Making Choices About Your Fashion Statement

In 1970’s, young fashion was jeans and t-shirt. Now, it is 2012 and it’s back to jeans again, but not for work. Maybe if you work in a factory or it is stylized as a uniform, or in a restaurant perhaps. There are many alternatives in fashion today. If your learn a bit about fashion history, by visiting museums and reading books, you might use your knowledge to bring to your dress some lovely touches, a shawl, a belt, not only because they look good on you and are comfortable and practical, but also because they add character to your clothes.

Dress conservatively. Simplicity expressed in the highest quality fabric and the most intelligent design, has a special elegance. “I’ve worn it ten years and I now feel comfortable in it”. It’s the comfort and self-confidence that the old favorites brought that make you feel “at home”.

The most exciting thing about fashion is the artistic expression it permits. If you have a sense of fashion’s past, you can indulge in appropriate whimsy, mix and match and feel comfortable and at ease. The look must befit you and the occasion. View the fashion of the present and, based upon your knowledge of the past, calculate its future as it relates to you and your lifestyle.

What transform a mere garment into a work of art and makes the person wearing it shine? Your ability to pull it together and carry it off well. Beyond personal qualities, a number of precise elements interact to create fashion: line, color, texture, mass, and movement. A good designer combines these qualities and so does the inspired clothes wearer. When you learn what clothes are right for you, for your face, your figure, your personality, your lifestyle, you become immune to the “rages” of commercial trend-makers. You can reject passing fancies, and recognize timeless quality when you see it. The Italian and French Vogue are more aesthetically focused and American vogue more consumer-practical. Look at museum catalogues, too, for authentic copies of historic belts, scarves, and jewelry to add a touch of the past to today.

A first step in learning who you really are is to take a good look at yourself and what you do. Then decide in which general category – sporty, tailored, romantic, or sophisticated – you feel the most comfortable. Remember that the choice is not static and does not forbid some crossing over for variety and experimentation. You are growing and changing, although many important traits of your character and personality are set, and you probably have matured physically to the point where you can determine what type of clothing suits you best. This is the right time to start planning an integrated wardrobe of pieces that will work well together – a valuable, enjoyable learning experience.