My Style Is…

I was filling out an application for Urban Outfitters. Unlike any application for retail I've ever encountered, Urban Outfitters has short answer questions, mostly to display character and poor grammatical choices. The first of sixish questions asks the applicant to fill in the blank “My style is…” I was doing this while sitting at my baby internship at an art gallery, and found myself talking out loud.
“My style is…”
“My style is….”
“My style isss……hmmm” I kept saying out loud.
This was the very first time I had to even try put my style into words, articulate something that is generally shown, my character by way of fabric.  “My style is…”

I looked at what I was wearing that day, and as it turned out, the skirt I had on incidentally inspired my applying to Urban in the first place. It’s my “duckskirt” as I fondly call it, still unsure of the fowl that patterns the green, “Flat Black by Pegleg NYC” skirt. My sister and I spotted it in Urban only two days before, and it instantly became a favorite piece of clothing. Apparently I was eager to wear it. Accompanying the marvelously new “duckskirt,” I wore a loose white tee tucked in, a thin black belt with a golden buckle (I say golden, because it was gold colored), and a grey boyfriend blazer, topped off with my favorite tan suede six inch wedges (I measured the heel and the platform later that day in the gallery).

belt

shoes

At this stage, I honestly can not remember what I wrote; something about girlie with a little bit of edge, but mainly I was trying to fit into the brand identity of Urban Outfitters, so what I wrote was probably a whole bunch of b.s.
But what is my style? Do I even have a style? Those were things I was asking myself that quiet Wednesday in the gallery, and questions I even ask myself now. At this point, I can’t say my fashion vocabulary is extensive, because to me it is deffo show not tell.
But, I'll have to say... Definitely girlie.

I LOVE dressing up (or what other people call dressing up). I rarely leave the house in jeans and a teeshirt, and if I do, its generally modified, or featuring heels. Skirts are my life it seems. Only this weekend going through my drawers I discovered near to 40 skirts. Oh dear. I am known for my skirts, in all seasons. They come in many shapes and sizes, but generally one length: short (though this is changing). I gravitate towards high-waisted skirts, some embellished with volume through pleats and layers, others tight in bright colors.

My affinity towards skirts, has created a necessity for tights, hosiery, leg accessories, whatever you want to call them (especially in winter, though in London it was more of a year round dealie). I really enjoy patterned and intricately detailed tights. Just the other day, after a sushi dinner, my friends were commenting on tights, and said that mine were “cool” and “sexy.” They were my FAVORITE tights, with this lacy pattern up the side of either leg, while the rest was sheer black. While in London, intricate tights were all the rage; pairs featuring polka dots and hearts, stripes and squiggles, illusion tights, were all over the place. I am still looking here for the interesting ones, but I do not want to spend $20 on something I know will get a run in it. The search continues.

Sometimes, with these girlie skirts, come edgier elements, like oversized blazers, denim shirts, and heeled combat boots or military inspired wedges. I like to mix girlie, with the edgy (leather jacket, masculine shapes, loud colors). Ruffles, lace, patterns, and belts are also frequent in my clothing vocabulary, playing up the feminine but sometimes also creating contrast with the rest of the outfit.

All in all, I would say my style is evolving, changing not only with the seasons and annually, but also from day to day. No day is the same. My style ranges from playful, to minimalist to eclectic to obnoxious and over the top.