Styles fundamentals
“Fashion fades style is eternal.”
As Yves Saint Laurent said because trends come and go but personal style has real staying power. So what is great style and how to get it and be the best version of yourself?
First, I believe having great style is knowing who you are and daring to be the person you really desired to be.
Second, it is knowing what suits you best and what makes you stand out in the right way. It is also very important to dare new things, upgrade and not be stuck in one single style even if we have our basics successful ones.
My favorite basic style; the black little flared skirt that is so versatile, comfortable and flattering!
As it comes for fashion rules and fashion faux pas , we all heard common rules for instance like :
“You should not combine flower print and geometrics pattern.”
“Thou shall always match thy shoes, bag, and belt.”
“Thou shall not mix black and navy.”
“You should not wear a total look print.”
And many more...
But from theory to practice there is a whole different world; Do these magazines that decides what is “style” know us as much as we do? Aren't we the ones who decide what makes us feel good and right or are we unconsciously driven by intensive marketing and society beauty standards expectations? And after all aren’t rules meant to be broken?
I strongly believe that the key to great personal style is understanding your individual beauty enough to know which look will work for you and which won’t.
It is good to be inspired by others but trying to look like someone else and compare yourself to others is the biggest mistake you can do.
As Oscar Wilde said “Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.”
Being a fashion designer and working previously as a fashion sales advisor made me realise that the biggest challenge women's encountered in front of the mirror is their lack of self confidence. You can have the most beautiful woman well dressed but if she doesn’t know who she is as a woman, compare herself to others and is not able to cultivate her real self it will never have the right impact.
It applies too with our personal life, although we would think first men are only attracted by pure physical beauty, in reality they are attracted by how a woman is assertive, real with herself and independently confident while embracing her femininity too. In the end, confidence is the greatest accessory.
Colorful accessories like this beautiful scarf and this tiny pop bag add value on a simple flared and t-shirt look. Accessorize is key but remember that your best accessory is your confidence and attitude. Keep all of them and you’ve got it all!
Add your personal touch. For instance I love to combine touches of vicious red with a black and white graphic look.
The things to remember to obtain great personal :
- Cultivate your own individuality because thats what make you special and unique. As a fashion designer this is what excites me the most. Using my creativity and playing with fabric prints and colors is great but making the final look one of a kind, flattering, feminine and with this special twist that will make you stand out is my ultimate goal.
In 3 words, originality, flattering and feminine. - Daring is also better than being too save. Don’t try to be “normal” or too classique, trying is better than boring! As long as it stays appropriate for the circumstance. Dressing well and appropriately is a form of good manners and true elegance. Also being original doesn't need to be provocative. I know we are living in a world where vulgarity and provocation is many times valorised but i remain firm about the fact that beauty and great style comes with the right attitude, elegance, good manners and assuming your femininity and sexiness with the right subtility is crucial.
- Be your own-self, speak out loud who you are by your outfit, don’t be boring be daring but dress appropriately, respect your surroundings always with class and elegance is a must.
FIND YOUR LOOK
Are you more of a minimalist, classic chic, sexy, romantic, bohemian, edgy or all of the above? The key to looking fabulous begins with identifying what kind of personality you have.
STYLE BASICS
While finding your right personality style there are 3 main vital criteria to pay attention to:
THE FIT
“The fit is everything” as DVF said. Good fit means that clothes skim the body and that all the details lies flat without pulling. Whenever clothing pulls or buckles , it does not look only sloppy but make your silhouette wider and make you bigger than are. The same way for clothes too big. Finding the right size and adjusting the garment for a right fit is essential.
THE FABRIC
While choosing a garment, make sure you pick the right fabric for your body type. If you have some extra weight avoid fabrics that are stiff and can look boxy and avoid also very thin and stretchy fabric that may cling to every bulge. Weight movement and wrinkles are also very important in a fabric choice.
Check the reaction of the fabric when you fold it in your hand. I personally hate fabrics that wrinkles (like pure linen) it doesn’t look neat and add you weight on. Fabric such as wool crêpe, wool microfiber blends, viscose, cotton blended with silk and synthetics with a touch of spandex are generally good choices. I'm also a huge fan of neoprene and scuba fabric because they have such a great shape, don’t wrinkle easily and are easy maintenance. As it comes of shiny fabric such as sateen be careful to pick a good quality one because synthetic sateen silk can give you sometimes a very cheap look.
