Mature Fashion: Even More About Personal Style

Seasons Greetings, Fashionistas and Stylinistas;

Personal style is such an important topic that it deserves at least one more post.  Creating an individual style with the garments and accessories  is the core purpose of exploring fashion, trends, fads, and every thing else that has something to do with what we put on our body.  It is the fun part; the part that is just for our enjoyment.

Style isn't what looks best on a model, picture, or hanger; it is about what looks best on us.  It is about how we use the design principles (color, line, etc..) to flatter our individual body yet performing artistry with our body as the sculpture.  It is about the accessories we choose to complete an outfit and the way we play with them to put it all together to express our individual personality .  It is about creating a head to toe look that sends a desired message to the world at large of who we are and want to be, and finally, it is about how we choose the items to accomplish these goals.  Once we take these steps, we are sure to look fabulous!

The role in this blog is to share with any women  the tools and hopefully, the confidence to know that no matter our age, our budget, our roles in life, or the state of our life, we can create a look that will "rock age";  I also trust that together, we can all feel great about ourselves.

We will discuss ways to create this perfect wardrobe to rock the role after the New year.

Have a marvelous holiday season........

Geneva..........Rockmyages@aol.com

Mature Fashion: More about Personal Style

Season's Greetings,  Fashionistas and Stylinistas;

As mentioned in earlier posts, personal style is the goal for achievement  for any real stylinista. A fashionista can just buy whatever is on the current trendy rack or mannequin at the local mall.  By now, either from knowledge gained from life experiences or from reading these blogs, we know how to choose a  garment that suits our body type and that flatters our own body. Hopefully, we also have a sense of what style type we are; romantic, sporty, sophisticated, etc.

However, what is each woman telling the world about herself? Remember our famous seven second or less impressions and inevitable messages that  will be sent to everyone she meets while wearing that ensemble?  In my last post we talked about  creating a personal style book that displays fashion ensembles that you like; the garments and the accessories, and how they are worn. This exercise allows you to recognize your current fashion aesthetic. (yes, they often change over the years)  If your displays were taken from current high fashion magazines, they will also show you how their professional stylists are mixing garments and accessories for that season.

These observations will give a "feel" for the current style trends.  One major fashion magazine (sorry, I don't remember off hand which one) used to have a section where they would show a fashion ensemble from a major designer and list the price of each item, usually a total of several thousand dollars.  They would then show a similar ensemble where similar items were many times less expensive.  I every case, the lesser priced items used did not exactly look like the high priced version, but the "look" or "feel" of the ensemble was virtually the same. This same strategy will work for you using the pictures from your style book.  You will find many items that will work already in your closet, and be able to make notes of items you want to purchase to get the look and feel of a fashion that appeals to you. This updating is what will make your wardrobe more fashion forward and  give a "youthful" feel to the outfits you will choose to wear.

One caution however; authentic "style" does not happen by just "making do".  Contrary to some advertising promotions, mixing and matching just anything and everything does not make for "style" .  It usually makes a "hot mess" to use a common fashion term of the times. It can also make for a tired and boring looks if not used in a way that is "fresh" or shows your own personality.  Your goal is to create a closet that will allow you great flexibility in mixing and matching, but usually you will need to make some minimum purchases to update a look. 

One other caution that needs to be addressed: my post frequently use the verb,"re-interpret" when referring to combining an ensemble.  There is a difference between a "costume" and a "look".  Costumes are for masquerade parties or Halloween; fashion "looks" are about current trends and styles.  We will discuss this  difference and how to avoid the pitfalls in future posts, but for now, if you see a "look" you like in a magazine or store, or the street, remember that to make the look authentically yours, you should re-interpret, not copy the look.

In future posts, we will realistically discuss how to create a wardrobe that suits your budget and will be flexible enough for you to have a great range of mix and match capabilities. My next post to this blog will continue to deal with creating personal style.

