Thursday, February 12, 2009

Defining your sense of style

A treat from the Postal Service arrived tonight in the form of the new Nordstrom catalog, which got me thinking about fashion, and making of list of things to by for summer.

Living in the city, I see a lot of glamorous women, dressed in designer clothes or looking more put-together than me on a good day.

This can give any woman some anxiety about their looks. They say fashion should be fun and effortless, but it doesn't always feel that way.

I guess I've been watching a little too much What Not to Wear lately :)

For me, I love a classic, elegant style, circa Grace Kelly or Jackie Kennedy. Their looks were refined, subtle and multifunctional. You could take one staple item and dress it up multiple ways for different looks. That's why, for me, a classic LBD is a great investment because you'll have it forever.


My fashion magazines say that in your 20s, you should try a lot of different styles and play with fashion. I may have started on this concept a little late, so I'm giving myself an extension still for a few years. My staples are black, gray or white, which I love to dress up with fun jewelry. Since my clothes are pretty simple, I like big expressions of color with jewelry (without being garish.)

Cocktail rings, bold necklaces or even a crazy belt can make any gray long-sleeve shirt look more than casual. I focus on this more because as my weight has fluctuated, so do the clothes that fit, so jewelry is best because it always fits, much like purses.

Oh and you can bid on John Krasinski's tux from the SAG Awards. I wonder how much extra it would cost to have him show up wearing that. It'll be on my floor very quickly :)

So I'm wondering today, how do you describe your personal style? And if you could only save one clothing item or accessory from a fire, what would you save?

And in case you didn't already, enter my giveaway

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm ... I'm not sure people would call it "style" since I'm a pretty simple person. :) I like blue jeans and fitted shirts with stripes or prints. Low-waisted pants with a little leg flare. Lots of black with some color thrown in. If I could only save one item, it would be a tossup between the belt that was made for me by a family member and my winter North Face jacket.

Erin said...

*sigh*

I wish I had a personal style. I wear a lot of black pants with colorful tops, usually in a solid color. I don't wear a lot of jewelry although I'm trying to add more in. I love heels, although not too high (less than 3 inches, please).

My style is slowly changing, though, now that I have a more professional job. Before my coworkers thought dressing up was when you wore the sweater without any holes in it. Seriously.

As for what I would save in a fire? My Chip and Pepper jeans hands down. They are the best fitting pair of jeans I've ever owned. I don't even care that the cuffs are all frayed and walked through at this point. They still look good!

LBluca77 said...

Being a Californian we are pretty laid back and casual without style. In the summer it is mostly shorts and flip flops, then at night wedges. I do like to dress up more when I go out at night.

I love color. I really only wear black to work but mostly I wear every color except orange and brown.

Mandy said...

I need to play more with style. I wear mostly black to work with an occasional color, on the weekends its jeans and plain v-neck shirts. Sigh. I need to go shopping with a $5000 visa card in my name along side Stacy and Clinton.

Kyla Bea said...

I'm going through an *amazing* book, Style Statement, to figure my style out a little more. It's fantastic, I definitely recommend it!

Maris said...

It is so hard to define your personal style! I agree with you on simple clothes, big splashes of color. I like basic colors and dressed up with a scarf or jacket. I can never figure out what shoes look good with what outfit or what style jeans. If I could wear casual sundress and flip flops every single day I think THAT would be my personal style.

Anonymous said...

I'm not really sure what my style is yet. It went from pastels to autumnal colours to very bright colours for the past year or so. I found out dark turquoise and purple look good on me, something which I didn't expect actually. The thing I can't really do without is my coconut bark ring. I bought it in France two year ago and it goes with pretty much everything I wear.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

I struggle with this one a lot. Because, I used to have style. I used to care about how I look. And now, with a little extra weight on my body and the freedom to wear pretty much whatever I want to work, I tend to dress down, not up. Most of my pants have a tear somewhere or have been worn thin in places. Most of my tops have been washed one too many times. I think when I lose a little weight, I'm going to treat myself to new clothes. Then again, I should probably be treating myself to new clothes regardless of the weight issue.

B said...

I love really, really crazy/chunky jewelry.

It makes me very happy - especially in crazy colors

Kate, RD said...

I'm still trying to find my personal style - I make follow your lead and claim a few extra years to experiment. My biggest problem is that, when I walk in to a store, I don't see pieces that fit together as outfits...I see just single items. I always fall back on looking at the manequins and copying!

Anonymous said...

If I had to define my style I guess I would have to say preppy casual. I love my argyle sweaters and plaid pants (not at the same time though!). I would rescue my favorite boots.

Entering your giveaway...I try to cook most nights. Cooking helps me unwind (the wine helps too), lets me experiment and be creative, and it's healthier (and more affordable!) than eating out. I also just finished a photography class. Loved it!

Heather @ Simple Wives said...

I love that dress worn by Jackie!

As for fashion...I'm trying to nail down a 'classic' fashion style.

Lauren said...

I'm STILL trying to find my personal style. Hopefully one day it'll just come to me.

SA said...

I have no personal style. Hmm...maybe slacker? I dunno.

But I agree with you, the elegant, classic style is the one I like the best. It's always gorgeous.

Katelin said...

my personal style is anything with flip flops or ballet flats, haha. and umm jeans and colorful tanks and sweaters and fun jewelry, woo.

Anonymous said...

God bless cocktail rings.

Ray said...

I am really stuggling with my sense of style as of lately. In my hometown I considered myself cutting edge...but in the city not so much.

I agree with the basics of black white and grey with great jewelry...I have started gravitating toward this as of lately and it seems to be working out.

Andhari said...

Im pretty edgy on weekdays, and a classic on weekends I guess. With all the dresses and gorgeous high heels.

Anonymous said...

I think I have a pretty classic style. I dress fairly conservatively at work because I don't need to show my boobs to 4 year olds. I'm more casual and fun on the weekends. I love jewelry, especially rings and necklaces.

Megkathleen said...

I like to call my style eccentric preppy. I go for a lot of classic pieces, but then I like to add in funky pieces to jazz it up a little bit. If I had to grab one thing in a fire it would probably be my slouchy boots. I luurrvvve them.

Living Dees Life said...

i just want to wear my jammies to work. or blue jeans and t shirt. i mean c'mon, i'm in BILLING!! the freakin clients don't see me! plus, we're in a seperate building!!

fashion makes me feel stupid :-(

Anonymous said...

classic i guess.

lots of black, lots of staple items, nothing uber trendy (or just a few pieces).

my accessories usually work hardest...i need to spice up the basics, you know?

Mar said...

hi there! i found your site on chicago's best blogs, since we're both listed on the life and style page.

just wanted to say hi and also am wondering if i can have john krasinski when you're done with him.

kthxbye.

i saw him at rite-aid once when i was living in nyc...never in my life have i spent so much time analyzing cotton balls so i could creepily watch him while he was waiting for his prescription.

:)

Maxie said...

I'm into color. I have a lot of accessories, but the main thing I try to focus on is keeping the colors bold and bright

Princess Pointful said...

I've discovered, especially for someone with little time to shop, that accessories are the way to go. My latest favourite is my red cherry earrings. They make everything that little bit more saucy, I think!

Athena Valentine said...

You can play with fashion as much as you want girl! I just started playing with fashion too and I like to channel a little miss Carrie Bradshaw into the mix.

Court said...

So many clothes in my closet to fit into one style. I mix and match alot and just go with whatever feels right any given day. I do love basic and classic pieces, menswear and preppy/tailored things...but also love a plain T and ripped jeans.

My saved item would be my vintage LV!