Blog Post #1- Creating your own style

Who doesn’t enjoy shopping for new clothes? Whether it’s a social outing with our friends to go to the mall and wander around, or simply a stress-relief during midterm/finals week, I have found shopping as a way to get my mind off of things and relax. As an international student from Turkey, coming to the US really shaped the way I dress and I slowly started having a style of my own. Along this journey, I have found little tips and tricks for creating a style that I feel comfortable in. If you keep wondering how to look stylish on a tight budget, here’s your guide J

1.    Start with buying staple items to achieve a minimalistic wardrobe
You can never go wrong with neutral colors and basics. Classic neutrals are grey, beige, camel and these colors go really well with denim or same color outfits.


Black is my best friend! An all black outfit is flattering, alluring and timeless regardless of your body shape. Whether it be a black crop top with high wasted jean shorts for summer, or black jeggings with a cozy black sweater for winter, I think black is the number one color that will make you look stylish.


2 jackets will save your life: Denim & Leather (or suede) Owning good quality jackets can help you elevate any outfit you wear. Make sure you don’t go too experiential with the color; I think leather jacket looks best in black and for denim I prefer light blue.


2.    Find colors that go well with your skin tone

If you have a cool undertone, your skin has reddish, pink or blue undertones which means that you will look great in colors that reflect those tones like blues, lilacs, lavenders and soft rose colors.

If you have a warm undertone, your skin has gold and yellow undertones, camel, orange, gold, scarlet red will look really good on you.

Take this short quiz to find out about your skin undertone:

The way we dress doesn’t only depend on what we think looks good, we are also effected by external influences which are social and cultural aspects of our life as a consumer. (Babin, 26) It’s very easy to be influenced by our close friends and what they buy, but it may not always be the most flattering style on us.

3.    Stay away from
Horizontal stripes will give the illusion of a wider (and fatter) body

While shopping, don’t buy an item only because you like it, think about what you will wear it with, how you will style it, do you currently have any clothing that will match well with this new purchase. Be smart!

According to the Five Factor Model Approach the impulsivity trait is the tendency to buy products and engage in experiences on impulse (Babin 117)- keep in mind that impulse clothing purchases might overcrowd your wardrobe and you might have a hard time pairing them up with other items you already own. It’s always the best to go shopping with at least ideas of things you want to buy so you don’t get carried away by the unbelievable sale in Forever 21.

4.    Don’t forget about accessories
Accessories are essential: If you’re olive skinned like myself, gold/rose gold accessories will suit you the best. If you have lighter skin I would recommend silver tones.

 
Invest in good quality accessories (gold/gold plated) then don’t worry about your rings/necklaces turning dark. I also prefer owning simple, similar shaped items that you can stack up.









Buying clothes to create our own style may not necessarily have high utilitarian value because not having a style is not really a problem to be solved. It provides more of a hedonic value, going shopping and buying clothes we like give us immediate gratification. (Angell Lecture 9/13/17) Finding your style will take time, money and effort. However it’s also important to be cautious about materialism. This is the extent to which material goods are important in our lives and how possessions can become a means of achieving happiness (Babin, 115) I feel more confident and energetic on days in which I wear flattering clothes but I try not to condition my happiness to what I wear or how I look on any given day. And don’t forget that there are some days when all you need to do is put on your sweatpants and a sweater and go on with life!


Source(s): Babin, J.B., Harris, E.G. CB, 7th edition


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