What’s Your Style

One of my favourite memories from when I was a teenager was walking through this pedestrian street in Portugal with my family one late afternoon. I saw this woman dressed in red from head to toe walking towards us; she was so elegant, so chic and so badass! I remember thinking that when I was older, I would look as fabulous as she did.

If you’ve ever been to Europe and to the boutiques there, you’ll know that people like to ‘dress up’. They wear silk shirts with loafers on a Tuesday and take time to decide what they’re wearing. They have a way about them that is almost tangible – like the confidence of that lady in red.

 That’s what I love most about clothing – the ability to celebrate ourselves, to take pride in what we put on and to feel good in the clothing we wear. This is how I determined what I would wear- what my style was. Wearing clothing that made me feel good and celebrated my body while still looking classy and badass. One day I might be in torn boyfriend jeans and the next, in a slinky dress – style is about finding pieces that work for you.

So what about trends?

Should we buy into trends?

Fashion is so quick and extremely disposable. What’s hot one minute, won’t be hot the next so buying into trends can be a bit tricky. Do you really want to spend $1000 on Balenciaga sneakers that you don’t really love? … I see people spending ridiculous amounts of money on things just because they’re ‘in’. Don’t be one of these people.

Here’s how to make trends work for you.

 Ask yourself these three questions:

• Is this trend your style?
This is the most important question. Trends are worth buying into if they fit your style and if they are pieces that you can rework into your existing wardrobe.

 • Can you wear it 5- 10 times?
Wearability is also very important. Again, this is about making pieces work for you. Buying a trendy piece that’s cool in the moment but will never see the light of day after you’ve worn it once doesn’t make sense.

• Can you sell it if you don’t love it?
Selling your clothing or accessories and giving someone else the opportunity to love it means you can have fun with trends and make some money back

Style is about finding pieces that you love and make you feel good. If you’re into the current trend (which at this moment is polka dots – that I love) and can wear a piece more than 5-10 times, you’re winning. If you’re going out of your way and beyond your financial means to buy into something you don’t love, you’re taking a huge L and it’s not worth it.

Find your style, pieces you love and make trends work for you.

So I’m curious to know: do you buy into trends or are you selective about what you buy?

KM