Guide to [My] Style: Part 2

Sorry for the delay. Now, we continue…

-Be careful with the colors.

This ties into the “less is more,” as well as the warning against textiles. Colors are…your good friends, I wouldn’t call them your best friends, and they can quickly become your worst enemy. Obviously get colors which coordinate and don’t clash with your hair color or skin tone. However, as a minimalist, I usually don’t like to ever get beyond three or four colors. I don’t feel like anyone else should either. People quickly begin to look like a walking circus with too many colors. Also, you’ll have a hell of a time trying to get those all to mesh together. My advice if you’re going to be going with colors; stick with similar chroma ranges, and try exploring in the same hue spectrum, ex. sienna leather belt matched with pants of one blue with a shirt of a lighter shade of the same color blue. We’re not talking about navy and robin’s egg here. I personally love working in monotones (such as the previous example of multiple blues). Of course everyone’s different, but still, if you’re still reading this post, I’ll assume that you at least in some way trust my judgment.

…on a similar note…

-Black-and-blue, or black-and-brown, CAN exist together

And they can do a damn good job of it too. I actually have a weakness for black and brown. The key is to take the opposite of my previous advice (the part about similar chromas). No, for colors like these, which are already so similar that they can become tacky, it’s integral to have opposing chromatic intensities. If you have the shades too similar, the whole thing becomes very muddled. Ew, black with umber brown? It makes you look like you’re a four year old, or like you got dressed in the dark (“Wait, I swear that these were both black!”). Black with a rust color--one that’s bordering on orange or ochre colors--is great. Or at least I think so (same with the black-and-blue).

-Buying an outfit should be like a relationship

Now, I know you English majors reading this could automatically point out my lack of credibility in this area (whatever, my lack of successful long term relationships is its own ethos), however they say that failure is the best teacher? Ugh. This isn’t about to turn into a soapbox about my dating. Anyway, yeah, buying an outfit should be like beginning a long term relationship: starting with a drooling love-at-first-sight, and then quickly harnessed with a cold sense of practicality. Yes this sweater is amazing, but would it fit with everything else in my life? Is the cost really worth it? Is this something classic, or will this be out of style within the year? It is durable? Will it fall apart, or shrink, or unravel, or fade during its washings? All of these are extremely important questions to ask when buying an outfit. And when trying to get a relationship started. Trust me. Oh wait…don’t trust me.

-Find a shoe style and stick with it.

Love it. Work it.  Shoes are debatably the most important part of your outfit. They tie it together and direct the viewer. And I don’t think that one should play with shoe styles as much as one should with say, jewelry. Shoes are a much more serious matter. Of course you have your shoes of necessary functionality (i.e. rain boots or the like), but when extreme weather isn’t forcing you one way or the other, you should have an instant go-to. For me, these shoes are penny loafers: those amazing, laceless, leather shoes that I’ve had a pair of since I could walk (not kidding). I see them as the most versatile shoe ever invented; sort of like the v-neck sweater for shoes: dressy when it wants, casual when it wants…and always having that elusive element of I-don’t-care-how-I-look-but-I’ll-still-look-good. 

 -If grandparents wouldn’t, you shouldn’t*

This is not a call for grannie-panties or hair curlers, but as Chanel said in the previous post, style remains. Like I said, style is part history-lesson. Pay attention to what worked back then. It’ll work now. What this point also means is to stay away from fads. Stay away from the rubber animal bracelets, the Ugg boots and the twilight paraphernalia. Please.  

*Please use discretion. Know when to go ahead with it, and when to let things go. For example: newsboy hats. Cute in the early 1900’s, not in the 2000’s. They should only be worn by theater kids onstage and by beatniks (and even they would do better with a beret).

-Know your body

This right here is one of the most key elements to fashion and style. Your style is dictated by you. Your will of course, but also your body. Know your curves, know your structure. Know if your neck is long, or if your shoulders are narrow. Dressing well, at its most basic and most sublime, means DRESSING FOR YOU (your style, your image, your body, etc.). Never forget this.

And Finally:

-TRUST YOUR GUT

 Ironically, above all, style should be effortless (I know I know, really? After this whole list of two blog posts?). But yes, a delicate balance between always knowing exactly what you’re doing, and not looking like you’re trying to hard (it means going 200%, but only looking like you’re going 80%...or even 75%?). And when you go shopping or when you’re dressing, be instinctive and intuitive. Being knowledgeable will help you to quickly and sub-consciously make good style choices. Trust yourself.  

Bonne chance, mes amis.