What's Your Fashion Style?

Very interesting thread Aubrgene. I've actually always wondered what people wear with certain fragrances. For example, Montale Black Aoud is a very luxurious classy scent with the very rare aoud note, and I always picture someone in a high priced well tailored suit wearing BA. But I actually own & wear it while walking around in grey vintage jeans that only a 12 year old boy can really fit into that slip off my waist and hang on my hips, beat up & torn chuck taylors with a plain tiny white t-shirts that hits the waist. Not Montale Black Aoud attire IMO but I like it.

I really don't know "my" style. It very different at times and I dress differently for different occasions but I like fashion & style. I wear a lot of new clothes mixed with vintage stuff my parents used to own, and stuff I find. I dress a little more unique then the average person and I like mixing things here and there, and I know how to put stuff together. I would say my style is classic/vintage with a modern twist. My favorite designers/labels are: Levi's, Dior Homme, Japanese Clothing Labels, American Apparel, Vintage & Diesel.

I never really liked the look, smell & feel of new clothes for some strange reason, never really looked good on me, especially shoes. I like clothes that have been worn in a little and aged, I like the jackets I own now that have gone through some natural distress. I have a rugged style but I do clean up at times and try to look my best if I'm going out to a special place.

I like deep v-neck t-shirts that show off the collar bones, I just really like that look and I usually spray my SOTD there so it gets some projection. I like hoodies because I'm a student and have a lot of bad hair days. I only wear jeans/pants year round because I have extremely stick thin hairy legs, so I don't look good in shorts. If I'm going to wear jeans all the time, they might as well be premium jeans. I know spending $200 on jeans is crazy to some people but I know people who spend more on jeans. My favorite color is black, and I love black wool & leather jackets, shirts, sweaters, cardigans & jeans. I also only really like white or black shoes.

I guess my style varies but I always like wearing very slim cut clothes. I look like a poor college boy most of the time. But again very interesting thread, I always wondered about this because sometimes I think certain scents that I love like Musc Ravager & Black Aoud don't really fit my style.

Interesting choice of words in the title too! I guess some would say that being fashionable does not guarantee 'style'. Style, for me is something personal that takes time to evolve and is often expressed in things other than clothing - the way Cary Grant for example exuded style in all his ways and actions.

To answer the question I suppose my 'style' (if I have any) has evolved through the Designer Decade of the 80s when it was often Boss, Armani, Ferre to a more classic look. In fact my wife thinks of it more as a Fogey look!

Today in the office I am wearing:
DAKS dark grey pinstripe suit
Ozwald Boateng pink self herringbone shirt with fine black stripe
Liberty woven pink silk tie with small black dots
Armani cuff links
Lehner paisley silk square in greys, blues, pinks on white background
Boss black cotton sock
Jeffery-West black ankle boots and Gant belt

Monsieur Rochas

When I am 'off duty' it might be a more mid-Atlantic look - Polo RL V neck over BD shirt and Jeans or cords.

Good thread!

Interesting thread.

As far as fashion is concerned, I tend to go with a uniform - blue shirt, khaki pants pretty much every day. I don't need to wear a tie to work, so that bit of sartorial edge is lost. If I had my druthers, I'd just wear black every day, but when I did I was often mistaken for a priest - go figure.

I'm slightly built so it's often a pain to find clothes that aren't baggy - I HATE baggy.

I'd say conservative. My workplace is pretty relaxed, lots of people with jeans, tennis shoes and t-shirts. I learned a long time ago that people judge you by your appearance, so I go to work in black dress shoes, slacks and a button-down shirt.

I'm not a big one on brand names just yet, although I do have some Brooks Brothers shirts and ties that I am quite fond of.

The farthest I get off the conservative style line is a couple of shirts I have with French cuffs and the little holes in the collars for tie pins.

Due to the prevalence in current fashion, I do have some three-button sport coats, but my first preference is still two-button with a single vent.

Dressing down for the weekend, I tend to Carhardtt heavy duty jeans, Doc Martins and a heavy cotton overshirt (Arrow makes some nice very reasonably priced shirts in this style). Of course I have some pairs of 501s, the cornerstone of jeans style.

