The Truth About Style

I think I've been having a crisis of style lately. I've been thinking I'm not nearly stylish/fashionable enough to warrant having a blog where I take pictures of myself. I've said this before, that style doesn't come naturally to me, it's something I have to work hard at and I struggle at, and therefore it doesn't feel very effortless to me.

I picked up Stacy London’s book The Truth About Style, not necessarily because I was looking for answers to my style dilemma, but because I like style books (even when they confuse me). I found the book itself a little annoying (but I also find Stacy London a little annoying too) and not all that helpful, but there were a couple of a quotes that I took to heart:

“Style, unlike fashion, is personal. It’s about the individual.”

“Dress for yourself and what suits your lifestyle, and you will always look good.”

“Style is about enhancing who you are, and not attempting to look like someone you’ll never be.”

“Style thrives when you do. It succeeds when you are the best version of yourself, not a poor version of someone else’s ideal.”

“Our clothes, like it or not, give other people insight into who we are. To take control of the message, you have to know yourself, and dress accordingly.”

Amen.

As much as I’ve said before that I wear what I love, I’m actually highly suggestible and I often want to look like other people. My problem is also that I like a lot of very different styles, my tastes are not limited to one in particular. It’d be a whole lot easier if I knew my style was 100% J.Crew prepster or Zooey Deschanel wannabe or rock chick or super-trendy, not bits from here and there.

Anyway, I need to stop thinking about dressing myself as a struggle, because then it becomes a struggle. I need to see it as an evolution and a challenge, and something I should stop overthinking and have fun with.

(Still, it kinda sucks that I’m in my thirties and I’m still trying to figure it out.)

Jacob sleeveless top // Anthro cardi // knockoff J.Crew bubble necklace // Anthro Alluring Sway Skirt (Cartonnier) // Wolford Velvet Opaque tights // Michael Kors shoes

It’s not super-exciting, but it works for me, it worked for that day at work, and I felt pretty good, so what else matters?