# I wanna be fashionable! A How To, by luvsic



## luvsic (Jul 16, 2009)

Heya! As you may know I love posting on the fashion boards a lot...I post here more than I post on the makeup ones :/ ... but I like coming here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I know I'm not a fashion authority, but a long time ago I asked the question, *how did you develop your own style*? I saw a few similar questions on these boards from time to time, too. So I thought I'd write a mini-tutorial and how to for everyone who's stuck in a rut. This can apply to you if you ask the following questions to yourself:

Are you sick of looking in your closet and thinking you have nothing to wear?
Do you hate going into stores like Forever 21 and spend hours weeding through clothes, only to come out empty handed?
Do you find yourself feeling gross by repeatedly throwing on the same pair of sweats and a t-shirt to go out?
Do you want to reinvent your fashion sense?

I answered yes to all of the above, and did a fashion overhaul. 

Now, it's been a few years but I finally nailed down a pretty solid wardrobe - I have achieved almost everything on my fashion wishlist, utilized my creative juices to the max, and read lots and LOTS of fashion magazines. I can actually say that I am pretty darn content with what I've got now. Since I really like sharing all of my fashion escapades and questions with you ladies and gents (even though this is a makeup based community) I want to share how I developed my own style so if any of you ladies want to become more fashionable but don't know where to start. At least you can have some reference!

_A PREFACE: Finding your personal style takes a long time, lots of trial and error, and possibly periods of frustration. It doesn't just happen over night, and unless you have acess to a personal money tree, don't expect to be able to go from Grandma's Christmas sweaters to Gucci and Chanel right away. It took me close to a year to develop a wardrobe I am happy with, and I still desire a few more pieces!! :O 
_
1) *Start with the basics*. When baking a cake you have to start with the raw ingredients first, right? There are some pieces that every girl needs in her closet, variations depending on what you like of course will ensue. I feel like this article sums it up, pretty much. Some things I consider most important are a great fitting pair of jeans, a little black dress, a nice suit, and a great coat. Yes, I know it's boring and often devoid of much personality, but once you nail these down you'll find out that your wardrobe is much more expansive this way. Yeah, what to pair with all of those crazy tops you just purchased? Your jeans, of course! You can use yer imagination from there, I'm sure. 

3) *Discover your inspiration.* I believe that in order to develop your own personal style, find something or someone who inspires you. I personally read fashion blogs and magazines religiously, and for every brand I like I check out their website constantly, scour through their lookbooks, and see how they pair outfits up. I don't think I'm at the point where I can start pairing x with y and looking great, I draw a LOT of my fashion inspiration from models or other famous people in Hollywood. For example, I LOVE Carrie Bradshaw from SATC's style...I watch reruns all the time and she inspires me to be daring! Other stlye icons I look to are Kate Moss and most recently Rihanna. Remember, these people are your inspiration, you shouldn't try to copy them exactly! (you probably can't, anyway, as most of the stuff style icons will wear will be vintage or supa expensive)

I have a folder on my comp (or several) with fashion inspirations that I look to whenever I am feeling in a slump...trust me, doing this will keep you inspired and in love with fashion. I also love staring at runway photos and challenge myself to "tone it down" for the every day 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 that's always fun. 

3) *Find out what looks good on you. *And in doing this, it is a TON of trial & error, let me tell you. Of course when you scour your magazines, a paper sack can look good on a model. But on you? Not so much. Certain magazines recommend certain pieces of clothing for certain body types. Of course we're not all 5'11" waif-ish types. As for me, I'm a shorty and as much as I love boyfriend blazers (and almost anything boyfriend style period), they swallow me whole. Read magazines/google/fashion websites to get a feel for what your body type is, and then go out there, window shop, and try a ton of crap on! You'll eventually get a feel for what you can pull off and what you can't.

4) *Window Shop*. Check out display windows at the mall. See how they pair what top with what skirt...sometimes you'll see something you love that you'll never have thought of yourself! Window shopping also gives you the opportunity to try on a bunch of stuff and get a feel for clothes, like what I said in #3. 

