Fashion is a reflection of who we are, our values, and our personality. It's a beautiful way to tell our story.
The sound of an old Singer sewing machine was a daily soundtrack throughout my childhood. My grandmother was a seamstress and she made wedding gowns and cocktail dresses. I spent my summer vacations with her and at the age of 8yo, I earned a small allowance to buy candy by doing embroidery and applying sequins and crystals on beautiful bridal gowns.
When I returned home, I was welcomed by sewing machines that occupied the corridors of our tiny apartment. My Mom ran a small ready-to-wear dress company back then and we all lived in a cramped space with tailors and dressmakers who helped me with my assignments during their off-hours.
I didn't care much about what I wore as a child. I piled on whatever was available until a relative called me out in a huge family gathering as a "lousy dresser." I didn't know why that had an impact but those words followed me to my teens.
Our weekends were then spent hunting fabric and visiting a bespoke fashion boutique owned by a family friend who sometimes made our clothes.
Later when I morphed into my awkward teens, I had the false liberty of designing my clothes under the supervision of my mother. We chose fabric together and had them made so I don't remember experiencing clothes shopping for myself growing up. I was aware of the brands and the commercial ones I owned were mostly gifts from relatives.
Despite the illusion of independence, my Mom always had a say in what I wore and if it didn't pass her approval, expect the dress to be cloaked with ridicule and criticisms.
Looking back at family photos, the dresses I wore never expressed my taste until I left the country in my mid-20s. I gradually discovered my style while I was living on my own. Gone were the custom-made dresses, I learned to shop for myself.
When I worked for a luxury fashion brand as a project consultant, my after-work evenings were often filled with cocktail dinners at 5* and 7* hotels, and invitations to fashion events in Dubai were part of the job.
Surrounded by glitz and glamour, I instinctively stocked my closet with acceptable items that my colleagues and the fashion world would deem appropriate. Repeating clothes for such events was frowned upon and a trip to the salon before dinners was normal and necessary.
It was an interesting experience that educated me a lot about the world and people I used to only see in magazines but deep within I knew that behind the little black dress, stilettos, blow-dried hair, and carefully applied makeup was someone I haven't fully met yet.
The Power of Experimentation
Go with your gut. My wardrobe transformed into a collection of simple neutral palettes and simple styles. Understated, nothing too loud, and nothing that would draw attention to myself. Although I would have occasional quirky experimentations with reds, patterns, and blues, I was comfortable wearing them. Wear what makes you happy. Explore what expresses your style by trial and error.
When I came home to visit family, some of the dresses I wore were met with criticism but I finally stood by them. I started to defend my own fashion choices. Living alone and the exposure to the fashion world gave me well-developed self-reliance and confidence that being able to stand up for myself for the first time was exhilarating.
No one questioned my monochromatic minimalist style since.
When we packed our bags and left our comfortable ex-pat life in the Middle East to embrace the slow island life in the Philippines, I said goodbye to the cartons of glamorous dresses and naturally gave them away but I kept a few that "sparked joy" for those rare formal invitations.
Little by little, light clothing dominated my closet that was either black, white, grey, or blue. The loudest pattern I owned are sailor stripes and one animal print blouse. My t-shirts are plain with no inscriptions unless they hold personal meaning.
Own Key Pieces
One of a few fashion tips that I have acquired helpful in creating a well-rounded capsule wardrobe is to own timeless key pieces such as a denim jacket, a denim skirt, a good quality leather jacket, well-fitted jeans, cardigans, LBD, pashmina, statement blazer, a ribbed tank, crisp white shirt, classic trench coat.
Choose the Colour Palette that Harmonizes with You
Find the color that works best for you through Seasonal Color Analysis. Certain colors harmonize well with our skin tone, natural hair & eye color, features, our temperament, and our personality.
This will eliminate useless purchases and ensure saving time and money. The basic color analysis consists of 4 seasons but a more accurate version holds 12 seasons. However, there are exceptions to the seasonal color table. There are ones who fall under neutral but I will focus on the extremes for now.
Step 1: Determine Your Skin Undertone
The easiest way is to check the color of the veins on your wrist under natural light. Warm undertones have green or greenish-blue veins while the cool undertones have blue or purple.
Cheryl has warm undertones while mine is in the cool spectrum. Her extroverted and gregarious personality brings sunshine and warmth everywhere, while cool tones match my reserved and collected demeanor.
