my style adjectives
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| Me trying out sofas in Melbourne. Kinda sad my husband didn't like this one but then I reckon taking care of the light-coloured fabric would have stressed me out. |
Classic. Chill. ________
Chill. Minimal. ________
Relaxed. Practical. ________
While recovering from COVID, I had a lot of time to melt my brain watching videos by Amy Smilovic of Tibi, and stylist Allison Bornstein. It wasn't all interesting (sometimes it was a bit grating), but this idea of having "style adjectives" to describe your style (three seems to be the magic number) stuck in my head.
I drew a blank when I asked myself what my adjectives were. At the heart of it, I am not a particularly creative or expressive dresser, nor do I seem to have much to say about it at this stage of my life. But I tried anyway, because why not, when one is recovering from COVID?
To start, I like 90s minimalism. I like 50s elegance. Clothes intrigue me when they suggest an interesting life, and when they express the confidence of the wearer. The foundations of my style are a pair of well-worn jeans and a white t-shirt. In this phase of my life I want them to feel relaxed and forgiving. I want sturdy fabrics that yield to comfort. I want quiet dignity. Adaptability.
Perhaps: Relaxed. Hardworking. Quiet drama?
The first two adjectives are easy, but I am still mulling the third. It has always been rather troublesome to square the "drama" bit with the rest of my wardrobe. Like a magpie drawn to shiny things, I occasionally love strong voluminous lines, a striking graphical print, rich embroidery. Items like these are usually also sentimental, or just plain fun, and I think it reminds me not to take style too seriously. So I persist, even when I sometimes feel like I'm forcing something onto the rest of my outfit, which sulks at this loud intruder.
I've also struggled with stuff that are too "fashion" or are well-known status symbols. Like my old Chanel purse, or my mum's Rolex Datejust. Or even my Celine Sangle Seau tote. Fashion as an industry has ruined these bits of otherwise timeless design for me, and it some effort to adjust my gaze and figure how to still have these things in my life.
In any case, I came across the photo above of me on a rare day out in Melbourne, which puts into play some of the adjectives I came up with. I'm wearing a black sleeveless cotton midi dress with a long-sleeve tee under that has a polka dot and floral pattern. I'm wearing heavy denim shirt jacket (more jacket than shirt) that's done surprisingly well against the cold weather, and navy knee-high thermal socks with trusty sneakers. I've got my one indulgence that I didn't want to put into storage while we're waiting to move into our permanent home - my Acne Musubi bag, which has been an ace choice because anything other than a cross-body bag falls off my shoulder when I have a jacket on (a problem I never had in Singapore).
I like the contrast of dark socks and light shoes. I like the mismatched hems peeking out under my jacket cuffs. I like that my erstwhile summer clothes are working well in this chilly weather. I like the quirky yet practical shape and size of my handbag. The overall silhouette of my outfit is a mix of volume and restrained lines that I find pleasing
My clothes are working hard for me and giving me quiet joy. I feel engaged by my outfit but I am not distracted by it. If you couldn't already tell, I am pleased with my outfit and I feel very "me". Definitely a feeling to aim for.
Not sure how long this style adjective exercise will linger in my head, but it's been fun thinking about it. What are your style adjectives, if any?
Comments
And in my forties I’ve embraced my inner magpie and reversed the proportion of statement-makers to tasteful basics in my closet. I love and regularly wear big volume, colour and print, and only keep enough t-shirts, jeans and navy tailoring to tie it all together especially for travel.
Hope your recovery goes well and the sofa-buying translates into a comfy new nest soon.
pret a porter p: thank you, i am much much better. also the more time i spend on IG the more i miss blogging.
agree that life's needs come first these days, but i think you're still awesome at setting a unique tone and vibe for yourself, from what i gather from your occasional posts :)
i have really embraced track pants (joggers) since i moved to australia...it is too cold for me to wear shorts around the house (as I used to) and joggers are suddenly the most warm, comfy and versatile thing to get through a day of WFH, lunchtime grocery pick-ups and doing laundry in my apartment block's laundry room. i never liked the look and shopping for these involved thinking about what i DID NOT want to look like.
mc bontemps: love this description, i can actually sort of picture it! i like the idea of seeing basics as unifying the disparate, hard to categorise things, but still seeing the latter as the core part of your style.
Knitwear - I almost used the word Japanese, but I've bought knits from more than just Japanese companies. (My favorites are Japanese.) I've obtained several lightweight knits that work for layering in winter and are perfect on their own in summer.
Elegant - this is the magpie/experimental side. I also crave volume and clean lines, but sometimes want full on baroque or rococo as well. Some days its sleek Japanese minimalism and other days Marie Antoinette. No matter the extreme, there always has to be something that whispers elegance.