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WIW and WIMW: Two sides to my Style Persona..

Sal

Veteran

Hello Forum Friends,

I had to laugh today when I put on my work outfit at how different it is to the dress I tried on last night.

1) What I am wearing to work - simple, minimalist, androgynous style in neutral colours (as dull and dark as I go right now) Flatform laceups felt right here.

2) A dress I purchased at a second hand sale on a whim. It's very much a resort style dress or for my imaginary trip to Portugal or Croatia to dine outdoors. It is bold colours, patterned and a feminine floaty style and I am wearing gold sandals - again very feminine in style. This is as bare and as floaty as I would go.

I will put the dress aside as its autumn here now and reevaluate when the occasion arises. Since it was very affordable and second hand with proceeds going to Dress for Success I am not worried if I wear it once or don't wear it at all.

Yes they both feel authentic to me. What do they share? They are both simple with clean lines, and both easy to walk in and move in.

Do you wear two (or more) contrasting styles that both feel true to you?

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26 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Both sides of your style are fably complementary, Sal! The similarities as you suggest are evident, and the differences live in harmony. You wear both sides beautifully

FUN NEW DRESS! Great with your hair and aviators. You rock platforms - my word!

To answer your question, YES - I have a few opposing sides too. But each side is clean, crisp, modern, and pretty sooooooo they live in peace and harmony. Equally authentic. For example:

Strict suits, classic jumpers, and shirts #1 to #6
Puffy, flouncy, and playful details in other items #7 to #12

Boss by Hugo Boss Jabielle Wool & Silk Suit Jacket

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13

Comme Des Garçons PLAY Cotton Button-Up Shirt

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8

COMME DES GARÇONS PLAY Black Heart Stripe Cotton Shirt

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9

Brooks Brothers

Supima Cotton Cable Sweater

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13

Brooks Brothers

Supima Cotton Cable Sweater

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7

G-Star Raw 3301 Slim Denim Jacket

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18

Marks and Spencer

M&S Collection Linen Rich Gingham Square Neck Midi Dress

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12

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Helen Sparkle Dress

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12

Nine West Printed Twist-Front Midi Dress

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6

3.1 Phillip Lim 3.1 Phillip Lim Print Asymmetrical Ruffle Skirt (Nordstrom Exclusive) | Nordstrom

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22

Abstract Pleated Midi Skirt

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8

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

These are great on you, and I agree that they’re both authentic to your style. Your home appears to be an arts & crafts style that fits in as well, with its clean lines and occasional floral wallpaper.

I love the question you posed and am going to think on it for a while. My first response is that I have a couple different color schemes—black and white seems to be my late summer jam, extending the end of the year, and in early spring my thoughts turn to berry colors, but the separation obviously isn’t complete, based on photo evidence. I think I also have different summer and winter persona, with the summer one looking bright and carefree and the winter one….I haven’t quite gotten it into words.

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rachylou

Veteran

The clean simple lines provide a consistent integrity.

It’s an interesting question. I try my best to tame the tendency… but I wander still stylewise into ‘untrue’ looks…

kellygirl

Veteran

I think we share a sense of practicality too. I can totally relate to the androgynous style for work. That's me to a T these days. Love the dress on you btw.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks Angie - I can see that about your style. They both work so well and sometimes can be blended in one outfit.

StagF- I can see both a practical and a carefree style in your outfits. It’s a bit harder to do in winter I agree.

Rachy - I think most of us do that. I do!

Kelly- I think working in practical industries with lots of men means tomboy styles are really easy.

Runcarla

Veteran

Well! I just love the cool refined minimalism of the first look. The platform sneakers and gorgeous bag make it modern and trendy. I can appreciate the fun of the new dress. It is feminine without being frou-frou, so I can absolutely see these as two different, yet authentic styles for you.

