Wise words from the Sartorialist

For me, style is about not being afraid to try something new but being honest enough with yourself that even though "it" might be "fashionable", "it" might not be you.

Wise words from something of a fashion icon. Mostly Mr. Sartorialist just shares photos, but even that has gotten me to thinking about color, style and design so much more. My notebook of clippings is growing so fast I can barely glue them in fast enough. And now they are detailed with commentary!

In any case, I think it's easy to get carried away with how good things look on other people - maybe because you've seen it a million times and now it clicks. Or, maybe because it really flatters their figure. If commercially produced clothing has taught us one thing, it's that we're not actually all the same shape. (Which is not to say we're actually doing anything about that realization). Some people can really work shift dresses, for instance. I cannot. I love the way they look on the lanky, broad-shouldered models in Anthropologie, but I look like I'm - it's just bad.

But, as he says, style is about more than that. It's about more than what's in. I think it's about having some amount of self-awareness. Which could have a lot to do with why French women look amazing in any old thing. I love shopping for ideas at art parties and the like. Or, making mental notes as I window shop about cuts and textures and silhouettes, but I have a hard time conceptualizing what my style is. Or if I even have a coherent style because wearing non-uniform clothes is like dress up for me.

Still, I aim for some kind of cohesion, and I'm getting better at being more aware of what I can and can't wear well. Maybe I was a lot fatter in high school, but I sort of suspect that I didn't ever actually need size large shirts and sweaters. I almost always wear smalls now, but it took just about forever to realize I have narrow shoulders and tiny rib cage.

So, maybe it's about learning your own body too. For all the bad press fashion gets about giving teenage girls a poor self-image, I think, at it's best, fashion can be empowering and a means of self discovery. It doesn't matter what shape you are if you can really understand it, you can flatter it. I don't think it's all superficial either, though that's another conversation unto itself, your outward image can show your strength and confidence through your posture, all that. As if it amplifies your aura. There so much more to style than clothes.

I do like clothes though... :)