Stealing Style...

[wheneveriwakeup]

I agree, soft...
Limited budgets, esp. when young, are great tools...
You rly do have to make something out of 'nothing', so to speak..
It is difficult, but it is also incredibly satisfying...
As well as that, when one becomes fortunate enough
to acquire designer pieces, their appreciation for the pieces
is huge as opposed to a kid/adult who's been able to have designer
clothing before they were even allowed to legally work..

 

[misstarshine]

I think there is a huge difference between being inspired or borrowing ideas from a person and stealing their style.

The other day i got dressed inspired by my mum of all things, I was wearing her old earrings and had a short version of a skirt she used to wear about 20 years ago. She was my inspiration but there is absolutely no way i would steal her style because her version would have been very very very different.

 

[gius]

yea.. i guess things a person who has their own personal style would have would be...

- being not easily influenced by other people
(could be isolation , or just a super finicky personality.. deeply ingrained tastes & ideas in what looks good on them, etc.)
- being observant
(knowing what other people are wearing)
- maybe even seeing a negative side to the idea of being part of a crowd/crowds


limits are definitely a helpful tool
but it's true when you guys say that some are just more inclined to do what they see
because i have a colleague who shops at thrift stores and so on.. or works with what she already has.. a sort of limit.. but she looks exactly like someone from Misshapes or that other place with 'cobra' or 'snake' in its name...
and because of this limit, she looks sort of different because the fabrics she wears will be different/less polished or she will make some things by hand... so, in this sense, i guess she is one of those "skillful imitators"

anyway
you know what, it's sometimes nice if you get copied
but i have seen people who will copy to get noticed
and this happened once, directed towards me (i know,it's so strange haha) and it was such a turn-off ... even despite the fact the intentions were not bad, it felt so abusive and i actually find myself really not liking this person lol

but wheneveriwakeup, i totally agree with you ~ sometimes style is such a personal thing
it's important to be careful .. it can be so insulting

 

[misstarshine]

Gius my sister worked with her boyfriends ex and everyday she would turn up to work and the girl would be wearing what she had been wearing the day before and even dyed her hair the same colour. of course this made my sister hate her even more...

Actually i had a friend who got her hair cut the same as me which i found flattering until everyone started copying her and then it was as if i had copied her too

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

i think a lot of people steal style from stores, rather than individuals. you can often look at a person and tell exactly where they shop. there is the nordy-girl look, the urban outfitters look, the abercrombie look, etc.

i used to be so amazed at how put together and stylish people were, having no idea for myself of how to put myself together. then my friend remarked to me, "you just have to march yourself down to neiman marcus, and you can acquire that look, too." to some degree, you can, it's true.

that isn't to say that if you shop at a particular store, you're a clone. but what i credited as creativity is often ... something else.

Tell me about it...
I work @ the place (uo)...
The look:
1.) skinny jeans
2.) over-sized v-necks
3.) long, over-sized cardigans
4.) gladiators (sadly!), nikes, or converse
5.) messy hair
6.) 80s inspired messenger bag
7.) hippie head-bands
8.) flannel
9.) scarves

 

[misstarshine]

True is Aus the shop that most young people seem to steal their style from is Supre and they dress head to toe in it

 

[quimby]

okay, yes, that definition of original makes sense. original in the sense of how you put things together. thanks softgrey

this discussion makes me think of tribes. in some sense, maybe those stealing style want to infiltrate a tribe. when it becomes insulting might be when they're infiltrating your tribe, uninvited.

but couldn't we also think of style as a meme. someone does something original, and that sparks a flow of ideas. because stealing has such negative connotations. (i don't really know all the connotations of the word meme, except that my professor ex-boyfriend was obsessed with the idea of spreading his memes....
anyway, m-w provides this definition: an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture)

 

[fashionista-ta]

yea.. i guess things a person who has their own personal style would have would be...

- being not easily influenced by other people
(could be isolation , or just a super finicky personality.. deeply ingrained tastes & ideas in what looks good on them, etc.)
- being observant
(knowing what other people are wearing)
- maybe even seeing a negative side to the idea of being part of a crowd/crowds

Oh dear, you've totally described me, but it doesn't sound very charming at all

quimby, be careful, now you're doing it for him What you say about tribes makes alot of sense.

