Adorable article!! Thanks for sharing.
I'm actually going to take up the cry for the nurture side of the debate, using this site as exhibit A. How many people have come here feeling positively adrift in a sea of fashion options? And how many of those people evolve into stylish, confident ladies after mastering Angie's tips, absorbing guidance from the forum and watching others at various points in their own style journeys? The process may come more easily to some than to others, but in many cases style is acquired.
My own unique experience also supports my theory, imo. I literally had to be taught basics like which colours do and don't clash, which fabrics are mat vs glossy, etc. Through those teachings and considerable trial and error, I've developed a strong style identity and some degree of taste (though god knows I'm fallible there). I have vivid mental pictures of what I want and what will work for me, and as this site has helped to confirm, my basic concept is usually pretty sound (you guys step in and make it work by sorting out the details). One could argue that I was born with some degree of fashion-consciousness, but I know that nothing would have come of it if I didn't have people in my life who were willing to coach me in aesthetic concepts. My natural interest in the subject may have driven me to seek out additional information, but in the end I still would have to school myself in the ways of the fashion-savvy.
Apologies who have heard this rant before -- I went into it in some detail on my blog.