I have released four of the six fashion style "looks" I have styled for myself for Spring/Summer 2016 to "Rockmyrunwaay.blogspot.com".  As always, these looks are based on my personal fashion aesthetic, the realistic roles in my life,  and my age. At this time of year, 90% of my roles are based at home and require comfortable utility clothing.  (My "looks" are not quite as exciting as those when I am more social.! )

Younger and more social stylinistas will want to amp up the volume of the looks that I display.  On "Rockmyages.blogspot.com", I have given an overview of the style elements noted in S/S 2016 fashion week.  Each stylinista would make her own "closet collection" based on her chosen aesthetic(s) and desired volume of style. 

Happy Styling.........Geneva............Rockmyages@aol.com

Mature Fashion: Personal Style

Season's Greetings, Fashionistas and Stylinistas;

Today's post is all about Personal  style; the most important "style". In a previous post I mentioned that everything a woman wears should be a bit about the way a fashion adds to her own uniqueness and the personal message she chooses to deliver to the world.  If we already knew or if we have just learned how to choose the right design elements to flatter the "me", we know the right garment silhouettes that might work the best for our body type. We also know the various roles in our play called "Lifestyle"; now we are the costume designer and stylist for our personal  stage production.

Our clothing and accessories and the way we combine and wear them define our personal style.  It is how we express our own individuality and personality and to a great extent how we value the opinion of the world around us.  The way we dress sends a message on who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we want to be seen. Most of all, you know the "Rock My Age motto: if you feel you look good, you will feel good, and be more confident about who you are.  I simply cannot stress this concept strongly enough, especially to the mature age group.  We are the ones who are most often affected by major life changes.

Today, virtually any woman can become her own talented stylist; once she knows what to look for and avoid in clothing choices for  her body type, and she chooses the fashion styles that she prefers, she can create perfect outfits that she will love to wear.  She can do this no matter her age, body type, physical attributes, and whatever her budget.  

In my post dated October 22nd, we discussed the planning and designing of the costumes needed for our various roles and the "point of view" of our fashion aesthetic.  Based on various sources, there are about a dozen different views; classic, dramatic,romantic, sporty, preppy, rural, bohemian, etc.  It really does not matter what particular name you call the style, you will know it when you see it.  It is somewhat (only somewhat) important for you to identify your own point of view to assist you in creating a cohesive wardrobe. It will also be less expensive, require less space, and give one greater control over the contents of the closet.

Some of us prefer a wardrobe that offers different points of view; one day I might want an edgy hard design aesthetic, another day I might feel all vintage femininity.  I do, however, want a certain feel and consistency about the way I will put the ensemble together.  I do not like fussy detail, I like monochromatic color schemes, I do not like a lot of ruffles, or little girl looks.  Over all, I am somewhat of a combination of classic, dramatic, elegant, preppy.  I don't care much for rural, romantic, sporty, or bohemian looks other than a touch here and there for interest in my wardrobe.

The key for this dilema  is to develop your own personal combinations that represent you.  If you already do not have a strong fashion point of view, or unsure of yourself in identifying your personal look, you can easily identify a look by clipping photos of fashions on models from magazines or take snapshots of models in the fashion sections of department stores. You will quickly be able to identify what fashion style type(s)  you most prefer.  It then becomes a matter of choosing the garments within that type that have the design elements that flatter your own body type!  Voila!! 

However, the job is not quite finished; one of the most important elements is choosing the appropriate accessories to complete the "look".  Often the accessories are the "look". This is when and where a basic neutral classic ensemble can be quickly elevated from a boring, tired, dated look to a smashing fashion success within your lifestyle roles.  Most of the time it only takes re-thinking the use of pieces already in your closet and/or the inspiration to choose a simple, inexpensive, but trendy final touch or two.

We will all have a chance to re-imagine our closets right after the holidays;  you may see some examples of mine by checking out my "closet collections" on "Rockmyrunwaay.blogspot.com". I have already released two of the six I have planned for Spring/Summer 2016.

I would love to see some of your collections; you will be amazed at what you discover in your own closet!  

Happy Styling!!..............Geneva............Rockmyages@aol.com.....