Ask Angie: Developing Style

NaturalEve

Developing Style,
Hello dear style guru,
I have a bit of a dilemma, my closet has a lot of good quality clothing- blazers, skinny jeans, boyfriend jeans, blouses, undershirts, great coats, and nice shoes (granted they could be a little bit more extensive, now that winter is coming in) etc.. I have all the essential ingredients to make a really good cake, but for some reason when I pair things up it doesn't turn out that way, just a flat souffle.
My question is, why am I not seeing it? Recently, I have tried mixing and matching clothing to experiment, and I would think I got the perfect combination. Next day, my mom (who has a great eye for what looks good) says the opposite. It would always be some detail: wrong shoes, pants don't match what's going up on top, etc. We would then find something in my closet that looked even better! Why is it that I have no style, or what I think looks good in actuality looks really bad?
How can I develop my own style? I like having my moms opinion but I really want to do this for myself and learn to dress myself stylishly.
I really like the classic look, Audrey Hepburn and Taylor Swift for example, but since I am in college I try to keep comfort in there and practicality. So modern classic is my favorite. Any suggestions on what to do will be appreciated.

11 years ago

Dressing

13 replies

Latest reply was from texstyle

Anonymous

Hi NaturalEve! I'm not Angie (she has a very busy day today, picking up Inge from the airport and all) but I'll share some advice that seems to pop up for this type of question. First, do you have a Pinterest board? Try pinning pictures that inspire you. Bonus points if they include items you have hanging in your closet. This can help you learn how to put all those great items together. Second, check out Angie's outfit formulas. Third, start taking selfies and post them on the forum here to get help fine-tuning the details like proportions, etc. Good luck!

11 years ago

kkards

Veteran

NaturalEve, 1st as i think most good cooks will tell you, very few got that way without making a few (or a lot) of mistakes along the way. after all, its how you learn. 2nd you're a college student, which is a great time to experiment and try different styles and style personas. i like clearlyclaire's idea of a pinterest board. but also look around at classmates whose style you really admire, then ask yourself, what is it about their look that you like? why do you like it? can you duplicate it? then try it. if its not great, try something else the next day. mostly, try to have some fun!

11 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It sounds like you are already way further ahead than you know. You have a great closet full of items! Claire and KKards have given you great advice.

Another idea is to take photos and analyze them, as forum members do here.

And perhaps start with Angie's body type recommendations. Do you know your body type?

11 years ago

Cerinda

Veteran

As they said, it's all about the selfies (front and back). Keep doing your mix and match, and shoot as many as you can. You'll soon see when an ensemble works for you. If you know it works, and want to understand why, post it here or text the photo to your mom; this is a game that takes practice. The style gene does not skip a generation; you're already well on your way.

11 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I love talking and thinking about beauty. And perception. These represent whole realms of study in philosophy, art and science.

One of my favourite examples of things from this realm is columns - the kind that get put on houses and buildings. Do you notice that modern columns on modern houses don't really help things look graceful (and not cheap)? It's because they go straight up and down (they are, in fact, cheap because that's the easiest, cheapest thing to do). But you see, there's an optical effect that happens from a distance. Columns need a vertical curve to counteract it and achieve a more proportional, leaner, less distorted appearance to the eye.

Anyways, I think there are three basics to consider when looking at things:

Shapes: E.g., do you have big and boxy on both the top and bottom? That is are you doing the modern column in clothing?
Proportions (lengths) of parts as compared to each other: E.g., have you bisected yourself exactly in half? There's a general preference/notion that legs should be a bit longer than the torso. At least in Western Culture. Or for example, have you done something to eliminate your neck from the picture? Like a lot of shoulder padding?
The Path you set for the eye to follow: Like a painting, you want the viewer's eye to travel the whole of the outfit and keep traveling it. Or to zero in on a statement factor. You don't want eyes to glaze over and slide right off. And I'd hazard, most women do not want the viewer's eye to come to an abrupt halt at the widest part of their hips such that this takes up all the viewer's attention and starts to become a morbid fascination... haha

11 years ago

NaturalEve

Active Member

Thank you everyone for your replies, they have been most helpful!
Suz, I am a tall (if you think 5'7'' is tall, which I like to think) pear shape.
rachylou, I am very intrigued by your post, it was very interesting to read how closely architecture correlated with fashion. Could you elaborate a bit more on the points that you made with the shape, proportions, and path?

11 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Hi Natural Eve, and welcome. You've received great suggestions already.

If you can, upload some outfits pics you think are fab, and we'll offer our two cents. This is a very kind and supportive community, and we might be able to pinpoint some areas for you to think about that could make it easier to style your own outfits.

