Hello everyone and welcome back. I hope you are all having a lovely week and are looking forward to the weekend ahead. Today I thought I would do a slightly different post and talk about my personal style. In my 'How to Shop Sensibly' post I have already spoken about how to figure out your personal style but I never really explained in detail my own personal style. I thought this post may give you some inspiration or some more detail on myself and my style. I hope you enjoy...
Now where to start?
I know it can be hard to figure out your personal style and what you truly want to wear. We are always getting influenced by others and new trends that we sometimes forget what we really love. I know I have be sucked into new trends before and wasted money on them as they never really fitted my personal style. I am still working on defining my personal style down to a T but over the past couple of years I feel I have really started to dress for myself and define my style.
So what is my person style?
If anyone was to describe my style in three words I think they would say: sophisticated, feminine, chic. I feel these words are a good representation of my personal style and explain the route I like to take when choosing new items for my wardrobe. I am definitely not someone that loves the sporty/chic look or someone that loves bold, bright patterns or colours. I love to stick to a more neutral colour pallet such as: black, grey, white and pink. I tend to pick items with block colours but I do have the occasion patterned piece in my wardrobe. I have recently fell in love with the checked trend and have found myself buying quite a few checked items. I find they are perfect at giving a sophisticated work vibe but can also be dressed down as well. As the checks are neutral colours they go perfectly with most things I already have in my wardrobe. I find that really sticking to a few colours that suit your skin tone and that you love is a great starting point for your personal style. Thinking about what colours, textures and patterns you like can really define your personal style and help you figure out what sort of items will fit into your wardrobe.
Basics or trend items?
I personally love to shop for basic items that will last me years. I always feel more comfortable spending money on an item that I know I will wear and love for years to come over an item that may go out of fashion in a couple of months. Especially in the winter months I love to wear and invest in lots of turtleneck tops and dresses, as well as sleeveless jackets. These pieces are great at giving a sophisticated look while being chic and wearable for everyday occasions. I also love to stick to basic skinny jeans (mostly dark blue) as I find them the most flattering and easy to pair with items in my wardrobe. These types of items are always on trend and can be replaced easily year after year but I find investing in a good quality item that you know you will wear and love is a great way to keep your style and wardrobe fresh and updated each season. Of course I still love to invest in trend pieces but I am definitely more careful now to chose the things that I know will fit my style and go with items I already have in my wardrobe. For instance the checked trend as I knew the colours would fit perfectly with my current wardrobe and they give off a sophisticated look. I have recently invested in a small red handbag to fit with the current red trend. It took me a while to go for it as I wasn't sure whether it would fit with my style so I took the time to think about it and see if the trend would last. I am so happy that I decided to invest as I am obsessed with it. It's the perfect way to jazz up an outfit and add a pop of colour.
High-street or designer?
Like many others I dream of owning a designer handbag but at this moment in time I need to spend my money elsewhere. However, this isn't to say that in the future I won't invest in a designer purchase. If I do I will make sure I buy a classic piece that never goes out of style. For example the classic Chanel bags are still in fashion after years of them being made. I would much rather spend my money (especially designer prices) on something that will last while still being on trend in years to come. However, at the moment I am happy to shop on the high-street as you can really find some amazing items. Buying from cheaper high-street stores such as Primark is a great way to try out a trend piece before you invest in the trend more. For items that I am unsure about or know won't be in fashion for that long, I tend to buy from Primark or other cheaper high-street stores. However, for items that are more classic or that need to be better quality (such as basics and coats) I tend to buy for shops such as: New Look, River Island and Topshop. It is definitely better to invest your money on classic items that you want to last, over items that won't be on trend for a long time. You don't have to miss out on a trend, all you have to do is be sensible as to were you chose to buy the items and how much you spend on them.
Shoes?
In terms of accessories I tend to stick to classics again. For shoes I love to have a pair of classic white converse and black boots as I know they will be in fashion for years. As they are so classic they also go with so many outfit combinations making them worth the money. I love to chose comfortable shoes over uncomfortable fashionable shoes and again stick to simple block colours. For summer shoes I always tend to buy cheap Primark flip-flops each year as they are always on trend but super cheap. I don't mind wearing them for one season and then buying a new pair the following year as they are so easy and cheap to buy. As we don't get much sun or hot weather here in England I like to invest more in winter boots and shoes as I know they are the ones I will be wearing the most and I feel need to be better quality.
Handbags?
I know it may sound weird to some but I only have seven everyday handbags. Each one in a similar shape but different colour. My favourite type of bag to wear is the cross body bag. I find them super easy and comfortable to wear and find they go with any outfit. I much prefer smaller bags as bigger bags can get heavy or in the way. I have a bag for each colour in my personal style: one black, one brown, one red, one pink and one white. I then also have a couple of larger tote bags for when I am traveling or need to carry a lot around with my. My totes are in rose gold and pink/gold; again perfect for my personal style.