Clothes acquisitions on the horizons are:
1) some corduroy pants in brown and tan
2) a nice tweed jacket (very versatile)
3) time for a new conservative dark blue suit. I've gotten too fat for my old one. It's a 38 and I'm wearing a 44 regular anymore.

Good thread. I love fashion and style. At times I have thought of my style as "Audrey Hepburn Meets Tank Girl" (elegant and classic with subversive contemporary elements + edge); "sporty elegant" (fabrics with stretch and give but classic proportions and shapes; experimentation goes to the colors and tops, but foundational pieces like shoes or pants/skirt must be strong and hold the outfit together).

I buy at discount stores a lot, like TJ Maxx and Marshalls where I try to find good pieces at cheap prices. For example, one day I scored, on deep clearance, a pair of cabernet red tuxedo pants, 100% Italian wool, for the insane price of $7 (can't recall designer). My indulgences are limited mostly to shoes, purses, frags, and makeup. I have a Miu Miu purse and am about to receive a Prada pebble-skin bowler in a jaunty shade of green. My makeup is Clinique or Mac (I am trying to move away from drugstore brands because that encourages me to buy too much). I wear a diesel watch that most would say is not for women: it's large, black, and digital, but I don't have a little birdy wrist and I think this watch really reflects who I am.

I love finding good vintage things and mixing them with my modern pieces. I have a tweed blazer with suede patches at the elbow that I love to wear with either my Citizens or 7 for Humanity Jeans, with a nice pair of open-toed shoes. For cooler weather, I'd wear this outfit with a wine or near-black nail polish, No. 88, a push-up bra (wonderbra makes some good ones), a casual knit shirt in olive or coffee brown with tencel or modal so it's light and clingy without being trashy, and my Gucci glasses.

I wear a uniform during workdays. Whenever I wear 'normal' clothes, I usually go with jeans or cotton trousers, a t-shirt, and a blue or red vintage work shirt. Someone once told me that my style was 'rockabilly', but since I wasn't really aiming for a certain style, I would hesitate to accept the label. I have several pairs of chuck taylors, but in the cooler weather I wear vintage-style leather shoes (Bass and Diesel, I think).


-ben

i follow trends but at the sametime avoiding them
as a guy...there isn't much to follow...but instead of wearing the ultra fitted jeans guys started to wear in which you can't move in....i wear a slightly tappered than usual boot cut jean...

the main "trend" i follow is the color profile of the season
i just wear what's comfortable without looking like a crappy student
but not too uptight that it is enough to show hom much i'm trying...

hollister,abercrombie, and american eagle....no no no no nooooo( ithink that syas it all )

Good question. I would describe my style as casual and relaxed. I have my fair share of polo that I wear on a regular basis. For pants, I tend to wear baggy stuff, though I hope to get more fitting jeans in the future. I do not follow the trends of abercrombie and all the other, as I try to dress in a polo because it is more upscale for my age. I currently have 3 pair of jeans, a pair of dockers, and a pair of carpetner pants. I also have two thermal underwear shirts that I use with out of my polos and other shirts. I also got a CK turtle neck sweater I wear that is cool. For x-mas I got a tommy bahama shirt that I will wear. When I want to get dressed up it usually consists of brown new balance shoes, brown slacks, a black belt, a under shirt, a polo and sometimes the thermal underwear to layer it with, and a leather jacket. The days I want to be more relaxed I will wear jeans and a hoodie. I am currently in search of my style but I try to follow the lines of the abercrombie look but follow a more classic preppy look if that makes any sense.

I like the British/Italian style mix that is dressy but not uptight; but with interesting fabrics; side vented jackets and a lot of subtle use of color. My models are Astaire, Grant, the inestimable William Powell, Ray Milland, the great dressers of the 30s and early 40s (after which things becane to sink a lot as far as style goes in movies).