Remember that style is very subjective. As long as YOU feel fab in your outfit, that's all that counts.

11 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Lucky you to be 5'7". It may not be super tall, but it's taller than me, and I envy you your height!

Meanwhile, Angie's body shape guidelines might be helpful and then considering proportion, as Rachy said, in addition to the shapes.

11 years ago

Truecolors

(website)

Active Member

Hi Natural Eve. I wanted to first say that you are wayyyyy ahead of the game if you're thinking about developing your personal style while in college. I admit that in my college days, jeans and t-shirts were the fashion we all wore, and I'm sure we looked pretty drab!

When I think of Audrey Hepburn, whose style you said you admire, I see simple, clean lines and usually a great hat or huge pair of earrings or funky sunglasses. She always had a signature accessory that made her outfit personal and noticeable. Perhaps if you think in terms of pulling your outfits together with a prominent accessory, such as a beautiful scarf, funky hat, or chic sunglasses, that will make the difference between blah and BLAM!

I also wanted to chime in on what rachylou talked about -- the importance of wearing pleasing proportions. When I studied The Golden Mean I discovered that the golden mean ratio of 2:3 (or 3:5) appears in nature (the snowflake, leaves), architecture, art, automobile design, fashion, and more. It's a ratio -- 2 parts to 3 parts -- that creates symmetry and beauty, and has been used by artists for thousands of years. It's a much more pleasing and interesting proportion than 1:1. When you look at the human body, we are made up of 8 head lengths (that's right!). If you measure your head length with a ribbon or tape, you'll see that you are approximately 3 head lengths from the top of your head to your waist, and approx 5 head lengths from your waist to the bottom of your feet. That's a 3:5 ratio.

Bottom line, when you put an outfit together, sometimes all it takes is playing with the proportions (I have read several beautifully written Angie articles on this topic). You can use belts, tucking, layering to get different proportions. You can also play with your neckline -- if you want to elongate your neckline, wear v-neck; shorten your neckline with crew or turtleneck.

I love reminding people that our bodies are an art form -- we are made up of lines, shapes, and shadows. When you think about dressing your body shape, every part of your body has creative meaning, and you can drape your body as an artist would in a painting or sculpture. Add embellishments in the form of accessories to create a harmonious, balanced look.

Have fun with your signature style!

11 years ago

abc

Veteran

We are all developing our style here so please don't beat yourself up or fret too much.

One tip I picked up from what not to wear was to incorporate these things in every outfit: color, pattern, texture and shine. I like simple formulas and this helps me sometimes when I can't put a finger on why an outfit isn't working.

Good luck and welcome.

11 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

True Color's discussion of ratio is a great expansion on the topic of proportion.

Here's another one on shapes: When you learn to draw, one of things you do is break things down into component geometric shapes. I've attached a picture of Little Hess. Her head is a skinnified hexagon, which is not obvious at first.

And so it is with blazers. You can have a blazer that's a triangle, the triangle could be inverted, it could be two triangles going tip to tip... could be a skinny rectangle, square... and so forth.

A path tidbit. If you wear red shoes, a red pocket square, and red earrings - you'll get the viewer's eye to travel the full up-and-down of your outfit. You'll also tie disparate parts (e.g., top and bottom) together into a whole.

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11 years ago

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I would add to the Pinterest idea searching for a specific item in you closet for inspiration.. example burgundy jeans outfits.
The great thing about taking photos is that you get a better more realistic view of things... i learned very quickly that my mirror had been lying to me regarding proportions..

11 years ago

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Just wanted to chime in to say I love Rachylou's tidbits on shapes, proportions and paths. This is something I do in my art but sometimes forget to do when dressing - and it's so important. Not to mention color combining for certain effects.

I think also if you want to find a specific "style" for yourself, it helps to know about other peoples' style choices. Example, I have learned that I love a natural style and choose colors that are found in some of the nature scenes of my preference. For me it is often serene lake, beach, wooded mountain trails and such. Someone else might prefer bright sunny florals.

I like to focus on the *feeling* I want to have and to convey such as soft, peaceful, etc., while others might like to focus on a persona they'd like to convey such as tough, sexy, classic, artistic, smart, etc.

Your mom may be great at dressing/style, but she isn't YOU. You have to *feel* right in the clothes you choose and be willing to make some mistakes along the way to finding your own style. Is your closet full of things you love or full of things you feel you are supposed to love?

Angie has some posts here about dressing for your real life that also might be helpful.

11 years ago

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