Post 5 pieces from your wardrobe that define your style.
Style is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. It’s interesting to me that we plus-sized women have such limited choices when it comes to the clothing we buy, and yet in the fatshion blogging community there’s such a huge array of personal styles that none of us really ends up looking the same.
I’ve always found it tricky to sum up my own style. Finding it has taken years of experimentation and I’m still honing, but I guess it’s somewhere in the middle of me wanting to be a cupcake baking domestic goddess and a laid-back rock chick. For the rest of this post we’ll call them my “cute side” and my “rock side” (I have a nerdy side too, but she mostly deals with the computery side of running a fashion blog).
Colours are an important part of it for me, I need bright shades; they suit my personality better and anything muted makes me look washed out. Lately I think I've been going for more classic shapes and less crazy patterns, that's probably me growing up a bit. Being comfy is important too, I don't have much patience for things that are painful to wear.
So anyway, onto the five items that define my style. I’m going to give a little explanation for why I chose everything. It’s harder than it sounds to think of only five things, it took me quite a while to choose. I've illustrated each choice with an old pic, some were from this blog but most are from my "real" life.
1. Wide Belt
Back in 2008 - graduating uni in my favourite belt
If you read my blog on a regular basis you’re probably sick of seeing me wear this. I love wide belts because I love the cinched waist that they create. This was the first wide belt I ever bought and it’s still my favourite because the big silver buckle really speaks to my rock side while my cute side loves anything with a heart on it. I even graduated in this belt!
2. Black Leggings
Chilling with my mutt in a black cropped pair
I wear leggings mostly for comfort and warmth, and haven't stopped rocking them in spite of a few haters. I’ve chosen black ones for this list because that’s probably what I wear the most, but I love owning all kind of different colours and patterns to really change up my look. I find it’s easier finding comfy leggings than comfy tights, and I think my legs look good in them. I think it’s going to be hard to wean myself off them when they cease to be fashionable; some trends are just hard to let go of. I'll always have tights, I guess.
3. Huge Sunglasses
Shades, beach, icecream, best friend... perfect day!
I think I look cute in giant sunglasses and I love how bold they are, but I also prefer them because they stop the tops of my cheeks from burning. My inner domestic goddess loves to channel Jackie O and my rock side just loves all sunglasses because well, they make a gal look mysterious and that’s very rock and roll.
4. Bold Scarves
In London with my besties, wearing a giant scarf.
I really enjoy scarves. It’s probably partly a fat girl thing because wherever I go shopping, at least a scarf will always fit me. But I also love them for how such a small piece of fabric can have such a big effect on an outfit. I have a floral one that totally softens the harshness of my leather jacket. That giant polka dot one pictured above always makes a bland jeans and t-shirt ensemble look less boring. My latest favourite though is a fringed pink scarf from Old Navy, I love the bright shade and the fact that it looks like it might just be a t-shirt that I cut to shreds.
5. Flat Boots
This picture pretty well explains why heels are not for me.
While I love the look of heels, they don’t really work for me. If you’ve ever met me in person then you might have noticed; I’m kind of excitable. When something catches my eye in a store, I run to it. When something good happens, I jump up and down with glee. When I’m bored, I dance. And yes, I still play on the swings at my local park. So being in heels that I can only just manage to walk in does not suit my lifestyle. Comfy shoes I can cope with are kind of a necessity, and for me, nothing beats a good worn in pair of boots. Lately I've been living in my black ankle boots from Faith 21 but I still have an awful lot of love for my brown leather cowgirl boots from Evans.
So that is my style summed up.
What things define your personal style?
Oef, this is a Challenge, will take a while 4 me to define.
ReplyDeleteI love a challenge.... hmmm thinking now...!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good idea for a post. I should try it.. but it would take so long. I was wondering too why you just included accessories and not like, any particular pieces or styles of clothing.. was it too hard to pinpoint?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I guess I did just do accessories, didn't I? Ooops! That wasn't really intentional, but I guess the accessories of an outfit are really how you add your own personal touch, so maybe that's why. Maybe I should try again and choose some actual clothes!
ReplyDeleteHello, I've been lurking a while, since summer I think. Not sure how I got here, as I'm probably not in your target readership (UK size 10/12) but I really like seeing your cute outfits and how you put things together! Can I play?
