Find your style? Each his own !
You must have heard this sentence more than once, accompanied of course by this (oh so) profound maxim:
Tastes and colors cannot be discussed...For a time you believed it... and suddenly you realized that this sentence only served to (more or less) camouflage a lack of taste in men's fashion. And above all, that it was invoked precisely by those who lacked it the most...
Damn... so I was lied to?And then one day, sites appeared to prove you wrong. You have discovered that if there is one subject that can lend itself to multiple discussions and heated debates: it is fashion.
Some even dared to decide between what is beautiful and ugly, what is classy and immature, even between yin and yang ... while others advocated wearing only what you like, regardless of your taste. And in the middle of these debates, YOU.
Are you more ying or yang?
A little lost, like a child looking for the light switch in the dark, you must have probably had the following reasoning (especially if you are a fan of makeovers):
So there is only ONE universal truth when it comes to looks?The question was worth asking and in the same way you always say hello to the lady , you probably answered (without thinking):
Yes, there is one! There is only one way to dress well!But Pandora's box was definitely open, giving rise to many other metamystical-physical questions:
But then who owns it? In the name of what ? from whom? how to find it? how can you be sure it's the right one? and the price of clothes, eh, who sets it? who should we listen to? Who should be burned for blasphemy?Yet you are looking in the wrong place. The real answer is that there is not one truth, but truths ... And in this constellation of truths, there is only one that interests us (you): yours .
Yes, there is still a single universal truth when it comes to men's fashion, and it is the one that suits you (this is what men's makeovers strive to demonstrate in depth). The circle is complete.
Having style ultimately means having found what suits you .
If you tell them that "what suits me is to live in jogging",
They're not going to be very happy...
(Re)discovery of your style
So, whether you're starting from scratch or buying beautiful pieces that you mix and match inconsistently (and sometimes without knowing why), let's take a look at exactly how to go in search of that lost style.
But be careful: every adventure requires its usual precautions... Yes, be careful, there will be many potholes and ruts in this quest. Also, your open-mindedness, your sensitivity, your judgment (but also your objectivity) will be put to the test.
Bruce Lee developed jeet kune do , which means the way of the intercepting fist . You are interested in the path of style that intercepts : a style that adapts to your needs like water adapts to the shape of any container. But like a martial art, building your style takes time, a lot of time. We will see this aspect in more detail later.
Even when everything is tidy, finding your style is not an easy task...
Set a goal to find your style
Before you head out in any direction, the first thing to know is where you're going . We have seen it: there is not one style, but styles. Some may have discovered the look in conjunction with seduction, both in the same pack: I am thinking of all the male seduction sites. Others like Modissimo who wants to be more “young and “cool”, unlike DeJeunesGensModernes who are focused on a more mature, more sober look.
Bring your different “yous” together in the same room and clarify things
(Credits: Melinda Gloss FW’11 and Nom De Guerre SS’10)
First of all, have an idea of what you want: casual, classy casual, casual, clean, dark, young, emo, skater, punk, grunge ?
It may be a commonplace, but good style obviously brings out (and enhances) the personality of the person in question. It can be an adventurer, adventurer, or on the contrary classy and refined.
And you will see that fashion has no shortage of resources and means to bring out a character trait: this is what makes part of its richness. So for now, just figure out what style you want. However, have some room for maneuver: your tastes and desires will evolve over time and like a magician who always has a card trick up his sleeve for each situation: we advise you to have several styles .
Want to read more?
So know that we will see in the next article in this series how to refine your ideas and above all, above all, how to refine your clothing taste (with Benoît) and in the next one how to sniff out the right men's fashion advice (with Gill).
