Saturday, November 5, 2016

Style vs. Fashion

Given that this is primarily a blog about retro-inspired style, you might not be *too* surprised to learn that I'm not much for keeping up with fashion trends. I know what I like (full skirts, the color red, anything and everything space-related, sparkly brooches) and I'm totally a creature of habit

bernie dexter white lipstick chelsea dress
This outfit includes many of my sartorial faves: red, full skirts, a fun print, sparkles, and more red!
Honestly, I've almost forgotten that trends are a thing. Since I do most of my shopping online and follow mostly vintage-y bloggers, I've really fallen out of the loop. There's a reason I tend to think of myself as a style blogger, rather than a fashion blogger: fashion, in my view, is about short-term trends and innovations with a brief shelf life. Trends, by definition, are meant to take the world by storm and achieve a moment or two of ubiquity before receding like waves on the shore, replaced by the Next Big Thing.

[Sidebar: what is *up* with my purple prose today?]

By contrast, style is about the aesthetic choices one makes in dressing and presenting her- or himself. More precisely, I'd say that style is the set of design principles that shape those aesthetic choices. Style is the underlying preferences that draw you to certain pieces and make you run like the dickens from others. While fashion is a set of "what's:" what's hot this season, what you should add to your wardrobe to stay current, what you need to 'update' your wardrobe, style is a set of "whys" and "hows:" why you like certain things, and how you put things you like together.

Ever hear anyone call someone a 'style victim?' Yeah, me neither.

One other way I see this distinction: fashion is about the creator of a garment, while style is about the owner. Fashion reflects the vision of designers, stylists, and retailers: it's the way they've pictured people at that moment in time. Style is about how the owner sees their clothing working together to reflect their self-image.

When I dress like myself, I'm happy enough to make the silly faces that come naturally to me!
bernie dexter white lipstick print chelsea dress size large

I realize that this definition is a little bit reductive, since it ignores the ways that fashion and style influence one another. Prevailing trends shape what the consumer can use to express their personal style. Have you ever walked into every store in the mall, seen nothing but the same four or five colors that you can't stand, and walked out empty-handed? That season's color fashions are working against you. But fashion isn't all bad: it can introduce you to silhouettes and ideas that you never knew you'd love.


There's one more major difference I see between fashion and style, and that's the economic forces at work. Market research and trend forecasters play an enormous role in shaping fashion, and this brings up a very important point: fashion can be quite expensive. Style doesn't have to be. Fashion changes with the seasons because retailers need to convince people who already own plenty of clothing to buy more things. Lately, this has been an uphill battle for many retailers. A must-have trend, like the recently-omnipresent off-the-shoulder look, is a greatway to convince people to get out there and spend money. 

In trying to be a more ethically-conscious consumer, I've tried to refocus my attention on honing my personal style, rather than following trends. While I still wind up doing a little too much shopping, I've found that focusing on hunting down pieces that express my personal style has left me a lot happier with my wardrobe. I have far fewer of those 'omg I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear' early-morning meltdowns, and far fewer things that I just don't ever wear. Instead, I have a wardrobe that's filled with things that make me genuinely excited to get dressed, and this feels like a really positive development.



How do you feel about fashion and style? Do you tend to focus on one more than the other?

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12 comments:

  1. Wow, I never thought of style and fashion in this way. I loved hearing your thoughts on the distinction and found myself agreeing with what you said. I'm currently trying to find my own personal style and I think my hardest challenge so far is getting caught up in the fashion trends. I always feel like I have to go out and buy the "hottest pieces," but then I have those days where I look in my closet and am disappointing in what I see, like it's not me. Style is expressing yourself through your clothing choices. How you wear and put together outfits tells a story, the story of who we are. Thank you for giving something to think about next time I go shopping! And you look absolutely gorgeous in your photos :)

    Kathlyn | Kathlyn's Korner

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, and I'm glad this post made sense to you! It can be hard to sort out exactly what your personal style actually is, but once you figure out what it is that makes you jump for joy, it's all worth it! I found that it was helpful to think about what I wanted to feel like and do in my clothing, rather than which trends I liked. I wanted to feel like a colorful cupcake and wanted to be able to twirl a lot, so that's what I went for!

      <3!

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  2. First of all, your dress is 100% certifiably perfect.

    Second, I loved reading your explanation of fashion vs. style! I've vaguely come to see style as something personal and fashion as something more...mass-marketed, but I love the way you described the differences between the two!

    For a while, I've considered myself a "style blogger." I thrift a lot of my clothes and tend to go for stuff that's a little more classic or vintage-looking, although sometimes I do see a trend I like and latch on to it. Will I get on board with t-shirts under spaghetti straps? Hell naw. But I DO freaking love blanket scarves!

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    1. Thank you, Devinne! This is one of my secondhand scores, which makes me happy.

      I think you're right on: fashion is what's mass-marketed and mass-produced, whereas style is personal. I call myself a style blogger too, for similar reasons to you, I think. I hardly ever even know what's on-trend anymore, let alone having those trendy items. But I can totally get on board with blanket scarves here in Chicago! In LA…not quite so useful.

      T-shirts under spaghetti-strapped tops will always remind me of Cher in gym class.

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  3. I totally agree that fashion is a personal style. Thank you for these tips, it's very informative. Btw, the dress is fab and chic! love it!

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    1. Thank you so much, and thanks for stopping by! This dress is everything I love about clothing in one piece!

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  4. I never thought of style and fashion in this context but I totally get what you're saying. But I always thought that it was the other way around, style is personal amd fashion is from the creator.

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    1. I agree with you, actually -- I think I'm going to have to go back and make sure this comes across clearly in the post! Style is your own personal spin on what you wear, while fashion is what designers and shops put out there.

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  5. Emily, I love what you've done here! This is such a thought provoking post! I absolutely love retro and vintage clothing as well, Lindy Bop is my favourite online shop of all time! I definitely agree that fashion and style are distinct, and I think that given the choice, I'd pick style over fashion any day! Sometimes trends just aren't really "me" and I'd much rather pick something that perhaps isn't "in vogue" at the moment but that makes me feel good! Style is personal! Thank you for sharing this, a thoroughly interesting read!

    Abbey 😘 www.abbeylouisarose.co.uk

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    1. Thank you so much! I like to focus on style for similar reasons to you: the things I like don't really change all that much (since I'm also super into retro-repro and vintage), and while that won't be trendy, it's classically 'me.'

      I'm such a huge fan of Lindy Bop -- all the fun prints they've released lately have me going crazy here! Have you checked out Collectif? I'm so obsessed with them that I'll even pay international shipping, haha.

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  6. Gorgeous dress and it totally seems to fit your personality perfectly (and check off all your favorite things at once!) :D <3

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  7. You were born to have this dress! I love it on you! The Chelsea can be a tricky tricky girl. Also, I am loving the bangle game you and Bristol are bringing lately! I think it's cute how the 3 of us have jumped into the bangle pool head first and are living it up with styling them. WE ROCK!

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