One thing I love is a woman who has her own style, knows it, and owns it. Some may call it redundancy, while I call it a form of self-realization. But personal style is like a moving target – for many of us, even that woman, it can constantly changing. How does one develop it, how does one define their own…and what the heck is it?
Thanks to Chictopia, I am constantly discovering new blogs, all with extremely different style aesthetics. So when I decided I wanted to write a piece examining personal style for Everybody Is Ugly, I knew I had to tap some of the influencers to see how they felt about personal style. Being a Style Icon is no easy feat – it means that you have stand out style that is really special amongst many. The results are in and they are really interesting. Read on for insights from Chictopia Style Icons Jackie of When I’m Not Naked, Courtney of a bevy of, and Marcella of Fashion Distraction on the concept of personal style, and their takes on their own.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Jackie of When I’m Not Naked
How would you describe your personal style?
Jackie: “My style is pretty varied, always interesting, and often sexy. I love making statements. I rarely wear anything that would blend in.”
What do you think a person’s style says about them?
“I think it says a lot. I love looking at strangers and imagine what their entire life and personality consists of, just making guesses based on how they decided to present themselves. It’s fun trying to figure out what goes on in other people’s heads, and I think the choices we make when getting dressed have a lot to do with how we see ourselves and our expectations for that day.”
How would you define personal style?
“If you have a recognizable look, that’s your personal style. Little details that are consistently you, that really personalizes your look. Accessories are probably the key factor in having a personal style.”
Where do you think personal style comes from?
“Everyone has different influences— mine is music, so my style is very mood-based. Your upbringing and traveling experience plays into it, as well as any art or movies you are inspired by. When you’re getting dressed you make so many choices. What color? What shape? What should I add? Any single outfit requires more thought than you might realize, and that reflects so much about who you are.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Courtney of a bevy of
How would you describe your personal style?
Courtney: “If I had to use an adjective, I would describe my personal style as eclectic. Sometimes it can be ethereal, sometimes it’s exploratory, sometimes it’s vintage, sometimes it’s modern. It’s comical, it’s inspired, it’s musical, it’s my personality!”
What do you think a person’s style says about them?
“It shows you their character, interests, passions, hobbies, obsessions, what their favorite color is, if they like cats or dogs. It can show you their career, their age, what decade they grew up in or what decade they wish they grew up in. If they are more likely to go to the beach or to the library, if they are confident or self-conscious. It could allude as to what movies they like, what type of music they listen to, where they grew up, where they currently live. Oh man, I could go on and on.”
How would you define personal style?
“I think personal style is something you aren’t necessarily conscious about at all times, and it is more than just a snapshot of you. It’s the way a person physically expresses their personality whether they are aware of it or not.”
Where do you think personal style comes from?
“My personal style comes from things that inspire me, and that doesn’t just mean from fashion. I am inspired by music, design, typography, photography, films/movies, quotes, poetry, books, graphic novels. Though, I am inspired by bloggers such as Tavi Gevinson, Coury Combs, and pretty much any blogger that shares more than just their fashion with the world. I love bloggers who aren’t only fashionable, maybe they have beautifully decorated apartments, a ridiculously large sticker collection, old books whose covers would make your head spin, or maybe they have gorgeously styled illustrations of their cat. I love seeing their obsessions, it shows passion, uniqueness, and that they aren’t just one-dimensional characters. That can be utterly inspiring.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Marcella of Fashion Distraction
How would you describe your personal style?
Marcella: “Constantly evolving, I like to experiment with everything.”
What do you think a person’s style says about them?
“Confidence, how you present yourself to the world represents how you perceive yourself to an extent.”
Where do you think personal style comes from?
“I don’t think personal style can really be ‘boxed’ into a genre for everyone, it’s more of a journey of self discovery. I guess people who come across as having a strong sense of personal aesthetics are just further along their way to finding out what they really like.
The way a lot of us go through a phase in our lives that the glossies call ‘Finding yourself,’ it seems that personal style is a similar journey of self-discovery and self-realization. The more confident you are in your own shoes (literally) the more your personal style will come naturally to you. A strong sense of self leads to a strong personal style…and not the other way around."
Images via Chictopia.com/Jaquelin, Chictopia.com/ABevyOf, Chictopia.com/Marcella
