Personal Style Filters
I’ve been into fashion expression for as long as I can remember. Matching outfits, ponytails, bows, accessories and dresses were some of my earliest preferences. When I was about ten, I started to love magazines and cutting out the things I liked. I vividly remember my first few pieces from the Delia’s catalog that my mom let me purchase, a silky blue winter jacket and a printed corduroy dress. Fast forward to high school and I was swapping clothing in the hallways with my girlfriend’s weekly. At the end of senior year, I was granted with the superlative best dressed with a trendy Barbie outfit.
My love for style has always been about the personal expression and the pure joy of refining what I like and why. Which makes me think about mentioning this podcast to you, how to discover your own taste, it’s one of the favorite things I’ve listened to this year! Have you ever heard the quote, “Fashion changes but style endures.” from Coco Chanel? I could not believe it more.
I’ve never been a huge follower of pop culture or trends. I’ve come to realize that the journey of style is similar to the one of entrepreneurship, an opportunity to really get to know what makes you tick. When I look back at old photos from high school, college and my early career days I can see the deep roots of who I’ve always been at my core; classic and feminine. My continued hope for my style is to continue to play and refine this expression because I believe the only way to really know the uniqueness of your soul is to see it expressed.
I remember hearing on a retail podcast awhile back someone mention that fashion brands are either selling you a slice of reality or fantasy. I personally like things that suit both fancies but are rooted in functionality. What about you?
I’ve always had style pillars identified for myself that help me filter purchases and outfits. I really love stylist Allison Bornstein’s formula of three words. She talks about selecting three words that represent the different parts of your closet. Here’s a bit more insight into her method and how I’ve interpreted three words for my personal style. I call them the 3 C’s!
1. CLASSIC
She recommends the first word be practical, and in order to land on it a good exercise is to pull out the things you wear the most and see what word comes to you to describe it. For me, without much thought it’s classic. My closet is filled with crew neck sweaters/tees, button down tops, tweed blazers, ballet flats and stripes. It’s also grounded in neutral colors and fitted pieces. Based on my body frame and shape, I’m a curvy 5’3″, I love tucking in things for a clean look. In the world of accessories, I’m stocked with an array of classic hoops, practical crossbody bags and totes and layering necklaces.
2. CHARMING
The second word she recommends is one that’s a bit more of your aspirational style. You can think about it as who you want to be. To find your word for this one, try pulling out your saved photos in Pinterest or Instagram and see what you gravitate towards. This was the hardest word for me to decide on. Other one’s I considered were cute, joyful, happy, sweet, sunny, special, unique and memorable. Ultimately I landed on charming because I love when something pops out a bit! This explains my love for colorful vintage accessories, stripes and shoes as well as fun florals, pretty details like eyelet, scallops and ruffles.
3. COMFORTABLE
The third word she recommends is one that explains how you emotionally want your closet to feel. How do you want to feeling in your clothing? My biggest gripe with outfits is when they don’t feel easy, like when I don’t have the right layering piece for a dress or top and have to makeshift something to work. Feeling comfortable to me equates to being practical and polished. This is why the right jackets, shoes, bags, layering tanks and tops and pants/jeans are such an important foundation of my wardrobe. When I seem to get these options right everything else flows!
3 FAVORITE OUTFITS
It’s okay if you have contrasting words, Allison says that’s what makes your personal style interesting. For my words, I think the biggest polarity is between catchy and comfortable. It’s a hard balance to get right but when I do, I feel so good in my clothes!
When I look at a few of the outfits that came easily to me this year and that I felt most me in, I can see all three elements in each. In the first look, the linen pants and black belt scream classic, while the Missoni lurex tank, Chanel bag and vintage necklaces feel charming. The cashmere cardigan and chunky Tory Burch birks cover the comfortability factor!
I spent some time digesting the second look because at first glance it feels all classic to me. But then I realized that while the blazer feels classic, the shape of it has some attitude with the shoulder pads and so does the thread stitching around the lapel, all very charming. The jeans, shoes and bag all equally fit into the classic and comfortable buckets.
The third look really speaks for itself doesn’t it? We’ve got the classic Levi’s denim jacket and blue jeans balanced out with the fun wavy stripe sweater and kitchy Chanel heart pendant. Top it off with a pop of red ballet flats in a classic style and voila, it’s Jillian!
Note to self, if something doesn’t feel right, it’s usually leaning too strongly one way! I know I feel this way when something is too feminine. Sometimes when I’m wearing a girly maxi dress for example, I like to offset it with sneakers or an oversized jacket.
What are your three words?