5) *Only buy things you really love AND that fit you. *I know, we're all tempted to go on splurges in Forever 21 from time to time. And sometimes, I'm totally guilty of doing it. But honestly when I come home at the end of the day, I feel like all I've bought is stuff that I don't really love, but I just snatched up cause it was _cheap_. NOT GOOD. Unless you can't tear your eyes away from the item of clothing you're looking at AND it looks totally rockin' on you, *DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING IT. If you have second thoughts about an item, most likely you will regret buying it* (thank god for return policies, if that's the case! with the exception of xxi...in that case, store credit) Want that dress but it's too big? Unless you're willing to pay a tailor a buttload of money, just let it go. Breathe. Walk away. You will be ok.

ON the other hand, if you see something you love and you'll know you'll wear over and over and over again, so much so that people will say "that's ____'s signature shirt/dress/skirt etc" then GURL WHATCHU THINKIN, just buy it! Only if you're sure, though. The only exception to this is if you buy something you'll only able to wear to selective events. For example, I'm a student, so I don't need to be splurging on a cocktail dress no matter how much I love it...I'm not going to be wearing it often.

6) *Don't necessarily give into trends. *In Fall 2009, Bohemian, military, thigh boots and capes are in. Ok, I happen to like 3 out of the 4, but if you're going WTF?! in your head don't worry, you don't have to follow them! That's the beauty of fashion - it's uniquely you, a chance to express your own personal sense of style to the world. In fact, designers have muses for a reason - people who they see and get inspired from - those who have their own special styles and personalities - often prompt them to design something to a similar effect. If you're more punk rock than prep but button downs and khakis are totally in that season, if you don't like it, don't wear it! If anything it'll make you stand out more. 

I find that with certain people, even if they do wear a trend, they still find a way to find their own twist on it. For example, high waisted skirts with tanks or t-shirts tucked into them are pretty much all the rage from what I've seen, so I try to spice it up by wearing a pair of geek glasses to set me apart from the crowd. What can I say, I enjoy being different 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




7) *Shop your own closet.* After I got a pretty good idea of what styles I liked and didn't like, I raided my own closet to see if there were any old pieces I had never noticed before but could see in a new eye. And boy, did I find a gold mine! I must have discovered at LEAST 20 new outfit combinations I could work with by just looking at things from a different angle. In fact, now I do this to relax when I'm having a lazy or relaxing day. So try it, you never know what you could find! _Fun fact: I shop my closet while old Star Trek episodes stream in the background. For some reason it totally relaxes me and makes me happy. A weird qurik of mine, I'd say _

8) *Shop smart*. I call my mother the queen of bargain shopping for a reason. She somehow manages to find cute and high quality clothing for pennies, almost. Bargain shopping really is a gift, and trust me, I'm not that good at it yet  if you shop a lot at certain stores, see if you can sign up to be part of special promotions where they give you discounts and selective deals. (Don't have a million credit cards for a certain store though. My ma has a macy's card but she shops there a ton so it gets put to good use.) I know stores like Bebe have reward cards for customers that can only benefit you, and it's not a credit card. Sign up for mailing lists so you can get coupons in your email and sent to your home address (Again, let me stress, ONLY for stores you like...spam becomes annoying if you barely shop at a store!) 

Like I said before, it's really tempting to go to a store like Forever 21/Charlotte Russe/Wet Seal/etc and just buy everything in there. I mean, have a few pieces from there that I absolutely love and wear to death (like my denim cutoffs), but I feel like the majority of their clothes, although cheap, are not of good quality. I've found sale items almost as cheap as those stores from better quality brands and their life is much longer. People tend to think XXI's the "lazy way out" when it comes to fashion but I've found that in fact it's _harder_ to shop in stores like that cause I get so exhausted and stressed out from the heaps of clothing. Department stores can be your best friend if you allow them to be. I personally am loving BCBG at the moment at my neighborhood Dillard's, and for some of the steals I find there, it makes all of the effort worth it. 

*9) Don't be afraid to wear what you like. *This adorable little boy pretty much sums up the world's response if you choose to wear what you wanna wear:







And they will. I live in a rather conservative state, and when I am in college yes, I become one of "those girls." You know, the ones who wake up early to do their hair and makeup and throw on something cute rather than pull on some sweats and a tee. But that is just me. You can wear what you like, *but I can wear what I like too*. At the end of the day, if you're not afraid to be yourself, you might actually find yourself getting more genuine compliments than usual. You must be comfortable in your own skin to own what you wear, and trust me, if you walk down the street in whacko-outfit combination #2108, if you walk like you're owning it YOU WILL. So many people admire Kate Moss because she wears her clothes with so much confidence...so much so that she can be wearing a trash bag and people will still think she's fierce. 

