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How do you dress? What is your 'style'?

165 replies

beatrixpotterspencil · 09/12/2021 11:47

I've often been confused about my own, and wonder how common this is.

Lived in a place with harsh weather for many years and lived in hiking leggings and north face, base layers, waterproofs, etc. Never had to think much about it but to be honest I din't like the 'style' of it. I hate tight clothes and most of it was clingy and blockish looking because it was more practical than pretty, iyswim?

In recent years I have moved, and live somewhere less demanding. I can dress how I like now. But finding what I want is often tricky. I love skirts, natural fibres, wool knits, but still wear my docs as I do adore boots.

But I sometimes get it really wrong, and I wonder if my clothes suit me (DP and friends always compliment my stuff but surely they would haha!). I don't like run of the mill so don't do jeans or leggings, and feel comfy and happy in skirts/dresses/tights and a lovely, long tweed coat.....but I don't really know what truly suits me. How can I tell?
I am very slim, decent hair (blond) and average height, so people might simply say I can wear what I like but it don't think such 'attributes' mean much at the end of the day. I am confident enough but just bizarrely confused, i think.
I am torn between thinking I ought to just wear practical (leggings and a nice top, boring anorak) things that don't excite me but just do their job - and wanting things that I love but often get wrong (online shopping, uuurgh).

Every few years I scrap my style and try something else, but always go back. I certainly can overthink it, which is mostly enjoyable, but often irritating.

How do you people feel about your 'style', and what is it that determines how you dress? Is it mostly for practical reasons or do you have particular interest in certain types of stuff?
Are you happy with how you dress, and how would you describe it?

Apologies for long, whiny, first world problem type post! Blush

OP posts:
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5
coogee · 12/12/2021 10:06

I still have the same figure I had at 20 (massive brag, shoot me now, sorry sorry

I wouldn’t brag about the figure I had at 20.

MarleneDietrichsSmile · 12/12/2021 11:30

Grin fair enough, I actually took a detour in my late twenties into being overweight and living in pubs and eating takeaways (forgot about that phase )

OnlyHereForTheClothes · 12/12/2021 11:42

I wear a lot of printed boilersuits. I have a very small wardrobe, but I have 4 boilersuits. Three with very bright prints, the other a slightly less bright print. All are from ethical brands.

If I'm not wearing one of those, I'm in jeans, even at work (uniform is jeans). In summer I have denim cut off shorts too.

Top half, with jeans is usually a plain tee and v neck jumper.

I wear very large framed, square glasses and I have a nostril piercing. Don't wear tonnes of jewellery, bit do wear earrings and nose stud. Sometimes a necklace and watch.

On my feet, I almost always wear black lace up boots or white Adidas trainers. In summer I wear birkies.

I do own a couple of light, loose dresses for very hot weather and one midaxi just because I like it. But usually it's boilersuits or jeans.

Not sure what that all says about my style.. maybe vaguely alternative, but not massively so. Definitely lean towards casual.

BusterGonad · 13/12/2021 17:08

I've really enjoyed this thread. For the past few years I've had a crisis of confidence due to weight gain, illness, moving abroad to a very hot country and now I've moved again and it's winter and I'm freezing. I'm struggling to find myself. I'm so bored of jeans and tshirts. I love tea dresses, ditsy prints, ankle boots and make up. I've recently ordered 3 new dresses and 2 cosy cardigans. I'm also trying to eat healthier and be the person I once was.

nanbread · 13/12/2021 17:31

@OnlyHereForTheClothes

I wear a lot of printed boilersuits. I have a very small wardrobe, but I have 4 boilersuits. Three with very bright prints, the other a slightly less bright print. All are from ethical brands.

If I'm not wearing one of those, I'm in jeans, even at work (uniform is jeans). In summer I have denim cut off shorts too.

Top half, with jeans is usually a plain tee and v neck jumper.

I wear very large framed, square glasses and I have a nostril piercing. Don't wear tonnes of jewellery, bit do wear earrings and nose stud. Sometimes a necklace and watch.

On my feet, I almost always wear black lace up boots or white Adidas trainers. In summer I wear birkies.

I do own a couple of light, loose dresses for very hot weather and one midaxi just because I like it. But usually it's boilersuits or jeans.

Not sure what that all says about my style.. maybe vaguely alternative, but not massively so. Definitely lean towards casual.

