Fashion 101: Defining your personal style

For a long time, I had no personal style. 

Sure, I've always like clothes. At 18 months old, I told my mother that the outfit she had dressed me in did not match. In elementary school I lived in skirts and jelly shoes. And I went through a phase around 12 or 13 where I would only wear wide-leg jeans and tie dye shirts (it was the 90s). But I had no defining sense of style, and for most of my life my wardrobe looked like the ill-begotten lovechild of Mary Katherine Gallagher and Jessica Spano from Saved by the Bell (because I was never cool enough to be Kelly Kapowski, let's face it.) 

(I actually had that skirt. No joke.) (From Pinterest)

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(Like Jessie, I wore denim on denim before it was cool.) (From Pinterest)

When I got older, I started to do a lot of thrifting, which can be totally awesome if you know what you're looking for. I, however, settled for anything remotely cute and cheap, and thus ended up with a closet full of clothes that looked great - on somebody else. Just because something's a good deal doesn't mean it's good for you. 

So what's a girl to do? I did what I always do - I researched. I read magazines for starters - Glamour, Marie Claire, InStyle. Their glossy, ad filled pages taught me how to put outfits together, and that some clothes actually go in and out of style. Who knew? When the internet really got up and running, I read blogs. But you know what really changed my (fashion) life? The J.Crew catalog. 

I love J. Crew. Love love love it. If I could buy every scrap of clothing from J.Crew, I would. But I can't, and I probably wouldn't want to, because shopping in one place the rest of your life would be way weirder than sleeping next to the same person the rest of your life (that I rather like). 

But J.Crew helped me define my personal sense of style. Now, if I wouldn't see it in a J.Crew catalog, I won't buy it. This could be a 79-cent shirt from a thrift store, so I'm not talking expense here, just a general sense of style (I would definite it as preppy vintage with an international flair, but that's just me). 

(My muse)

A bow and a cardigan? * Swoon. * And that pop of color on the lip gets me every time.

If you know your style, you'll look more put together, confident, and you'll actually save money in the long run, since you won't be out buying clothes you won't wear.

And a note on fit - if it doesn't fit perfectly, don't buy it, or make sure it can be tailored. Get a good tailor, because two pairs of pants that fit you perfectly is way better than 12 that just kinda fit. I'd rather buy a $5 pair of pants at a thrift store and pay $14 to hem them perfectly, than end up with a pair of ill-fitting $50 trousers. 

So, your assignment for this installment of Fashion 101, is go find your personal sense of style. Go the bookstore or library and flip through some fashion magazines. Pick up a few catalogs from major retailers (I recommend J.Crew, White House/Black Market, Kate Spade, Banana Republic, Anthropologie - these all have fairly defined and unique aesthetics). Heck, just browse Pinterest, you'll find everything you could possibly want there, and more. Like vintage? Browse Etsy.com. 

And if you still need more help, check out three of my favorite web sites: 

www.pennychic.com - LOVE this girl. She's an entrepreneur/fashionblogger/bargainshopper. 

www.newdressaday.com - This gal takes old thrift store finds and makes masterpieces. Read this if you still don't think fashion can be done on a dime. 

http://www.thesartorialist.com/ - Pictures of people on the street = awesome. 

Lesson two: Have a personal style, and stick to it.