Signature Style

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Beauty Uniform

If a book were to be written about my style in my early 20s, it would be called “The Girl With A Million Shirts”. I don’t know what it was but I seemed to buy tops…and only tops. So when it came time to go anywhere, the result was me standing in front of my closet full of shirts with nothing to wear because, well, one can’t go sans pants in decent society. I tried to switch exclusively to dresses for awhile because of the aforementioned lack of liking pants but still, the “I have nothing to wear/whatever I will put on will make me feel awkward as hell” moments persisted.

Wait– maybe this was my 20s in general. Awkward (and unsure of myself) as hell sounds about right.

Anyways.

My husband noticed a little over a year ago that leaving the house was met with considerably less drama. I am nearly positive it’s because I have finally realized what makes me feel great, pulled together and, most importantly, like myself. A go-to signature style, a uniform if you will:

Blazer. Skinny jeans. Heels. Statement earrings or necklace. Clutch. Boom, out the door.

I know that no matter what combo of this I throw on, I will feel pulled together, strong, and confident. To dress it up, a silk camisole underneath the blazer; to dress it down, a cotton t-shirt. Sure, it’s fun to mix it up sometimes but it’s so great to have a go-to look in the proverbial back pocket that is fail-safe.

It also means I will be wearing pants. Which is important and an improvement over the in-closet freakouts of yesteryear. And ultimately, most importantly, I will be looking like myself. Which is the goal, right?

Do you have a go-to look that simplifies your routine or that makes you feel like your most-amazing rock star self? Has anyone considered/heard of a capsule wardrobe? I don’t know if I could really stick to pairing down my closet to 20ish essentials but I like the idea of simplicity and everything going with everything. Let me know, I’d love to hear!

 

 

Fashion vs. Style

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It’s often the case that what a woman reads makes her more attractive and more elegant than what she wears.”

Carine Roitfeld on instinct and elegance, in Spiegel

I’ve been giving much thought lately on what really evokes great style.  Not expensive bags or red-soled shoes or items from an “it-list” that someone else dictated to you but style.

Former editor-in-chief of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld, hits the nail on the head in this interview, being candid and provocative in a way that only the French (and maybe Italians) can.  Even Carine’s words are stylish.  She’s made a mint telling people what fashion is but in this interview, we learn what we have always known: fashion is what you wear, style is who you are.

Worth a read.

(Side Note: this 90th Anniversary Edition of French Vogue was a birthday gift from my best friend that she picked up in Paris.  It now lives on my coffee table and I love it.)