What is your Style Story? How to Use Narratives to Achieve Your Style Goals
This episode delves into the concept of narrative theory as it applies to personal fashion. It explains how storytelling is intrinsic to human thought and planning, and how it can be harnessed to shape and refine one’s personal style. Through practical exercises, listeners are encouraged to evaluate their favorite wardrobe pieces, write narratives about the hypothetical owners of these items, and identify connections or discrepancies between their dream style, daily outfits, and existing style toolbox. The goal is to achieve a harmonious and expressive personal style that truly reflects the individual. The episode emphasizes creativity, conceptual blending, and the importance of a cohesive wardrobe that aligns with one’s authentic self.
Listen to it:
Transcript:
“Narrative imagining — story — is the fundamental instrument of thought. Rational capacities depend upon it. It is our chief means of looking into the future, or predicting, of planning, and of explaining.”
― Mark Turner (cognitive scientist and author) who we discuss more later
Hi, I’m Gabrielle Arruda your host for the Style POV podcast and I’m here to help you learn to trust your fashion instincts, hone your authentic style POV, and find strength through style.
Understanding Your Style Story
So today is all about your story. To be more specific your style story. We are going to be digging into narrative theory and the fact our clothes are telling a story, and more importantly how to control that narrative. How to evaluate it, and examine if it’s telling the actual story you want it to be telling.
If you’re listening, you likely understand the pivotal role and power your personal style can hold and how it can be a visual expression of your inner self’s opinions, thoughts, priorities, and goals.
I love the quote by Miuccia Prada that says “ I’ve become impatient when people claim they don’t care about clothes. They still dress every morning and if they are going to reject fashion, they will need the clothes to do it”
So, ok. Clothes, outfits, personal style.. all important.
But, so often we find a disconnect between our dream styles and our actual styles. And we go in search of answers. It can be through style systems- maybe that top doesn’t harmonize with my body shape.
Or maybe I have misjudged my style pillars and how I use color isn’t right for my style goals.
Or maybe that top is actually natural essence and not angelic. It’s an onslaught of potential question marks that lead you down deep style rabbit holes, hoping to one day see the sun again.
But, sometimes… we need to zoom out. We need to see the narrative arc of our clothes and see what story we are telling the world today, over the course of a week, a month, or a year.
This episode is going to be exercise-based. Because the way to get the most out of it is to actually evaluate and complete the narrative exercise I’m going to discuss. Our goal here is to find where our style stories connect with our actual style and where they might be falling short.
Because you can have the most beautifully harmonized style in the world, but if it’s not communicating what you LIKE, then there’s still going to be dissatisfaction.
The Power of Narrative in Fashion
So let’s go over why narratives are a fundamental human activity, and one we often overlook from a macro perspective of our style.
So the theory of narrative thought basically says that Humans are inherently storytellers, using narratives to make sense of the world around them. This goes beyond mere entertainment or information; narratives serve a crucial evolutionary purpose.
And that purpose is generally linked to the ability to predict or anticipate the future which is closely tied to our ability to survive. Narratives allow us to anticipate and prepare for potential threats, thereby enhancing our ability to respond proactively.
Now, I’m not claiming that style narratives will help you avoid death or have you dodge a lion attack.
But, it will allow you to synthesize sensory and cognitive fragments and see “Hmm.. that’s where my style isn’t coming together”.
It can also relate to the personal stories you tell yourself and why those internal dialogues are causing you to create causal links that don’t really exist.
We want to synthesize, where we can see disparate sensory input (like your dream style life and the outfit you wear to yoga), and we can see “Ahh yes this makes sense together” or “Wait a second, these are two different narratives”.
And from there these sensory signals can move from percepts (a momentary snapshot) into episodes (extended sequence of events) and then into a sequence ( creating coherent narratives into a time-ordered process).