I’ve been struggling with style identifiers/personas since moving away from Tomboy. I do love to name a thing! Currently I’m skewing classic with a dose of prep - button downs, silk foulards, loafers, and/or some weird cross between minimalist and hipster! I was thinking modern land girl, but instead of going retro with sweaters, corduroy, wool jackets, and rubber boots, for land girl, I ended up with puffers, skinny jeans, beanies, and Blundstones, which is more urban garden center!

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I guess contrasting styles come about as we all have to fit into a box at some point in our lives (whether it be for work, a funeral etc...) but I can still see the casual, comfy & simple style come through in both looks. They're both fun in their own way!

For me, I wear colour both at work & at home, but I do try to temper some of the 'louder' parts of my style at work (usually my scarves aren't printed & my accessories are smaller, lol).

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Both outfits look great and both look very you, even if there are representing different parts of your life. The thing that ties all my outfits together is less a particular style persona and more a particular taste (my own). There are certainly themes and preferences that can be induced, but it is a bottom up not top down definition.

Sal

Veteran

Carla - I think your style has a mix of the urban and the country or rural to it. You tend to have something polished but you aren't fully preppy or classic. Part of this is your curls of course. I think we can do better than urban garden centre though.....maybe urban country chic. I do think you have a fair bit of Katherine Hepburn so you could do something like 21st Century Kate Hepburn (along the lines of my Grown Up Charlies Angel).

Zaeobi - yes dresscodes and workplaces and occasions such as funerals do call for thought. Sometimes I want to be noticed for things other than my clothes at work especially on a zoom call.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Wow, you wear those pants so well. That outfit is super fab. I like this minimalist androgynous vibe on you.

The dress is also a great pick, and yes, also very you. I like how you've described it as being as bare and floaty as you would go; it's still quite grounded, with the large polka dot pattern, and it looks fantastic on you.

I am sure I wear different styles, and probably more than two of them!

Sal

Veteran

Thanks Sharan! I am enjoying these pants. They seem to be easy to style.

The dress - I do wear bare arms and thin straps regularly in the heat of summer, but this feels at the edge of my comfort zone in terms of the style. It's not totally different to the dresses in the finds below but the combination of the floaty fabric, bold colours and pattern, and the skimpier top is a stretch. I can see myself wearing it on holiday at a resort or similar (I don't have one planned) or for summer entertaining at home.

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Joy

Veteran

Both outfits look so good on you. You ask a good question. In general I feel like me in both dressy and casual outfits, but only if I can go out in them.

Sally

Veteran

I like both of those outfits and think they both have a relaxed not overly accessorised feel. I have been wearing quite flowy skirts and then sometimes I wear skinny jeans, so a contrast between fitted and flowing but I never look polished, nothing overly feminine or fussy.

RobinF

Veteran

I love both of these on you. I also work with all men and have simplified my work wardrobe - it's easier to get dressed and no one really cares anyway I love your combo of black and khaki, simple and striking. The dress is great too and I totally see it for you.

Jonesy

Veteran

You wear both of these styles with elan! My style is sort of a mishmash, so I would say I wear lots of different styles. I don't like to be pinned down ;).

Cardiff girl

Veteran

That new dress is lovely on you,a good buy.l think that it’s completely normal to have more than one style in one’s wardrobe .Although l admire people who can curate a tight ,signature style wardrobe it’s not for me,l like variety too much.

Style Fan

Veteran

Both styles work well for you. I wear simple lines, but occasionally I add something from my boho days. Or I go with a pair of statement jeans.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

They are both fairly simple, not many tricky details. And the shoes are both chunkier than some, not dainty, which is consistent.
I think one aspect of my style that varies is how I like wearing a lot of black and grey in winter when I also at other times love bright colours.

Aurore

Veteran

Both outfits looks beautiful! I agree with Sharan that those trousers are fabulous on you.
I too sometimes (*often) feel torn between two seemingly opposite styles : on the one side I'm fond of lakylike, refined looks (think Kate Middleton), and on the other side I'm keen on tough, rugged outfits (think Lara Croft)...I usually have a lot of fun trying to find the perfect way of balancing them according to my mood and the agenda of the day.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks Joy - I agree staying home in dressy outfits can be hard.

