Creating Your Personal Style

I recently created a post for La Belette Rouge on How to Dress Like a Literary Star for her blog (you can read it here) which received heaps of comments, and from this, I've had a couple of requests to create some outfits for others (sorry, I can't do it for everyone but I encourage you to have a go creating something for yourself). So here is my selection for Fifi Flowers who is a gorgeous artist who sent me a list of words and a set of instructions (including that she loved chunky jewellery including cocktail rings). So I've put together this selection for her, but also as a guide to creating outfits, taking into consideration your personal style idiom (a set of words of how you'd like to be perceived by others).


Fifi Flowers by imogenl


You can see the selection of words that Fifi has chosen, and I will explain my choices of clothing and accessories based on these words.

Fun: include some colour, don't make it too serious and 'businesslike' with classic clothes head to toe - look for accessories that make a statement. Leopard print shoes create a fun impression.

Inviting: don't wear all stiff and structed clothes, some should have some flow or ruffle to show your softer side and invite people in.

Kind: along with inviting, colours like blue and green are seen to be kinder colours. Overly structured clothes are avoided.

Warm: warm colours such as red make the wearer appear warmer and more friendly. Knits help to add to this appearance.

Independent: this person has her own style, she is not scared of larger scale jewellery or dramatic blocks of colour, she doesn't follow the crowd.

Strong: teaming colour with a dark neutral such as black, charcoal or navy will create a strong impression. Large scale jewellery, and colours such as red, denote strength.

Creative: look for some creative detail, such as the unusal construction on the vest (far left). Don't feel you have to match shoes, belts and handbags, mix it up, for example the blue and black outfit (second left).

Intellectual: these are not the clothes of someone who is less than very intelligent. They show savvy and thought in their composition.

So: what words would you use to create your personal style idiom and how would you style it? Create a Polyvore and put a link to it in the comments, I'd love to see what you come up with.