Creating Your Own Personal, Visible Style


Was your weekend restful?? 
I hope so!   Last week on WHAT NOT TO WEAR, Clinton Kelly made a statement I want to discuss!  As usual, Clinton and Stacy were dealing with
someone who did not want their professional dress to be boring and
conservative, but erring on the side of dressing too young and indecisive had landed them on the
show.  Clinton said that when you do not
really know what your style is and you are wasting much money searching for it,
you should write down ten descriptions of who you are and then shop for
clothing which reflects those words.  He said
by doing this you will discover your style.
All Chico’s Travelers purchased at resale shops!
Many of you know, I did something similar several years ago
when I developed my own way to find my style called the FOUNDATIONAL FIVE
.  I wrote down five messages I wanted my style
to communicate and I look for clothing which sends out those five
messages.  Ten would have been too many
for me and kept me searching in the dark. 
But, I decided what I most wanted to communicate…. and I guess that would also line up with who I am.  I
tried to write down ten adjectives about me, and actually had a difficult time
doing that.  Maybe some of you could share a list of ten for the rest of us to see!
I actually wore the belt backwards.  I thought it looked good and picked up the
silver in the necklace and earrings to tie the outfit together!
But, whether you go with Clinton’s 10, or my five; I guess
what is most important is to have a plan. 
When I didn’t have a plan, I often looked a little crazy.  But, with a plan, I know what I am looking
for and what I want to achieve.  My FOUNDATIONAL FIVE allows me to be strong, professional, and creative all at the
same time!  I just ask myself when looking in the mirror, “Does this look send the message I want to send to others today?”
Shoes are from ROSS
My outfit for this post is all CHICOS, but the Chicos pieces were found at various
resale shops…except for the Chicos Jewelry which I bought at different times
on sale and with my Passport perks.  These CHICOS TRAVELERS pieces are perfect for work…comfortable
and no wrinkle…you just cannot mess them up.  When making style decisions, just remember:

I found this somewhere online.  It is not mine, but fits this topic
perfectly!

Have a great week…and make sure you visit the bloggers from VISIBLE MONDAY and WATCH WHAT I AM WEARING and TWO THIRTY FIVE DESIGNS and MONDAY MINGLE!!!  I have a lot of fun
posts planned for this week, so I hope you will return.  Later, y’all!


http://notdeadyetstyle.blogspot.com/2012/08/visible-monday-59-easy-pi

http://watchoutforthewoestmans.blogspot.com/

26 Comments

  1. Hey, I love the "y'all" at the end!

    Great advice from both Clinton and you about defining ourselves and how we want to present ourselves to the world. Your outfit is indeed "you" and you look wonderfully confident today!

  2. I've found my style through words for Type 1's of Carol Tuttle's Dressing Your Truth. There are so many free resources on her site and I've used them all! The best thing I've learned from her is to be able to pinpoint those times when I see something that I love, but it's okay to love it on someone else. If it doesn't fit my style, it isn't worth trying to make it work. Rather, I now just focus on enjoying how it fits someone else's style.

    My words include: Active, cute, cheerful, sassy, vibrant, fun-loving, imaginative, playful. Those are words that describe items that seem to work best for my closet. Words that I love to see on other women: suave, sleek, demure, blended, neutral, flowing….love them. They just don't play nice in my closet. I'm taking my power back!

  3. GREAT and thoughtful post Pam. It is so important to identify our personal style, these are great ways to do it. I love that decision quote and you look confident and oh so lovely. 🙂

  4. Loving your y'all!

    Making my career in the fashion industry…it wasn't really until blogging that I have begun to enjoy taking chances and experimenting with new pieces and ideas…to 'feel like me'…and really enjoy it! I also think part of the enjoyment is the abandoning of convention one o the many gifts of middle age…I am thriving best when I dress in what feeds my soul…what makes my heart sing!

    Thank you Pam for being a champion on the many advantages of still 'being visible" and the perks it brings!

  5. Love it! I read your foundation 5 too and I really like the idea of coming up with five statements, or ten descriptive words, to bring personal style into the forefront. Great post!

  6. This is great advice (ten statements and the Foundational Five) and I think I will be writing down my foundational five. I think ten would be a bit if a stretch.

    I really like the belt you've accessorized with and your entire outfit.

  7. I love the idea of developing a style that feels like me, and am working on that, myself. I used the book Style Statement, where the goal is to find two style words. Instead, I found three: natural, comfort and warmth.

    LOVE your look! Both the belt and the cuff really jazz up your outfit.

  8. I really like this outfit on you Pam. Great statement belt. Fun necklace. You foundation five sounds like a good plan. I actually went through the whole style statement process which is great too!

  9. Oops- too many typos. I have realized, through reading these blogs, that I was trying to be young by following trends. But they weren't me and I wasted so much money. I like timeless, classic items with a few trendy things thrown in- mostly accessories. So the foundational five which describe me and my style are smart, classic, modern, self-assured and not a slave to trends. Having fun creating looks right out of my closet based on these. Misfits are being consigned or donated. Thanks, blogs!

  10. i honestly don't think i could come up with 10 things to describe me
    mostly i just know what i like and i hope that it ends up looking good on me.
    not much of a plan, but there you have it. lol
    you are looking very chic and professional here i might add!!
    brett

  11. I prefer the simplicity of five! I think you had it down and remember reading your posts about defining your style. All elements of your outfit flow together with elegance.

  12. Your statement necklace is just amazing – I love it! The whole outfit is so elegant, and it doesn't look too warm for the weather.

    The foundational Five sounds just like the thing I'm needing. I've tried many times to come up with a definition of my style. The latest is Whimsical Minimalist, a bit of a contradiction. I'll let you know how it turns out!

  13. Your adjectives are obviously working – you always project a strong, professional, and fun style statement in your outfits. This outfit says it all – you're totally together with the basics and then you've added that great neck piece, the bangle, and the cool belt. Gorgeous.

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