Trends and the Trendy: Fashionable or Just Lazy?
1. “There is no such thing as an ugly woman, only a lazy one.” – Ali Mahdavi
It’s always sad to see smart, talented, and beautiful girls fall victim to fashion faux pas. We’ve all seen someone in an unflattering outfit, the wrong lipstick shade, or sporting a bad hairdo. But what about the girls who consistently seem to hit the fashion mark? The girls who live and breathe celebrity styles and obsess over magazine’s “must have” lists? The girls who are always sporting the season’s newest look? Or the girls who never seem to miss a beat on the latest nail colour? Are these girls trendy and sophisticated or just simply lazy and unimaginative? Why not reinvent yourself and develop your own branding? Why not create illusions and add your personality to your wardrobe? Who says that glamour and style must be limited to the latest runway trend? Who says that we should strive to look like everyone else? Don’t be lazy and cheat yourself out of elegance: just because it seems like most women leave the house looking like everybody else doesn’t mean you have to.
Adding pearls to your wardrobe is an easy and elegant way to add a timeless signature to your look.
Create Your Signature
2. “The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.” — Diana Vreeland
Icons and timeless figures who have shaken up the fashion scene have taught us that the key to glamour and style is the element of creation. Your body, your face, your air are all things that can be completely tailored. If you aren’t satisfied with something about yourself, why not change it? If you love something about yourself, why not enhance it? Glamour and style aren’t things that you can simply buy in a store or obtain by following the crowd. By reflecting on your influences, looking outside the box in the often overly-trendy fashion world, and, most importantly, by having the confidence to create your own style while still remaining within the boundaries of appropriateness, you can brand yourself and truly own your style, create your own unique look, and tastefully distinct yourself from the rest.
Adding a bold lip is an easy way to dress up any casual outfit.
3. “I wear my sort of clothes to save me the trouble of deciding which clothes to wear.” —Katherine Hepburn
Create personal signatures that tell a story. It’s easy to look elegant and stylish when you’re at an event and wearing your Sunday best, but what about in your everyday life? Simple signature pieces, like a staple fragrance, make-up style, and unique garments create effortless style that tells a story – your story.
Flattering fits really enhance your figure and can tastefully project
confidence, femininity, and sensuality.
4. “Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live.” — Gianni Versace
Not sure where to start with your branding? Take inspirations from role models, fashion houses, and stylists to find styles that work for you and your body. Don’t focus on what is trendy, focus on what is timeless. Finding clothing, accessories, and styles that fit your personality, figure, budget, and taste is a challenge worth accepting. You don’t need to let fashion “own you”, but also don’t forget that pieces that are far too casual, loose, or frumpy will do nothing for your self-confidence, first impressions, or ability to blend items into many different looks. Mindthis will help you invest in key pieces that fit and flatter your body and its shape while adapting timeless influences with secondary garments and accessories that can be used to highlight your unique style. Remember, a flattering fit is far more becoming than owning a specific brand or this month’s trend. Create shapes and illusions, play with mixtures of cuts and textures, and own your brand. This is, however, not a carte blanche to sabotage your style with cheap or faux pieces. Someone will always notice your worn blazer with the loose stitching or your faux Louis.
You are your own canvass. Don’t be afraid to experiment and
try different techniques that inspire you.
Take Chances, Make Mistakes, and Learn
5. “I’m human. If I didn’t make mistakes, I’d never learn. You can only go forward by making mistakes.”— Alexander McQueen
Creating a style that truly represents and flatters you is a continuous journey. It takes a lot of trial and error, patience, and confidence to truly capture and perfect your elegant style. Finding the right brands, cuts, colours, and pieces is something that happens when you grow and define yourself. Learn from your mistakes, reflect on the story you’d like to tell, and stay true to yourself and your branding. Always remember to own your style and create yourself within the appropriate environments: know your audiences and tailor your attire to their needs.
Money Can’t Buy You Class
6. “Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.” —Yves Saint Laurent
It is so easy to point at someone and to say “I want to look exactly like her”, to read a men’s magazine and define our style according to what we think potential suitors would like, or to look like every other girl who has ever walked out of a Zara. This isn’t to say that you should never follow trends, follow popular fashion advice, or give up shopping at specific department stores. Simply put, don’t be lazy by constantly following the crowd and allowing others to dictate their influences your style. Being ordinary and looking exactly like everyone else is boring and easy, so why not challenge yourself and get creative? Create, define, and distinct yourself from the rest by adding that extra “a-ha” that so many of us don’t bother to capture.