In a world moving inelucatably toward mediocre, corporate-Maoist total lack of style, I am the guy in the jacket and tie, who likes to dress most of the time. I know it is subversive. I like being subversive. On dress down Friday, when I wear a sports coat(that I think is a fantastic looking) and tie, my co-workers ask, "why are you wearin a tie?" and I say, "because I like to". They say, "oh". I wonder: when we were all younger and in college, did we expect to turn into such unthinking lemmings and conformists? The youngish corporate nebishes with their golf shirts and khakis doing their corp-speak are laughable as far as I am concerned. They are what George Orwell had in mind absolutely. So, fragrance is laughed at at times; being interested in the way you look is weird or even gay. Funny. Last night, the movie "Gorky Park" was on tv, and I noted with not a small degree of interest, the way Lee Marvin's character took time and interest in the way he dressed, and made sure his tie looked "just so". He was a perfectionist a man of style and a "tough guy". Frankly in this movie, the bad-guy looked great! He was old, well older (like me) and he looked great. That's what I like.

Joe

i don't know how i'd label my style... indie, maybe? on a typical day i'll be wearing low-top chuck taylors, some old khakis or slacks, a long sleeve t-shirt under a short sleeve thrift shop t-shirt [usually the kind with slogans or team names or something and/or numbers on the back], and a zip-up hoodie. i've pretty much dressed the same way since i was about fourteen, but it suits me, it's comfortable, and affordable, so i like it

I've never posted on this topic before. Always just the perfumes. But it is a good question.
I like woody scents--both chypres and orientals. Strong ones. Very strong.
I don't spend much money on clothing, having already spent it on fragrance, plus I don't work outside the home, so the expense is unjustified. In addition, I work with art materials which stain clothing.
My style in the winter is black. Black Levis, black t-shirts, black leather footwear. Over the top, a jacket in burgundy. Or switch the shirt to purple or neutral under a black velvet jacket. Paisley scarf draped around the neck. Diamond stud earrings, or silver hoops.
In the summer? Shirt dresses. Make 'em myself. Cotton. Retro prints and paisleys. And sandals.

Interesting. Very stylish people on Basenotes.

What I buy is determined by fit and cost. I've learnt to pick up items here and there - flea markets (good for jewelry or bags), vintage shops (the 60s and 70s fit my figure), the Salvation Army (just because), Top Shop, Armani Ex, and Versace and Guess (for the trousers); and I often shop overseas. I especially like Asian or European designs. I also make my own dresses. I saw something in a store two days ago and since I didn't want to spend $100 on a dress that might not fit me exactly I made a copy of it at home for $8.

I think I'm eclectic but I've been described as classic with a twist. Winters are all about trousers, sweaters, and pea coats. Summers are all about sun-dresses, sandals, and red lipstick. I'm a creature of habit. I've been wearing the same beanie in the winter for the past four years - basically if it's different and I can't wear it for the next twenty years I'll buy it. :-)

As a footnote the scents that most people identify with me is either a rose or sandalwood oil, or No. 5.

My fashion style is comfortable. Nothing but the very best sweats and jeans.

i'm very eclectic. I have preppy stuff and i have trendy stuff. I like t-shirts with cool designs so i have a lot of those. I'm not into high fashion (expensive stuff!) because i don't feel comfortable shelling out 200 bucks for a pair of jeans.

I used to be quite eclectic when I was a city person, with a bent toward the trendy romantic, but since I'm now a student teacher and live in the burbs I have to dress simply, comfortably, conservatively. Not "preppy", though, I feel like a cliche in that. I could use a makeover, and that's no lie. :/

Well, I work in a Salon so we wear all black all the time. Luckily though, us females can accessorize with color. At home on days off though, Im very Old Navy, The Gap kind of girl. Or track pants and my Nike's Very casual. But I do like to be girly and wear skirts and such but they are usually denim.

