Style Personas and You

Figuring out your style persona is one key to effective wardrobe planning.  Do you know your persona?

Categorizing Impressions
When it comes right down to it, clothing in western culture is very homogenous. Pants go from waist to ankles and have two legs. Skirts hang from the waist with no legs. Shirts cover your torso and have armholes for two arms.

The differences are in the details. And we are remarkably good at noticing these details. Take the cut of a pair of jeans, for instance. Add an inch or two to the hem width and you’ve gone from straight-leg to boot cut. Those few inches of denim change the whole look. Amazing, isn’t it? Or think about the neckline of a T-shirt…an inch of fabric can mean the difference between revealing and conservative. These small details contain messages that we interpret…rightly or wrongly.

Differences in the color, cut, and fabric of clothes give off specific messages about the wearer. Your combined choices of the clothes your wear coalesce into your overall image. Some people are remarkably good at understanding the messages clothing projects. They intuitively understand how certain styles of clothing create certain impressions and they capitalize on this. Others of us are only tuned in to facets of our image and we are not very good at seeing the whole picture.

Despite whether the image we project is intentional or not, we routinely categorize other people into groups based on what they wear, and then we make certain assumptions about their lifestyle and their personality based on which category we’ve placed them into. These categories are the style personas.

The Style Personas

Different fashion experts will argue about the number of different style personas there are in total, but none would disagree that unconsciously we tend to classify people into one of these groups. As part of your style development and wardrobe planning journey, you will want to become familiar with these different personas, and begin using them as a template to guide your style choices. Whether you like the idea or not, other people will be classifying you and making certain judgments…why not help guide them in the direction you wish them to go? If you are looking to make a certain impression, it pays to know how you will be interpreted.

After wading through a ton of different opinions on the subject, here are the style personas I have determined:

CLASSIC/CONSERVATIVE
*Can be described as: simple, clean, traditional, timeless, lady-like, proper, wealthy, preppy
-A classic woman sticks to the basics in her wardrobe, and does not follow the trends. The silhouette and colors of the classic wardrobe rarely change.
-She goes for tailored clothing in basic colors such as navy, white, khaki, charcoal, and brown. She favors natural fibers.
-Classic style icons include: Diane Sawyer, Grace Kelly, Laura Bush, Martha Stewart, Katherine Hepburn
-Examples of classic designers: Ralph Lauren, Ellen Tracy
-Retail Stores: Talbots, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers
People who dress in a classic/conservative manner give off the impression that they are professional, orderly, dependable, and oftentimes wealthy. This is why so many politicians and business people dress in this style.

CHIC/SOPHISTICATE
* Can be described as: urban, modern, sleek, powerful, sharp.
- A chic dresser favors black and neutral colors with bold accessories. Her look is streamlined and minimalist.
-Her look is sexy without being overt and modern without being trendy.
-Chic/Sophisticate Style Icons include: Audrey Hepburn, Katie Holmes, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie
-Chic/Sophisticate Designers: Chanel, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Giorgio Armani
-Stores: Banana Republic, J. Crew
People who dress in a chic/sophisticated manner give off the impression that they are innovative, confident, artistically-minded, alluring, and oftentimes powerful.

NATURAL/SPORTY
* Can be described as: casual, uncomplicated, low-maintenance, direct, unpretentious, outdoorsy, athletic, earthy, comfortable, granola
-The natural/sporty woman has a take-me-as-I-am feel to her. She doesn’t feel the need to dress to the nines or to impress others. Oftentimes there is an environmental or anti-consumerist reason for adopting this style.
- The natural/sporty woman often values comfort above anything else.
-This is not a look that is often found as a true style persona in Hollywood or the media…when it shows up there it is usually as a trend.
-A subset of the natural persona is the bohemian.
A note about the natural look: in its more tailored version you will find this style on a casually dressed classic woman. But the difference is that the classic woman will dress upscale-casual for casual occasions while the natural/sporty woman dresses casually because it is her style persona.
Favorite store: The Gap

TRENDY/ AVANT-GARDE
Can be described as: hip, in-the-moment, fashionista, cutting-edge
-The trendy dresser is always wearing the latest styles, and hopefully before anyone else does. This style persona is the opposite of the classic style persona. The trendy dresser is never staid, never boring, never stuck in a rut. She is adventurous and tries out any new look for the novelty…and is willing to abandon a look once its time has past.
She is less concerned about what looks good and is more focused on what looks hip…because for the trendy girl, hip looks good.
Trendy Style Icons: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Mary-Kate Olsen
Trendy Designers: Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, Dsquared, Comme des Garcons for H&M
Retail Stores: Urban Outfitters
The trendy person gives off the impression that she is an extroverted, social person who is comfortable in the limelight and the crowds. She is creative and perhaps daring. Trendy dressing can also be a hallmark of conspicuous wealth.

THE NICHE/MOOD DRESSER
* The Niche dresser adopts a very specific look that is usually vintage in nature. It is almost costume dressing. Some of these niches are: Victorian, 50’s era, Bombshell/Sex Kitten, Rocker, Goth, Punk (Dita von Teese, Dolly Parton and Patti Smith come to mind).
* This style persona also manifests as the dramatic or artistic dresser who dresses for effect, based on mood.
These styles, while completely valid, are very hard to pull off on a consistent basis. The impression they give is that the person is very unique, and most likely in either show business or the arts. The person is making an extreme statement that requires comment from those around them.
-There are also some smaller niches of styles that are less conspicuous, such as the romantic/femme and the western look.

In a later articles I will go into more depth about each of these style personas. Until then, you can go through your own wardrobe and start to get a sense of which style persona you fall into. Why start in your own closet? Because what you wear routinely is the best assessment of your current style -- not a questionnaire that you fill out or a glance through a magazine where you can pick and choose on a whim. Your current closet will give you’re the most important insights into your style personality. Once you’ve assessed where you are at right now and you can see WHY you are where you are at right now, then you can begin to move in a new direction.
Have fun!

Jennifer Skinner

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