Sally - yes you do wear both flowing and tailored looks. I think chunky shoes are signature.

Robin - thanks! I have been pleased how versatile the trousers are.

Jonestown - style should be fun I think so no need to feel pinned down. It’s great exploring different things that feel right.

I agree Cardiff girl - I hope we both get more chances to explore our style in 2022.

Thanks Stylefan - I can see that about your style. Mostly simple and authentic with a bit of boho thrown in.

Jenni- I do like simple pieces and struggle with layers and scarves. I think of the gold sandals as quite refined but the straps are wide. I think it’s hard to avoid black in the NZ winter and for practical people like us it is just so versatile.

Aurore- those are two different
Style icons! But Kate M is often quite practical in her clothes with simple lines. Fun to think about her in an action film!!

Bijou

Veteran

These two styles work so well on you. For me, I like wearing elegant lace dresses just as much as I enjoy wearing my doc marten boots. Most of the time I am somewhere in between these reference points.

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

That new dress is fabulous, Sally! It feels very 70s to me -- so fits right in with the grown up Charlie's angel moniker. I think the other outfit also fits, because the Angels usually wore no nonsense fairly androgynous clothes so they could move and run. Your outfit feels like a sophisticated version of that. The bag and shoes elevate it (no pun intended!).

I'm not sure I have two sides to my style. I typically choose more feminine items (dresses, skirts, maybe a small heel) when dressing up, but that is common and doesn't feel like a style disjunct to me.

Helena

Veteran

The similarities you noted are what immediately sprang to mind Sal ... they both have that confident ease that is so signature to your look and vibe. Love them both!

Brooklyn

Veteran

Very late here Sally. I would say the dress is very you. Breezy and feminine. I think the pants outfit is a bit of a change for you. A little more sharp and androgynous. I like the change up!

I don’t know if I wear contrasting styles. I suppose I will happily wear something quite hard edge (like combat boots) one day and something very soft and luxe 70s (like velvet flares) the next.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks Bijou - you do balance an edgy and a feminine style very well!

Helena- thanks. I hope I do wear the dress as I love a bit of summer romance:)

Suz - thanks - I think so too!! I can see your outfits as balancing classic, modern, edgy and sometimes you add sportiness, sometimes a bit more feminine and sometimes a bit more punk. I think the core style is the modern edgy classic.

Brooklyn - the trouser style does feel a bit more of a departure. I will wear the pants with a floral blouse too... I can see your hard and soft edge looks - they have similarity but are on a spectrum.

unfrumped

Veteran

I think both are great in tgst you look comfortably polished in each.
I struggle with style monikers though I’m sure some combination of classic, prep and business casual plus sporty luxe is going on.
But since clothes can be fun, I think it’s fine and certainly possible to have more than one side to style types. Yes at some level there might be a connecting theme but I’m not sure that has to be overt, as long as the clothes are being worn & one feels good in them. So different people might make more efforts to see connections explicitly vs intuitively.
One example of what I mean is that
there’s a difference between complete “imaginary lifestyle “ clothing purchases that have no role or goal at all, or so seldom as to gather dust and become outdated, vs. a shadow style “ that you like to wear sometimes and feel you have enough occasions and ( maybe or) get some real kick out of it but don’t wear it as often as another style. Of one can analyze whether that means it’s not authentic or whether it’s more like dessert! Or whether they’re not different at all.
I also have had issues with finding just the right thing(s) that tick enough boxes and meet style goals - feet or fabrics might be problems- and so have occasionally made decisions about whether to go “ personal style adjacent “.
The other aspect is that if items are comfortable ( not necessarily sweatpants- comfy, but pass the all-day test), figure-flattering and practical ( not too precious, not wrinkly) , then I might find them appealing in different styles because I’d find them wearable in different situations and mixed with different items that might expand the style type. Or maybe those characteristics ARE the style persona !