Self Discovery Through Personal Style

Every year, my style changes, and I develop a new field guide for my aesthetic.

There have always been some staples:

pearls

warm colors,

whites, creams, and oatmeals,

a signature pattern

(it used to be gingham)

(right now: topography)

square necklines,

underwear for outerwear/visible underwear

pirate skirts, sarongs, maxi's, midi's,

light-wash, wide-leg denim,

I hold certain staples: a bare midriff, always--even in the dead of winter--to be a little scandalous, to flatter my shape. Big hair with ribbons for accessories.

I have my little aversions too:

white sneakers, backpacks, black. These are things I try to exclude from my style, because they are symbols that I do not align with.

I’m not into super sporty, business-y, or masculine styles. My style leans feminine for sure—dotted in ribbons and colors you find on flowers, frilly textures, and curvaceous silhouettes.

Sort of Matilda Djerf, modern fairy.

---

When I look at my personal style, I draw inspiration from an array of things that feel representative of me: red, juicy fruits; the earth’s art: wild gardens, landscapes, and wind patterns; sweet human things like old fashions, paintings, and songs.

Style is a core value to me. I love to be cohesive with my soul. My clothes, my writing, and my voice sound like me. It is essential to me to feel understood by people. Instead of verbally telling you about myself, I’d rather come through body language, visual cues, and habits.

It isn’t all external, though. More than anything, I dress to feel familiar to myself—to look in the mirror and see me in my favorite colors, in my birthstone, in something that conveys the same energies that wave within me.

If you know who you are, name these attributes that you find. Are you beaming? Then beam. Wear yellow, all white, exuberant things. Are you mellow? Then try neutrals, minimal patterns, staple pieces, rather than statement pieces. Do you want to look strong? Do you want to look dainty? Do you want to look innocent, mischievous, creative, unusual, clean? Decide. And decide what you do not want to be, because unless you do, you may find yourself looking like them. Be intentional. Be true.

Love Ally