I work for a small company that operates out of my boss's house, where he has a home office. So I can get away with wearing my gym gear to work as I go straight to the gym after.
For other days, I tend to wear combats with Nike Shox or other fashion trainers. Since discovering combats, I find jeans really uncomfortable. I also hate the new high waists and anything tight.
I actually have trouble getting clothes that fit me and flatter me. My basic bodytype is English Pear (small waist, wide hips, long from crotch to navel) so high waists make it look like my bum goes halfway up my back. The ideal height is for the waistband to sit one inch below my navel (or a bit lower, but not low enough to cause muffin top).
My upper body is very athletic and most women's tops are too narrow in the back, too wide in the waist and too short for my long spine. V-necks suit me best. I like clothes that show off my shoulders and arms as I am most proud of these.
Sometimes I am in black leather head to toe but since my leather trousers aren't the most comfortable, this is a special occassion thing (same with jeans, which I consider dressing up!!!)
I've actually just invested in a grey jersey dress and some white summer trousers and a shirt as I think now I'm pushing 40 I should look a bit more chic. But I don't envisage my day to day style changing much.
I like high heeled boots but I love to walk everywhere fast so I rarely wear them. It's nearly always some sort of trainer, or sometimes, my very well worn pair of Tony Lama cowboy boots.

I long for the days when a pair of clean blue jeans, india print blouse, large hoop earrings and either boots or sandals (depending on the season) was THE date outfit. Foreign movie and/or ethnic restaurant. Don't forget the Mitsouko.

I'm probably what you would label as somewhat preppy, mixed in with a little bit of "Asian" and sophisticiated/feminine. Preppy is more or less just my nature at times - I like Lacoste, I like Ralph Lauren... on a lower scale, GAP and Tommy Hilfiger (I'm eighteen, after all). I have an obvious Asian influence in my clothing choices because I'm of Asian descent - that normally means simpler lines, more layering, "cute"sy-er patterns... but unlike many popular Asian styles, I despise clashing (back to the preppy). I'm also somewhat sophisticated/feminine, but only relatively so, considering my age group. I'm more likely to wear, say, a low-cut tanktop with a cardigan overtop, an A-line skirt... than a graphic t-shirt and shorts. I tend to toward the colors of pink and green; I also shop at such stores as Aritzia (only occasionally), Plen+y, and many other boutiques. As for labels, I like Kenzie, BCBG, Propaganda, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren/Tommy Hilfiger, Anna Sui, Solola, Kookai, and many, many others... though of course, quality and style prevail over any label, so I like whatever looks high-quality and catches my eye at the same time. I'm something of a fashion plate, but I normally don't get too caught up in the endless swirl of Chanel, Dior, Armani, Boss... and etcetera. It always comes off as al ittle unneccessary to me.

Fragrances? My favorite scent is Coco Mademoiselle. I'm a huge lover of florientals and chypres; I can't really stand aquatics, and I tend to invest in scents that smell a little more chic and romantic at the same time. Rose, bergamot, sandalwood... my three favorite perfume oils. Does it fit in with my fashion philosophy? Seems to!

Excellent question!
I find my style always progressing. i remember the first time i went shopping, actually taking interest in what i bought; i was 14 and my sister took me to abercrombie. 4 years later I'm just a few weeks into 18 and my style has most certainly changed. I have no problem with stores like abercrombie and hollister, i just dont find their clothing (or stereotypes) very tasteful. bah! give me culture, give me beauty
i find it extremely hard to get clothes in my size; I'm pretty slim but i manage. there's nothing like the minimal sophistication of the rightly fitted and dyed jeans--never too slim, cuffed high in complacence and graced with a simple black polo or white button-down. finished with some chic thrift-store belt and a pair of driving shoes.
young with a taste for high fashion? sample sales! vintage stuff and some H&M
Favorate designer: Etro. its cultured, sofisticated and whimsical all the same.
I think its fun to be sort of playful or whimsical with what i wear as well. I find comfort here in actual prep lines like Polo RL or a more edgy Ben Sherman. You can't tell me its not fun to pull off pink pants!
Browns and blacks go together quite interestingly.
dont wanna go off on a crazy tangent here
in fragrance i just love the simple yet sophisticated Prada but am currently OBSESSED with Dior Homme...the two are quite different arent they. really illuminates the broad spectrum of high fashion.
I may be refined and mature or whatever, but at the end of the day, im just 18. Prada is kinda not very 18, no?

