Revamping my style descriptors

Torontogirl's post has motivated me to think about my style adjectives. They need some tweaking because I don't use them as they are, so they must not be right for me, so I asked my DD for some help.

My 5 style adjectives are: (easy, creative, calm, graceful, classic/simple) My DD advised that I eliminate the word "creative" from both of them. While I have creative elements this is not my dominant trait. She feels my more dominant traits are my "soft" traits that make me easy to approach, comfortable to be around, genuine and feminine. My next dominant traits are my calm traits. Her style adjectives for me were: "classic, calm, professional, fresh, soft, classy"

My DH picked "sophisticated, professional, feminine, expensive, classic" (I could hear him adding dollar signs across the room, and my daughter was giggling as he was talking.) There is some common ground between DD and DH.

Using this information, perhaps I can revise my style adjectives to the following: 1. Soft (meaning feminine, approachable, comfortable, genuine, and the concrete meaning of the word as well - nice drape and texture) 2. Calm (meaning monochromatic, low to medium contrast, small or no pattern, simple in line and design, understated elegance, nothing overly chunky, thick, heavy,bold, or edgy) 3. Fresh (meaning not frumpy looking, fun, fairly modern and up to date, but not necessarily trendy) 4. Classic ( tasteful, timeless, having longer term appeal) 5. Polished (I like this word instead of professional. I think it serves the same purpose only better because it reflects my professional stature, but that I maintain this standard for myself in other parts of my life as well.)

New style descriptors: SOFT, CALM, FRESH, CLASSIC, POLISHED

11 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

EXCELLENT. I love the last sentence. You nailed it. Well done.

Staysfit

Veteran

Thanks Angie! I'm hopeful these will work better for me in 2015! Have a Happy New Year!

shedev

Had to laugh at expensive.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Ha, if you asked my DH he'd probably also pick expensive as one of my descriptors...

I like your list; it seems like it fits you very well based on the pictures and posts I've seen from you.

I think based on all this information, and looking back at the Style Statement book, I should change my Style Statement from "composed creative" to "Genuine Composed". I think this will be a good fit.

Kristin L

Your DH's comment about expensive made me smile. I think my DH would probably say the same thing.

I think your descriptors match you perfectly! And thank you for adding such clear explanation.

Shedev, I have to say that my daughter's code word for expensive is classy! She just didn't want to say it so directly. She has more tact than my DH! I know what she means though!

UmmLila (Lisa)

I laughed at "expensive," too. I felt that my husband would be in agreement there. I do think it was a good idea to ask your family their opinions, too. It's interesting to see a difference in perceptions even among those who know you best.

thimblelina

Great post! I think all those descriptors suit you very well...
I'm working on mine: relaxed, understated urban eclectic. It's not trendy but it is aware of trends; it unselfconsciously mixes high with low, old with new, etc; it is completely self assured in terms of color, line & proportion; it has very small witty details that you have to get reasonably up close to fully appreciate; it never looks like putting things together was in any way fussy, prissy, matchy or pushy but rather just organically came together with minimal effort on my part. I'm finding its not just a style descriptor... it's a mindset!

unfrumped

I like genuine, and I also like Approachable Calm Classic.

Jaime

I like the substitution and also shared a smile over DH's comment.

Suz

What a great idea to ask your family for their thoughts! (I had to chuckle at "expensive." MY DH might be even less diplomatic and say "crazy.")

I agree that your new descriptors are more indicative of your actual style. "Creative" tends to make us all think (rightly or wrongly) of boho or arty or possibly vintage or avant guard -- none of which really fit your core style sensibility as we've seen it so far. But it's always a work in progress!

Thanks Suz! Yes, my DH is mostly diplomatic, if using the word expensive can be called that I so agree that I do not have much in the way of Boho in my style except my bangles, which I have worn to compensate for sleeves that are too short, since High School. Now I mostly push sleeves up anyway, so it doesn't seem to matter if I have the bangles on or not.

Thimblelina, you are finding what I have found and I think describing it as a "mindset" is very accurate. What we are really doing here with style adjectives is describing in words how we express our personality visually with style. These are very different vocabularies and one is not easily translated into the other.

I think that is why I have worked on a mission statement and my Style Statement (which I am still not entirely convinced is accurate (Genuine Composed) because it doesn't take into account the sensible, thoughtful, analytical, intellectual, introspective part of my personality. I am not sure what one word might encompass all those qualities?

ATLynn

Very nice descriptors, and from what I can tell, they definitely suit you. I find your familiy input really interesting, and think it's great that you took the effort to adapt.

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