One woman’s “tailored” is another woman’s “tight”. Have you ever wondered why one woman can look casually elegant in an unstructured outfit while another looks frumpy? Or why some just can’t do turtlenecks? Clearly there are many possible reasons; allow me to propose one.
Hypothesis: process-oriented personalities prefer less precision in fit
Application? One would be if you were looking for a coat now, say, on clearance at Nordstrom. (New markdowns at NORDSTROM. Plus, get free shipping and returns.) As I was thinking about this question, I thought of my own coat. The easy, belted styling, IMO, would be structured enough for most. The blankety-soft wool/cashmere blend is comfy enough to take the edge off the tailored tidiness. If I were a more process-oriented person, though, I would have bought the next size larger.
Of course if the personality connection doesn’t work for you, it could still be helpful to consider: do you prefer more or less structure in the way your clothes fit?
Interesting question. I am not sure I know what you mean by process-oriented, but I always test on the less-structured end of the personality scale (P rather than J, if you go with Myers-Briggs). On the other hand, I much prefer structured clothes. I can’t stand to wear knit bottoms for anything but exercise, and I don’t really care much for wearing even knit blouses, except as an underlayer. And they can’t be baggy, ever. I’m not sure why–however, I tend to be highly self-contradictory in a lot of areas, so that could just be another instance.
Thanks for your insights – they are always enlightening. 🙂
Some years back I remember alot of people talking about “process-oriented” vs ” goal-oriented” ; I have wondered if that corresponds roughly with the P and J. Seems like it must. Maybe the term is not as popular and understood now; not that I have a good definition. 😉
When I was thinking and writing about this, I was wondering whether my hypothesis should be “process-oriented” (all P?) or “experience-oriented” (only SP). Also the fit thing is a little fuzzy: to be loose is not always the same as being unstructured, and so on. A more specific question might be: do you like your sweaters to fit like a blazer or like a sweatshirt.
Always so much to think about … Thanks for thinking with me. 🙂