Hee... In my mind, I'm a size 4 with an extensive Chloe wardrobe. In reality...well, I don't visit reality very much.

In real life...I'm a lady who lives in rural Alaska. I wear jeans, hiking boots, and a sweater or hoodie to work almost every day. If it's really nasty out or if I have to go out in the field, I'll wear hideous brown and yellow Xtratuf boots. They're so disgusting, but out here people wear 'em like tennis shoes.

For the entire first year that I lived here (I've been here 3 years so far), I wore longjohns 24/7 (longjohns are long underwear). I would get out of the hottest shower possible each morning, towel off furiously and as fast as humanly possible, and immediately get into my longjohns while applying deodorant, then blowdry my hair. I was freezing my ass off constantly. Of course...since then I've worked quite a bit on my adipose tissue as is the joke at the fire department (i.e. gained fat).

Sigh. Someday I'll be rich and have a wealthy paramour that will take me to St Bart's and other tropical getaways, and I can be tanned and lithe instead of bundled up and ghostly pale.

I love second hand clothes as well as retro stuff.I particularly love the 60's and 70's style,but tend to mix it to make it my own style....I like to mix it with cheaper stuff like H&M clothes.In general I'm a weird mixure of "hippie meets goth".A bit bohemian perhaps?Loves to wear dresses over jeans etc,etc

I was told once at a party that I looked like I came right from the pages of GQ.

I got a subscription to GQ and I like to see what the male models are weaing and I just get ideas from that and add my own touch. For going to class/shopping, i'll just throw on a nice polo or t-shirt and some nice faded jeans or cargo shorts with some sneakers. Right now i'm liking my D&G t-shirts, Lacoste retro fit and Ralph Lauren polos, and Lucky brand, True Religion and 7 for All Mankind jeans... I used to be all about Abercrombie & Fitch because it fit me the best and that clothing is easy to match stuff with but now that I see it everywhere, i'm trying to get away from it..

Hehe, this is easy. But there are a lot of idiots in GQ! Seriously, i've no idea what some of those marketing campaigns are all about ... so, what in GQ did you look like when you received this comment?

Style? People still have deliberate styles?!

Oh, alright, I'm just feeling stroppy over having seen more manpris today than any human should be forced to tolerate. Also those pants that swallow the feet, and are worn with high heels. It just seems that most people forget that a style that is more memorable than your personality isn't doing you a favour.

<Falls into a surly brown study>

Oh, right, style. I haven't got a deliberate style, and I don't try to look unusual, or stand out. If I try to look ordinary, though, it tends to look off-kilter. If I wear "unusual"--i.e. I got it 11 years ago, and thus it hasn't been seen in the shops for half a decade--clothing (e.g. pointed granny boots, skirt that is completely bisected by zips back and front, bowler, black ribbed pullover) I actually manage to fairly normal. Apart from what I've had installed, the only piece of jewellery I wear almost constantly is a heavy, modern-minimalist mjølner on a leather cord. I usually wear gloves, because I get bored with of reapplying sunblock. If I wear makeup, you either can't tell, or it looks like I slept in it, and I'm so pale that I practically glow in the dark. Yes, I like it like that

I've had people ask me how I get my "look", which inevitably freaks me out, since this always happens when I've managed to convince myself that I "pass", and have achieved anonymity. Once someone wanted to buy a pair of jeans I was wearing, which I thought was hilarious. They were utterly crapped about with paint and plaster, because I wore them to help a friend refinish someones's home.

I really don't know, lol I guess they just meant I was dressed nicely. Like, if they were flipping through the pages of GQ, I could have been one of the models in the ad's or something.

Ah. That's cool ... always nice to get a compliment, it's like a little pick-me-up, isn't it?

I guess i should clarify what i meant. For example, got the British GQ by any chance? Page 43, DIESEL. I'm so confused. What the hell am i supposed to think? What IS this? I love the colors on the parrots though.
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Marilyn Manson meets Mad Max meets Mini-Me meets Mega-Me.

Figure that one out.

