Is it possible to dress well without being influenced by fashion?

[katherine]

Originally Posted by eeyore

but more importantly, it's less about their knowledge of fashion, but pure aesthetic and having a real perspective.

Agreed, agreed, agreed.

[fashionista-ta]

PS katherine, my sympathies on have an Anna Wintour-esque mother

[katherine]

You know when you're a kid and you hate vegetables but you eat them anyway? And then after a long period of time, you don't mind the taste and eat them anyway? I like to think of it that way! It just gets annoying when she would buy clothes for me that are obviously pretty but not my style. Man, does she go off about materials this, designers that, time period, elegance, etc. However, don't get me wrong, a person with experience and knowledge can be handy at times, too!

[porkchopgirl]

yep! i agree with cambry and eeyore. to me, dressing well means knowing what works for you, and maximizing on that. if we're talking about style, though, it's kind of funny, because the people who i think have innovative style don't know anything about fashion, and spend very little money on clothes.

[SirSunday]

i love this discussion...great topic TanyaKiller

to avoid redundancy, i agree with what everyone is saying...dressing well and having good fashion sense are purely a matter of perspective from the model to the observer. ultimately i believe that everyone has a frame of reference by which they style themself, whether it be one's environment, the people they interact with, etc. it's the whole nature vs. nurture discussion - is one's creative ability, sense for fabric and colour innate - or are they shaped by what they have come to know of who they are, and what makes them feel most serene or happy? if you believe in evolution, the desire to cover up was a matter of survival, not how you'd look trying to survive... thankfully for us, function and form are matters we can address without so dire a consequence...except pride

[fashionista-ta]

^ Ah but evolution doesn't get you very far without a next generation, and appearance has everything to do with that

[SirSunday]

^ true. but then the discussion isn't relegated to fashion itself, but the mannequin's figure as well.

[snowqueen]

slightly off topic but i know a girl .. well more of a woman shes 28.. well anyways she works in a theatre costume department .. and she dresses entirly in vintage.. nothing she wears is ever on the catwalks and she makes alot of her own clothes .. she is completely unique.. you could say anything she wears is fashionable as such.. long victorian dresses etc. but she looks fab all the time and has her completely own style its great .. shes so boho and a proper hippie no tv no magazines very eco friendly and green etc. so she doesnt really have any influences coming from fashion because she never gets to see it .. working long hours in the day and then at the theatre at night she is shut of from the world most of the time tbh.
so based on her alone i would say yes u can dress well with out being influenced by fashion

[fashionista-ta]

^ Not off topic at all, & very interesting

[Andrea.RL]

Well what I think is that you actually can't dress without following a bit fashion, because all the stores (at least in france) follow the trends to sell the most stuff possible. So you can't really feel free to dress uniquely because everywhere you go you find the same stuff.

That really makes me want to open a store with some very diverse clothes so people can dress their personality out!