Did you know that it takes approximately less than 15 seconds for people to create an impression of you, the minute they see you walk through the door? Within this short time frame it does not capture any words that come out of your mouth, it is solely based on your physical appearance, and what you wear! Therefore, we could argue that the way we choose to dress ourselves plays a huge impact on how others perceive us.
The function of clothing, other than keeping our bodies warm and protected, is it sheds light on our personalities. However, as the fashion industry is rapidly moving and evolving, new fashion trends pop up every time we scroll through our social media feed, which has caused many of us to lose sight of our own individuality. This has resulted in bad shopping habits (shopping without a clear purpose) and a very mixed matched closet full of clothes, but we often find ourselves with nothing to wear! Does this sound familiar to you? If so, keep reading to discover how to attain a personal fashion style.
Creating a personal fashion style helps to build confidence and it helps project your personality to others without saying a single word. Also, it makes the whole shopping experience more enjoyable and beneficial as you will have a wardrobe to work with rather than a closet.
How do you find your own personal style?
A personal style is not static; it changes, evolves, and it is shaped as you grow with life circumstances . However, there are tools that can help create a consistent image of yourself through your choice of outfits. The first tool is color analysis, which enables you to enhance your natural appearance through the colors you wear; instead of wearing colors that wash you out.
The second method is knowing your style essences. Style essences are beauty classifications that are based on the natural lines that compose one’s body figure and face shape. The clothing that follows the lines of the body figure creates a more natural and balanced silhouette. Opposed to when the natural lines of the body are broken by garments the entire look is off.
Let’s look at a few examples:
These are instances where Beyonce wears clothing that follows her curvy silhouette. She looks absolutely stunning and it seems as if her clothing fall naturally on her body.
And this is when she wears clothes that do not repeat her natural lines:
The effect is not the same, right ?! This is not a question about how beautiful Beyoncé is. It’s simply about how much she looks like herself in clothing that follows the natural lines of her body vs. clothing that doesn’t and therefore looks odd or separate from her.
Let’s take a look at another example:
These are examples of when Lady Gaga wore outfits that follow her straight and angular body frame. She looks on point! One could argue that these outfits are very Lady Gaga as they provide a glimpse to her artistic and creative personality.
Here is are example of when she wore a dresses that does not follow natural lines constructing her body frame:
Doesn’t the former example of Lady Gaga in the silver dramatic style dress look better on her compared to when she wore the soft pink shell color dress? Doesn’t the silver dress represent the singer's creative personality much more?
This makes sense because Lady Gaga’s appearance is more angular and straight with sharper edges. Clothing with round shapes and soft silhouettes won't fall nicely on her, as she doesn't have the curves to fill them. Lady Gaga's natural appearance doesn't communicate sexy or girly. It communicates boldness and intensity. That's why when she wears more dramatic and angular dresses she looks more like herself.
On the other hand, Beyonce’s body and face are curvy and soft, there are no straight lines or harsh edges on her body frame. Consequently, straight clothing breaks up her feminine roundness - it's like trying to fit a square into a circle.
Both ladies are beautiful, but they look their best and like themselves when they wear their lines!