Warm Undertones
- Gold jewelry and accessories are flattering to them
- An absence of coolness
- Presence of green or greenish-blue veins
- Radiate warmth with golden, yellowish, earthy, peachy undertones
Cool Undertones
- Silver jewelry and accessories match them well.
- An absence of warmth
- Presence of bluish or purplish-blue veins
- Radiate coolness with bluish, greyish, and red undertones
Step 2: Determine Your Color Value - Light vs Deep (Dark)
Light
- Skin, eyes, and hair are light for one's ethnicity
- Low contrast between the natural color of your skin, eyes, and hair
- Features have an absence of depth
Deep (Dark)
- Skin, eyes, and hair are dark for one's ethnicity
- High to medium contrast between the natural color of your skin, eyes, and hair.
- Features have noticeable depth
Look at the overall image of a person and in a nutshell, describe someone with very light value as a blonde with blue eyes and a very deep color value as black hair and black eyes.
Step 3: Determine Your Chroma - Clear (Bright) vs Soft (Muted)
Imagine a color, the more pure a color is, it is considered clear or bright. Add grey to it and it becomes soft and muted.
Clear (Bright)
- Prominent features that don't blend with the presence of contrast
- Absence of grey in your coloring
Soft (Muted)
- Your features are well blended
- A lack of contrast
Here's a helpful table I have created referenced from my favorite fashion Youtuber Justine Leconte that illustrates the 12 seasons and click the link for a more elaborate explanation of the seasonal color analysis.
Check your dominant characteristics and secondary characteristics.
Disclaimer: There are exceptions to this rule such as those with ash blonde or grey hair with black eyes for example and those that have neutral characteristics.
Just in case, you find yourself under one of the season types, each one has recommended color palette as a guide for choosing clothing colors that would resonate well with you and would bring out the best in your features.
I found myself classified under winter, hence my preference in using strong solid colors, plain black and white hues.
What about you, have you encountered the seasonal color analysis before? Which season type are you? How did you discover your personal style and preference? Thank you for reading!
This is my post for Minimalist Wardrobe Choices Week 2 (April 14-16) Option 1: Do you prefer monochrome colors over florals? Why? Benefits of Keeping Your Outfits Monochromatic.
I'd like to invite @laviesm and @nikolina to join the challenge.
P.S. Above images are mine and my friend Cheryl agreed and gave me permission to be included in my post.
"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both tangible and the unseen."
Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
Hello @discoveringarni what an interesting childhood you had with your family. When your cousin called you out on dressing, I felt bad, but it made you realize you had to up your game.
I enjoyed reading your post as I have learned a few things from the information above. It is going to be helpful. I discovered my personal style and preferences right from my teenage years when I realized I wasn't attracted to bright colors. So from there, black, grey, navy blue, darker shades of color took over.
Hello @esther-emmanuel, thank you for your message, and my sincere apologies for the late reply. It was a nice motivator and I'm glad the decisions made turned out that way. Hope you had a lovely Easter weekend. Wishing you a lovely week ahead!
That's no problem 😊 and Yes! The Easter weekend was awesome! Thank you. I wish you a productive week ahead and stay safe.
A family member saying that you are a lousy dresser when you were young - ouch that's harsh, especially has a kid or young adult.
Your life story in regards to fashion is an interesting one for sure, with highs and lows and everything in between.
I'm not familiar with the seasonal color concept or very much of anything that you said about seasons and warmth and coolness and all that lol, but it is interesting. It's a lot to take in but I'm sure it's a relatively easy concept once you get it and figure it out for yourself.
Hi Leaky, for many years I thought I was just being too sensitive about it but it did strike a chord so your comment confirmed a child would take words like that to heart and do something about it. That motivated me to use summer vacations in high school studying fashion. Even though I later learned I wasn't really keen on pursuing that as a career, I used whatever knowledge learned from that on job tasks many years later.
The seasonal color concept can be confusing but it's a helpful guide for both men and women.
Its awesome that you used the experience in a motivating way. I think that fashion relates to architecture and interior design in many ways though so I could totally see it being useful knowledge even if you were not overly interested in it.
Hello Arni,
This is so nice to read with valuable information.
