Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Developing your own personal style


Years ago I was at a home party for a clothing line. As the presenter was showing each garment and discussing its benefits two people called out at the same time “Robin will like that skirt” and I did!

What that story tells me is that I have an identifiable personal style.

Finding their own style is something that many people struggle with. Part of the problem is that fashions change quickly so we think we are constantly being forced into reinventing our personal style. Yves Saint Laurent is famous for saying “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”For many finding that style is a struggle while others do it instinctively and with ease. Stylish people can’t always articulate exactly how they do it but I do believe that it is a teachable skill. The style challenged need to learn basic techniques and then practice the new skills like any other skill until it is automatic. It should be like muscle memory for dancing or riding a bike or like typing. Have you ever tried to write out the keyboard with the letters in the correct spots? I couldn’t do it yet my fingers find the keys faster than I can visually see them so I know I’m processing below the active level of consciousness.

So where should you start to find your style? I think the first area for you to explore is to start thinking about how you want to appear to the world. Are you dressing for yourself, your job, your community or your mate? There is no right or wrong answer here. You just want to establish a framework for your future style decisions. If you work in a very conservative industry you want to be dressed appropriately for that environment but you also want to have some of our own personality showing even when sticking to the “rules” of the workplace. If you do volunteer work your goal maybe very different so give this topic some thought and check back later for more postings on developing your own style. I’ll be writing again on this topic.

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