Express Yourself: Aligning Fashion with Inner Essence

In this episode of the Style POV podcast, host Gabrielle Arruda explores the concept of first impressions and how one’s style can reflect one’s inner self and individuality. Gabrielle emphasizes the importance of understanding personal traits, behaviors, and preferences to hone an authentic style. Through various strategies like self-reflection, journaling, personality assessments, and experimenting with different fashion elements, listeners are encouraged to connect their cognitive traits and demeanor to their wardrobe choices. The episode also discusses the challenges faced by individuals like Sophia, Lena, Emily, and Aurora in aligning their innate traits with their desired style, offering practical tips on how to integrate their values into their everyday fashion.

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Transcript:

Let’s do a little test, okay? I love a good experiment. {phone rings} Oh shoot, hold on. Ah, let me get that. Hello? Sorry, I can’t talk. I’m recording a style POV episode.

Okay, I’m not sure if you clocked that, but that was the test. It was about seven seconds from when my phone rang and when I said I was busy. Didn’t feel like that long, right? But in reality, that’s how long it takes for someone to form an impression of you. That’s how long it takes for someone to assess, yay or nay, right for the job, wrong for the job, someone I want to befriend, someone I want to steer clear of, someone I respect or am drawn to, or someone who doesn’t quite look up to the task.

Of course, we hope that people will take a larger view and evaluate us on more than just how we appear. Our credentials, our intelligence, our values, morals, our innate self, that would be the ideal. But unfortunately, those first impressions and second impressions and so on tend to leave a lasting impact.

I’m Gabriella Arruda, host of the Style POV podcast, and I’m here to help you hone your authentic style POV, trust your fashion instincts, and find strength through style.

Understanding Style Ownership

This episode is going to dig into where your style efforts are leading you, and if you’re really tapping into your style potential, And if your efforts could potentially be leading you astray, we want to connect to those inner selves. We’ve talked about style ownership in a past episode, and that is an incredible first step to say that my style is my own and I can admire their style without it feeling like a negative consequence to my own.

That’s a big step. It’s also hard at times to take ownership, though, and that is where sometimes professional services might come in handy to help you. It feels like you can claim that essence, or that color season, or those style lines, when someone gives you that permission.

But your style is a reflection of the current times. Whether you are trendy or not Everything available to you, style wise, both shopping and education, reflect the time. One only need to get in a proverbial airplane and look down on the personal style and fashion landscape to see the direction, or to see their course and redirect if needed.

If only it was that simple, right? Take me up captain so I might right my style wrongs with with a macro perspective and broad vision. Instead, we only know what we know. We can only see what we allow ourselves to see. The first point to consider when evaluating your style journey is to understand that style is not just about the clothes you wear.

It’s about how those make you feel and how they represent who you are.

Exploring Individuality in Fashion

Let’s begin with the concept of individuality. Individuality in fashion is more than just a small detail. It’s almost like an innate spiritual quality. It reflects who you are as a person and your habitual presence.

It’s the woman herself, her stance, her demeanor. Fashion should plan most intently around this unique essence. A person may know all of the trends, but if they don’t have an eye for what truly suits them, they might miss the forest for the trees, or get on a long hedonic treadmill of trying to keep up with whatever the fashion industry whims as the new thing.

The prevailing line of style is more than just a paper pattern, it’s an atmosphere. Mode and manner are one. It’s the person who strives to express something in their dress, and who will see it through, who really achieves good style. Good style can only be determined by you, the wearer. But as my little experiment at the beginning of this episode showed, it’s important that we are controlling the narrative and our style and that it lives up to our desired goals.

I talk a lot about daily outfit photos and pattern-matching things you like, and I 100 percent encourage you to do this. But it’s also important to examine what type of person you are, and how you express that to the world.

Connecting Inner Traits with Style

What is your cognitive type, your overall demeanor, your internal essence, the innate qualities that make you you, the overall feeling that people get from you when they talk to you, befriend you, engage with you?

Are you active, static, quick, or slow? Maybe you’re cheerful or gloomy, imaginative or practical. Your clothing should mirror these traits. For instance, if you’re imaginative, you might lean towards unique and artistic pieces. If you’re more practical, your wardrobe might consist of functional, straightforward items that lean towards more classic silhouettes.

Understanding this connection can help you make choices. So, figuring out if you are headed in the right style direction doesn’t need to include style systems per se, but rather a deep dive into how you show up in the world.

These things up with our closets, our style toolbox, and our dream style goals. I recognize this is no small goal, and it can be incredibly illuminating to explore. So, let’s dig into some options one might experiment with to nail down one’s true essence of self.