Choose wisely and keep in mind that matte fabrics are more forgiving that shining ones. Try also contrasting fabric textures.That’s something i do a lot in my designs, I love combining two or more different types of fabric together (such as tweed and scuba) it adds visual interest to a garment.
THE PROPORTION
Proportion is another primordial step that must be considered with the right fit. It is good to have the perfect fit with your garment but how to flatter your body is the next question to ask yourself. Getting the proportions right is key and flattering your figure is about finding that perfect balance.
What is your body type? Are you are short and need to look taller ? do you know what are your best assets and how to show them off ? vice-versa?
BODY TYPE
FIGURE “8”
The feminine silhouette by definition!
She has rounded pretty shoulders that aligned with her perfect curved hips. Her body is harmonious and voluptuous with a defined waist. The woman with this body type can almost wear anything she wants. However some outfits are to avoid :
- The pleated skirt that thickens the hips
- Empire waist that hides curves
- Pants with lateral pockets that will thickens the hips
- Straight cut or anything too big that will hide the pretty curves
In conclusion the ideal outfit for this silhouette 8 is anything that define the waistline and underline the harmony between the shoulders and the hips.
FIGURE “X”
The perfect model!
This body type is very thin, tall, has a small bust, small hip and tiny waist all aligned in the right proportion. Overall she can wear everything she wants!
FIGURE “A”
Fertility symbolique shape
The woman with this type of shape has the shoulder narrower compared to her hips and the size of her pants is bigger than the one from her tops.
The outfits to avoid :
- Skirts or pants that with horizontal stripes that thicken the silhouette.
- Carrots pants, straight skirts or pleated/ pocket on the hip area.
- Tops that stop right on the wider hip area and make them stand out.
- The total look that is too wide or too close to the body and show the disharmony from top to bottom.
Things to wear :
- V décolleté or boat necklines.
- Printed and colorful tops to add volume to the bust.
- Empire or trapeze shapes, flared pants that will elongated the silhouette.
- Padded shoulder to balance the bust with the hips; the point is to balance the whole silhouette and therefore attract the eye to the bust.
- High heels to elongate the body.
FIGURE “V”
The sportive and feminine
The “V” woman is all in muscles! Her shoulders are wider than her hips at the inverse of the “A” woman. Her tops size is bigger than her bottoms.
What you should avoid to wear :
- Shoulder padded vest , anything that add volume to shoulders/arms.
- Boat necklines or horizontal stripes.
- Fitted and crop hooded tops that emphasis on the bust.
- Puffy jackets.
Wear more outfits like :
- Fluide and thin tops.
- Fitted waist vest.
- Trapeze shapes to balance and give a feminine silhouette.
- Loose and low waist pants to a volume and rebalance the silhouette.
FIGURE “H”
The charm of tall woman!
The woman in “H” is elongated. Her shoulders and her hips are aligned. And her waist is not defined.
What she must avoid :
- Flared and oversize outfits that wider the silhouette.
- Too fitted and wrap tops.
- No belts tightly to the waist; preferred floating toward the hips.
What will flatter her :
- Tuniques and empire waistline to emphasis on her decolleté.
- Deep v-necks and decolleté if the breast is a moderate cup size.
- Straight pants and pencil skirts close to the body and low waist.
- Blouses and knitted tops.
- Waist fitted vest and worn the vest open.
FIGURE “O”
The beauty of curves!
The woman in an “o” shape is always complaining about her curves and big sizes. However it is not so difficult to make her curves appetizing.
Basic principles: The color black, dark colors and monochrome outfits such as a white total look flatter the “o” woman.
Outfits to avoid :
- Horizontal stripes, shiny, pleated, printed and close fitted fabric.
- Overlaying clothes that will add texture where there is already.
- Mini-skirts.
- Low waist pants and carrot pants.
- Short, crop jackets that compressed the breast and make the hips stand out
What to wear :
- Décolleté and big jewelry/accessories that will harmonize your curves and will give emphasis to the upper part of the body.
- Straight skirts that will cover the hips and thigh without clinging.
- Fluide pants with no pockets, no pleats.
- Fluide dresses.
- Minimalist matt monochrome outfits.
- Vests that ended below the hips and slightly fitted at waist.
- Rounded tip high heel to elongate the silhouette.