Brush Up On Style
I thought this vintage clothes brush was so cute! However, I find the modern iterations more useful – a sticky lint roller is perfect for removing pet hair. Style is important. Good grooming is important. Looking your best is important. By this I do not mean keeping up with the very latest fashion trends – that can very often achieve quite the opposite effect!
Some will consider fashion and attention to personal style frivolous, and meticulous grooming too much bother, adopting a defiant stance of, ‘you can take me or leave me’, or, ‘what does it matter as long as I’m comfortable?’
I believe however that looking your best does wonders for your morale on an everyday basis.
looking your best does wonders for your morale on an everyday basis
Your sense of style is a very personal thing. Sometimes it takes years to develop and it can change quite dramatically at different stages of your life. There are some principles that never change however, such as dressing to flatter your figure, and keeping your clothes and accessories neat and in good repair.
While my style over the last couple of decades has swung between the extremes of a vintage/retro look and a softer version of minimalism, here are some personal standards that have never changed:
Five Things That Make Me Feel Stylish
1. A good hairstyle
I unfailingly feel good about myself when my hair is looking good. I know as soon as it starts getting too long I start feeling distinctly dowdy. (Which is not to say I think long hair does not look chic on other people.) Whenever I go to the hair salon to have it cut short, I always exclaim, ‘Why on earth did I grow it long?!’ Right at the moment it’s grown out of the Klute-style shag, and I’m looking fondly at this short do above, from March 2014.
2. Striking lipstick
Bright lipstick is the biggest makeup statement I make. Regardless of what other makeup I am wearing, lipstick never fails to make me feel done. I tend to favour blue-toned pinks or strong reds.
3. Good quality garments that are well-taken care of
Hemlines that are falling down, missing buttons, holes in knits, split seams, ripped stockings, torn belt loops, clothes covered in pet hair, etcetera, are the antithesis of stylishness. I feel very self-conscious of some of these.
4. Unique accessories
I keep my eye out for unusual accessories, but I never wear too many at a time. I have a huge collection of amazing shoes and hats, but I also love belts, gloves and of course scarves, even if I don’t wear the latter two often.
5. Interesting proportions
I love unusual or avant-garde proportions, but if I’m going to wear something particularly outrageous, I keep the other elements low-key – less colour, less accessories – and let the silhouette do the talking.
Five Things That Make Me Feel Inelegant
1. Ill-fitting clothes
Not only are ill-fitting clothes uncomfortable physically, but they are also unflattering – which makes for mental discomfort. Sometimes that glimpse of myself in a window on the street can be a salutary lesson.
2. Badly-scuffed heels on shoes
I am absolutely ruthless about worn-out shoes. I will not wear them until they have been to the shoe repairer, and I have no compunction in throwing them in the trash when they are beyond help. I won’t donate such shoes to charity either – if I refuse to wear rubbishy shoes on the street, I’m not going to encourage someone else to do so!
3. Ripped jeans
This is a personal peeve. I know for many ripped jeans are the height of fashion, but as soon as even a favourite pair become ripped at the knee – out they go! I just hate it. I recently mourned a pair of Hudson jeans.
4. Fussiness
I don’t like too many things dangling about my person, or too many visual details. My colour palette has changed in the last year – I wear a lot more neutral clothes these days, usually with only one accent colour, or at most two, where the second is very minimal. Interest is in shape and texture.
5. Feet badly in need of a pedicure
I tend to have quite dry skin on my feet, so they require a lot of care to keep them looking good. If I am slack about it, my heels become very cracked – hideous in summer in particular! I’m so minimalist at the moment I’m even on a no-nail-polish kick! I kinda like the look of naked nails.
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Have a read through these pages torn from British Vogue (although I can’t tell you which issue they are from unfortunately). They discuss both timeless details and trends current at the time of publication. (Click images for larger versions.)
Or if you’d like some advice on discovering your personal style, click here.
