Idiosyncratic Style

The large bangles that have been all over the Spring 09 runways have me inspired to create one in my own idiosyncratic style. You can create your personalized statement piece with this 10 minute make-over using items you probably already have in a drawer somewhere.

Step 1: Dig through your jewelry box and find a boring plastic bangle you may have prematurely retired.

Step 2: Gather some supplies. You will need a glue gun (or tacky craft glue if you prefer) and your choice of ribbon, long scrap of fabric, wide string or even a cool shoelace. I have chosen a piece of leather because my bangle wanted to be reincarnated as a rock star. The leather strip already had clean folded edges, but you can use a fabric with a raw edge for a more deconstructed look.

Step 3: Start with one end of your strip and glue it down to the inside of the bracelet. Press it down firmly and give it a second to really adhere.

Step 4: Wrap the strip around the bracelet at a slight angle across the face. Each time you loop around, use glue just on the inside to prevent uneven surfaces or glue markings on your fabric. Take the time to line up each loop so it lies directly next to the previous loop or slightly overlap it to ensure there are no gaps of plastic showing through.

Step 5: Once you have looped the strip enough times to completely cover the bangle just trim off any excess and glue the end firmly inside the bracelet.

Extra Credit: Get creative, make a few different bangles and pile them all on your arm together as seen on 3.1 Philip Lim and Zac Posen runways.

Costume Designer, Patricia Field has been inspiring us for years through the ladies from Sex and The City, on television and more recently on the big screen. The most obvious source for extraordinary fashion inspiration comes from SATC’s Carrie Bradshaw, who could be a poster girl for idiosyncratic style.

Borrow a page from Carrie’s book by making unexpected pairings in your wardrobe choices. Try pairing a ladylike dress with a studded rocker belt, just like she favored throughout the movie. Personalize the look by trying your favorite flirty dresses with different kinds of heavy metal belts (try grommets instead of studs) and be sure to anchor the look with black opaque tights or a heavier shoe.

I dare you to wear strappy shoes or peep toe shoes with black opaque tights.

By now you have seen this trend on runways and on the glossy pages of magazine, but you haven’t tried it for yourself.

Maybe you aren’t sure if you like it, maybe you are just not sure if you can pull it off or maybe it goes against all the fashion rules your mother brought you up to believe. Whatever your reasons, I dare you.

What you look like, whether you agree with it or not, will make up a large portion of a first impression. Before someone gets to know you, personally or professionally, before they even hear you speak, they see you. In those first few seconds, your appearance is taken in and unconscious assumptions have been made. The good news is that you can take control and choose what your appearance will tell others about you.

STEP ONE: DEFINE YOUR STYLE

Try using a personal style “power word”. To find your “power word” you can try these exercises:

1. When you enter a room, what word would you like people to think of?
2. Think of public figures whose style you like and ask yourself what word do you come up with when you look at them?

Try to limit yourself to one or two words that sum up your ideal style. Once you have come up with your “power word” it becomes the theme or starting point for every outfit you will ever put on. Every time you get dressed, ask yourself if what you are wearing relays your “power word”. If the image in the mirror doesn’t evoke your “power word” you need to adjust the outfit so it will.

STEP TWO: UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY

Next you will need to get a clear picture of your body shape, complexion and what works for you.

Try on different outfits from your closet and take digital pictures of yourself. Look at the pictures and be objective about what you see. If you are having trouble being objective ask a close friend who can be honest with you to help you. Notice what types of garments, fabric and colors look good on you and which ones do not. Also take a look in the mirror, what are your favorite body parts? Choose a feature that you like the best and work to make your wardrobe choices enhance this part of yourself.

STEP THREE: INSPIRATION

Pay attention to fashion. Look at public figures/ magazines/ websites/ runway shows/ various media and collect pictures of clothing that appeals to you personally, not necessarily what everyone else is wearing right now. Compile the images into a notebook and identify what it is you like about each one. After a while you should start to see strong trends in what you gravitate toward. Do the images have fabric in common? Do they have clean tailored looks? Are they made up of wild prints? Identifying what you like will help you gain control over crafting the impressions your appearance will give.

STEP FOUR: DO THE MATH

Compile your findings from steps one through three and find the common threads. Take into consideration your “power word” is, what looks good on you and your style ideals. Try to find common traits among all categories. Identifying those trends will help you focus your wardrobe choices (while getting dressed and/or shopping) on things that you truly like, that look good on you and that ensure your own identifiable signature style.