 

[gius]

even if the tribe is only a one-person tribe lol the leader !

 

[fashionista-ta]

Gius my sister worked with her boyfriends ex and everyday she would turn up to work and the girl would be wearing what she had been wearing the day before and even dyed her hair the same colour. of course this made my sister hate her even more...

Actually i had a friend who got her hair cut the same as me which i found flattering until everyone started copying her and then it was as if i had copied her too

Sometimes a woman I used to work for & I would show up to work wearing the same thing--it was so odd. Like one day it was an ivory blouse + a short hot pink skirt. It made me want to calculate the odds Actually as I think about it she did steal my style I wear a lot of pinky rings, and she had a ring made for her pinky. It had colored stones, though, which was different from any of mine.

 

[rollagasper]

I have one friend who sometimes would buy things (like a pair of shoes or a certain scarf) after she sees me wear them. She is a bit self-conscious, so I guess she feels less intimidated of wearing something out of the norm if she sees someone else wear it. And the thing is, she ASKS me whether it's okay if she buys it. She goes "Oh, I hope you won't be annoyed, but I really really like it" and makes me feel all guilty and there is no way I can say NO. It's a bit annoying.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ When I was once asked the same question, I told my college roommate that No, she couldn't buy shoes like mine (They were so cute, I wish I had them now )

 

[rollagasper]

^ I need to practice being more assertive. I'm always say what others want to hear.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ You get the nice award--I do not. It may have even been along the lines of "hell no"

 

[ElectricAlyce]

I steal, but I don't steal a whole outfit, so I guess it doesn't count as stealing, but taking inspiration from. Unless you are able to free your mind completely and sew everything together from scratch you will be inspired by someone/something. If it's on a clothing hanger, on a friend or on a catwalk. I guess the line (as I see it) goes when you wear that outfit BECAUSE another person you like/admire/love wears it. If you see someone wearing a style you reeally love and that you think will suit you, then I say go! Steal it, and make it your own.

But it's really annoying when you buy a really cool garment, your friend sees it and the next week him/her got the same one

 

[misstarshine]

My best friend and i actually had a big fight because i was saving for a pair of boots and then she went and bought the very ones i wanted and i couldn't get them anymore grrr i still want them and it was 5 years ago!

 

[softgrey]

oh starshine...that has happened to me more times than i can count...
it's why i don't own a chanel bag...
i showed my friend which one i was thinking of buying and she bought it right in front of me while i was on my cell phone...*yes- it was the last one in the store...
*she claims that she thought i was helping HER pick a bag......what?!?!?!...:
whatever..she loses her sense of reason when she is in a clothing store......

I have one friend who sometimes would buy things (like a pair of shoes or a certain scarf) after she sees me wear them. She is a bit self-conscious, so I guess she feels less intimidated of wearing something out of the norm if she sees someone else wear it. And the thing is, she ASKS me whether it's okay if she buys it. She goes "Oh, I hope you won't be annoyed, but I really really like it" and makes me feel all guilty and there is no way I can say NO. It's a bit annoying.

omg YES!...
that has SO happened to me...
and i am too nice to say...'no way B*TCH...go find your own style...!!"...

...

i did make one friend who is particularly guilty of this, promise that she will never wear any of the things we both own when we hang out together though...so we don't look like dorks wearing the same boots or bag or whatever...
*which she ignored of course...
she just does whatever the hell she feels like..

i don't shop with her so much anymore..

 

[fashionista-ta]

bump for merging

 

[maraschin0]

I know there are people who copy others style, but I've never had someone steal mine People always used to ask me where I bought my clothes, I would just say vaguely, "Oh, just online...you know" and then they just stop there

But I admit I get influences/inspirations from other people, be it walking down the street, looking at magazines, a painting, etc. It's really done subconsciously though, I just file it away in my mind and when I shop I buy items that I'm drawn to. Like if I see someone wear black tights with black booties, I'll get drawn to black booties if I'm shopping for shoes, but in a different style though. It's hard to explain

 

[GroovyDolce]

It can be annoying mostly for me to see someone copy my style or one of my signature items...but then the good thing is that you're acknowledged for wearing it first than the copy cats...