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Personal Style Research

For about 2 years now I've noticed something wrong with my wardrobe... alot of the colors I used to love to wear don't look as good on me anymore... My skin is alot more pale (no more tanning bed for me!) my hair used to be brown with lots of gold highlights... then it was blond (that thew me off) and now its all brown.. so its only natural my clothing colors would change to.
I mean... all my make up colors have changed...

Also some of the styles I've been making don't seem... quite right when I wear them... they fit and all...but
I don't know what happened.... When I used to buy clothes I think it was easier to have clothes in the right color and right style... cause I tried them on!! I could see if the color made me look vibrant or dull... I could see if the style made me look "right"... could see if it suited my body, my height. Now I think I've got in a habit of looking at pics on patterns or magazines and thinking.. I love that so I'm going to make it and wear it! Same with fabric... I love the color or relate the color to how I used to look in it...so I just buy it... make it up... then I'm less than wowed!

So when I saw what Becky was doing over on her blog , Sew and So, with her Personal style project I knew I needed to look into it also.
Using the articles and guides from Retochic.co.uk/ , thechicfashionista.com and prettyyourworld.com
....I begin the journey.... (lol)

First I started with the LookBook... going through websites and saving pics of clothes I love and fashion magazines... then I put the pictures in categories and really looked at each pic... sometimes (like retrochic suggests) you like the picture and not really the outfit for yourself (guilty!) anyways... narrowed the pics down to clothes I actually want... and would like to wear myself.... then narrowed it down a bit more because I had to think about what would look "good" on my body shape (which has changed over the years also due to plastic surgeries, I used the be a rectangle )... Now I've determined my figure to be hourglass (the chic fashionista guide) because my hips and chest are almost the same size (chest is about an inch bigger than hips) and my waist is 11 inches less than my chest, and pretty defined if I wear the right clothes and I gain weight all over when I gain, lose all over when I lose weight. Then I have to consider I'm kinda short at 5'5. Not petite but still.... not trying to look short either!
After all that narrowing down... I have a bunch of pictures of clothes I would wear and I believe would look good on my figure type. I taped them to paper... added notes about what I liked best about each piece... then I made notes on the generalizations of each category of clothing...

Tops: I like form fitting knit tops with small details at the neck, scoop or v-neck. Love corset type tops. Tees and tanks with details of screen printing, small crystals, painting, stamps,etc. Cowl necklines, little gathering details. Wrap tops. Binding detail

Blouses: I love,love heirloom details on blouses like touches of lace, pin tucks, very tiny ruffles, etc. Light weight fabrics. I like them to be very fitted in the bust and waist. The sleeves can be loose. Mandarin collars., bias binding


Jeans: Boot cut or flare leg. Not high waisted, not to low waisted.... Love patch pockets on the front and don't care for traditional front pockets at all. I like them embellished with embroideries, crystals, etc. Dark washes.

Trousers: Tight in the hips and booty.... flare at the knees...

Shorts: Only dress shorts with cuffs (to be worn with wedges)

Skirts: Love fitted mini's or long and flowy

Dresses: My favorite dresses that I wear over and over are fitted knit mini dresses and maxi dresses. Wrap dresses.

Jackets: Cropped, boleros, shrugs. Sometimes a fitted jacket with jeans is nice. I only like Long jacket/blazers with shorts or short fitted skirts.

Details I like on anything: Top stitching, exposed zippers,

So I think the 3 words I would use to describe my "style personality" is Romantic, sexy, casual.

Another part of this exercise was to look over teenage pics of yourself... lol!!!! I changed from one extreme to another growing up.... from redneck ripped jeans and concert tees in my early teens to floral dresses and lace blouses in my late teens.... in my 20's I was all about fitted tops and blouses (with heirloom details or course) Y necklaces, classic button ups, layered looks, hoop earrings, trendy stuff.... Early 30's, embellished designer jeans with fitted blazers, trendy knits tops, club wear ... I was very social!! :)

And here I am now....

For my colors which have changed ALOT over the last 4 yrs..... I used prettyyourworld.com and thechicfashionista.com

The colors recommended for my current hair color, skin tone and eye color are mostly colors I didn't know I could wear and look good! Colors I just never thought of but I'm loving!!

We went to Atlanta last weekend and I bought fabrics in these colors... after draping them around me first... wow! What a difference!! My husband even said something about how good those colors were going to look on me.... so I'm excited!!!

With patterns picked out in styles I know I'll wear and with details I know I'll love... in colors I know I will look my best in.... its all becoming clear!!! lol!!!

now just a few more parts to this research on the retrochic guide.....

Whew,,,, not as easy as trying on clothes but I think it'll be better in the long run.

And while I'm researching I have a couple of purses I want to make (I hate my "purse wardrobe" it needs alot of work) and I promised my husband some shirts for the fabric shopping in ATL! I bought some super nice stuff!!!

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