I Want To Dress Better! (vol. 1)
I know I’m not in the midst of a fashion emergency and I’m not gonna get a visit from the fashion police anytime soon but I still want to learn how to dress better. I thought I should start from the very basics because there are no hard-and-fast rules of being stylish.
One of the basic principles is to always look well groomed and clean. I have to admit that sometimes when I crawl to the 7am train I have that just-rolled-out-of-bed look, and by this I don’t mean that sexy kitten look all women’s mags are raving about. Think about desperate grunge rocker, and you’ll get the idea. From now on I want to take better care of my clothes, make sure that my dresses, skirts and blouses are well ironed and my shoes and bags unscuffed and polished. I know I’m not the world’s snappiest dresser but I believe I can improve my appearance by looking neat and natty.
Another key to dressing better is to make sure you’re wearing clothes that fit. Visible and bulging panty lines, quadruple breast syndromes and, ehm, camel toes are sooo no-no (been there, done that). Purchasing vintage pieces is sometimes a bit tricky because sizes vary from decade to decade and therefore it’s always a good idea to say hello to Quilters Tape Measure. I have done dozens of mistake purchases when buying vintage pieces online and I have actually worn items that have been either too small or too big for me. I promise I won’t do that anymore, not even for the sake of gorgeous vintage piece.
Don’t overdo trends should be an obvious guideline when learning how to dress better. A touch of animal print here and a hint of loud hues there is enough. Experimenting with fashion fads is fun, but wearing them head-to-toe is a bad move.
And finally, it is important to be creative and open to new ideas. This is something I need to work on because honestly, 99 percent of my clothes are black smock dresses. So stay tuned if you want to know how to increase your style awareness.
What has been your biggest fashion faux-pas?
Sanna 9. January 2008 | Style Inspiration | Comment [7]
Top 3 Style Tips
The biggest fashion faux pas ever is not staying true to yourself. And believe me, I sure know what I’m talking about. There was a time I was so lost I completely forgot who I was. Low self-esteem, a need to please everybody and a fair share of self-contempt all took their heavy toll. In the end I found myself being an excuse of a young woman who was defined by everything else except herself.
Fortunately, no one needs to be a fashion wreck with no self-respect. More important than keeping up with the latest trends and making sure you’re always wearing the latest “It” items is to dress in an original way that suits your own personality and body type. Here’s how to do it.
1. Know Yourself
Getting to know yourself properly is probably the best investment you can make. Why? Because fashion is actually a brilliant tool to let the inner you shine through. When you get past all the “It” labels, trend-copying and celebrity wannabes, the way you put your style together speaks volumes about what is inside of you.
Spend some time to get to know yourself and understand your features, interests, motivations and values to make it easier for you to define yourself and your style sense. Who are you? What do you enjoy? What makes you tick? You need to know yourself – your likes and dislikes, your feelings about your body and yourself before you can effectively dress to express yourself. Put emphasis on what you learn about yourself. Remember that every individual is unique. Learning more about your personal style can help you understand where your special strengths are.
2. Love Yourself
Once you get to know yourself you should learn to love yourself. What are your best features? What makes you proud and confident? Be body conscious. Choose clothing that highlights your best parts and downplays the parts you’re not so crazy about.
I think fashion is all about self-esteem. Do a big favor for yourself and never doubt yourself. Confidence is definitely the key to any outfit. If you feel great and you have paid attention to your outfit, no one will doubt you or your ensemble for a second. Once you get the basics of how to dress, you can start to have fun with personalizing a unique look for yourself.
3. Express Yourself
You are what you wear. The right clothes can make you feel more attractive and confident so wear only what feels good. Choose a wardrobe that makes you excited to get dressed every day and flaunt your personal style to the max.
Labels or defined styles can be a-okay to some extent. Just be careful not to let them to take over the way you dress and clothes you choose to buy. You might start buying clothes just because they fit a certain stereotype, and not because you like them. Been there, done that. Always, always wear what you truly like.
If you know your stuff, you can’t possibly go wrong. Do your own thing. Only you know what represents you best so take risks and have fun with it!
What are your top 3 style tips?
Sanna 6. September 2007 | Style | Comment [2]
Style Versus Fashion
The debate on what it means to be stylish goes on in many fashion blogs. I must admit I don’t consider that many people stylish in the actual meaning of the word (i.e., having elegance or taste or refinement in manners or dress). Don’t get me wrong here, many fashion bloggers are very trendy and fashionable indeed. But stylish? Maybe not that much. Let me explain.
Fashion fades, style is forever?
Having read dozens and dozens of fashion and style blogs I’ve been puzzling – once again – about the question as to what it really means to have a great sense of style. Does it mean keeping up with the latest trends? Does it mean making sure you’re always wearing the latest “It” items? Or does it, in fact, mean dressing in an original way that suits your own personality and body type?
I have to say I believe in the second definition more than the first. Yet, when I read all those fashion blogs or fashion mags, there seems to be a very strong pull to the first one, which is, of course, understandable from the industry’s point of view. But it’s pretty clear that fashion fads are a blip on the fashion timeline. For example, one season everyone is sporting leggings under minidresses, the next they are wearing skinny jeans. In my opinion there’s nothing wrong with dabbling in must-haves: each to their own, right!? However, all those “It” items will only be hot for a short period of time.
Fashion trends are notoriously quirky. The fashion industry is always on the hunt for what’s new. For every new, must-have item, there’s another that gets tossed aside like yesterday’s trend. Affordable trendy clothing, which is sometimes called “fast fashion”, is like a double-edged sword. Fast fashion makes fashionable looks accessible to everyone, but when the market is totally saturated with a look a trend loses its appeal.
Style, however, is never out of fashion! I’ll stay in the camp of creativity and flair rather than this season’s perfect outfit. I believe people should get to know themselves and their own body type and wear the shapes and styles of clothing that flatter them – whether those are in or out at the moment. If you want to know what are my top three style tips, stay tuned.
