Does your style fit in where you live?

[Hopefully]

Inspired by (a) the realisation that my natural style doesn't really 'fit' and that I've been subconsciously toning it down over the past couple of years and (b) inspired by a few recent threads on north/south fashion divide and fashion in the country etc.

So, does your style fit in where you live? Do you feel permanently over or under dressed or too staid or too flamboyant? Personally I feel like when I wear what I want I am overdone and overthought - I live in a really casual town in the far south west and while there are plenty of people with an alternative sense of style, there is very little dressing smartly/wearing make up on a day to day basis. However, having toned my style down, I look and feel totally underdone and like a country bumpkin when I go to anywhere even slightly stylish. Humph. Am I alone in this?

I fully appreciate I should wear what I want and not worry about fitting in, and actually I don't particularly worry about it, it's something that's happened subconsciously over the few years since we moved here, and this thread is partly inspired by the fact that I am determined to start dressing for me again and not letting my style be compromised by what's around me.

I know exactly what you mean.
I live in the a small area in the north east and people seem to live in track suits or a Parka coat(even in summer )
When I dress how I dress people will comment -why are you dressed up ?
I'm literally wearing jeans and ankle boots.

It's pretty much 'anything goes' where I live but I think I do stick out a bit, not because my style is particularly out there but for being into clothes in the first place. All the neighbours I know are far more interested in gardening and walking than fashion and would rather drink their own piss than go shopping. I suspect they privately think I'm a bit flighty.

They do have beautiful gardens though.

And now I feel mean talking about them cos they're really lovely

I live in a suburb in East London/Essex and don't fit in where I live at all. I fit in when I go into Central London where I work though.

I'm in the South West too. There are 2 tribes: those who lived here when it was a poor market town 20 years ago and those who moved here to get some "country" and go to Babington House! The former tend to be jeans/fleece or waterproof/trainers whereas the latter will wear jeans with expensive trainers, leather jacket, breton top, nice bag... "off duty" model style.

I've lived here 10 years and my style has definitely changed to the latter - before this I was a student and style was different in 2007 anyway. When I go back to my large Yorkshire hometown I am definitely overdressed!

You are not alone Hopefully. I'm from the west of Ireland and now live in London. When I go to Ireland I always realise that I don't have a warm enough coat or sturdy enough boots or suitable 'going out' clothes!

I live in an ex mining village in the north east coast and it's mainly jeans here... I always wear skirts/dresses, usually with a vintage flair, circle skirts I made myself... dress quite 40s/50s and always done... I stick out like a sore thumb but I love looking like a "lady" (not saying you don't in jeans, but in an old fashioned way iyswim)

I live in a rural village which is populated with the country set so loads of barbour jackets and plus fours in the village shop. My family (DH and dc's) are into the rockabilly scene (lifestyle and music as well as the fashions) so dress completely differently to everyone else in the village. I get lots of compliments on my style especially that I always look put together even on the school run.

I don't understand this. Surely in every area there are lots of different types of people who wear lots of different types of things? Surely it's far more about the 'circles' you move in than the area?

For example, I went out to a local disco night recently. The people there would all have come from around a two mile or so radius, I'd think. The 'circles' represented there included:

• Boden/White Stuff-esque dresses and tunics, with Birkenstocks or other sandals
• a few Rockabillies in pretty dresses and a lot of eyeliner
• a couple of heavily tattooed leather clad punk-esque types
• lots of skinny jeans and heels
• some very short dresses and very high heels
• me - who didn't really fit into any of those 'circles' but wouldn't have stood out as particularly out of place in any of them except the Birkenstock circle.

I live in a large city. I don't think there is any one style here, people wear lots of different things, I wear what I like and don't worry about whether it suits where I live.

I live in a big city centre & always wear dresses. Works for me, as most of the girls around town are working / going out, so smartly dressed. I'd consider a dress & nice shoes to be casual. I do remember walking behind a trio of female American tourists, dressed in combats & hiking boots, who were commenting that they couldn't believe how dressed up we all were. It's not exactly Paris here, but it was interesting to hear their point of view!
I sometimes forget where I live & pop out to the local shop with wet hair / tracksuit. And I always bump into someone!