Ooh where are your boiler suits from?
Missatkins · 13/12/2021 17:35

@MrsBerthaRochester

Im often described as "glamourous". I prefer dresses and wear them pretty much constantly. I like red lipstick,heels and a vintage vibe. I love leopard print and faux fur and accessories. I know what suits my body shape but sometimes get sucked in by trends on the high street(and regret it!)
That sounds like a fabulous look! 👠👠
TalesOfDrunkennessAndCruelty · 13/12/2021 17:53

I worry that my personal style is dangerously close to what MN derides as “fat pottery teacher”. I mostly wear dresses with (shoot me now) coloured tights. I’m also fond of a dangly earring. I rarely wear jeans (and Covid pounds mean that the current batch are destined for the charity shop) and can’t bring myself to wear trainers except at the gym.

OnlyHereForTheClothes · 13/12/2021 17:58

@nanbread

Lucy and Yak and a small, London based company called Wild Clouds. I also love the look of some of the Run and Fly ones, but can't justify buying any more Hmm

antisocialsocialclub · 15/12/2021 14:55

My style is a bit of a chameleon. I spend a lot of time outdoors, so I like the outdoors look of Patagonia fleece, leggings and hiking boots but when I’m in normal clothes, in Autumn/Winter I tend to dress a mix of dark academia, a bit rock and a bit 70s. I love cord, blazers, polo necks, band T-shirts, leggings, skinny jeans, oversized shirts, DMs and cowboy boots.

In the Spring/Summer I dress a bit more bohemian, still a bit 70s and a bit rock. I love midi skirts or mum jeans with band tees, wide legged trousers or flares with floaty tops, etc but when I go to Cornwall on surfy breaks I bring back a bit of 80/90s surf with shell bracelets and neon shorts, tie dye T-shirts etc.

In my heart though I’d love to dress a bit more 70s glam rock but don’t have the balls. Stevie Nicks meets Marc Bolan. I saw a beautiful teal fluffy jacket recently and it was so me. I need to just go for it I think, hard though in a current world of beige clothes.

ItsSunnyOutside · 15/12/2021 15:53

My personal style has evolved over the years.

I used to wear barley there dresses and skyscraper heels for nights out in my uni days {this was back in the noughties!} In the daytime, I dressed down, wore skinny jeans, vans, big slouchy jumpers, gold hoops, lots of rings...then when I moved to London in my twenties, I started dressing abit more..smarter? Cos style clothing, abit scandi looking, jeans became wider, with roll ups, cropped tailored wide leg trousers worn with a boxy shirt/fitted tee and trainers. Probably abit 'fashion hun' looking back.

Now I'm in my 30's, my style is still quite similar to my London days except I wear skirts and dresses more now. Still like my trusty mom jeans and trainers! I even shock horror find myself wearing leggings around the house. I never owned a pair of leggings till I was pregnant with dc. They are the comfiest things ever!

The biggest change for me is I no longer care what others think. I know what colours/shapes suit me and it doesn't need to be on trend for me to like it. I also do virtually all my clothes shopping online, where as I used to actually go into town after work { My head office was in central London} and spend 2 hours plus a fair few £££ in the likes of Zara.

ItsSunnyOutside · 15/12/2021 15:54

barely not barley snigger

KimmyKimdoo · 15/12/2021 16:09

I feel best in mid-length dresses/ long skirts and top. I love neutral colours although wear mostly black/ navy/ deep colours in winter and in summer I love white. I have lots of blazers and jumpers too to wear with skirts. I have a very casual look of sports leggings / chunky jumpers and wellies for walking the dogs etc. I do own jeans but really never like wearing them and much prefer wearing dresses and skirts. I also hate cardigans. They don’t suit me.

beatrixpotterspencil · 15/12/2021 16:26

Weird thing happened yesterday. I have been moaning that i can't wear my dresses, tights, skirts etc in 'bad' weather.
Have been going about for past month in wool skirts/tights/cashmere and long coats. Never felt cold or uncomfortable once.

Yesterday I experimented wearing hiking leggings, hooded top and short arcteryx raincoat.
Was utterly bloody freezing.

Back to my skirts and dresses! Legs far more insulated in merino tights and thick skirts than thick leggings. Whooda guessed?

OP posts:
EssexLioness · 15/12/2021 16:40

Ah I love that you tried skirts and dresses for a while. I agree, with a decent coat over the top they are much warmer than trousers/ leggings/ jeans etc.

Snog · 19/12/2021 20:59

The 4 year old child in the latest Bond movie has copied my style.

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