Where Dressing Styles Came From
There are a number of what are known in the image consulting industry as personality Dressing Styles. These have been developed over the last 30 years by various image consultants who have discovered that there is a strong correlation between personality and the shapes and styles of clothing, the fabrics, the details, patterns, and accessories you choose to wear.
Some of these Dressing Styles are well known, such as the Classic Dressing Style and you can easily conjure up an image in your mind of what you’d expect a Classic outfit to be. Other Dressing Styles may be less familiar to you, and you’ll need further explanation to fully grasp what they are. That’s what this Module is all about!
We are using 7 Dressing Styles to describe different elements of style. You will find that some of them feel true and comfortable for you, whilst others will feel foreign and strange. If you’ve ever had that experience of wearing an outfit (or just trying one on in a store) and thinking “This isn’t me” that’s your Dressing Style radar letting you know that something about that outfit is not in harmony with who you are as a person.
You have the opportunity to take elements from each Dressing Style and use them. You will find that some form the core of your authentic style expression, whilst others may just add a pop of interest or uniqueness, or a small element to your style expression.
You have the opportunity to take elements from each dressing style and use them. You will find that some form the core of your style, whilst others may just add a pop of interest or uniqueness or a small element to your style expression.
No woman is a “pure” Dressing Style dresser, and you will likely be drawn to using a combination of Dressing Styles.
In this Module, you’ll also find examples of a few ways clothes are combined to include elements of different Dressing Styles (in fact many clothing items are already a combination of Dressing Styles). You will find that you are a combination of multiple Dressing Styles, and that you may have a different “work” Dressing Style combination than you do “socially” or “at home”.
As you go through each of the 7 Dressing Styles on the following sections, note down the elements of each Dressing Style that appeal to you – the ones that resonate.
You can use this to hone in on those elements you want to include in your outfits so that you remember what you’re looking for. We’ll explore this more in Part 2 of this Module.
The 7 Dressing Styles
Let’s look at the 7 Dressing Styles in turn. This expands on the information provided in your Style Type Report on pages 10 and 11, and includes key visuals to help you understand the Dressing Styles more fully. You will also find videos explaining each of these Dressing Styles more fully so you get a feel for each of them.
Each Dressing Style is based around how those elements of design communicate (and if you’re interested in finding out more about this, read this article on the yin and yang of clothing, which we’ll also be exploring in Module 11).
The Dressing Styles are presented in this order:
- Classic
- Relaxed
- Dramatic
- Creative
- Rebellious
- Feminine
- Elegant Chic
You’ll need to Mark Complete each style to move onto the next one.
Let’s get going!