Self-Reflection and Style Experimentation

First, there’s self-reflection.

Take some time to think about your daily behaviors and attitudes. Are you generally quick to act or do you take your time to consider your options? Are you more cheerful or do you have a more serious demeanor? You could also try journaling. Keep a journal of your thoughts and moods or review one if you already have it.

Note, when you feel most comfortable and confident, pay attention to the situations and clothings that coincide with these feelings. You could also try personality assessments. Consider ones like the Meyer Briggs type indicator or the big five personality traits.

These can provide insights into your cognitive preferences and how you process information. You can also experiment with feedback from others, asking friends and family members, how they perceive you. Can show us traits that we might overlook I encourage us to be people who know you in real life though And not just strangers on the internet You can also try analyzing your wardrobe look at the clothes you currently own which pieces do you wear most often and why?

Do certain outfits make you feel more energetic or relaxed, more at home, and more comfortable? This can give you clues about your inner essence Experiment. Try wearing different styles and observe how they make you feel. Do bold patterns and colors excite you, or do they feel overwhelming?

Does a minimalist style help you feel calm and focused, or does it just seem too plain? These quote, cognitive or demeanor traits can lead us to a broader airplane view of our style. How, you might ask? We have a habit of zooming into anyone’s style system and obsessing over whether that ruffle on that dress is too yin for your yang, or if the natural linen shirt looks too sloppy for your classic essence.

We zoom in and we have trouble looking at that macro perspective, but the inner to outer connection can sometimes be overlooked. Yes, you may have X essence, or you may be that body type, but how does that feel to you? How does your natural point of view show up in your clothes? Let’s take some theoretical examples.

Case Studies: Sophia and Lina

So, let’s give our person a name. Her name is Sophia, and I’m going to call her imaginative and creative. Those are her words. Sophia has a vivid imagination and a love for all things artistic. Her wardrobe is a canvas for her creativity, featuring bold prints, unique patterns, and a mix of textures.

She enjoys experimenting with her style, often mixing vintage finds with contemporary pieces. Her inner traits would be words like artistic and expressive, innovative and open minded, spontaneous and adventurous.

These are the words that she not only identifies with, but that seem natural to how she wants to present herself in the world. to the world. So if she was going in the wrong direction, let’s take a scenario. Sophia attends a corporate job interview, and she opts for her usual eclectic mix. Well, there’s a problem with that, because the outcome is she wears too many quirky items and too much color for a traditional corporate mix.

business world. So, you know, her outfit is full of character, but it’s not suitable for that formal setting. So this is when people throw up their hands and say, well, I don’t get personal style because how do I be, , adventurous, imaginative, and creative in the corporate world? If she wore that eclectic outfit, the result would be that her individuality would shine, appearing unprofessional in a strictly corporate and business casual world. For such settings, choosing a unique but polished piece.

Like a statement blouse, under a tailored blazer to balance professionalism with her artistic flair. Her inner traits of being open, playful, and optimistic show through in her style easiest when she has freedom to explore. But recognizing those traits as being paramount to her core identity, we find ways to channel the same energy in a more mundane or confining style setting.

Details like a printed blouse, a piece of unique jewelry, or a signature hairstyle are all ways she could keep that joie de vivre. Alive in any atmosphere.

And then compare that to someone like Lina. Lina is active and dynamic. She is always on the go. She loves outdoor activities and needs clothes that keep up with her energetic lifestyle.

Lina’s wardrobe is filled with athleisure wear. Leggings, breathable tops, stylish sneakers. She favors bright colors like neon green, electric blue, and striking red, her traits would probably be energetic and enthusiastic, social and outgoing, goal oriented and driven. When she goes in the wrong direction. Let’s take a look at that. So here’s a scenario. Lena decides to try a more formal business oriented style for a professional evening event. Outcome. She chooses a stiff, conservative suit that feels restrictive and uncomfortable.

What’s the result? Lina feels out of place, is diminished because the outfit doesn’t align with her dynamic personality. It feels rigid when she yearns to feel free. Depending on Lena’s style toolbox, she may find a relaxed medium weight dress in a bright color to be a more natural extension of her style.

So here we are digging into the deep inner essence of self, defining traits, mannerisms, and natural personality and preferences. And then we’re trying to find the natural extensions of how that can show up in our styles every day, no matter the lifestyle needs of the day. Your style statement, which I have my article linked in the show notes, is also a good way to tap into this.

My Inner Essence Evaluation to Personal Style

For my style, here’s how I would define my inner traits. And the more comfortable I felt embracing these traits, the easier a new style input has been implemented. Okay, so for me, I like to be perceived as friendly, warm, and helpful.

