Is being fashionable effortless?

[papa_levante]

I'm in love with Katie White (The Ting Tings) and Regina Spektor's style right now. I look up their pictures for ideas of pieces I can buy to obtain their style into my own wardrobe.

Yet, when buying those pieces, I have the hardest time pairing them. So, they end up being folded away into a box. (My mother says to never throw anything away because tomorrow, it may be the trend again.)

So today, I'm wearing my skater shoes, blue jeans, and a sweat shirt from high school. I don't feel bad wearing it.

I keep thinking that if I had more pieces to incorporate with one another in my wardrobe, then dressing up and creating outfits wouldn't be such a chore. I think, "The more I'll have, the easier it will be to put something together." Usually I just give up on putting an outfit together because "I don't have a black tank top to go underneath," or "I don't have socks that go just under my knees."

When I'm in the What Are You Wearing Today? thread, everyone looks AMAZING. How do you do it? Sure, some time and energy will go into matching and accessorizing, etc. But my questions are...

• Is it effortless because you have enough to choose from in your wardrobe?

• Because you have a good fashion sense, you already know/can already tell what goes with what?

 

[softgrey]

i don't know if you are talking about being fashionable or being stylish..

i think that being stylish is more effortless...
that is more about having your own personal style...whatever the fashions may be...

being fashionable is more about following trends and that does take a lot of work, frankly...
you need to be paying attention to every fashion and celeb mag and you need to be shopping and updating your closet constantly...though it takes less creativity than being stylish because you are basically just copying...not creating...

imo- being stylish is WAY cooler than being fashionable...
but they do both take a certain amount of effort...
that is why, for example i will play dress up when i have time and take pics of potential outfits...
it really helps to see what works and what doesn't work when you do this..

fashion editors always do this on photoshoots...

it's not magic...you do have to work at this stuff...

 

[fashionista-ta]

As softgrey says, you do have to experiment ... not every idea works every time. Sometimes when I get home from a shopping trip, I'll try a new piece on with stuff I already have to see what it works with. Otherwise, if I'm not sure something's going to work, I'll allow an extra 10 minutes for getting dressed so I can move on to plan B.

I don't buy pieces randomly for the most part--I have a plan and the things I buy fit into that plan. I also take note of what I'm missing, and either find a way to substitute something I do have, or put what I need on my shopping list.

I definitely don't buy things and not wear them--I wear everything I buy. I don't btw buy clothes 'inspired by' anyone else. My own taste drives what I buy--and also what's going on in my life at a given time.

Definitely effort goes into planning my wardrobe and what I will buy. But once it works, then it is generally effortless to get dressed.

 

[brokenenglish]

I think being inspired soley by a person or person(s) style is asking for problems.
Most people just take a look they like on a celeb and try to copy it and just end up looking silly, or fine but unoriginal.

The people I find to be most stylish are usually inspired by more than just another person...
Movies, art, history, etc. are all great places to draw inspiration from.
If you are building your own style and look then I think you become more comfortable with yourself and it just becomes natural.

So next time you go shopping don't just buy a piece b/c it looks like a piece that someone owns.
Buy something that draws your attention that you love and just have to have.
I think you might find after a while you are beginning to get things that are very easy to put together.

 

[dumbfairy]

I agree that playing around with clothes and working out what goes well or what you feel comfortable is the first step. Sometimes things you'd never put together work really well together

 

[GasolineRainbow]

• Is it effortless because you have enough to choose from in your wardrobe?

• Because you have a good fashion sense, you already know/can already tell what goes with what?

As others said, it does take a certain amount of effort to put together a great outfit, and there are many threads on the "Personal Style" forum that tackle this issue. Not to skirt your questions, but I'm curious if you meant looking effortless or dressing effortlessly. Because to me, those are two separate things.

The idea of looking effortless is very popular among fashion-conscious people right now. It's championed by some of the (arguably) most influential designers, magazines, and even style bloggers (ex. Balmain, Vogue Paris, Fashion Toast). When praising someone's style, "effortless" is thrown around a lot, including on TFS. On the other hand, "try-hard" and similar expressions are a typical way to lambast an outfit.

Now, I like this effortless style as much as the next person, but I can also appreciate a look that seems more intricate and well-considered. I won't automatically label it as try-hard. Besides, we all know that an "effortless" outfit can sometimes take hours to assemble. Moreover, I'm not convinced that effortless style is relevant to everyone's lives, despite all the global streetstyle blogs that *appear* to prove otherwise. A Ukrainian girl once told me she didn't understand how ripping your jeans on purpose and wearing little to no makeup could be seen as chic. That's because she grew up at a time when owning lipstick and more than one pair of jeans was a complete luxury.

Sorry if I've gone into an irrelevant tangent here. I felt it was important to make the delineation between effortless style and effortless dressing, and ask what you meant.

