Your Style in One Word - YouLookFab Forum

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Your Style in One Word

Dee

Veteran

We've often discussed here on the forum about our 3 style words and even style monikers but Suntiger mentioned in Carol's recent post that "having just 1 word that every piece of clothing and every outfit must be" was for her the best way to go. This had me wondering exactly which word I would choose to essentially sum up what my own style always needs to be about.

I thought this might be a fun exercise in order to get to the basic core of my style but it's certainly challenging boiling it down to just one word. However, after some consideration, I feel that my ONE WORD would be REFINED, because no matter what outfit I wear, casual, sporty, or dressy, it always needs to feel well-put-together, polished, with clean lines and a good fit. That is what refined means to me.

How about you? What do you think your One Word would be?

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Refined is a great word, Dee! I see it

I just asked hubs Greg to describe my style in ONE word - and before I could finish the sentence he said with great confidence - Polished. So I'm going with Polished.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Refined is a great one word description - it encompasses a lot about your style.
Hmm, for me how about unexpected? Or RATE (rough around the edges from early YLF vocabulary). Disheveled might work too .
Polished is the perfect one word for you Angie - Greg knows you well .

Lisa

Veteran

Coordinated

I like to make sure everything "goes" together and for my outfits to have cohesion and harmony.

Dee

Veteran

Angie- Love how quickly and confidently Greg came up with your word, I totally agree with him too. Every element of your style is always polished.
Jaime- Haha, that’s 3 words, but your choice of Unexpected could be apropos, but only you can determine what it should really be.
Lisa- Your word is spot on.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Yes! I am still thinking about all this. My word used to be "Italian," but it was hard to keep up with, because I wasn't going around in black lace blouses and silk pants.

"Eclectic" is probably closest, because I am drawn to so many things...but it is a little general.
One thing I notice about myself is that I usually avoid new trends until they are totally over, at which point I will try it because I can fit it into a culture or time period. So I like things that represent something--my brown cords are very Brady Bunch, while my hammered silver and turquoise bracelet from the Santa Fe craftsmen is really one of the key pieces for my state. And of course, you might remember I recently got a "Dude" sweater like the one in The Big Lebowski.

Though I don't think it fits in the long run, I will pick "Smithsonian" as my word. Cultural touchstones.

Sal

Veteran

I think I would say Natural. It's not perfect but it is possibly the closest.

Irina

Veteran

Mine would be minimal, I think.

Bijou

Veteran

My word is Glam. I always like something that hints at glamour without being serious.

Star (Lise)

Veteran

Edgy. Not that I always dress edgy. But I feel most like myself when there is an edgy element. Often I try on an item and when it is too staid or sweet and not edgy enough I discard it.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I will just take the first word from my style persona. So mine will be Sassy.

nuancedream

Veteran

I would go for sophisticated as my one style word. It doesn't matter if I'm casual, dressy, or sporty, there has to be an element of sophistication.

Rock

The first word that came to mind is Spiffy. I’m laughing and giving myself hard eye rolls for coming up with such an archaic word, but I’m sticking to it. I suppose it nails my style, too. I’m a little less cosmopolitan than I was in my 20s and 30s and a little more edgy than I was in my 40s. Now that I’m closer to 60 than 50, I still like to look polished but in a way that is more authentic to my true self. I will mix an Allsaints leather moto vest with suiting pieces for work, or pair that silk dress from Japan with elegant Italian pumps. Maybe age begets confidence, but the next time I look in the mirror I’ll be sure to remind myself: “You Look Spiffy.”

Dee

Veteran

Fun hearing about your one word and some of the reasons why.
Carol- It’s challenging confining it down to just one word, but for me it was a specific element that always needs to be there with the way I present myself.
Sal- Natural seems so very you
Irina- Minimal yes but I also see aspects of modern in your style too.
Bijou- Absolutely glam, your style epitomizes it perfectly.
Jenni NZ- Oh yes, I see the sassy in all your outfits
Star- Love those touches of edgy in your style.
Nuancedream- Your style is a wonderful display of sophistication
Rock- Haha, spiffy is such a wonderful word, I get it.

Cookie

Veteran

I don’t have a word but I absolutely love the idea of “Smithsonian.”

Runcarla

Veteran

I’ve been thinking about this for a day or so, and the only word that pops into my head is practical!

Will the garment be easy to care for? Will it hold up to the rigours of day-to-day activities? Will it be good for travel? Will the outfit keep me warm?

How boring!

Dee

Veteran

Runcarla- Haha, your comment about your one style word being boring made me laugh. So when you’re purchasing a new item or creating your outfit, you want to present the practical aspect of your style? Or is there some other element or feeling that might also be influencing your choices?
Cookie- Yes, Smithsonian is a unique and fun choice.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Cookie--ha ha, thanks. It doesn't sound like a very good fashion world to me at all, but something told me to use it.

