Book Nook: Your Style History

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Inge is senior editor and a regular contributor at YLF.

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Book Nook: Your Style History

— by Inge

on May 4, 2012

In I Love Your Style: How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style, Amanda Brooks recommends writing down your personal style history as a way to get in touch with your style persona. A tool to hone in on your style preferences, and to start creating a look that is all your own:

“Even if you feel like you’ve had a pretty plain vanilla life or just a downright unstylish one; you still have a story: where you grew up; what your parents were like; how you became interested in clothes; what kind of budget you had and have now; what your aspirations are… and most important, how your style has evolved over the years.”

Taking the time to sit down and really think about my style goals, where I was coming from and where I want to go next has proven to be a very worthwhile exercise for me. So I thought it would be fun to share a few of our style memories today – it can be anything, from a defining moment you now think was a fashion turning point for you, to a work outfit you wore to pieces in your twenties.

I’ll go first. I was eleven when my friend Christine walked into our classroom sporting a pair of tomato red flats and emerald green trousers. The shoes were quite minimalist, they had a sleek pointy toe and no embellishments. How I coveted those shoes! The trousers were ankle bone length and tapered. Compared to what most of us had been wearing that year, it was a more grown-up silhouette. The epitome of sophistication for eleven year old me. Looking back, I believe this was the moment I really started paying attention to fashion and trends. It also confirms that I’ve always had a thing for flat footwear and simple, strong and clean lines, something I don’t see changing anytime soon.

Are there any past style moments that helped shape the current you or that might even affect how you want to start dressing in the future?

New in YLF Books

There are no must-haves lists or dos and don’ts in Amanda Brooks’ I Love Your Style: How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style. Instead this style guide and lookbook offers practical tips to spark creativity and find your own unique sense of style. From exploring your style history and exposing yourself to all kinds of fashion, to dressing with an open mind and embracing the fact that style is not stagnant and making mistakes is okay. In six chapters full of photo inspiration the author analyzes six different styles — Classic, Bohemian, Minimal, High Fashion, Street and Eclectic, explaining along the way how to make each look your own. Then, in the Shopping section, you’ll learn what to snap up and what to leave at the store no matter if you’re shopping Basics, Cheap Chic, Designer or Vintage.

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14 comments · Add a comment

Vildy

Veteran

I haven’t an answer to the question yet but I wanted to say that I enjoyed the book and particularly all the variations she shows on the main styles. Kind of sub styles. I had read a reader criticism of the book on Amazon, that carped about how the book was too much focused on her but I didn’t agree. I thought it clued you in to who the person was who was choosing the categories and examples. And I’m a sucker for all the old family photos she included. Loved seeing her mother in her heyday.

May 4, 2012 at 4:26 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That’s a valuable review, Vildy. Thanks!

Inge, how fun to hear what Christine wore at age 11 – and the impact that it had on you. I’m high fiving my style twin – flat footwear and strong clean lines – we see eye to eye.

I can’t think of a precise style moment that has impacted me in a similar way. But wearing a school uniform and being a teen in the ’80s has shaped my style life. Because we could rarely wear “normal” clothes, we REALLY made it count when we did. And the ’80s was all about dressing up. I still feel the same way about style today – make what you wear count each day

May 4, 2012 at 4:42 pm

Lynne

Veteran

Inge, I can just see you in red flats with emerald pants; you would rock them with your great long legs.

I actually loved having a work uniform in my 20’s, Angie, for that very reason; my own clothes could be fun dressing up clothes for weekend and good wear! And yes, it was the 80’s, so lots of options out there to wear with my big perm

having a colour, body, and style analysis done professionally marked a big turning point in my style in that it’s when I started prioritizing how something worked for me vs how it looked on others or in the store or magazines.

May 4, 2012 at 4:57 pm

Jewell

Veteran

Hmmm, I think I’ll give this some thought. I can’t recall a single moment that ignited my interest in fashion, but I can probably pinpoint some pivotal periods in my life that marked turning points in my style journey.

May 4, 2012 at 5:43 pm

Jamie

Veteran

This book sounds like a lot of fun to read! I’ll have to check it out. To answer Inge’s question, the most defining fashion moment for me came in grade school. My best friend and I had matching dresses that our mothers made us — different fabrics, but the same dress. I loved that dress, but what I really coveted were my friends black patent leather go-go boots that she wore with her dress. Probably, they would be called something else today, but I don’t know how else to describe the style — tall boots up to the knee, zippered, square toes, and chunky heels at about 1.5″. I wanted some soooo badly. In fact, if I found a vintage pair today, I’d snap them up!!! I’m not sure what this says about my current or future style journey, but it is a powerful memory for me.

May 4, 2012 at 6:49 pm

anne

Veteran

My earliest awareness of clothing came from an intense interest in the “olden days” and from watching my mother make clothes for us. I have a card I made when I was about 5, with the cover design being a dress pattern. At 6 I started reading the Little House books, was given a book on the history of clothes and really got into social and costume history.

The first time I was aware of contempory fashion was a little later when Lady Di burst upon the scene. It seemed as if overnight everyone started dressing like her!