ReplyDelete1) Print dresses which fall a few inches above the knee. I'm a lecturer, so I love things which I can wear out and about, and then convert to my work wardrobe when I get fed up with them, usually with a wee cardi over them.
2) Brogues. Love. Usually worn with those dresses and black or coloured opaque tights.
3) Skinny jeans. I can get away with black ones for work (just), and I like blue for weekends. With ballet pumps or tucked into boots, depending on the weather.
4) Cardigans. I get cold (I live in Scotland), and they're good for covering up something that's a bit low for work. Plus, buttoned up they can turn a dress into a skirt.
5) Tatty Devine jewellery. A friend got me my first necklace as a gift about five years back, and I've never looked back. I love how it can make a plain black dress look interesting, and it always gets so many compliments. I've converted a load of my students! Expensive, but definitely worth saving up for or putting on your Christmas list.
I like this little challenge a whole lot. Really makes me take a look at my style.
ReplyDeleteWhy not accessories? They make the outfit and they help define your style. Nothing wrong with that. :)
We are so much alike with the scarf thing, for years I've thought that no matter what store I walk into, they can't stop me from buying a scarf. They are truly the only thing that is one size fits ALL!
Perfect picks and pics Beth!!
ReplyDeleteLove you
xoxo
S
@Cat - great pics! And of course you're more than welcome to play too, I would never exclude someone for being thin.
ReplyDelete@Hannah - yay! We're the scarf appreciation society!
I got it!
ReplyDelete1. skinny jeans/jeggings
2. cardigans
3. ballerina flats
4. sneakers in funky colors
5. big headbands
I can come up with 5 items that define my style in a nutshell.
ReplyDelete1. my flat soled boots
2. my black side zipped slacks
3. my mustard yellow pocket book
4. my white button up shirts
5. my big earrings.
Love it!
ReplyDeleteMine are
1. Dresses
2. Leggings
3. Cardigans
4. Ballet Flats
5. Necklaces
I think I'll do my own blog post, linking back here!
Glad to have found your blog!
Hmm. My first of the five is easy, my doc martens. I usually wear my black rose-embroidered ones, but I also have a pair of their Mary Jane heels, which I wear whenever I need to be more formal. I graduated in them! (I like to tell people I even graduated in my Doc Martens... it’s true, it just wasn’t boots.)
ReplyDeleteThe second... opaque tights, I suppose: I wear them around 90% of the time, because I have pale legs and don’t like trousers much. Thus, skirts and dresses, with tights to avoid blinding people.
It gets harder after that. Cardigans would be another one: I get cold ridiculously easily, and like being able to layer up and down depending on my need, and cardigans fulfil that. They’re also an easy way for me, as a colour-phobic person, to add colour to an outfit without it overpowering me.
Fourth... my tweed jackets, I suppose. I have a few, but worn is worn far more than the others.
Fifth would be my scarves: I’m not a big summer scarf wearer, but come winter I love them.
I think I'll do a blog post on this, too, linking back to you of course!
I almost always wear a combination of the same things, so the 5 items that define my style are:
ReplyDelete1)Waistcoats: I'm an hourglass shape and they nip me in beautifully at the waist and show off my breasts (sorry, but it's true!).
2) Long Full Skirts: Long as in to-the-floor because any thing else makes me look too "segmented" and because I not-so-secretly would like to be a victorian lady in a crinoline and corsets.
3) New Rock boots: Because of the long skirts no one gets to see them really, but I know they are there and that is the important thing. They are fierce and I love them. I wear them everywhere, including for work and even preach in church in them.
4) Shirts: Either smart Jermyn Street-styled ones for work or more boho / Twilight inspired checked ones for home. I have no other tops in my wardrobe and am perfectly happy that way. Always styled under afore mentioned waistcoats.
5) Dr Who style scarf: Not always worn and actually crocheted (by me) in Slytherin colours from Harry Potter, my 12 foot long Dr Who style scarf is definately a statement piece. I've been a geek since long before it was fashionable to be one, and the scarf is a visable but practical nod to that.
Hmm, it was hard to think of the 5th thing - the first four were easy! I recently decided that in general my style is a bit of a cross between toned down (work appropriate) Steampunk and country lady tweed.
Having said that, i've made a recent foray into short skirts and having been complimented on my legs (and my boots) will possibly make them a wardrobe staple too.
Melissa