Your childhood sounds very similar to mine. My mum and aunts were also seamstresses, so I spent many days shopping for fabrics, zippers, buttons, and anything related to sewing. I LOVE the vintage Singer sewing machines.
I really like the chart with the breakdown of tones.
I'm gonna take a closer read.
It's good that you developed your own minimalistic style:)
Hi Camille, yes the vintage Singer sewing machines same 🙌 I smile when I see them. There are perks to growing up with seamstresses like the early knowledge of anything about sewing, shopping for zippers, buttons, etc. Were they an early influence on your love of fashion too?
Yes, I think I got my love for fashion from my mum, aunts, and grandmother. They were all seamstresses with big factory-quality machines in Kingston, Jamaica.
I always had a conflict with my mother though. She made my clothes with space for another person. I hated that. She complained that I was picky because my sisters never complained.
I used to get angry and ask her why she bothers to take my measurement. I tried to explain to her that when clothes are not the right fit, it loses all their style. She could never get that. My school uniform was so much bigger than me. I was constantly teased that even after graduation I would never fit into them 🤣. One year I had my aunt sew my uniforms, and I finally looked like I was wearing my own clothes.
That must have been uncomfortable to wear a baggy uniform. Like you, I am particular with the fitting and that's the advantage of having clothes made because it's supposed to seamlessly follow one's body shape and create flattering silhouettes. It's good that your aunt rectified it.
Since moving back to the Philippines, I have only purchased a few plain white or black t-shirts but even then, I'd put them back on the rack inside a fitting room if the fitting is questionable.
Hi love
what a cool post and actually quite useful information!
Thanks for sharing and for liking one of my garden posts.
I really need to do another wardrobe clear out. I have a style i like but never wore because it was so unfashionable... and now that it IS i am torn between buying more and clearing out old... or persevering...
Thanks for the post,
will follow along. Regards
SARAH
Hi Sarah, nice meeting you here on the hive. I really like what you did with your art on the walls. Wonder which style it is that you like. Happy wardrobe organizing and looking forward to reading about it once you do.
Thank you very much.,
I like playing around with the art pictures :-)
For me i like pretty dresses, fit at the top and float at the bottom, however i have quickly realised that i don't like the ones with zips as they take extra effort to get on.. lol... if i can't throw them on then that is too much work. Nothing complicated.
I will blog about it when i get round to it. first i need to finish the jolly garden.. lol. Its a real big mess.
thanks for stopping by.
Sarah
Oh yes, the zips at the back are the worst. The zips around the sides are way better. Yes, a stretchable garment with the right fit is comfier and easier to throw on. Happy gardening!
Glad you found your natural style 😍.
Those colour seasons are interesting, aren't they? I can never work out my undertone, though. I thought I was in the cool range, but when I had a make-up consultation recently, they started much cooler with some of the colours and then, surprised, they kept moving towards warm! The lipsticks were corals, too.
The undertone can be quite tricky. We might have combination veins that fall under neutral. How was the coral on you? I tried lipsticks towards the orange spectrum and they never suited me.
A makeup artist friend many years ago started talking about color correctors and my mind just went blank lol.
It made my eyes look turquoise ...
😴
First, this is something amazing interaction with Lifestyle/Fashion Artistic, thoughtful, analytical. Amazed to see your side of interpretation.
I usually do the same way of fashion. Warm+ Soft muted I would say, and I feel like it ends up matching the fashion of elderly people. But, I love it. Also, sometimes would get a compliment from some like-minded youths. Haha
Hi @suzn.poudel, thank you for the compliment. I wonder how you stumbled upon your kind of style and preference.
The best choices are those that you enjoy wearing and resonate well with.
Hey Arni. It's a real pleasure to always go through your content.
I guess my outfit has really shifted with the characters of gentle, shy, and introvert. I really don't know if that is a cause. I do enjoy and feel comfortable with the wear I do.
Looking forward to your upcoming content. Feels I came up late here . :D
Love reading comments so I'm glad you did. Take care and wishing you a great day!
~~~ embed:1514748856906715137 twitter metadata:RGlzY292ZXJpbmdBcm5pfHxodHRwczovL3R3aXR0ZXIuY29tL0Rpc2NvdmVyaW5nQXJuaS9zdGF0dXMvMTUxNDc0ODg1NjkwNjcxNTEzN3w= ~~~
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Congratulations @discoveringarni! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 20000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP