This morning I wrote about describing your style persona, which involved coming up with two lists of adjectives. One that describes your current style and another that describes the style you aspire to achieve. Sometimes it is hard to come up with these adjectives. When this is the case, my clients have found it useful to think about adjectives that do NOT describe the style they aspire to achieve. 

Try having a stab at this yourself. Start off by jotting down thoughts on the types of looks, vibes and styles that are not right for you on this leg of your style journey. Then narrow it down to five to ten adjectives. I’ll use myself as an example. I do not aspire to a style that is:

• Bohemian
• Bombshell
• Casual
• Maximal
• Neutral 
• Romantic
• Rough Around The Edges (RATE)

Style is a celebration of individuality, so our lists will probably look quite different. That’s brilliant because there is no one way to be stylish. Your style begins and ends with a strong sense of self, and that’s the most important thing. 

Over the years I’ve written about the topic of fashion personas more than once. The subject comes up frequently with my clients and forum members. Lots of ladies feel that they don’t fit into any of the personas I’ve suggested, OR, they fit into different ones at different times, perhaps depending on their mood. This makes perfect sense. Don’t ever feel that you have to box yourself into one persona exactly as it is defined. It’s also perfectly fab to dress in a bohemian style one day, a preppy look the next, and a classic vibe the week after that. This chameleon integrity merely becomes part of your style. 

The fashion personas are there to serve as a starting point. If you look through style books, browse through magazines, and read fashion blogs, you’ll find many more fashion personas that aren’t included on my list. Tough Chic, Romantic Eclectic, Urban Warrior Princess, Preppy, Punk, Androgynous, Tomboy, Retro Princess, Steam Punk just to name a few. It isn’t essential to familiarize with all of these personas, but it can inspire your own style, and it can be fun. They also serve as a common frame of reference that makes it easier to communicate with others about your style or the style that you aspire to.

Fashion personas aside, it’s often easier to describe your current style and the style you aspire to achieve in your own words. This is an essential exercise that I do with my clients at the start of a style renewal or a style refresher because it breaks things down in the simplest way. First, jot down whatever thoughts come to mind about your current style, then try to isolate the key adjectives. Do the same for the style you aspire to, and try to whittle it down to five to ten adjectives for each of them. It is great if fashion personas are among the adjectives, but feel free to use whatever adjectives describe your style the best. 

To illustrate I’m going to use a fictional client, who I will call Daisy. Here are the adjectives that describe Daisy’s current style persona:

• Bohemian
• Earthy
• Neutral
• Arty
• Maximal
• Romantic
• Casual
• Playful

Here are the adjectives that describe the style persona she aspires to achieve:

• Earthy
• Arty
• Neutral
• Romantic
• Tailored
• Authoritative

Daisy clearly wants to build onto some of the aspects of her current style as she moves onto the next leg of her style journey. The Earthy and Romantic parts mean that Daisy will probably continue to wear Bohemian inspired pieces. But the new Tailored and Authoritative aspects mean that she’ll also explore Classic Style and perhaps add in a few pieces that she can wear in an Arty way. 

As Daisy moves through her style refresher, she will continuously realign her dressing and purchasing decisions with her style goals. And while staying focused on the goals is key, there is always room to adjust them. In the process of cleaning her closet or shopping for new items Daisy might rethink some of her aspirations, or she might find a part of her current style that she overlooked. If this happens she can just adjust the goals and keep moving.

Not everyone will do this exercise explicitly. For some it will be completely intuitive. For others, taking the time to think about these things and writing them down will be an essential part of keeping them focused. It will give them direction, save them frustration and ultimately, probably even save them money as they make fewer purchases that get more wear. The reason it is essential for all of my clients is partly because I need to understand their goals.

Having done the exercise, you might find that there is very little difference between your current style persona and the one you aspire to achieve. If so, good job! That means you’ve internalized your style goals and can merrily continue on your current path.

If you like, have a quick stab at this exercise in the comments below. Jot down adjectives that describe your current style, then do the same for the style you aspire to achieve. How different are the two lists?

Having the first Book Nook post of 2012 coincide with kick-off day for our second YLF Book Club meet-up feels very fitting to me. As it turned out, our first Book Club title, Parisian Chic, generated lots of discussion. Opinions differed greatly and it was good fun thrashing things out on the forum. The book certainly sparked new interest in items that author Ines de la Fressange names on her list of essentials: the navy V-neck sweater, low-heeled loafers (a big trend this season), a striped tee, leather jacket and a versatile blazer. But there was more to it than that. Her style advice and the conversations that ensued clearly struck a chord with many YLF readers, and actually inspired some of us to start the next leg of our style journey. From incorporating that certain je-ne-sais-quoi element into our current wardrobe or use the “Magnificent Seven” as the basis for a complete style make-over, to thought-provoking discussions on what exactly constitutes tomboy style and why dressing in a classic way sometimes still gets a bad wrap. This book had us rethink topics that carry over from one year to another, and contemplate where we would like to go next. 

Let’s Talk About Bill Cunningham

This month YLF Book Club is all about the beautiful documentary Bill Cunningham New York, an ode to the New York City based photographer who is considered to be one of the pioneers of street style and continues to daily document trends and creative dressing in his inimitable way. I found it very moving and uplifting to see that in all those years Mr. Cunningham has never compromised on his ethical and artistic views, and how he is still the happiest with camera in hand, snapping pics of people who are obviously enjoying getting dressed in the morning. Now that’s what I call having fun with fashion on multiple levels! 

We can’t wait to hear what you thought of the movie. What’s the one thing that stuck with you the most? Have you started taking more of an interest in street style reportage after watching it?  

Quick reminder: On the Book Club page you can find the schedule of previous, current and future Book Club titles.

My comprehensive “must haves” list for Spring 2012 is still several weeks away, but here’s a teaser to whet your appetites. I figured we needed a little Spring boost in the dead of Winter. 

Something Orange

It’s the colour of the season, so if it’s your thing, stock up with orange wardrobe delights. We will see all shades of the colour, from pastels and brights to burnt oranges, muted tones, red-orange and deep rust. Remember that you don’t need to wear a solid orange top or bottom to sport the colour. Instead, sport orange in a print, accessory, layering piece, or toenail polish. 

I’m interested to see the consumer reaction to orange. According to last years colour by gender infographic, it is the least favourite colour among women.

A Denim Shirt

They aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but denim shirts, or “camp shirts” are truly versatile, and to my eye very cool. They can effectively dress down an outfit, creating and interesting mix with dressier pieces. They are also a casual staple. 

Patterned Pants

Don’t cringe and give this fashion forward look a chance. We’re looking at all sorts of patterns from classic subtle plaids and gingham, to crazy bright florals, jailbird stripes and everything in between. Pant silhouettes are skinny, flared, wide legged, slouchy, boot cut, pleated, tapered, cropped — you name it — and you’ll probably find it in a printed version this season. 

A Pair of Loafers

The flat classic loafer is always in style, but this season it’s a statement. Chunky or refined, sporty or dressy, neutral or coloured, solid or patterned, edgy or classic, take your pick. Of course, there are heeled loafers for Team Heels, but the look is more about the flat or low heeled version as seen on the runways of New York Fashion Week last September. 

So how do these items grab your fancy?