(no subject)

[serene]

I posted this in response to wordweaverlynn's question about people's personal style rules:

1a: If it's not comfy, I don't wear it
1b: If it's ugly or makes me feel dumpy, it's not comfy. Hence why I don't own a pair of sweatpants or jeans.
1c: If it's pretty enough (or for a short enough period of time), comfy's boundaries get stretchy and sometimes barely visible (corset-like garments are genuinely comfy for me because of how I'm shaped, but I will wear, for instance, stockings and garters if it's only for a few hours, because the small amount of discomfort is outweighed by how hot they make me feel).

2: Until they start making fuck-me pumps that really fit me, I wear big old Birkenstocks. Not pretty, but neither is a hobbling Serene.

3: No spring colors. No blue. No pastels.

4: Either short skirts or long skirts -- nothing right at the knee, or I look doofy.

5: Pants are out unless they're really girly -- velvet palazzo pants, or women's pajama bottoms, stuff like that.

6: See-through is good. One see-through thing layered over another see-through thing gives plausible deniabilty and can be worn in public.

7: I dislike wearing socks, but when they're necessary (they never were where I came from, but this place is colder), I insist they be cute and/or pretty and/or silly -- rainbow toe socks, or a particular pair that look like they're made from dead gay Muppets will do.

What are your personal style rules?

Comments

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

1. Try to avoid black with black.

2. Silly socks and underpants will please you even if nobody else will see them. Same with fancy bras.

3. Comfort first. This means: good shoes, no binding at the waist, always wear a bra that fits, and no polyester or wool on skin.

4. Princess seams are your friend.

5. It's OK to look like a librarian, but you don't have to if you don't want to.

[pameladean]

Nothing pinchy or binding or tight.

No pants or skirts without POCKETSES.

No shoes I can't run in.

No pointy toes on shoes.

No synthetic socks.

Comfort trumps appearance.

P.

[berkeleyfarm.livejournal.com]

I am laughing at #6! I might be inspired to try it some time in an appropriate venue. (That would be branching out for Miss Modest here.)

Anyway:

Shorts are for runners, and tourists. Not me.

Sweatpants are for working out or for painting things and are not for public consumption.

Straps need to be built-up enough that I can wear a bra. (Bustier/tube style is right out without engineering.)

Vintage style rawks because my hourglass body type was fashionable in many previous eras.

Cute underwear is a great pick-me-up. It has to be comfy though. Go Mary Green! (Who also make incredibly comfy silk tank tops for layering under see-thru and wrap tops.)

Jewel colors and classic lines. Tailored looks good on me.

With the right jacket, it doesn't much matter how plain the clothes are under it.

I also can't wear anything really frilly - I look like a big doof. Ornamentation needs to be of another kind - embroidery, sequins, or just sumptuous material. mmmm textiles

I have also learned recently that with most prints I need to Go Big or Not Bother because of my build - which is part of why I love batiks, I guess!

[pogodragon.livejournal.com]

I don't think I have any 'style' rules really, if it's comfy and clean that'll do for me usually.

But, I SO agree with you on skirts, knee length on me is just horrible ... I mean, I'm tall but knee length skirts make me look like I shrank in the wash or something, just bad.

How stylish I'm not

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

What are princess seams?

[deakat]

I don't think that I have any strict style rules... aside from fabric textures. If I don't like the way it feels when I pet it, it's not going on my body. I especially enjoy breaking colour rules... green with blue, pink with orange. :)

Shoes must be comfy, but I will put up with big clunky heels on occasion. I loved my 6-inch platforms in the 70s, but I'm afraid that I'd fall off and break something now.

Green?

[lyrical1.livejournal.com]

I have a green striped see-through top that I keep not getting rid of everytime I clean my closet. Want it? I've worn it twice, but green just isn't my thing. Send me your address and I'll pop it in the mail to you.

Re: How stylish I'm not

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

Princess seams are seams that run down the front of a shirt, dress, or bodice, to provide better shaping and a closer fit. They look good on big-boobed people like me.

Kinda like this:

personal style

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

"style" rules? *laugh*.

comfort. utility. colours that _i_ like. appearance to others matters not 99% of the time. usually i wear sweatpants and a tshirt.

- it shouldn't bind or pinch or restrict in ways that pester me.
- generally the looser the better, except when i work with power tools. i like the sensual feeling of flowing clothing around me.
- it needs to feel good on my skin (which translate to mostly natural fibres, well-washed, soft). silk is wonderful.
- at least one garment i am wearing has to have usable pockets. pants must have pockets so i can put my hands into them.
- i don't like buttons. i often wear a large flannel shirt as a jacket (i'm a lumber jack and i'm ok), but i never button it. zippers rule.
- i prefer elastic over drawstrings.
- i am the anti-serene, i dislike NOT wearing socks. hate toe socks though. hate flip-flops too; can't abide something between my toes.
- dislike reddish purples, pinks in the blue part of their spectrum, neon colours. i tend to wear mostly earth tones, though i like a huge variety of colours -- but i am sensitive about colour clashes. however funny this may sound, but i only wear tshirts that colour-match with my sweats. :)

i have a bit of an inner theatrical streak, and would actually wear interesting "out of period" or ethnic clothing (like that worn at the japanese heian court; loosely fitting with sumptuous fabrics and colours) if that didn't mean people would stare at me; i don't want to be stared at, so i don't wear that sort of thing. but sometimes i would like to. clearly i need to go to more ren faires. :)

[red-silk-robe.livejournal.com]

I your style rules and I follow almost ALL of them myself: especially the skirt above or below the knees one, the cute socks, the toleration of stockings and garters (I REFUSE to wear panty hose) and comfy shoes. Though I do occasionally try the FM shoes because I'm an optimist and I keep trying. I have discovered Keene sandals and since then I have never gone back to Birkenstocks, I must say.

