So you know fashion, but can you dress yourself?

[eternitygoddess]

Er...........

I might get alot of heat for this, but sometimes I look at pictures of tfser's outfits and I don't think they can dress themselves, despite how they 'know' fashion.

Who knows, perhaps I'm one of them.

 

[smashingv]

Katebug, I can definitely identify you - and judging by this thread, many others do!

I love people watching and reading magazines (I also have several stacks of magazines and look books!), and I really appreciate the time stylists, designers, and others put into fashion and style. But sometimes I just find myself getting lazy and not willing to put the effort into what I look like.

It's not that I dress poorly, I just have my off days and on days. The days I do dress up usually mean I am doing something special that day (a concert, club, etc). I also find that sometimes, what I feel is "cute" doesn't always translate well. I guess you could say that I can be a "Mary-Kate," where I feel like being adventurous in what I'm wearing, but others view the look as sloppy or weird.

I don't think I exude fashion - my budget doesn't allow me to do so! What I do think is that, when I want to, I dress well.

 

[Blueberry Muffin]

Great topic I also read a lot, spent hours on the websites and lookbooks and talk about fashion 24/7 but sometimes I don't feel myself very fashion forward,I feel like I can not apply all the things I've known.There are some reasons: I work at a very small office where what you wear is no big deal, very few people visits the office and there is no one to appreciate your apperance,on the other hand if I had a meeting I try to do my best to look good and I get a lot of compliments, I like it, but wearing your best and sitting at the office all day doesn't give me the inspration I need. I can hear some will say be nice for yourself but not everytime it works, a person (at least I) need outsider's appreciation.

The other reason is, I easily get cold and my city is really cold during winter,sometimes I wear stuff which keeps me warm other than stylish. Another reason, my office,my home and gym are close and I usually go to gym after work and mostly I walk a lot so walking a lot doesn't work with very high heels or your designer heels. If I have a car to office job, it would help me more to wear fashionable. More reasons to go ; I mostly be late in the mornings and sometimes all the things I've thrown doesn't look good I need more time, at the end I choose safer things to wear.

Last but not the least, I am a mix and match person, I also live in a budget thus I can not get all the things I want to. I do my shopping from high street shops like Topshop, Zara, H&M .. etc, they do have good clothes but I think having key pieces like bags,shoes,boots or fantastic coats from high fashion brands like YSL, Chloé,Fendi;Burberry Prorsum.. etc add a lot of value and sophisication to your
appereance. Oh one more, I think being a tall and slim person like models also help to be sensed as fashionable, as we see a lot of examples on models street style thread, most of them wear jeans and tshirts but they still look marvellous and very fashionista Sorry my post may seem long and untidy but I think I made my point.

 

[Les_Sucettes]

I think I appreciate fashion more than I apply it to my own self. It's kind of like art appreciation - you might be obsessed about Schiele, Rothko, Raphael, etc but that doesn't mean you dabble in art all the time yourself. (That's an extreme example though.)

.

I agree totally, It depends what you expect of fashion. There are people that like fashion as an artistic form, others and i count myself on those, that are only interested because they like beautiful clothes to wear.
In the other hand I like art for art's sake, not really interested if a certain painting is going to clash with the colour of my sofa, so i can totally understand how some people feel.

I guess we can make the same parallel with fashion, knowing a lot about it doesn't mean that you feel like applying these things in yourself.

 

[Traversant]

eternitygoddess I agree, there are definitely some people who post photos and I wonder why they are here/how they got here!

 

[softgrey]

beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
i may not like what someone else is wearing and they might not like what i am wearing...

but if you ask another person they may love my style and another person might love the first person's style...

style is a personal thing...
fashion is a WHOLE OTHER THING...
**and probably more about what other people think of you and trying to fit in or be part of a certain group etc...

most people who care about fashion simply copy and follow trends...

many many people who know nothing about fashion have FANTASTIC style..
i know lawyers and architects and graphic designers and industrial designers who all dress way better than some people who i know who work at major magazines..
because they just have a better eye and aren't trying to be something they really are not...

 

[Kimkhuu]

It's hard to say........ There's also the $$$$$$ issue.

It's not like everyone can afford pricey stuff, which usually offers the best cuts and fabrics. You really have to jump on the right occasions to get that special piece at that special price and pray they still have your size.

Otherwise, I am more into investing in long term use clothes, basics, mostly from Zara and Club Monaco, and once in a while buy a more costly item that I am sure I'll wear for years to come. My wardrobe isn't phenomenal, and far from being exquisite. It all goes down to the styling process; bref, the art of getting dressed is not something you master overnight.

 

[dumbbrunette5]

for me, my style is partially ruled by my budget. im still in high school so any money i make from working goes towards my college fund so i dont have alot left for clothes. and where i live (thailand) there are no thrift stores, the malls with cheap clothes are kinda tacky and built for thai bodies (my american size 4 *** just barely fits into an XL) so its hard to find stuff that fits. on top of that, i have to save up for ages just to buy a couple things at Zara or Urban Outfitters (normally considered low priced) so its hard for me to make my style reflect my love of fashion and the outfits i dream up in my head


--www.smashingdahling.blogspot.com--

 

[letthereberock]

When you dress especially good, people are going to look at you.
So I think it's got to do with self-confidence.

