Style Buzz: 3 Simple Ways to Design Your Style + Styling a Navy T-Shirt

Eugene Stylist
Aug 21
4 min read

Three Ideas to Inspire Your Style This Week

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It's hard to talk to my clients about my artistic style when I have no style."

An honest insight from a client, so we knew our goal! This really is the crux of personal style. Your outside reflects your inner self, communicating without you having to say a word. The choices you make let others know who you are, how you live, what you believe in. It's storytelling, so make sure you're telling your whole story and not leaving out important info.

xxx rachel

STARTING SIMPLE: 3 EASY APPROACHES TO

DESIGNING YOUR STYLE

Clothing can tell you so much about a person: if they’re a mother, or if they’re an artist, their economic status, what do they care about. All those things work out in the clothes. It’s part of a bigger picture.

Ruth E. Carter, costume designer

There's a marvelous series on Netflix called Abstract: The Art of Design that features amazing artists from all industries, like graphic design, architecture, and toys. My favorite (no surprise) is the one about Ruth E. Carter, a costume designer who has worked on countless movies. Unlike a fashion designer with free rein, she's got to take myriad factors into consideration when dressing a character, like script, period, location, lighting, and - most importantly - the actor. She focuses on keeping only the elements that tell the story at a glance, nothing more, nothing less. Which is a fun way to approach personal style, if you think about it!

Take a step back and look at your life and how you're dressing to go about it. Do your clothes need to support your activities? Your authority? Your creativity? While my handout What to Wear To A... will help you identify occasions in your world that you need go-to outfits for, the pieces you choose to wear reflect your personality. Finding those pieces takes time, but just like making a movie, you don't start with a finished product. You slowly collect the parts and let them come together as a whole in a cohesive, coherent way that supports the story.

Start by keeping things simple with these three guides.

Color: Pick a palette that elicits a visceral response from you. It could be monochrome black, white, and grey a la Isabella Rossellini, all pink like Elle Woods, or all the colors like Iris Apfel. The main thing is to feel the best you in them, whether that's empowered, understated, calm, confident, attention-getting, efficient, or whatever else you strive for. Steve Jobs wore his uniform black turtlenecks so he didn't have to make a decision about what to wear every day and to project a consistent brand image. One dear lady in my world wears primarily black, white and red in the most delightful combinations. She never looks the same (or worse - boring!), and she's always very her.
Silhouette: Color be damned, you're going for shape here! Is that an A-line dress or skirt? A button up with skinny jeans? Ruffled shirts? Blazers and graphic tees? Wide leg jeans and kitten heels? (Or my summer favorite: blouse, walking shorts and heels!) Find the one that delights you and gives you a boost of confidence and use that as a barometer against which you can compare all future purchases and outfits. You should feel like that ALL THE TIME! I give my clients a Signature Style Profile so they're armed with Do's and Don'ts to know the details like pant length, strap sizes, sleeve fit, embellishments, etc to create the silhouette that shows them off to their best.
Archetype: This one is a little more in-depth and really gets to the heart of who you are, your essence, and your underlying personality traits. Silhouette and color can play a role, but it's more based on the feeling of your style on a Yang/Yin spectrum. The six basic archetypes are Dramatic, Natural, Classic, Romantic, Gamine, and Ingenue. Vogue has a fun quiz to try if you'd like to find out yours. However, contact me if you'd like to take it one step further and go through your wardrobe to align with your archetype!

Of course, you don't always have to be or do just one thing. Go simple 80% of the time, and experiment with different styles and approaches the other 20%. Or add pieces to your uniform to change things up. Use everything in your closet or start fresh with a whole new wardrobe. Whatever works for you and makes you happy!

The beauty of these approaches is to not only put a stamp on your style, but when you go shopping, you know exactly what you're looking for. If something doesn't fit in the parameters you've set, you are free to pass it by! How simple is that?

The end of summer is looming, and the changing seasons are always a good time to assess your style. Let's chat about making sure yours is telling your whole story.

3 WAYS TO WEAR IT: Navy T-shirt

On a recent road trip to California, Bob and I stopped in Klamath Falls for lunch. He's fascinated with old buildings so while he was poking around taking pictures, I popped into Poppy, a darling little boutique on Main Street. Naturally, I headed upstairs to their clothing section and found this lovely navy t-shirt by Liverpool Los Angeles. The fabric is so soft and it's got a waffle texture that elevates it beyond a plain cotton tee. A perfect souvenir!