My other style rules are:

In the winter I dress for comfort AND warmth while stubbornly refusing to put my feet into socks and closed shoes until I absolutely can't stand it any more. That's how much I love my sandals. This year I bought a pair of Keene loafers and so perhaps my transition into confining shoes this winter won't be quite so bad.

No hats, I look utterly goofy in hats.

Scarves are like the cheese of clothing; added to an outfit it always makes it pretty. (cheese added to any dish always makes it taste better, imo).

If it looks like something my mother would wear--it will not see the light of day on my body.

I'm not a big jewelry person but I love goofy, clunky, funky watches almost as much as I love goofy, bright, cheery socks. I use my iPhone for a clock, I wear watches for fun!

Anything but Pink. Seriously, me and pink do not walk in the same universe.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I'm the opposite from you on the hat/scarf question. I love hats and would wear them all the time if I didn't have such a huge head, but scarves just make me feel dumpy and choked.

[lizzibabe.livejournal.com]

It's gotta have *pockets*. srsly.
I don't mix patterns if I can possibly help it. Things have to be balanced. a pattern with a solid, or blocks of one color with an accent of another color.
I like to be matchy-match on my colors. all my jewelry will match, and contrast the outfit. or my shoes will match my shirt. or my jewelry will match the blouse.
I'm trying to get away from all the black i'm in the habit of buying because I used to be a theater major, and black was easy. that's why I do the contrast thing. gotta do something to ease up on all that black.

[catrinaz.livejournal.com]

this is kinda fun. let's see...

i guess my style would be described as ranging back and forth between soft-butch and casual femme, with hippie and crusty punk elements appearing frequently. oh, and the two main rules: no corporate logos, and always favor free-box/hand-me-down/thrift store. in fact, i probably only buy fewer than a dozen clothing items at retail in any given year.

1) pants: most of the time. i used to strictly favor men's loose-fitting cargo pants or jeans, but now that i've lost 40 lbs i'm wearing more form-fitting pants than i used to. very strong preference for pocketses. yoga pants are the awesome. thai fisherman pants, too.

2) skirts: rare, but not as rare as they used to be. long flowing hippie skirts, bonus if they're patchwork or pants altered into a skirt with patchwork panels. short skirts, straight or pleated, might be anywhere from just about knee length to pretty damned short.

3) shirts: t-shirts, mostly, usually altered. NO LOGOS (though around the house i'll wear a shirt given to me with a logo on it). as much cleavage as possible is a fairly common theme. when the weather is warm, camisoles and tank tops. in cold weather, long-sleeve plain tees, occasionally a sweater.

4) undies: i don't wear panties with clothes, but i keep some pretty ones on hand for when i want the surprise of sexy lingerie, and i also will wear them around the house with a t-shirt or tank top. bras: as long as they fit and do nice things for my shape & cleavage, i'm not too picky. but getting bras that do that is tough.

5) socks: i'm a barefoot kinda girl most of the year 'round. from march or april until october or november, i almost never wear socks. i love my thigh-high stripey socks from sock dreams (http://www.sockdreams.com). i wear fishnets and other pretty/novelty stockings with short skirts and other outfits.

6) shoes: again, barefoot is my preference. i go barefoot everywhere i can. from early spring through late fall, i wear my chaco sandals whenever possible. black jungle-style combat boots are daily wear during the cold part of the year. i have a pair of oxford-styled shoes with big stacked heels, and a couple pairs of boots with stacked heels too...pointy heels and toes NEVER anymore. shoes must have room for my toes. they must not make my arthritic knees ache after 15 minutes of wear.

7) outerwear: i'm not much of a coat gal. i have wool sweaters of varying thickness/warmth and these get layered as needed to keep me warm while walking/biking/etc in the cold. hand-knit hats and scarves. gloves. arm-warmers, either knit or made from long socks, at times.

8) accessories: glasses. 12ga captive bead rings or horseshoes in ears. occasionally a casual necklace. shoulder bag i sewed from one of my dad's old houndstooth suit coats. or, if i don't need the shoulder bag (mostly this means i'm not carrying my laptop, planner, book to read, knitting, or journal), i'll stick my ID (if needed), cash, cell phone, lighter, and pouch of organic tobacco in my pants pocket.

[catrinaz.livejournal.com]

scarves do the same to me, what i think of as a "scarf" is actually something i make myself that's a loose-fitting tube that fits around my neck without being too tight, and it's all scrunchy so it holds warmth without being tight.

hats make my head hurt if they're tight AT ALL, and they totally mess up my hair. (don't laugh! it sucks to get to work and have your hair standing on end for the whole shift.) but i bike and walk everywhere, so i gotta have 'em. i just knit a new one last night. (pics in my flickr.)

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the free stuff. Most years, I don't buy more than 2 or 3 items. My mother gets most of my clothes at yard sales, but I'm really clear about what I like and don't like, so she's getting better and better about picking stuff that really works for me (and then there'll be a doozy of a misstep, like the white velveteen sweatpants last winter, ewwww). There's a store near us that sells last year's styles for a few dollars, so last year I got a skirt for $7 and a couple tops for $5 each.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I saw it. It's way cute. :-)

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

1. it's comfortable
2. i like the colour
3. i like the looks of it

that's pretty much it.