I'm described as a casual dresser with a chic streak. At work I always wear jeans. On the odd occasion I will dress trendy and in the latest younger styles -- luckily I wear clothes very well and can buy off the rack, often without trying them on.

My fashion motto:
- I wear styles and colours that suits me
- I wear clothes that are comfortable
- I prefer boots, sandals and flipflops, but don't own many pairs of regular shoes
- I am not a slave to fashion and I prefer classics
- I will not spend more than $x on a single article of clothing (in other words, I shop discount and prefer deep clearance sales, will NOT pay retail)
- I prefer quality over quantity, although I've been known to purchase in quantity (I have over 25 pairs of denims in my closet, all of them actively worn, dozens of t-shirts and many plain cashmere sweaters)

Lately I prefer to spend moolah on perfume

YES !
Upscale casual on the edge;

Los Angeles is a desert, so unless you live right on the beach, sleep till 3 pm., or are completely insulated from the heat by air conditioning EVERYWHERE, there's only so many cream colored suits you can wear before you sweat to death.

Think "Saudi Arabia West."

The San Fernando Valley in particular ( From whence the term ' Valley Girls' like, so awesome, totally came from) is close to 80+ degrees-- on a pleasant afternoon.

There's also a lunatic noeuveaux-employed ( they ain't riche ) component: The VG descendants who scramble for rent money, but spend $300 on a leather check book because it has the Gucci Logo on it .

" It shows class. " As like, she so awesomely totally told me. ( True enough: Lower-middle class, but class.)

That's our heritage! Along with a gadzillion malls.--- Welcome to a New Yorker's nightmare.

I once ran into Ayn's Rand's ex, Nathaniel Branden. We were both wearing faux military style shirts with epaulets. Opened discreetly enough to show chest hair..

Back In Manhattan we'd probably have been shot.

Then threre's the folks in the biz, who hip-slum it. Baseball caps worn backwards and t-shirts are de rigeur if you're a producer or casting director.

Sounds bad? I love it here.

I't just that the most ancient and traditional part of LA/ Hollywood culture is to whine and moan about how much you hate the city.

We are a colorful bunch.

Get a good tailor and a copy of Details Magazine. It's a start.
If you can be elegant here, you can be elegant anywhere.
It's a challenge.

Cheers,

Mario,
The Eclectically Attired.

Following trends is so outré . To quote Adam Ant:

"We don't follow fashions, that'd be a joke. You know we're gonna set them, set them, so everyone can take note take note" (this is one of the best popsongs ever, btw.)

All in all I have a very postmodern view of this, it's not about identity for me, but playing with roles. The thing is to pick out what you like from x-thousand years of fashion history and assemble it according to your own (highly refined, of course) tastes. I like the English gentleman's style which (literally) conveys class and just enough eccentricity to be slightly subversive. But, being in a punk'n'roll band I also dig the leather trouser-torn T-Shirt thing, which still works surprisingly well considering my advanced age - it's the way you wear it. If I could afford it I'd buy a good deal more Costume Nationale, I love their coat designs. Thanks to an expanding second hand culture in Germany (about time), I've been able to acquire some nice pieces despite my academic's salary. I was voted best dressed prof. by the students in my department a few years ago - but that's not much of an accomplishement, if you know how German academics tend to dress

My favorite pieces:
A Montana blazer so blue it makes you dizzy looking at it
A beat up, perfectly cut 80s leather jacket bought in SF. Straight out of some old Duran Duran or Michael Jackson video.
A Hermes tie the silk of which is so fine it virtually ties itself. My introduction to actual quality rather than the D&G kind of big name fashion trash. Got it for 3 Deutschmarks at a thrift store 15 years ago.
A second hand Kiton jacket in luminous red cashmere. So soft, so cumfy. Like wearing air, really stylish air.
A 1940s rigidly Art Deco wristwatch (rectangular, black and gold, roman numerals). Art Deco is the best anyhow. I'd like to live in the Chrysler building and listen to Cole Porter all day.
My grandfather's pocket watch. Sunday's with a three-piece-suit.
The leather trousers I wore on our Eastern European tour. Every night. Cuir de Russe has nothing on those