It's all jeans and trainers here, small village. I used to dress a bit boho but I've toned it down. I suppose boho is out-of-date anyway

I was thinking mostly of my immediate neighbourhood, not the whole city, and I think it is fairly uniform here. It's partly changing demographics: when we first moved in it was relatively cheap, so lots of young families and quite cosmopolitan but these days there's not much movement either in or out. House prices have shot up, taking it off the radar for most young people and meanwhile our children are growing up and moving away.

But yes, walk for ten minutes and it's very different.

In a small town there isn't much variety though. My boss moved here from Brighton and wears a lot of Cos and Whistles drapey/cocoon shapes - she really stands out against all the Fat Face, Jack Wills and Boden.

I watch a particular northern vlogger/blogger who says that in her small town she assumes people think her Chanel bag is fake. I understand what she means.

I now live in a village in Cumbria, having previously lived in a village near Oxford. I haven't really noticed much difference in dress tbh. In both places there have been people in very casual outdoorsy stuff (lots of people walking their dogs etc ), people dressed fairly smartly (usually for work) and quite a lot of women in Fat Face/ White Stuff type clothes. I get the impression that people dress up more in cities and towns in the north, but in villages and rural areas I don't think there's so much of a divide. I don't go to cities much these days so I don't really see it.

In the case of young girls there's a fair bit of orange fake tan, heavy eyebrows and bling, but that was the same in Oxfordshire among certain groups.

Just realised I didn't really answer the OP's question! I'm either in dog walking clothes or vaguely White Stuff/ Crew type thing, so I guess I kind of fit in.

Live abroad, not that much choice in the shops and the climate dictates what we have to wear for much of the year so, yes, everyone looks pretty similar. Anyone who looks different turns out to be a tourist (who is feeling rather hot).

I can't see that where you live really makes that much difference ( unless you're in a croft in the outer Hebrides ). I would think the biggest influence on what you wear is your lifestyle. I also live in the southwest, rural typical middle class type village. We have horses, dogs,chickens etc so when I'm at home generally in jeans, sweats but day to day seeing patients, other professionals I will be wearing semi/ smart shift dresses with opaque's etc. If I'm going into town shopping then maybe a dress with boots/ Superga's / flip flops.
Surely you dress for what you're doing not where you live?

I think the smaller the place, the less variety there is, so the less likely it is that you'll find whole groups of different styles.

There are different style 'tribes' in my town, but not as many as in a big city and also the overall style is far far more casual/easygoing than it is in other (rural and city) places I have lived. There isn't exactly one homogenous style (there is a mix of surfers, punks, outdoor gear etc), but the overall feel of each group is far more dressed down and less different from one another than in other places.

Well if I wore my natural love of style - it would be all ball gowns and tiaras but that would stick out like a sore thumb. I've noticed I mainly live in jeans and vests/Bretons. I don't really like my style, I'd love to look more dressed up and ladylike but just don't have the time/money/effort. Kinda feel stuck in a rut

disney could you add touches of the looks you love to your everyday outfits?

I wear retro/vintage style everyday,mainly a 50s look so full skirted dresses,always made up and always heels. No one around here dresses like this but I couldn't care less.

What I wear changes a bit depending on where I live. I have my personal style but want to fit in too. A few years ago I wore very classic and conservative neutrals with designer bags - I lived in a very conservative city. Now I wear lots of fairly casual items and sportswear and a nylon backpack - so does everybody else around here. If I wear my old outfits around here, I look absurdly dressed up.

Eolian I also live in a small village in Cumbria. I've lived here all my life. I think, where I am, there are 3 main groups, those that wear leggings, khaki parka jackets, brown boots (Uggs or similar) those that wear combat style pants, plain tops and walking boots, and those that wear trackies and trainers.

I find that if you dress differently you are judged or accused of "liking yourself" I'd probably dress differently if I lived in a big city

But I do agree that with the younger ones there is a lot of fake tan, scouse brows etc here