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

[pucci_mama]

^ 'stars in their eyes' that's like me and big bags...

So many people have said that I would drown in a balenciaga weekender but I still cannot help lusting after it... it's now been like that for two years.. but I think it's just one of those 'things', when I get it... then I'll be sick of it within a month. I am quite proud that I have yet to succumb to it..

I think a good personal style is something that has developed, a product of who you are, where you have been, and what you have seen.

A really great personal style imo, is just that--personal--- I like it when things from trips abroad are mixed in or antique jewellery (a favourite of mine).

Style is really hard to define, but it's there is in the air around the person... imo though style is not when someone wears just basics and leave it at that, something have to be 'off' to make it personal or unique.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

bred, at least that is my experience with clothes....

 

[Barbizon]

Great thread! I think it's not something that is easy to learn. I guess if you wanted to teach it to someone, you would have to help the person reflect his/herself through clothes. Not tell them "this fits your body....you should wear this". I hate those make-over shows. They only try to squish everybody into the same "mold". No matter your identity/personality. I think style is something you a born with, an eye for beauty, an appreciation. Of course, one's style does evolve....just as a person does. As we grow up, we get a better understanding of who we are....and I think that can help one develop his/her style. For me though, style is much more than clothes....I can't really explain it.

 

[baddabling]

a teeny bit of stylishness, in a sense, can be faked (stylists, buying whats "trendy", copying others, etc.)

but to truly be stylish, i think you have to be born with it. to be able to take any thing that is nothing but boring and basic or totally outregeous, and put your own spin on them to create something new and original...that can't be created by a mass-market retailer or rachel zoe

 

[cutxpaste]

breed, definitely.
sure, some people are born with a great understanding of fashion and a knowledge of how certain pieces work well together but i think personal style in general is shaped more by your own personal experiences, places you have been, people you have seen and other influences, not just innately having "it".

 

[educo]

^^ Sounds like a description for "born" to me. Give two people the same closet, the same experiences and one will come out better than the other. There are some people who have an excellent filter system where they can take anything and make it their own by precisely taking the original context out of the garment to begin with, and that, to me can only happen if you are born with "it". There is a possibility that you can get close by being taught, but if you notice, those who have gone this way were most often taught or influenced by someone who had "it" to begin with.

 

[cuppycakes]

I think it's something you are born with. of course your life experiences effect your style but for the most part you either have it or you don't.

 

[VampireCa]

From my personal experience, style is a thing that either you have it, or you don't.
I developed my own style through time, but even when I was young, I experimented rather crazy pieces to create my own personal look. Although it wasn't that nice when I look back now, I was always willing to put the impossibles together and interested to see the final look.

 

[dentrobatidae]

I liked the analogy of musicians or artists that helena, jovana, and others have used. It implies there is a learnable skill and that there can be proficiency with a certain amount of applied effort. I think the quote is “Genius is 99% perspiration, and 1% inspiration.” I think anyone can be a decent pianist given enough practice, but very few people can become a concert pianist.

I guess I think of style as a bellcurve rather than a have or have-not. You can get most people to the median. Up towards the higher end of the spectrum though, there is a great deal of innate talent.

So anyone can be taught to dress well. However, certain people have an ability to create and envision new ideas or stories through clothes, rather than just processing fashion. I think most people who think of themselves as stylish are probably more like towards the 85th-90th percentile, and maybe some artists/stylists are in the upper 5th percentile . . . so, the Horowitzs and Glenn Goulds of the fashion world, maybe?

Hm, I think I may have gone on a bit of a tangent . . . sorry!

 

[justlooking]

^ what tangent? you hit the bellcurve... i am so lame but i had an exam today so i get to be...hehe...no, really, i think your bellcurve idea is so perfect. won't forget that one...

 

[dentrobatidae]

Hah, thanks justlooking!

 

[softgrey]

i agree...dentro- that was a good post....

 

[dentrobatidae]

Thanks, soft! And . . . 5th percentile should actually be 95th instead, silly me.

 

[Tinetush]

Great thread. !

I don't have that much new to add. I think that you have to be born with something. But in general I think that being born with 'style' and being taught goes hand in hand. As cutx mentioned I think a person's experiences, environment, cultural interests, friends upbringing etc. has a lot to with that persons understanding of style..
I think stylish parents can do wonders for their children's style and really be a big influence to them, well both in a good or a bad way..

 

[pucci_mama]

bump...

 

[Feline]

You have to have something within you, but people can learn. I've learned lots from here & you never stop learning & developing. Follow your heart - don't follow trends & you can't go far wrong.

 

[BerlinRocks]

style is you ... and others with their influence ...
imo style is cultural ... not natural ...
but you can born with a natural sense of style ... i mean you know what fits you and what doesn't ... but this is because you are born with the eye !!!!
style is something you develop ! the most important is finding your own (saying style is quest means basically it's not something you're born with) ....

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Maybe you're born with the desire to go on the quest

 

[SHSH]

I think the most stylish people are akin to artists most of whom have inner conflicts or are very much inspired artistically to be creative and this is what style is to me. You cant buy this talent and it cant be taught I think it develops over time from inspiration whether it be events in your life, music or your role models.

To me a stylish person is one that is just inspired and has a vision of their own look independent of any one else or a scene for instance.

 

[rollagasper]

I started thinking about my answer to this question and then started wondering what "stylish" even means...

Like SHSH said, style can't be bought. "Tips" can be given to prevent people committing fashion no-no's, but "style" is much more than about following rules/conventions.

Stylish people have a good eye; combining colours and shapes is instinctual rather than rule-based like "pair volume with something fitted." And again i have to agree with SHSH that people with good style are inspired. Music, celebrities, fashion collections, landscape, artworks... Stylish doesn't really necessarily mean "individual" for me. Lots of chic people reference and appropriate other people's styles. We all have fashion icons and it's inevitable to "borrow." Patti Smith, Kate Moss, they've all "borrowed" from elsewhere. As long as the person shows confidence and a sense of belonging in their outfit, they are stylish.