Do you have favourite brands that you gravitate to when shopping? Is it the fit? The silhouette? The style?
Most often it’s all three, but many women don’t consciously understand why the choose the styles they do. Fit is king. It’s the absolute number one criterion for selecting clothes. Silhouette and style are related to your style personality: how you express yourself through fashion.
When you understand your style personality, you can quickly see the brands who make styles to suit you. For me, I’m a cross between an Elegant and a Romantic.*
Elegants are chic dressers, typically in monochrome, for whom pearls, diamonds and gold are accessory musts. Elegants love high fashion brands with sophisticated styling:
Chanel, Hermes, Carolina Herrara, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry and St. John. These are my “dream” brands. When that lottery win comes in, I know where I’m headed! In the meantime, I can achieve similar looks with Ann Taylor, Elie Tahari, Anne Klein dresses, or the Ralph Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein mass lines.
Romantics love lace, ruffles, florals, and details, details, details. It takes a practised eye to ensure that fashion choices don’t migrate to boho or costume – something that can easily happen. Romantics look to Marchesa for inspiration, and shop at Anthropologie, and Francesca’s whenever I’m in the US.
Ted Baker is probably the ultimate Romantic brand, known for its use of florals. I tend to express my romantic style through accessories and layers that might include a lace topper, for example, or a feminine Ted Baker floral handbag or pumps. Kate Spade also carries feminine, and sometimes quirky, looks that can make fun additions to an outfit.
*There are seven universally accepted style personalities: Sporty, Traditional, Elegant, Romantic, Dramatic and Alluring. If you want to understand your style personality, book a consultation.