¨Fashions fade, style is eternal¨ - Yves Saint Laurent
I couldn't have said it better myself. What it all boils down to is that when someone can tap into their style and pair it with modern tricks of the trade you will always be seen as "fashionable, stylish, snatched" whatever you wanna call it it's all the same really. I'm sure that there are plenty of books and articles written about this topic. I haven't read them. However, I am 100% confident in what I am about to tell you. I have three simple items that you need in order to tap into your greatest style self.
First, recognize what your personal style is. If you're not an Annie Lenox style don't try to force yourself into pant suits, if you're not an Oprah style don't do high elegance, shoulder baring stuff, if you are not an Adam Sandler don't o around looking like you just pumped somebody's gas and left a father's convention...ok you get the point. Your style is a reflection of yourself. Your clothes should speak to the essence of who you are just as much as the inside of your bedroom would. Your wardrobe is the moniker to the rest of the world and you have the ability to tell whatever story you want and I am sure everybody wants a nice story. The tricky part is that you have to recognize when you're being lazy and when you actually seem the light beaming from your eyes because you locked into a piece of clothing that reflects you. I always say if you go shopping for clothes and it doesn't make you say "OOOH AAAH" like the aliens from Toy Story then don't buy it. Also, if it takes you more than 30 seconds to decide if you want it or not DON'T BUY IT. We gotta fight the impulse buying and buy smart. This most of the time can be the hardest part for people to grasp especially after being vacant for the majority of their lives. The fact of the matter is if you stop here then you can still be left with a mess.
Second, the most important clothing rule of all is fit. I cannot stress this enough. FIT, FIT, FIT. Your clothes have to fit your body properly. You have to know your body type and less to dress for that. If you go off this past you are in destruction zone. If you're straight up and down don't try to dress an imagined Sofia Vergara body. There are ways to finding clothes that fit you and accentuate your positives. So take some personal time and get real with yourself and the mirror and then after that have a field day figuring out where the seams hit you and which clothes make you look the best. It's really easy to appear lumpy when you're not or adding extra unnecessary weight. No oversized stuff and no things strangling your love handles.
*Bonus round: Ok this is getting to the nitty gritty but fabric is important as well. Don't trust that all fabrics will fit you the same some definitely will be extra bulky or the opposite and be quite flimsy but you have to reconsider the cut and where it hits you on your body before making a purchase. It's just a little extra homework for kicks.
Third, educate yourself. this doesn't mean that you have to be trendy. It's quite the contrary. Typically, when things become trendy they've already begun or passed their lives in the fashion world like magenta colored pants of 2013 had already been a popular bottom color in 2012 to those who paid attention. Sometimes it takes a bit of inspiration in order to really find where you fit. There's also a saying that goes "steal from the best and make it your own" you can flip the GQ and Vogue magazines to take ideas but that doesn't mean that you have to be buying Chanel, Burberry, or Balenciaga. Here is what you do when you are doing homework in magazines:
Looking to see how to pair tops and bottoms, try to learn what combinations work because most times if it works in print it looks even better in real life.
Watch for fabrics that work in the season and you can kind of sort of watch to see how they lay on a human body best way is to try yourself but it gives you an idea (if something makes a woman look like a peacock don't think its gonna be slimming on you unlikely) those things
Colors, colors, colors...magazines are a good way to see how to pair colors that you aren't yet brave enough to adorn yourself in especially if you want to color block
Good accessory ideas too...can't go wrong with embellishing and you won't miss it in a magazine
read the captions and see what more that designer has to offer it's also a way to find cheaper versions of the things you just saw just from being witty
Learn different cuts of clothes and where tops, bottoms, jackets and everything else should hit on the body
Ok, class is in session. Make me proud peeps. Did anybody catch that Clueless bit?