Check out more tips here! I love this girl's blog and her advice always cheers me up. She also has a really cute article on how to develop your own style too. 

I love talking fashion, so if you ever wanna talk about it or need advice on something (can't guarentee that you'll like my taste/advice though 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




) feel free to PM me or ask me questions. I'm friendly!

Also, if you have anything to contribute, feel free to let me know. Whew this took a long to type up but it sure was fun.  

HTH, and happy shopping


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## Hilly (Jul 16, 2009)

Dont buy things on clearance just because...typically it wont match anything else in ur closet because of it's obscurity...hence being a discount dud. I speak from experience!


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## luvsic (Jul 16, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Hilly* 

 
_Dont buy things on clearance just because...typically it wont match anything else in ur closet because of it's obscurity...hence being a discount dud. I speak from experience!_

 
lol, gurl preach XD often times clearance items are on clearance for a REASON. They're outdated cause nobody wanted to buy them when they were full price


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## Hilly (Jul 16, 2009)

Oh and dont buy clothes that are "goal clothes" meaning you will fit into them one day...it's nice and wishful thinking of course, but seriously I did this and by the time they fit, the style was so outdated!!


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## luvsic (Jul 16, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Hilly* 

 
_Oh and dont buy clothes that are "goal clothes" meaning you will fit into them one day...it's nice and wishful thinking of course, but seriously I did this and by the time they fit, the style was so outdated!!_

 
haha moar good advice hilly. I don't think I've ever gotten "goal" clothes before, cause I feel like that's a bad way to lose weight. What if even when you do fit into it, the cut is not to your liking? It's just not a good idea =/


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## Willa (Jul 16, 2009)

Great advices darling! 

As for me, since I'm overweight, I wear what's available for me in stores, plus size clothes here are expensive, so when I find something that I like it's like a miracle 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I describe my style as : ''29 years old who refuse to grow up lady/urban style''. Basically, I wear funky earrings, jeans and usually a black top, plus my makeup.


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## RedRibbon (Jul 16, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Hilly* 

 
_Dont buy things on clearance just because...typically it wont match anything else in ur closet because of it's obscurity...hence being a discount dud. I speak from experience!_

 
I agree with this to a point..H&M in London once had a sale on where tops were £1-£3 and dresses were £5.  I spent about £50 that day and came away with 35 tops and 3 dresses.  I've worn all of these clothes a lot more than I have worn some other full priced items so it can work out well but I find that I have never bought anything ugly from H and M, they play it safe but then also edgy enough? 

I find having a list before going shopping is quite useful as in my personal experience when I have a list, I come away with less than is on the list as I'm focused.  When I don't take a list I buy tonnes of crap..

Also, don't be size reliant as all shops vary..in Topshop I am a size 10-12 and then in Dorothy Perkins the size 16's feel snug which is odd so make sure you try stuff on.  Make sure you know your inside leg and if something is too short or too long, leave it behind unless you know you can take it up yourself.  My mum is a really good seamstress but she can't make both legs equal but I can and I'm remedial when it comes to sewing.

If something is cheap and you don't like the way it looks in the mirror, DON'T BUY IT as the mirror never lies and you won't suddenly transform into a well dressed woman when you get home as that mirror will show you the same. Buy clothes in your size, I've learnt through bitter experience that it's easier to spend a bit more money and get something that fits than get something cheap and tight and have someone ask you why you're not wearing the right size
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







Learn which colours go well with your skin and don't buy stuff on clearance which doesn't go..I can wear most colours with my skin but I tend to stay away from orange as it's quite similar to my skin colour..I'm not Ooompa Looompa colour but brown and orange are quite close..I don't wear orange because I look all samey, nothing really clashes on me so I suppose I'm quite lucky in that way.


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## RedRibbon (Jul 16, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Hilly* 

 
_Oh and dont buy clothes that are "goal clothes" meaning you will fit into them one day...it's nice and wishful thinking of course, but seriously I did this and by the time they fit, the style was so outdated!!_

 
Are you sure you're not me?!

I did this as well, took me a year to feel confident and by that time all the stuff I'd bought was way out of date so I bunged it in the charity bag and went shopping


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## BEA2LS (Jul 16, 2009)

good tips 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



i consider my style, laid back, young but modern but some of my pieces are more out there (going out) and others are more "pretty-professional" (work).


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