Style By Design (SBD): October 2013

She gone Gatsby on me...

One thing clients often ask is that I categorize them into a "type". "Just tell me what style I am and where I need to shop from now on," a busy, professional mother once pleaded with me. "It will make my life so much easier!"

While this may work in some instances, it's not always so simple. We all have different facets to our image and dress sense. Our look and preferences are constantly evolving based on age, lifestyle, outside circumstances and influences...sometimes even a film we just happened to watch. I even have a hard time categorizing myself into any one particular style bracket. And I've known me a long time. I'm preppy at the core, but I love edge and a touch of boho...within limits. Nothing too busy. I guess that would make me a minimalist. So I'm a preppy, edgy, minimalist? Does such a style genre even exist?

A tactic I've found effective is to refrain from looking at one’s own wardrobe to draw a conclusion. Our closets may not be representative of what we truly love because for whatever reason, we haven’t successfully channeled our likes into real-life. Look to others in order to determine what gets your heart racing. Most people can rattle off celebrities or socialites whose aesthetic they admire, the ones whose ensembles they lust after and think "YES...I WOULD TOTALLY LOVE TO WEAR THAT!" Whether or not we actually wear those outfits is a different story. Factor in lifestyle, age, body-type, budget, modesty preferences, resources and... we are limited. However, we can still aspire to be inspired, keeping in mind these constraints. It is possible.

Pinpoint a person whose style you consistently love. We all have someone. It can be a celebrity, or someone you know. Then work backwards and figure out what elements of their look you really like. Is it that they take risks? Is it that they can successfully mix prints? Maybe they have a similar look or body type to yours, making them more relatable to you. Is it the fine tailoring of their wardrobe that draws your eye? That they always look neat and put together? Or is it the effortlessness of their look you can’t get enough of? We all have different likes and dislikes, and being able to hone in on exactly what you love about a look is a valuable tool in developing your own personal style.

This is a highly subjective exercise, so be really honest with yourself. It's got to be love at first sight. If you have to think about whether or not you like it, chances are you haven't found your style icon just yet.

I'll give one such example for myself. I kinda fell for her without even realizing it. I always found myself eyeing and being helplessly, hopelessly drawn to her outfits. Not her beauty, but her street style (be sure to differentiate). She’s visually statuesque and stunning, no doubt (she is the literal epitome of wearing a potato sack and still looking flawless. You get my drift). I fell head over heels, consistently across the board for every single look I spotted her in. The dialogue in my head went something like this:

Her again? Why are her outfits always so on point?
I would so wear that. Like, in a heartbeat.
MMM-mm. This girl. YES.
B**** stole my look!

Just my luck, she happens to be a Victoria’s Secret model with ethereal limbs, porcelain skin, and the hanger-type physique designers favor to showcase their work. Despite her being an easy- to-hate ubermodel, I love her style. She's got the genetic blessing of looking good in anything she wears - yet she favors much more tasteful clothes than your average lingerie-model. It's precisely why I covet her distinctly restrained element, and the fact that she keeps her overall look elegant and unfussy, versus provocative and trite.

Miranda Kerr is the ideal of preppy, minimalist, sporty-chic with edge, if this fantasy combo of mine ever existed. Whether on the red carpet or casually strolling the city streets with her baby boy Flynn, the girl dances the precarious tango of mastering clean and modern without EVER delving into boring. It's not easy. (Believe me, I've tried!) Since photos are indeed worth a thousand words, I'll stop writing and let you see. Then again, her look may not get your blood pumping the way it does mine...

So ask yourself - who is your style icon, and more importantly – what exactly is it about their style that really draws you in? It's the first step towards answering the age-old question: "what is my style type?"