 

[MUXU]

this is sort of like a debate on whether style is something a person born with or something you learn. personally, i think style is something a person born with.
i agree with softgrey up there. there is a distinction between style and fashion. a fashionable person may not be stylish, a stylish person may not follow the latest fashion. it def. has to do with 'in the eye of the beholder'.

i think most people, even people who work in fashion don't dress stylish everyday.
i think those who are truly natural stylists don't have to spend a vast amount of time putting an outfit together. or even vast amount of money.
alot of people here say money is an issue, but i doubt it. most of my outfits i wore back in highschool doesn't go beyond 20 canadian dollars. i wore alot and still do wear thrifts. funnily enough, most people think my clothes are super expensive of the way i put the pieces together and also the fact the pieces can't be found in malls.

i think an easier way to look put together and save time would be to make a formula for yourself. or even a back-up outfit for when you have no time to think.
my 'lazy' formula for now is V-neck cardigan wore back to front, high waist skirt (any) and tights with any shoes.

i feel like i am still at a stage of experimentation so i don't plan on making long term commitments with super expensive garments. but i am not about to go all Primark for cheap quality clothes. you can find great quality clothes from thrift stores too!

 

[picnmix]

I wouldn't claim to know fashion at all, but what I apply to myself is things that I like and I find interesting.
I don't think I always look fantastic and sometimes what I wear doesn't work, but I like to experiment, and that does mean sometimes it will go wrong. I don't see it as the end of the world.

I think the point to this was that I look at dressing myself as a creative process rather than a way to make me look taller/ slimmer/ whatever. I like fashion for the creativity that people display, and that is what I try to apply to myself.

 

[clockwood]

i have to say im much more interested in dressing myself well than i am with fashion.

 

[The_Ida]

I don't think that fashion necessarily is about dressing fashionable. For me, fashionable = trendy. I hate trendy. You can dress low-key and still be considered well-dressed. Also, I don't buy into that budget-thing. You can still dress very well for little money, to me it sounds like a bad excuse. I love Lanvin, but I know that saving up for months and buying a Lanvin dress won't change anything.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I dunno, I think a Lanvin dress might well change things

 

[The_Ida]

^ I dunno, I think a Lanvin dress might well change things

Okay, maybe a little. Like not having enough money for food and rent

 

[blackman]

It drives me nuts when people who present themselves in public as fashion 'people' but look horrible. And I don't care what they wear at home but if you are going to be on TV and tell people what to wear you better look pretty good. My favourite are 'journalists' who dissect red carpet fashion. Who thought it would be a good idea for Joan Rivers, don't get me started on Melissa, to tell people what to wear.

 

[pointup]

I wouldn't say I can't dress myself, but as many said before it's all about having the means. my priorities aren't really on clothes as far as my money goes at the moment. so, i do splurge every now and then...

but, as softgrey mentioned, i also try not to buy too many "fashionable" picks and try to stay true to the plain jane I am. I see people everyday that would be picked apart on this forum that I think are absolute perfection although their shoes might not be anything we'd say 'yes' to in the shoe thread

 

[Melisande]

Money isn't the issue for "style"...As long as you have the minimum means to buy a few well-chosen pieces per year--of good enough quality to last a few years--and if you need, a good coat and beautiful dress perhaps once every few years, one can dress well. Some of the most stylish people I know (many of them French) only own a few outfits which they wear repeatedly (and repeatedly!), but very well selected. Thrifting, sample sales and making your own clothes are some excellent ways to dress well on a budget. If all else fails, you can always count on devastating poise to pull off any outfit.

"Fashion", though, like Softie said, is a whole different thing. It would probably require a certain amount of money to be seen as fashionable among highly trend-oriented people...if that's all you want.

As people have mentioned, I do think that weather, comfort, body image, time, inspiration, energy, knowledge, a good eye, motivation, and your style environment do play large roles in dressing well.

 

[silk skin paws]

I don't consider myself a fashionista at all but now I know what works with my body and what compliments it. I wanted to overhaul my look. I grew tired of it and wanted to update and change my wardrobe to fit my current mindset. I did that but I'm no where near daring or adventurous. But sure I appreciate people who are.

One thing I learned is to be true to myself (as cliche and cheesy it may sound).

I stick around because I appreciate style.

 

[pinksatin]

All these responses are interesting. Good thread!

I think I can dress myself well most of the time. I'm definitely not a standout fashionista but I'm still stylish and put together. I don't live in a particularly fashionable region, but friends and strangers usually make positive comments about what I'm wearing regardless of how much I spent on it (proof that money is not = style). I do make an effort with it though. It's so easy to just leave the house in jeans and be done with it so I try to limit how often I wear jeans and when I do I try to do something different with the rest of the outfit. I think it's fun to make an effort because I like fashion. I'm the same way with make-up. I just think it's fun to wear so making an effort isn't hard.

That said I do have days when I don't have time for grooming because of too much last minute homework projects or I don't feel good and it's freezing and therefor don't want to leave the house let alone dress myself. In general though, I can dress myself well but I do make an effort to get there. It's never by accident.