May 5, 2012 at 12:48 am

Kiwichik

Veteran

I think my initial interest in clothes and fashion was influenced by my grandmother and going through the many photos she had of herself as a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. Street photographers were very popular and getting dressed to go into the city was very big – smart waist cinching suits, fox fur stoles, gloves and hand bags – men in suits with hats and smart leather shoes. I also used to watch a lot of old movies from this era with her and spent a lot of time as a little kid dressing up in her clothes and high heels and parading around her house.

May 5, 2012 at 2:10 am

Dana

(website)

Veteran

My first school shopping trip when I was 6 was my defining moment. When it really got fun was when I was 12 and could shop in the pre-teen department. I still remember those outfits!!

May 5, 2012 at 9:22 am

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What a fun idea.

So many style memories. I’ll list just a few:

The turquoise floor-length “robe” my mother made for me when I was around 4, fit and flare with princess seams and an “ermine” ruff (really rabbit fur).

My red patent leather “tapping” shoes when I was 5.

A series of rich velvet Christmas dresses in dark red, forest green, royal blue.

The white cotton gloves and hats I wore to church.

My mother’s navy and white polka dot “New Look” style dress in my dress-up box.

The ivory silk platform pumps in a friend’s dress-up box.

Bright yellow sling backs – fifth grade.

My first specs – black octagons.

A hot pink shift dress that my mom wore in the 60s at some parties she attended.

My first pair of real jeans – soaked and stretched to fit.

Hmmm…I’m only turning 14 in these memories and I could go on forever! I’ll stop here, but it’s such a fun project. With such strong memories, no wonder I like a touch of vintage in my look!

May 6, 2012 at 10:08 am

rosee

Veteran

…I’m intrigued, I may just get this book.

Style “moments” (very briefly) include:
– late 70s — clogs, espadrilles and military-inspired clothes, some boho styles
– early 80s — they were bad, prefer not to comment
– mid to late 80s — more dressed-up classic style influencing my choices, some prep, some new wave and punk influences
– early to mid 90s – leaning to grunge but still not as tattered as others were wearing it. I wore black oiled leather docs and “janitor” pants but I tapered and hemmed them so I could almost get away with wearing them for a dressy occasion with a jacket and blousier top. Docs or combat boots and dresses.
– late 90s to 2000s — pretty much developed “my style” to what it is today — minimalist, simple, modest, organic, somewhat gamine (when slimmer), very slight touches of boho, and all the good vintage styles from the previous eras still in my wardrobe.

May 6, 2012 at 4:52 pm

christieanne

Veteran

@rosee – we are probably similar age as your style memories reflect so many of mine!

I do remember well my first pair of flash tone nylons and a wooden wedge heeled white platform sandal for my 6th grade promotion day. Worn with a Laura Ashley type floral dress – huge event!

Many of my fashion memories are tied to back to school shopping as that seems like the time we reflected on the image we wanted to project and dug through the closet for what would survive.
70’s and early 80’s – clogs and espadrilles, Dittos flare jeans leading into Levis (yes, soaked to fit) and then self tapered later during a time of new wave-Euro influence. Preppy mixed with new wave.
mid 80’s – flannel, boots, jeans, novelty ts and sweatshirts, paint splattered and arty gear – I lived in Grunge capital of the world and we were on the forefront of that boho look.
late 80’s – entering the working world. Big and bold shoulder pads in structured suits. My favorite of all was a red and white houndstooth check with gold buttons – I wish I still had it and that the Chanel style jacket would still fit!
90’s – suits, black, eventually adding a feminine touch to the workwear became ok again and heels

Fun – I would love to read through this book!

May 7, 2012 at 12:33 am

Inge

(website)

Moderator

I so enjoy reading about all your defining style moments, and the flashbacks to earlier decades do bring back memories:-)

Thank you so much for the vote of confidence, Lynne. I just bought a pair of cobalt blue straight-legged jeans and will start out a little less bold: I plan to wear them with gold loafers first;-)

May 7, 2012 at 2:27 pm

sendra

I’ve always known what I liked but learning how to make it work for me has been a lifelong journey.
I also had quite an epiphany when I had my colours “done”. That changed a lot and made me more confident. Another defining moment was when I decided I would not give up black although it is not “my” colour. Incorporating it in small doses or as part of a pattern to get a more urbane attitude has made me find my style.

May 8, 2012 at 4:36 am

HelenInCanada

Veteran

I want to have a peak into this book as well!

Wearing a school uniform (kilt + white button down + acrylic vest + knee socks) throughout my teens impacted me in that I still panic when I have to attend a special occasion and realize my closet has only “good-enough” casual or orphan pieces for bopping around, but no “10s” ready to go! Falling back on the uniform daily dulled my fashion sense, I found, and I rarely thought about building a wardrobe. My twenties were filled with hit and misses and obsessing over women’s magazines like Vogue, Elle, FLARE, and Glamour…but feeling confused when it came to choosing outfits perfect for me. I also loved admiring street styles, but didin’t feel daring enough to try things I liked on others. Working part-time at The Bay (dept. store) really helped me learn about quality clothing, fit, and body type suitability. That was definitely a turning point in my style education!

May 9, 2012 at 10:40 am

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