 

[rollagasper]

I think once you develop your signature style, dressing will require less effort. We all get inspiration from celebrities and streetstyle photos, but coping directly is always so much effort because you have to have every piece of the outfit. Rather, take an element of the celebrity outfit that you like, and try to incorporate that with what you already have - that way you make it your own and also won't have to buy so much clothes.
Also, as you pay more attention to matching clothes, you find certain tricks. For example, I always match looser tops with black skinny jeans or tight black mini skirt. These are essential pieces for me and I always go back to them to match with other pieces that are more trendy.

 

[Milada]

I agree that trying to emulate the looks of one or two people with essentially the same style is asking for problems because then you will be focusing on what you don't have, and no, you'll never have all of the pieces to put together the outfits.

And keep in mind, most effortless looks are just as calculated as others.

 

[MissMagAddict]

IMO the only time style is effortless is if you're born with it & I do believe that some people are. Otherwise when you take something fashionable & make it your own... that's style.

 

[The_Ida]

• Is it effortless because you have enough to choose from in your wardrobe?

I think it's easier if you have less to choose from. A few, but good pieces that just work.

 

[MissMagAddict]

[/list]I think it's easier if you have less to choose from. A few, but good pieces that just work.

I completely agree with that... I have fewer clothes now than I ever have & I'm finding it really works well for me.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Perhaps needless to say, I agree as well

Sometimes a huge accumulation of clothes is a well-curated collection, but more often it seems to be a collection of mistakes. I find that when I have a well-thought-out seasonal wardrobe, not only do I get the most out of the new things I buy, but out of things I already have as well.

 

[i_<3_chanel]

Being fashionable is not effortless. Being stylish maybe.
There is no way you can be on trend and wear what is perceived as 'in fashion' without making some sort of effort and anyone who claims they don't is lying.

As others have said just because an outfit looks effortless it doesn't mean it is. But the few truly effortless dressers around have a couple of things in common; age (never have I seen a teenager look effortless!), their own distinct taste and a healthy disregard for trends.

 

[dumbfairy]

I always secretly giggle at people who look amazing and claim they just threw whatever clothes that they had in reach on,when really they've probably been planning all aspects of the outfit for weeks

 

[Milada]

^Well at least they look amazing, which is more than I can say about 97% of people I see.

 

[Meg]

wow, we've got a lot of great threads going on in PS at the moment! For me effortless=relaxed. I would only label someone as "try-hard" if it was clear that they didn't feel comfortable in their clothes, or they were wearing an abundance of trends in a poor way. This would suggest that they were dressing for others, and thus trying too hard.

I disagree with the thought that fashionable and stylish are mutually exclusive. I think you can easily combine both. I also disagree with the thought that looking at celebs is a bad idea. Because I think the important thing to take away from someone's style who you really like (whether it's Kate Moss, MK Olsen, or a random person) which is the proportion and idea behind what they are wearing. ie. Gladiator shoes with a short skirt and a top. This doesn't mean someone has to run out and buy the exact items, but you can get the notion of what you like about that outfit, and replicate it.

I think part of buying things and then keeping them in boxes is just part of being young.there are things you may love but not be confident enough to wear just yet. If there is an item I really like but is perhaps a bit more adventurous than my normal day to day routine, I try to think up of at least several ways I could wear that item. If a lot of the items I would need to wear that item the way I want aren't in my closet, I'll usually forgo it.

Part of being "effortless" I think also comes with loving fashion. When you are inspired by an idea, an item in your closet, a new pair of shoes, whatever you are always thinking about ways of putting something together, and different combinations and I think that makes dressing quicker, easier and more likely to make you happy.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I always secretly giggle at people who look amazing and claim they just threw whatever clothes that they had in reach on,when really they've probably been planning all aspects of the outfit for weeks

To me that's potentially true ... I think the important thing is the effort that goes into what you buy. I'm not going to claim that I look amazing, but I do put outfits together quickly, and I often do wear what's within reach. (I have hooks on my bathroom & bedroom doors, and often I'll wear what's on top.)

 

[MissMagAddict]

Part of being "effortless" I think also comes with loving fashion. When you are inspired by an idea, an item in your closet, a new pair of shoes, whatever you are always thinking about ways of putting something together, and different combinations and I think that makes dressing quicker, easier and more likely to make you happy.

Presenting yourself as happy & confident... that would indeed make it all seem "effortless" ... no matter what you're wearing.

 

[timber]

I think for day to day style, bringing a certain level of functionality to your fashion choices makes it seem more effortless. By that I mean comfort and ease of wear -- I know girls that come to school dressed daily in tube-tight synthetic clothing and teetering high heels, or don't wear coat in the depths of winter, sacrificing style for comfort. There's just something about it that seems off -- they're trying too hard, as opposed to adapting their own personal style around their daily needs and the weather.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I know what you mean ... I always think that if I go to the zoo & see someone all tricked out in hot pants and wood platforms. I'm like, where did you think you were going