Personal Style

More and more, I am finding myself envious of others who possess (and explore) a sense of personal style and I can't help but wonder how their style was created/born/developed.

Me? I feel like I have no sense of style whatsoever. I know what styles I like, what colors I like, and I'm starting to improve my coordinating skills, but it's a lot of work. It certainly doesn't come naturally to me like I feel it does with others, and still, more times than not I miss the mark completely.

I remember how simple it was back in the 90s when I was a young girl, coming-of-age in the time of grunge, and oversized jeans, flannels, and steel-toed boots were en vogue. Oh how much easier things were back then! The just-rolled-out-of-bed look was not only fashionable, it was considered sexy (huh?!). But then, once I graduated and moved back home to find a job and usher myself into adulthood, I realized that dressing like a scrub wasn't going to help me. I had to admit I was (and start dressing like) a woman. It was harder than it sounds.

I had to buy dress pants and blouses and heels (ack!), and the older I got, the dressier I had to dress. Suits and jewelry and handbags, oh my! Not only does it take a tremendous amount of work, it takes money. It was almost like I was taking all of the money I was making at my job and pouring it back into clothing... for my job. Pretty soon, my work clothes overtook my closet and my casual clothing supply started to diminish.

And beyond clothing, my hair and makeup became yet another focus of my sense of style. Luckily I enjoy makeup, but hair is quite another story. Also, as a product of my gene pool, I began greying prematurely so trips to the salon became frequent and VERY expensive. Between all this fuss over my "look" and trying to spend my hard-earned money more conservatively, my sense of style has had to take a backseat. It's become more of a chore than a celebration of self and it shows.

I know of people who have a FANTASTIC sense of style and they manage to spend very little money expressing it, so I can't use lack of funds as an excuse anymore. I think it also comes down to laziness. I am lazy about my looks these days. I was telling a friend this weekend that I feel like I've lost the "sparkle" I once possessed when I was younger, and I don't like that. We shouldn't let ourselves lose our luster, and it really isn't a matter of clothing or makeup or trend-following. It's an inner joy and light that tends to dim as we get run down with the hardships and monotony of life. It takes more effort to retain that light than to let it darken.

There is a "blogazine" online from a young woman whom I admire greatly. Her name is Xenia. She is a Russian transplant who has carved a niche for herself in NYC adopting many, many titles: model, freelance makeup artist, musician, club kid, stylist, and most recently, makeup line creator. She has so much fun searching for unique finds and expressing her ever-evolving sense of style. One glace at her blog and you can see how much joy she takes in creating her "looks." It's worth a gander. It's also worth a re-evaluation of your own sense of style, and perhaps a little more effort and bravery into the realm of style. Try a new eyeshadow color, or wear your hair up in a side braid one day. Don those hot purple flats, naysayers be damned! (I'm saying these things to myself, don't'cha know.)