Sunday, February 1, 2009

Style Egos

Let's define style alter ego's. There is usually a "look" that accompanies outfits. When you get dressed, you will fall into one of the following categories. Some of these names vary according to which fashion magazine/book/designer/etc you are talking to, but the looks remain the same. According to most style icon books there are a group of styles in fashion people tend to gravitate to, here are my interpretations and an example or two of each:
1. Classic- pieces that never go out of style (Jennifer Aniston is the poster child)
2. Preppy- Part schoolgirl, part polished (Think Blair Waldorf)
3. Bohemian (Boho)- Hippie-esk (Sienna Miller)
4. All American- girl-next-door looks with a polished flair (Rachel Bilson)
5. Rocker- what would you wear to a concert, particularly if you were the one on stage (Blondie, Avril Lavine, etc.)
6. Femme Fatale/Bombshell- classic sexy pieces (think leopard) put together with some attitude (Marilyn Monroe
7. Quirky- Bright colors, interesting pieces, you actually want to look a little weird while still looking good (Betsey Johnson, Zooey Deschanel)
8. Gamine- European inspired polished with a school girl twist (Audrey Hepburn, Katie Holmes)
9. Romantic/Girly- Feminine pieces with ruffles, flowers, and other details for an ultimate girly look (Kerri Russel, Mandy Moore)
10. California Cool- T-shirts and jeans, shorts, sandals, and minimal hair and make up give a sporty, laid-back cool style (Kirsten Dundst, Lauren Conrad)
11. Artsy- Your clothes make a statement, abstract, loud colors, statement pieces, and interesting shapes contribute to this look (Vera Wang)
12. Retro/Vintage- A purposeful look into past decades of style. Vintage clothes are anything 20 years or older. Anything made to look old is qualified as retro (Gwen Stefani, Your Grandma)
12. Eclectic- A mix and match of styles, shapes, colors, and sizes. Anything and anything together goes for an Eclectic chick (Misha Barton, Lindsey Lohan)

My favorite style books that explain these further:

The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style

In Style: Instant Style

The Lucky Shopping Manual

In Style: Secrets of Style

All these books rock and explain style looks better than I ever could! To have your fashion vocab, you need to familiarize yourself with these styles, and the art of creating these styles.

2 comments:

  1. just wondering, which category would you place me in?
    Ashley Muir

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  2. I especially of late like the Gamine look, even if, of course, I don't dress it everyday. I think it also happens to be one of the more expensive looks.

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