How to find the style that suits you ?
How would you describe your style? Formal? Classical? Casual? Smart? Find out how you
can discover your very own style.
First of all, what is style? Let’s hear a few words of wisdom from the wise and witty. “Style is
knowing who you are and what you want to say,” (Gore Vidal); “Style
is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma,” (John Fairchild); “Style
is the perfection of a point of view,” (Robert Eberhart); “Style
is a simple way of saying complicated things,” (Jean Cocteau); “Style
is the dress of thoughts,” (Lord Chesterfield).
So, now you know what style is, you’ll need to buy some clothes. But
where? In the UK, you can get really cheap, stylish, second-hand clothes at charity shops. They’re great
if you want exclusive labels
but don’t want to pay the price. The only difficulty is discovering where the
really good bargains are. But don’t worry; Leila Gray can help you here. She’s
the proud owner of a vintage Hardy Amies coat, picked up at a charity shop for
£20 - a good deal
when you realise it cost more than £800 new. “You have to go to the richer
areas of a city,” she says. “That’s where all the labels are. It can take a bit
of hunting around, but that’s half the fun, and there’s a lot of buried treasure just
waiting to be discovered.”
So, now you know where to buy your new, stylish clothes, how do you
acquire your style? Experts say that mixing and matching from charity shops can
help you find your own style – something that’s really you. That’s what
Scottish musician Momus did. “My fashion tip is this,” he says, “look at yourself
with the eye of a graphic designer. If you can’t be attractive, aim for
‘interesting’ or ‘original’.” Momus’ unique style could even make him happier,
too. As psychologist Marilyn Elias explains, the happiest people “judge themselves by their own
yardsticks, never against what others do or have”.
Shoichi Aoki, the founder of Japanese street style magazine FRUiTS,
agrees. “I think real fashion is what people wear on the streets, the clothes
that they wear, the way that they wear them,” he says. “What you see in fashion
magazines and on models has been styled and it’s more commercial.” He says that his inspiration
for FRUiTS came from people combining traditional Japanese clothing such as the
kimono and “geta” (Japanese wooden clogs) with Western fashion. “This really caught my eye,” Aoki
adds. These styles may seem wild, but Aoki’s idea is not: be bold, be creative and
find something that suits
you.
Maybe it’s time to create your own look. There are many online guides to
help you. Perhaps the best advice comes from a website called WikiHow, “If you
see something you like,” it says, “feel free to copy, but don’t make yourself a
clone... mix it up
and make it yours.” Think about it!
GLOSSARY
Casual adj “casual” clothes are ones you normally
wear at home or while on holiday
Smart adj clothes that are neat and clean in appearance
Words of wisdom exp clever/intelligent thoughts
and words
Witty adj someone who is “witty” can say clever/intelligent
things very quickly
Charisma n someone who has “charisma” can attract,
influence and inspire people
A charity shop n a shop that sells second-hand goods. The
money is used to fund charities
A label n clothing produced by a top fashion company
A deal n a bargain; something that is good value
for money
To hunt around phr vb to look for something carefully
and in a number of places
Buried treasure exp metaphorically = great clothes that are
very cheap (in this case)
To judge yourself by your own yardstick exp to form an opinion about yourself without comparing yourself to
others
Commercial adj a “commercial” product is one that is
made in order to be sold to the public
To catch your eye exp if something “catches your eye”, you notice
it
To suit vb if something “suits” you, it looks
good on you a
Clone n an exact copy/replica of something
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