Born or Bred?...Style Discussion...

[clay]

Ok I guess I covered what a lot already said. I did not read everything. Sorry.

 

[Alejandro]

You're born with style and good taste...it can't be bought...those who try to hard to fit in, you know what they're called....and how "much" people likes them

 

[Missoni~Heiress]

im still trying to use all the fashion i wore as a little girl as my inspiration for today... my mum treated me like a doll... i wish i were a doll

 

[helena]

why would you rather be a doll versace goddess?

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

Because Barbie's clothing only costs 5.00 for a whole outfit

 

[*Happiness*]

You're born with style and good taste...it can't be bought...those who try to hard to fit in, you know what they're called....and how "much" people likes them

Two very key words...Good Taste. So important.

 

[Mr. Fabulous]

Style is style, everyone has their "sense of style" and soon it develops into other senses.. lol I guess..

 

[Missoni~Heiress]

why would you rather be a doll versace goddess?

because growing up i got alot of porcealen dolls and i wish i was one... can you imagine how cool that would be....

i think i had more style from 0-8 yrs than i do now because mums hobby was playing dress ups... im trying to compete with that girl...

 

[softgrey]

isn't it interesting that many people can look at the same item of clothing and see it so completely differently...
and then there are other things that so many people all agree on...

i guess it's like math...
once you reach the lowest common denominator...etc...

 

[sEEn]

I personally think that style is something that develops overtime.and everything effects you in your development - TV, magazines, friends, people on the street etc. a person might have no interest in what really they wear and whether one item matches the other or not. but slowly, overtime, they'll get there. I can actually see it on the example of a friend of mine (I can be credited for effecting his change))).

but moreover. what do you call style? as someone's already said above, is a person considered 'stylish' when the majority of the society calls him/her 'stylish' and accepts their style? I don't know. my exgirlfriend dresses in this sorta punkish-tom-boyish way, and most of the narrow-minded people here do not consider her stylish. but she definetly has a style. then there are this 'goth' girls in my uni, they too definetly do have a style, although most of the people are freaked out when they see them. so it really depends

 

[Fade to Black]

A woman or a man can look great in a pair of levis 501's and a t-shirt. Sometimes there is just something a little different about the way that person wears it and when they walk into a room full of really fashionable, they will be the best thing in there. maybe cause it is the way they groom themselves, their attitude and them radiating total comfort in their own skin. I think it not ony about the clothing but the persn ding it. And your all right about the little quirks a person adds and not try to follow the path set by others. But we al ( most anyway)
wear things that are considered acceptable, dress, shirt , skirt, trouser ect. Then what about the make up, jewelry( or lack of it) shoes, cleanliness, aroma, posture, laugh, smile, mannerisms. I believe they all play a role.

I saw a a PBS program on Jaqui O and they went thru the phaes of her life stylecause we all know she set some pretty high marks in her life fashion wise, but a friend of hers tells of her days when she was editing later in her life, and she would meet her for lunch at some well to do reasturant and she would walk in with a pair of trousers, maybe simple cashmere sweater and this old beaver coat that wast really some what tattered, like worn around the edges of cuff ect. and her friend said but she carried it off cause it was her being her and she never looked out of place.ALL that money and history and she just did her thing her way. I respect that kind of style.

I liked this section of your post a lot, Clay, as it basically sums up my thoughts on this issue. I believe 'style' isn't really captured well through the clothes itself...you have to see the person's mannerisms, verbalizations and everything down to the most minute tics...it's all in the subtle details that defines a person's style, with the clothes being just one (although important, as it's a mode of expression of one's personality) part of the equation.

And I guess my conclusion is that true style is innate...whether it's good or bad style, it really comes down to the fundamental nature of each individual's character, IMO.

 

[softgrey]

i thought i'd bring this up to see if anyone has anything to add here...
since we have some newer posters now...

...

 

[Trista]

I believe that some people are born with it. Some people just know what works for them and what doesn't, are willing to take risks, and to try or defy trends. Other people don't have much of a personal style, but with the help of a stylist, or some magazines, or advice from others, they can develop a personal style. And then there are people like me. I had no real style when I was younger, pretty much since I was not allowed to wear what I wanted-no light-up shoes, no spaghetti-strap tank tops, no funky shoelaces. So kinda in middle school I went from having the clothes that my mom picked out for me to picking out more of what I wanted. Very few times did I follow the trends, except for the trend 3 years ago that had a lot more rocker pieces-I was into that a bit anyways and although I was never allowed to have ripped anything (my mom threw a hissy fit when I got a pair of jean shorts with some holes), I got some of those shirts because they fit my personal style, which was wear whatever but don't look too promiscuous. As time went on, I started adding brighter colours (I had a lot of red and blue) and skirts and dresses into my wardrobe, as well as some vintage pieces. Now that I'm older, I have had plenty of experience trying on clothes to see what works with my body, and what cuts to avoid. I'm expanding more-I never would have tried an empire waisted top, being big in the chest area as well as the stomach, and while it made me look pregnant at times it worked with the pants I wore today, plus it was $2.