In a style narrative, this might translate from a percept of a daily outfit photo that you like, into understanding your style pillars and developing a style statement that allows you repeatable success around this desired look (ie episodes), into a fully formed and versatile personal style that not only meets your style goals but forms the expression you want and can be translated into any life event you need (the sequence).
Big end goal, I know. But we want to combine, synthesize, and merge our everyday style and our dream style…
A lot of you really enjoyed my dream-style video, which is linked in the show notes if you have yet to check it out. We built our fantasy styles, the goal, the ideal iteration of what we want our style to be. Fantastic, there is a vision!
But… how do we translate that into our actual style? When our dream styles are ethereal poetess in a forest but we have to pick up our kids at 3 pm and run 15 million errands and attend a Zoom meeting 3 times a day. Whew…
We build the story.
Narrative exercises can enhance one’s ability to communicate their experiences and thoughts clearly, improving both self-understanding and social interactions. And remember, all my studies and research notes are linked in the show notes.
Let’s summarize quickly the work of Mark Turner, a prominent cognitive scientist and author. His books are linked in the show notes. { The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language, The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending And The Mind’s Hidden Complexities}
He posits that our ability to create and understand stories is a primary mechanism through which we make sense of the world and navigate our social environments. According to Turner, narratives help us predict future events by allowing us to simulate different scenarios and outcomes based on past experiences and knowledge.
Furthermore, Turner’s collaboration on the theory of conceptual blending highlights how narratives enable us to generate new ideas and understand complex concepts by merging different cognitive inputs into innovative blends. This process is essential for creativity and abstract thinking, providing a framework for understanding how humans use stories to organize and interpret their experiences.
His insights reveal that narratives are not just a means of communication but a fundamental way through which we understand and engage with the world.
So stories are everywhere, they are essential to our existence.
Exercise: Discovering Your Style Story
Now, what is our style story exercise? There are 3 steps to it.
Step 1: Style Story Materials.
I want you to go and gather your favorite pieces from your wardrobe. Yes, you can do this in your mind or jot it down, but even better if you physically go and collect them and snap a photo. These pieces do not have to be your everyday pieces, they do not need to be regularly worn, the only parameter is that they mean something to you, and you love them.
Try to collect 5-10 items. Take a photo of them together or collage them together. These should be things you own, not things you find online.
Ok. Great. Done
Step 2: Write a narrative.
We are going to write at least a paragraph about the person who owns these things. Notice I said the person and not you. I want this to be in the third person. If you write it from your own first-person perspective, you are too close and your habitual narrowing and assumptions will creep in. We are going to write a narrative as if we stumbled upon these items in a cave and are trying to build out the narrative of their significance. Like we are archeologists trying to uncover who owned these pieces, and why.
So third person narrative. Based on the pieces you selected, what does this person do? What do they enjoy? What do they value?
If you completed some of the dream style exercises, don’t just use those answers. Because here we are basing it on the pieces we own. What do these pieces we love, tell us?
Because whatever you write down, should be supported by the pieces in your photo or in front of you. This narrative is like an archeologist finding these items and using them to describe the behavior, lifestyle, and vibes of the person who owned them.
You want your narrative to be supported by the visuals you ‘uncovered’. Why is this important? Because this is where we are going to see what similarities and differences we can find between our favorite pieces, our dream styles, and what we wear on a daily basis.
Step 3: Comparing and Contrasting
Ok, so now we have a baseline narrative for what our favorite pieces in the whole wide world communicate.
Now, here’s where we need to use the process of conceptual blending. Conceptual blending is often used in creative thinking, problem-solving, and metaphorical reasoning, allowing us to generate fresh perspectives and innovative ideas by combining disparate elements in our minds. We want to see the similarities, and the differences, and integrate them into a newly formed structure or idea.
So you may find the narrative of your favorite pieces, very much suits your dream style goals, your style toolbox, and even your daily outfit photos. If that’s the case, then you are probably really starting to hit your stride with your style expression, and outfits and shopping are becoming increasingly second nature to you.