Sisi

Veteran

Not sure. Essential?

Dee

Veteran

Carol- you have a wonderful imagination when it comes to your style.
Sisi- It’s challenging isn’t it?

JAileen

Veteran

I’ve never been any good at this. Not when it was three words, and not when it’s just one word. I’m open to suggestions. I might suggest ‘Sporty.’ Does that even sound plausible?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Sporty definitely sounds plausible to me, JAileen!

I enjoyed reading these. Carla, I get the practical for you. But I think your style is classic. Or maybe I just have to say that because I was also going to claim practical when I know it's hugely important to me when it comes to my wardrobe but maybe not my style, per se, if you can distinguish those a bit. Can you? I am not sure.

And Jaime,,,,how about vintage? Or eclectic.

As for me, ugh. One word is ten times harder than three words. But maybe gamine?

Brooklyn

Veteran

I’ve been thinking about this and it’s quite a challenging exercise. I can see how your word suits you Dee and also recognise many of the other choices here.

I think if I were to choose one word it would be “original”. I thought about “creative”, and might have chosen that if I were a sewer. I should note I don’t think it’s possible to apply this word to each item I buy - after all I buy things mostly at retail and these are mass produced items. However, I like to put things together in an original, thoughtful way and I think this is key to my style.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think Original is great for you Brooklyn, especially with the dyeing that you do and sometimes repurposing clothing by cutting dresses to turn into skirts, etc.
And Suz, what about Luminous for you? I feel that’s present in nearly all your outfits.

Dee

Veteran

JAileen- Sporty could definitely work, I do see those elements in your style.
Suz- Yeah, I’m still wondering about Runcarla’s word too, and it is tricky reducing our style to just one word. For me, it was getting down to the essence of what I want my outfits to feel like when I’m wearing them and I think Jenni NZ has tapped into something with luminous being an important aspect of your style too.
Brooklyn- You are indeed an original when it comes putting together your fabulous style, but creative could also apply too for the reasons Jenni NZ mentions.

I think for me essentially this one word is really about how one wants to FEEL in the outfits that we’ve put together which in turn becomes the core of our style. Perhaps this might help others in figuring out their word. Food for thought anyways.

Irina

Veteran

How do I want to feel in my clothes? Cool. Yep, this would be a word. I was buying earrings at Mejury yesterday and used this word to explain what I’m looking for. To be honest, I used two words “cool grandma”.

Edgy feels too much for me, trendy has a hind of desperation. But this is how I feel and it doesn’t mean that this would be a word others use to describe my style.

It becomes increasingly difficult to describe a style when we use feelings. My “cool” might not be your “cool”. I usually use more general descriptors. Like classic, preppy, boho and a second word to give more depth- European classic, preppy sporty, urban boho and such.

But again, this is not my thing. I don’t think I need to find one, two or three words to identify my taste in clothes. It is fun to read responses, though and see if I would use a same word to describe a wearer.

Olive Green

Veteran

Adventure. I want to be sure that I can do most anything in my clothes, they are not precious, and the shoes will NOT fall apart or come off. And I am prepared for any kind of day. Huh. Seems perfect. Thanks for the exercise!

Suntiger

Veteran

How I arrived at the one word (streamlined) was by removing my other 2 style words (feminine, exotic). Streamlined always fits, and has thoughout my life. I've always gravitated to simple shapes, without faff, with only the layering required for my climate.

The words feminine and exotic are style modifiers, but don't really apply to every outfit I wear, or every look I'm drawn to. Plus, I realized that I chose them because the go with my looks. My curvy shape and deep coloring are "bossy," but my personality doesn't quite fit. I've always been an outdoorsy bit of a tomboy, and not even remotely "bombshell" in mindset- nor a person that really wants to stand out/seek attention anymore.
It seems like when people choose style words, there's often words that seem to contradict each other. But somewhere they all have something in common!

Staysfit

Veteran

Composed.
Composed has several parts to its definition: 1. This could mean someone who is calm, collected and in control of their emotions, even in challenging situations; someone who demonstrates a level of self discipline and composure allowing them to remain steady and balanced. 2. It could also mean to write or create (a work of art) with care and thought. “To form (a whole) by ordering or arranging the parts, especially in an artistic way.”

I took the word from my style statement, Genuine Composed.

I think it works well with my style adjectives: Fresh, Classic, Sleek, Practical, Light.

Dee

Veteran

Irina- I agree that this style word is very much open to individual interpretation. Perhaps feeling isn't quite the right word either, maybe it's impression or the essence of who we want to be and to me, its at the heart of our style choices.
Olive Green-Love the word adventure being at the essence of your style
Suntiger- Thanks for providing this fun thought exercise on our style. Really interesting explanation on how you determined your word.
Staysfit- Composed is a wonderful word that I can relate to as well.

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