Introducing 'Style Strategy' - a series on how to define your taste and personal style
Style Strategy 001: How to know what you like
If you have been a reader of Screenshot This for a while, you may have noticed a common thread: talking about personal style. What it is. How to grow it, evolve it, how to do your own thing in the face of — and with, even — trends.
If you’re new — hello! Have a look at my most popular posts here.
I’m fascinated with how personal style is used to express, to communicate, to say something about yourself.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’d like to introduce a new series about personal style and taste: what it is, how to get it, how to evolve it, how to make it work for you. The more you have honed it, the more you feel comfortable in your own skin (or, clothes, rather), and it also takes the guesswork out of what to wear each morning, or how to shop — and I’m always up for more efficiency!
I am a fashion nerd — I grew up watching Style by Elsa Klensch on CNN, and went on to work in fashion editorial (mainly Vogue Australia, but I also did time at Harper’s Bazaar and interned at US WWD and US Vogue back in the day) as well as brand and marketing predominantly in retail. And brand and marketing have a lot to do with personal style and taste, when you think about it.
I’m fascinated with how personal style is a part of identity and psychology, and how this is something so many of us are on an ongoing journey to discover and evolve. As a visual person, I really think you communicate through what you wear, and using the same visual skills, it can also help you decipher your own style.
‘Back in the day’, this would be covered in print magazines; this section doesn’t seem to exist anymore. This is not going to be a ‘what not to wear’ but actually working out what you like, and how to make it work for you rather than panicking and buying some trend because everyone else seems to be wearing it.
Each week I’ll be covering a topic in regards to personal style, such as:
How to edit and curate your style (and your wardrobe)
How to translate your style for special occasions
How to shop better
How to get inspired — and not be a copycat
What is taste
What are fashion trends, and how to make them work for you
What is a capsule wardrobe, and how it’s not one-size-fits all
Style evolution: your style can change and that’s okay. Here’s how to embrace it
Fashion rules to break
The psychology of fashion
Wardrobe maintenance: how to take care of your clothes
Seasonal wardrobe updates: how to transition your clothes from season to season
Is it trivial to care about what you wear?
I hope you enjoy, and please comment if you’d like me to investigate any other topics further. And, this series is a bit of an antidote to the constant shopping pushes that are prevalent now on social media and Substack.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to shop, but there is a lot of shopping out there, and I really want to give you the tools to navigate shopping rather than instantly thinking you need to buy something to fix yourself, or your style. There might be shopping links included in this series but more to illustrate what I’m talking about rather than ‘BUY THIS TRENCH COAT TO TURN YOURSELF INTO A QUIET LUXURY BILLBOARD’ you know?
Because of this, it will be a series for paid subscribers only so that it can be self-sufficient and not rely on shopping links. You can upgrade your subscription here.
As a paid subscribers, you will receive:
Access to my weekly series on finding and evolving your personal style, ‘Style Strategy’, kicking off from today — for paid subscribers only
Monthly brand deep dives on a fashion or beauty brand via a business perspective, covering marketing, brand (tone of voice and imagery) and digital
One bonus recommendation newsletter per month for paid subscribers only
This will be in addition to my usual content of my weekly recommendations (READ/LISTEN/EXPLORE) minus the one for paid subscribers only and Screen Tests (interviews with interesting people).
For the first of the series, it’s…
HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE
Some of us might know exactly what we like. Others — less sure.
Remember those personality quizzes in magazines and online in your teens? We reached for them when we were younger because we were still searching who we were — hopefully, by now, you have more of an idea. (And if not, this will ideally help.)
What I want to help you to do here is to train your eye and visual analysis skills, and also, to see fashion not just as fabric and stuff you put on your body, but also in the context of other visual mediums like art, interiors, culture and what’s happening in the world.
Step 1: Create a moodboard
Numerous designers and stylists I’ve interviewed have suggested to put together a moodboard of everything and anything you like. It doesn’t need to be fashion, or clothes — it can be art, a film still, a piece of furniture, fancy font or a colour swatch.
It doesn’t need to match, it doesn’t need to be of one topic (like say, interiors or art or fashion), but pull together what you like whether it’s through old fashioned scrapbooking, Pinterest, your Instagram saves, or elsewhere.
Step 2: Visually analyse what’s there
The key here is to look for similar themes and ideas, rather than being literal, and how each image you have picked relates to each other, as well as within themselves. Here’s how to do it.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Screenshot This to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.