But more than likely, there are some disconnects between that original narrative and one or two of the other factors.
Maybe there’s an easy connection between your original narrative and your dream style, but when you look at your daily outfit photos they aren’t translating.. If that’s the case, I would consider building a style statement and honing down your style pillars to see how you can connect and blend these two to allow it all to feel like “YOUR” style.
Now, what happens if your narrative style and dream style line up, but they don’t fit what you’ve put in your style toolbox?
Your original narrative talked about an angelic poetess who spends time reading and writing under trees, but your style toolbox has you a dark winter color season, a kibbe dramatic, and an essence blend of dramatic, natural, and romantic.
It feels like there is a disconnect there when we just think about it from a “factual” standpoint.. But really this is where the true personalization and in Kibbe speak “metamorphosis” happens.
You take the essence of you, and you learn to creatively bend the “style rules or recommendations” to suit your best self.
This is where style creativity comes into play, self-identity work, and releasing personal narratives that don’t actually serve you.
You’ve told yourself you’re a kibbe dramatic and you CANNOT wear this or that. It’s been recycled so many times in your head that you’re self-limiting in an unnecessary way.
If your favorite items narrative is telling you like soft and flowy, and your dream style is an angelic poetess, then maybe your style toolbox allows you to build an outfit like this: a deep slate gray column silk gown with a v-neckline, and fluting down the front, hair tied back, exuding regalness and an otherworldly quality.
And with time and understanding between these connections, you could translate that same “fancy” look into a casual look, a yoga look, or a loungewear look.
Check the show notes if you’d like to see some visuals.
But here’s where you’re digging and trying to break your assumptions and make connections. There are no style rules you can’t bend or break to suit your personal expression.
But by default, your personal style is personal and should include your own remix of any style tools you use.
This narrative comparison is incredibly illuminating. It can show you the gaps in where your style is today, and what you want your style to be.
Practical Tips for Style Integration
Now, what if you can’t “see” the potential connections? Here’s where something like your style pillars can help you sort through this.
If you know you regularly wear the dark winter color palette as your color pillar and you like metallics and shimmer, and your style lines are floaty, light, and generally straight or diagonal. You can start to come up with designs that suit those parameters and vet them against your narrative or style statement.
These resources are linked if you’re unfamiliar with my concepts.
So those style pillars need to start forming connections against your wardrobe. And remember that your style is a 360 view. You can’t just use your style expression for going out looks, and have a hodgepodge expression in your comfy clothes and pajamas. We want to build a closet that exudes us in every environment. Because you don’t cease to be you when you go to sleep or to a workout class.
So if we are going off my previous example. Maybe it’s about investing in some silk lounge sets in icy silver that drape and move but also have straight, rectangular shapes.
Or maybe it’s about finding metallic stretch lame silver leggings and a shimmery workout cardigan that you can drape over your look for the commute to your gym. And learning how to do some interesting braids to help you achieve that poetess look.
Great Stylists are good at their job because they are creative, they don’t box themselves in with your personal baggage, and they are able to know when and where they can “break” rules. They make connections.
Learning to be your own great stylist sometimes means stepping outside your brain and your POV and looking at your favorite pieces more objectively.
Then allow yourself to make your own style toolbox, your own style statement, and put it together in a way that makes sense and forms connections. You’re synthesizing a new output.
A new possibility.
Now, if you work with that as a basis, you’ll be shocked at how many avenues and opportunities you can take your style story.
And if you’re a self-guided workbook purchaser, you can find a new module with questions to help you step through this process. And if you’re not, you can join the waitlist.
So this whole episode is an action step. This is an exercise in creativity, in narrative expansiveness, and finding the connections.
Once you connect to your truest style expression, there are no limits to where your style can go.
Until next time.
References:
- The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending And The Mind’s Hidden Complexities, Mark Turner and Gilles Fauconnier