Accessories?
I'm not that big of a fan of accessories as I like to keep my outfits quite plain and simple. For the cold winter weather I decided I was in need of a bobble hat so invested in a grey one to match my style. I also have white fluffy gloves to again match my personal style and I also find they look great with my lighter coats over harsh black gloves. I do love a good scarf but do find it hard to fine the perfect one. At the moment I currently have a thick checked scarf in a pink, grey and white which I felt fitted in with my personal style perfectly. I also have a classic Burberry inspired checked scarf which I feel adds a more sophisticated chic look to any outfit. I have also recently invested in a baker boy hat from Asos as I found I was quite fond of the trend. Again it took me a while to figure out whether it would go with my personal style and whether I would suit it. In the end I decided to take the risk and try it out. You will be able to see what it looks like on me in my upcoming post of Monday so head back then to see.
Jewellery?
I am defiantly someone that likes to spend more money on jewellery. I love to have good quality jewellery that is classic and will last for many years. My favourite brands are defiantly Pandora and Swarovski. I find I tend to lean towards silver or rose gold jewellery over pure gold and I love anything sparkly! I find that silver is very chic and glamourous especially when sparkly. I love to invest in good quality rings and bracelets over cheaper high-street pieces. The only bracelet I really own and wear is my Pandora Essence bracelet. I currently have quite a few beads that I have been gifted on birthdays and Christmas so it makes the bracelet more sentimental and special. However, I don't mind having a cheaper watch or necklace as I find high-street watches are really good quality anyway. As for necklaces, I don't find myself wearing them too often. I only really tend to wear then when wearing a plain outfit such as a turtleneck and jeans and I feel it just finishes off a simple outfit and makes it slightly more feminine. I love more dainty jewellery over large bold jewellery as it defiantly fits with my sophisticated feminine style.
Makeup?
I never talk about beauty on my blog as I find I'm not really that interested in it. I tend to stick to the same makeup and hairstyles but I do feel like they help define a personal style. In terms of makeup I love to go for a bronzed look with a natural glowy highlight. I also love to wear a light shimmery eyeshadow on my eyelids to give a glowy feminine touch. I rarely wear anything on my lips except from my Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream as I love how moisturising and shiny it is. I love to have bold brows and long eyelashes too. Overall, I love to have a feminine, glowy, sun kissed makeup look. If you would be interested in knowing what makeup products I use on a regular basis then let me know in the comment section below and I can do a blog post all about them.
Hair?
If you don't know already my natural hair type is actually really curly but I never wear it natural. I always straighten my hair to give it a sleek finish. I think this defines my personal style a lot as your hair really finishes off an outfit. At the moment I am loving a half up bun hairstyle for more casual days and a sleek low bun for a more sophisticated look. I very rarely wear my hair completely down or in another style as I don't feel like it fits with my personal style or finishes off my outfit the way I would like. Having a favourite hairstyle that you wear regularly really helps people understand your style and gives you a personal look that they associate with you.
Any style icons?
I wouldn't really say that I have any style icons as I love to be original and dress for my personal style. Over the past few years I have realised that it is more important to dress for yourself and your style than to fit in or be 'on trend'. Dressing for others never really makes you happy so why do we do it?. However, saying that I do love to take inspiration from certain bloggers that have a similar style to me. I never get inspiration for celebrities as I haven't really found anyone that resembles my style majorly but I have found a few bloggers that do. I love to get inspiration from fashion bloggers: Freddy Cousin-Brown and Fashion Mumblr as they have a very feminine personal style. They both love to wear a lot of pinks and whites the same as me. Josie from Fashion Mumblr also loves to wear quite structured pieces too which I love to take inspiration from and add into my own wardrobe. In terms of my sophisticated side I love to take inspiration from IntheFrow (Victoria). Her wardrobe is inspired by Victoria Beckham so is very structured and chic. However, she does tend to wear lots of bright colours and bold patterns as well. Other than getting inspiration from these three bloggers I choose items that I love and feel fit well in my wardrobe. I never copy anyone else fully or dress to fit in: I simply dress how I want to and wear what I feel comfortable in.
So I think that's all I have to tell you about my personal style and the items I love and will always chose for my wardrobe. If you have any questions on my personal style or anything in general then don't forget you can always leave them in the comment section below. Don't forget to head back over to my blog on Monday to see how I styled my baker boy hat. If you want to see outfit posts from me then head back every Wednesday or head back every Friday for more written discussion posts. I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you back here again soon...
Emma Victoria
