Along the Road to Discovering Personal Style

“It’s
not very easy to grow up into a woman. 
We are always taught, almost bombarded with ideals of what we should be
at every age in our lives: THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD WEAR AT AGE 20; THAT IS WHAT
YOU MUST ACT LIKE AT AGE 25; THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING WHEN YOU ARE AGE
17.  But, amidst all the many voices that
bark all of these orders and set all of these ideals for girls today, there
lacks the voice of assurance. There is no comfort and assurance.  I want to be able to say, that there are four
things admirable for a woman to be, at any age! Whether you are four or
forty-four or nineteen! It’s always wonderful to be elegant; it’s always fashionable
to have grace; it’s always glamorous to be brave; and it’s always important to
own a delectable perfume! Yes, wearing a beautiful fragrance is in style at any
age!”  -C. JoyBell C.

For the last three years, I have
read so many different opinions about how a woman develops great style.  From Coco Chanel to C. JoyBell C., the variety is
vast.  But, isn’t that what makes any
creative art form fun….variety!
The readers of this blog are much
diversified.  You will meet in this
audience: 
*women who only shop
secondhand.  They love a good treasure hunt
through the thrift and resale side of life.
*women who prefer traditional,
modest priced retailers and love a good sale!
*women who have their style and
closets designed to the letter and now, with discretionary income available,
mostly purchase investment pieces to enhance their wardrobes.
*women, like me, who love to live in
all of these worlds and find it fun to travel around this fashion globe.
The September issue of HARPER’S BAZAAR includes an article by Lisa Armstrong, On Personal Style,  and she supports the fact that creating
personal style is derived from a variety of places. A couple of quotes from the
article I really like are:
“Designers
have realized that the modern woman doesn’t come in a cookie cutter package.”
“Personal
style isn’t what it used to be. With the Internet and the flourishing of street
style blogs has come a dizzying liberation that has enabled us to think about
clothes as a bona fide expression of personality.  We are no longer being spoon fed a single
viewpoint from designers. Today we are saturated with all kinds of women making
their sartorial mark in all kinds of amazingly sophisticated ways.”  (For the rest of this article, pick up the
latest Bazaar)
I have been able to report stories from
this wide playing field, except, less time has been spent on the investment
shopping world.  So, this next week, I
will bring you some fabulous finds   We all must face purchasing and budgeting
decisions every day.  We must prioritize
and decide where the budget money is best served.   For example, I have decided that funding a
personal trainer is key for my health and will, hopefully, lower medical costs
down the road.  There are some of you who
budget to purchase one or two amazing garments rather than a cart full at a
consignment boutique.
Neither is wrong.  I hope as I spend some time bringing you
these stories that we all will love to see and appreciate the beauty and
innovations of what is currently on the market. Some may even find themselves
changing a viewpoint and actually participating in this incredible niche of the
fashion and beauty industry.  It’s our time, ladies, and some are in positions to finally live in the fashion world the way we always dreamed…there is nothing wrong with that!
Remember, we all develop personal
style in different ways and that is what makes us unique and exciting!

Have a fabulous Saturday and I will
see you Sunday evening to introduce an incredible “woman of a certain age”designer..these are two of her designs!!


10 Comments

  1. I presume it is the American issue of Harpers. I always like Lisa Armstrong's articles she is an excellent writer. I will see if I can find a copy in London.

  2. Good morning Pam! Thank you for coming to read my post, and I am honored that it's your favorite! I've been taking a poetry class, and while I won't become a poet over night, I have learned a few things about composing a poem, all for the sake of bringing IN the reader and to send them off thinking, drinking in the words. I agree that society has been telling us for too long how to dress, look, act and be. Anyone bold enough to be themselves is to be celebrated!!!!! Anita

  3. I remember a time when it was said that England was 10-15 years ahead of our fashions in the Midwest and that New York was 5-10 years ahead of us. The gap is finally closing with the internet. By seeing what other women are wearing via street style pics, we are exposed to "stylings" that are different than what we and those in our circle normally wear. That ability to look beyond our personal world has enabled and empowered us as women to have the confidence to experiment and find our own style. I love the C. JoyBell C. quote. It is always great to be elegant, to have grace and to be brave. The wonderful thing is we now have so many different ways to get there!

  4. Pam Love that the Internet has exposed our selection and so much info for finding our personal style.
    It is easy to stay up on trends, be unique, and make smart choices!

    Xoxo
    Karena
    2013 Designer Series

  5. Hi Pam, what a great post and I am looking forward to Sunday night's post. One of the things that constantly inspires and excites me is the fact that women everywhere are looking so fabulous irrespective of whether they thrift, buy high end, low end garments, etc. I don't think we allow ourselves to be dictated to in terms of what we should wear and what we should buy but rather are enjoying exploring who we are and discovering what we want to wear and how we want to present ourselves to the world.

  6. Personal style is a huge phrase even though it's only two words… Without the 'personal 'there would be no 'style' and without 'style' the 'personal' is lost…

    Great thoughts and what a marvellous journey we are on learning about ourselves as we discover and create our own personal style… Happy Sunday Pam… xv

  7. I love how the blogging community can embrace women like Vix in her funky 70's retro style to Sheila with her quirky style to Lynne in her budget corporate.!!!

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