But the other part is confidence. While ANTM has no merits towards fashion, one good challenge was taking a burlap sack and making it stylish. It's all about confidence! That is one aspect of style that is more important than the clothes. You can wear a fabulous piece of haute couture, but if you have no confidence it will look cheap. I have been able to pull off a LOT of things that I shouldn't be able to (tube tops, miniskirts, empire-waist tops) with the body that I have because I don't care what other people think, it's something that makes me feel good and that I like. However it's mostly about ventilation and staying cool.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

*deep breath* I read every post here, and I enjoy every of them. This is definitely a great disscusstion, and thanks softgrey for starting this.
Ok, first of all, I think style is a form of >>> IMPRESSION<<< same as art, it makes you think; it makes you feel something, a kind of it's something something feeling, make you look at it twice.... To me, style is the best form of beauty, and of course, we have different opinions about what's beautiful. So on a person, style is the way they dress, talk, write, draw, their posture, body language, the way they think, the way they do things. the way they treat people, solve troubles, their cultrue etc. etc.

+ is style something that can be bought?...
A big fat >>NO<<, we have disscussed enough about it in the " Does designer make you fashionable" thread.

+is style something that can be taught?...
Nope, everyone is born with a personality which reflects your style, you can't be taught to have other people's style, it won't look real/ effortless.

+is style something that you are born with?...
Yes, Mozart, Matisse, Betthoven..... all those great artists/musicians in history are born with it, they are born as a gift of art to mortals from god.
And with normal human beings, you could be born with a style too.

+is style something that develops over time?...
If you are born with a style. you naturally have it but it could change; I also think you can develope your own style too, human changes with it's surroundings (unless you are those artists i mentioned above).

 

[laika]

Great topic, and great discussion.

I agree that style is not what you buy or what you are taught. ("Taught" in the sense of a makeover show)

But I also agree that style doesn't develop in a vacuum. A few people have pointed out that style includes your mannerisms, gestures, comportment, etc. All of these things are necessarily culturally conditioned--when you meet someone, do you kiss or shake hands? do you kiss twice or three times? Even if you have your own unique style of greeting someone, you've undoubtedly developed it in response (or reaction) to the norm.

In the context of personal, aesthetic style (clothes, makeup, hair, etc) I think we are exposed much more widely and easily to different forms of expression. I also think this realm of style gives us an enormous potential for freedom. (Still thinking this part over.....will hopefully say something more intelligent later)

But, again, some of the most subversive style in history--for example punk/the sex pistols--came about as a reaction to drastic, and often unbearable, social and economic situations.

Natural environment and architecture are also really significant, I think. I was really overwhelmed by this when I visited Antwerp (in the dead of winter!). I loved the feeling that I could see where the clothes came from. There was something really desolate and cold and beautiful about it--I felt like I understood the seriousness of the clothes somehow.

I hope I am not off topic.
Thanks, softgrey, for moving this up. I really appreciate the invitation to post.

 

[eternitygoddess]

I think it's half and half.

There are of course people born with a sense of style. But I believe that certain others can be bred to have that sense.

However the major difference is that those who are 'born' are more innovative, meaning that they can create new styles while those who are 'bred' simply follow but never create.

 

[Lilliana]

I think it is all a question of 'having a' personality, a sense for aesthethics and attention/caring about looks. That are the key ingredients for having style. You have to be born with some of them others can be learnt.

I mean there are people who have great personalities and evidently sense for aesthetics (i.e. great taste in art) but who dress totally average, because it just doesn't mean so much to them. it is not their preferred way of expressing themselves.

On the other hand there are people who just lack a sense for aesthetics or better said looks; who really try but somehow never get it right in their own opinion. I think here you can learn 'style', just learn to properly 'see' textures, proportions, visual effects etc.

So in a nutshell - In my opinion you have to be born with a personality or better said the desire and courage to live your identity, the rest can be learnt.

 

[LuxuryLover]

well I think a person can develop it in themself over time, but I don't think you can teach it to someone else.

It involves seeing ones self objectively, and practicing resraint.

both things are difficult for a lot of people.

 

[pucci_mama]

such a great thread... I learn a lot from reading this, ost have been said, so I have to come back once I thought about it...

 

[softgrey]

you can definitely teach it...
i've done it...
but it only works if the person you are teaching is receptive to the info....
and it takes time...there is no overnight sort of thing...

very often you can try to help someone but they cannot really see or hear what you are saying because they have stars in their eyes when they are looking at their object of desire..
even if it isn't flattering on them...

all they can see is the shiny shoes or whatever it is...
they don't see that they look silly with the outfit...
or they make their legs look short or whatever...

...