Refining Your Style Essence

Style essence: the “character” of the look.

Some examples of commonly-used essence terms are Classic, Romantic, Natural, and so on. Which style essences resonate with you? There are many style systems out there; my opinion is that they work great, if you find the right one for you as an individual. My training, through Carla Mathis (author of The Triumph of Individual Style: A Guide to Dressing Your Body, Your Beauty, Your Self) and The Style Core, focused on building a look “from scratch”; my work revolves around helping women discover the elements of their Signature Style; my brain is constantly trying to systematize everything.

One well-known style essence system is that of Personal Style Counselors’ John Kitchener, popularized by Andrea Pflaumer in her book Shopping for the Real You: Ten Essential Steps to a Better Wardrobe for Every Woman – Fashionistas, Fashion-phobes and the Over Fifty. Kitchener likens the seven essences he uses to circus animals, with Classic in the middle as ringmaster, keeping the animals somewhat controlled.

Takeaway: the degree of Classic present in your face, body, personality, and/or lifestyle informs the appropriate amount of refinement for your Signature Style.

Btw, I am going to try to start posting little tips like this more regularly, but not promising anything. If you don’t want to miss one, they can be emailed to you. Enter your email in the subscription box in the sidebar.