fashion is more like an literature or social science class -- you read and study to learn the rules, see patterns, compare and contrast, but in the end its really how you express your ideas that matters.

Echo

Veteran

Taste is instinctive for me (and everyone else, of course), but I find it helpful to see what others do and what "current" proportions look like. Sometimes I still end up doing my own thing, but like a former English professor used to tell me, "You need to know the rules before you are allowed to break them."

And I agree that some things are instinctive to people, whether that's fashion, computers, calculus or physics. I took an econ class where a friend told me that if I understood the principles behind things, I'd never need to memorize a formula. Well, I never understood econ quite deeply enough to give up knowing the formulas, and I feel similarly about fashion.

I may go my own way and sometimes end up a little into the brush, but as long as I keep my eyes on the road, I can follow along in my own space, take some detours, but still never get completely lost.

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