I like to feel appreciated. I like to be capable and heard. I tend to be a perfectionist, but I am really only am hard or rigid on myself, not others. If I had a central goal, I would say that when people meet me, I want to be “invited back”.

To me that means that they want to see more of me. They found my thoughts interesting and I was helpful or useful in some way. I like to be creative but strategic, explore the boundaries with a plan in mind. So if we look at older style iterations that I’ve had, these traits don’t really line up with some of the trendier or bolder dramatic looks I’ve tried in the past.

I don’t want to appear regal or domineering or overly bold or powerful. Maybe at one point my style goals were more performative and trying on that role had its place in exploration, but when I dig into the impression I truly want to give and try to give, that’s not it.

Maybe it’s also why I’ve been drawn to gaming essence or styles in the past, as they have a certain magnetism that I admire. However, I don’t think 100 percent me. Maybe just a smaller part. I think words like inviting and purposeful, friendly but deliberate, welcoming and intentional or thoughtful all work for me.

Now, how would this translate into my style every day? Let’s go through some of my style toolbox and see how it compares. This is almost like a mini audit to focus in on the systems or tools that are helping you tap into these innate traits. So my style statement is free beauty. I chose it based on my desire to have movement, freedom, and creativity in my daily life.

With the word beauty, I wanted an appreciation of things I admire and love and feel beautiful in, setting my own standards of beauty and embracing them. This seems to closely relate to being perceived as warm, friendly, and plays into the invited back concept. I think there could be a magnetism that exude and be perceived as, which could also kind of connect. If we tie it to my seasonal color of bright spring, I think that it also is supported by this. There’s an energy and vibrancy to the bright spring palette, and overall, the spring family has a wonderful buoyancy about them that I really want to play around with more.

And I think that ties into the optimism and warm energy I would like to give off. Now, how might my more deliberate, strategic, and type A parts fit into this? Maybe that comes through with the completeness of the look. While my ingenue romantic amine essences might lean more youthful, there could be an aspect of longer style lines and cohesion through each outfit that feels intentional.

Not necessarily overly dramatic or refined, but also not overly quirky. Like any outfit I create needs to have a visual completeness that is thoughtfully curated. I don’t feel like myself when it feels even intentionally disjointed or mix and match. I need there to be a logical reasoning behind the choices of my outfit, and if something is feeling off to me, I am swift to remedy it.

Now if we compare that to something like my kibbe image identity, DIY’d as a flamboyant natural with free spirit chic as the star image concept, This also feels kind of in line. Now, I’ve been honing my style toolbox for a while, so these connections have taken a long, long time to explore. And, I’m still exploring them.

If we look at my explorations with, let’s say, the Dramatic Essence in the past, while the scales and prints weren’t terrible on me, And I did think that they were somehow part of my blend. If I were to look honestly at my personality, I don’t think that powerful dynamic and boldness were innate qualities I have or want to be seen as.

In fact, while I like to be heard and respected, I prefer my dealings to feel equal, like two old friends discussing or problem solving, not the boss of the company. So where is my airplane? How is my style course faring? I’d say that I took some small detours exploring crowdsourced suggestions, or things that I felt my body and face might be conveying. But at the end of the day, how I want to be perceived, how I move and think and connect with my clothes is a bit more on course now. What if you have innate qualities that don’t align with your style toolbox like at all?

Well, it requires a bit of an exploration phase then. Doesn’t it always? First, you have to determine if the quality you are seeking in your clothes is an aspirational trait you’d like or how you ideally like to be perceived. The other option is if you just haven’t found the right iteration of this trait yet, which is more of a style tool issue. Let’s take the first issue. Your innate traits don’t seem to line up with your desired style.

Case Study: Emily’s Style Integration

So let’s meet Emily. Emily’s traits. Naturally introverted and reflective. Prefers comfort and simplicity. Values practicality and functionality. But her desired style is bold, fashion forward, and trendy. What are her challenges?

Emily loves the idea of bold statement making fashion, but feels overwhelmed when actually wearing these styles. Her natural inclination towards comfort and simplicity often conflicts with the bold, trendy looks she admires. What should she do? So here are some strategies for integration. Number one, start small. Begin by incorporating bold elements in subtle ways. Emily can try adding a statement accessory like a bold necklace or a pair of trendy shoes to her otherwise simple and comfortable outfits. This allows her to dip her toes into bold fashion without feeling overwhelmed.

Step two, combine comfort with boldness.

You’re allowed to make your own style recipe. Look for fashion forward pieces that still offer comfort. For instance, Emily can opt for a trendier oversized sweater in a bold color or pattern that fits her comfort needs while still making a statement. Number three, she could experiment with layers.

