« Discount stores aren’t just for cheap clothing | Home | How to Be a Budget Fashionista »
How to become style conscious
By Meg | August 3, 2007
Today over lunch, my mom asked me how I come up with stuff to right on my blog and where did I learn about style. She’s been reading my blog, and is probably just as shocked as I am that I of all people am writing a blog about personal style. After all, it wasn’t long ago that I was wearing jeans that were too short, baggy t-shirts, and sneakers on a daily basis. Now I love wearing dresses and cute shoes, and I have fun flogging about my finds and tips that have worked for me. How did this come about? What can you do to become more style conscious yourself?
How it happened for me
Well, my own personal transformation came after my breast reduction, which I had to help relieve back pain. Before, I believed that I didn’t have the luxury to care much about clothes because I had such a hard time finding tops that fit around me without making me look sleazy. Looking back, I know that wasn’t an excuse to give up and wear the baggy t-shirts, but having the surgery definitely helped motivate me since I enjoyed dressing my new body.
Also helpful was that I went from living in a small town with no good clothing stores, to living in a city with plenty of clothing stores. Having more options has definitely helped. Because I went through my own transformation, and it was so recent, I understand that style isn’t “common sense”. People aren’t all born knowing to match your belt to your shoes or even knowing how to tell if something is too tight to wear in public. I know that I’ve had to consciously learn about what works and what doesn’t.
That doesn’t mean that I’ve learned it all from books or magazines or even fellow blogs. I’ve definitely gotten a lot of inspiration from various media sources, but my principle learning method has been just to stop and think about what people are wearing around me. It’s something that you can do to, if you don’t already.
How you can start being more style conscious
Start by just paying attention to what people are wearing, whether they are people you see around you where you live, or people in the media. Ask yourself what you like about what they are wearing. Ask yourself why it works for them. Even easier, ask yourself what you don’t like and why it doesn’t work. Does a certain type of top make a woman look pregnant? Make a mental note of it. Do low-slung belts look good on your friend but not you? Or vice versa? It is probably because you have different body shapes.
Make a mental note of what types of clothes you like to wear and what works for you. Make a mental note of the colors. And never buy anything to wear without thinking thoroughly about how it looks and especially how it makes you look (e.g. there are colors I love, but not to The key is to have opinions and take the time to explore why they are what they are. That’s been my process for the past few months and as simple as it sounds, it’s made a huge difference.
Suggested homework
Step 1.
Flip through a magazine or watch t.v. for a little while (hard, I know), and pick out 5 clothing styles you like and 5 that you don’t like. Then try to figure out what you think is wrong about them. It could be that you don’t like a type of item at all, or maybe someone is wearing it wrong, or it doesn’t match the rest of the outfit, or maybe it just isn’t right for the person wearing it.
Step 2.
Go out and do the same thing somewhere like at a mall or restaurant where you can do a little bit of people watching. Just be careful not to stare. Pay special attention to people who have similar body shapes and/or coloring to you.
Step 3.
Go through your own closet, or even just photographs of yourself if you have enough, and critique your own clothes. In case you’re wondering, why I left this to last, it’s because we often have a harder time being honest with ourselves, especially since we sometimes keep clothes for sentimental reasons and not because they are flattering. Try having someone take photos of you in various outfits. It’s sometimes easier to pick out problems in a photo than in the mirror since you can take in more at once.
Readers, what questions do you ask yourself when trying on clothes? What styles do you especially like or dislike on yourself or others?
Tags: Fashion, Style
Related Posts:
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:28 pm
[…] Efron Contact the Webmaster Link to Article t-pain How to Become Style Conscious » Posted at All About Appearances on Friday, […]