Using a layer to mix bold pieces with more familiar, comfortable items. Emily can wear a bold, trendy jacket over her usual simple top and jeans. This way, she can easily remove the bold piece if she starts to feel uncomfortable. She could choose trendy pieces that are tailored to a style. You don’t know what you don’t know. Remember that our world vision is a lot of our community around us. Sometimes, we need to expand past that initial interpretation. to explore our style goals. For example, instead of an oversized avant-garde dress, Emily can find a structured bold-colored blazer that feels more in line with her practical nature, but still adds that little trendy touch.

Number five, probably one of the more important lessons, is gradual evolution. Allow her style to evolve gradually. Emily doesn’t need to completely overhaul her wardrobe overnight. By slowly integrating bold elements, she can gradually become more comfortable with her desired style while staying true to her innate traits.

So, going in the wrong direction would be, Emily decides to completely adopt a bold avant garde style overnight, she buys multiple statement pieces and wears them all like, one time, and the result is that Emily feels out of her comfort zone, self conscious, and overwhelmed by the drastic change.

This leads to discomfort and a lack of confidence, highlighting the importance of gradual integration and balance. We can see that if we rush into these choices and it’s an all or nothing approach, we often fail. It’s essential to find a balance where your natural characteristics can coexist with your desired style. Here’s some ideas on how to achieve this. Acknowledge your comfort zone. Understand your natural preferences and comfort zones.

This self awareness is the first step to integrating new styles in a way that feels authentic and your daily outfit photos can be a great place to start. Start going through them. and picking up patterns or easy yes pieces and being aware of them. Next, blend styles thoughtfully. Look for ways to blend your innate traits with elements of your desired style.

For instance, if you value practicality, but love bold fashion, seek out practical pieces with perhaps bold colors or patterns. Style is multifaceted, and there is always an answer to your style problem. Sometimes you just have to get creative and re envision the result.

Prioritize authenticity. Your style should feel like in extension of yourself. It’s okay to admire certain styles, but choose elements that resonate with your true self and make you feel confident. The connections that you build between your truest self and your style are extremely powerful and should always be prioritized.

Next and finally, embrace experimentation. Allow yourself to experiment with different styles and elements. It’s a process of discovery and it’s okay to make adjustments along the way. You will have wins and failures and meh outfits. Just start being aware of them and don’t be afraid. Fashion is an amazing superpower, but on a day to day basis, it’s pretty low stakes.

So don’t be afraid to throw yourself out there. Now, on the other hand, if you feel like, well, I know what I like. It’s just not meshing with my body type or my color season or my other elements.

Case Study: Emily’s Style Integration

Let’s meet Aurora for this. Aurora is self described as ethereal, mystical, intuitive, insightful, calm, and serene.

Aurora feels deeply connected to her ethereal, almost otherworldly nature, but struggles to find a style that reflects these qualities without feeling costume like or impractical for everyday life. Here we would want to dig into what her everyday style is, and why it isn’t meshing with these words.

Aurora likes comfortable outfits and has a deep autumn color palette, which she feels disconnects her , from the traditional celestial, ethereal elements that are more light and muted here I would challenge Aurora to examine her perceptions of these words. She herself defined her innate traits as intuitive, calm, serene, and mystical. So, maybe she opts for Celestial Antique Gold Jewelry, with loose waves and an interesting braid. A chocolate brown draped cardigan,with a flowy diagonal hem skirt in navy.

With any style tool. There’s a soft border around the initial representation of that. Your job, for your style, is to find your own extension of the vision. The concept that if you are like Aurora and innately describe yourself as those words, well, you can’t be that way because your color palette is dark autumn. Is at its core rejecting your uniqueness. I want to be clear that I’m not talking about Kitchener’s essences. Style systems create order and help you progress your style by being tools you can use. But this is the bigger picture, our airplane view of looking at you. Your style, your impression, your unique beauty that you want to share with the world.

I am talking about embracing you as you stand and re-envisioning your style to be an extension of your innate self. The reality is there is no mismatch in anything. In my opinion, the priority always needs to be first and foremost you. Who are you? And how do you want to show up in the world? Once you dig into that, the extensions can become a little clearer.

Your style feels a little more aligned. You aren’t an exception to the rule. You aren’t the standard. You are just you. And to that, I say, I hope you have the courage to share that with the world because you’re one of one.

Keep an eye out for a new series on the Style POV Podcast, coming soon!

Thank you for tuning into the style POV podcast. I’m thrilled about a new series coming up on this podcast that I think you guys will love.

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