Posts Tagged "fashion"

What is style? It’s something most people recognize either consciously or subconsciously, and it pervades and affects everything we do. I’ll use an excerpt from KinoWear.com:

"[Style is] the total combination of the way you dress, talk, move your body, or do anything for that matter. Simply put, it’s how we express our inner being outwardly. This includes all of our thoughts, emotions, interests, and values. Everything on the outside is merely a reflection of what’s on the inside." – Jae, Kinowear.com

Over the past year or so I’ve really been expanding my self-expression through fashion, accessories, and a stronger sense of personal style. There was a time in my life where I’d shun all this as not worth my attention, and interestingly, I now feel completely opposite to that. I feel that everything I project into the world is an intensely personal part of my creativity and my art.

I’ve been surrounded with stylish and beautiful people my entire life, and I only see that increasing, which has helped my development in this area (and all areas) quite a bit. I believe Ronald Reagan said, "Surround yourself with the best people you can find." and in my experience, that strategy works wonders. My friends Barry (of Neutral Density Films) and Greg were particularly instrumental in my growth, always giving me amazing quality clothing when they were upgrading their oft-revolving wardrobe or as a gift. (In fact, Barry gave me a couple of amazing shirts yesterday!) They genuinely wanted me to have good, stylish items and as I began wearing them and broadening my horizons, I started to realize how much of an artform personal style + appearance truly can be. Like everything in my life, as soon as I begin viewing it as a creative art, I became quite engaged in it, and now I keep an eye out for things which I feel express my personality well.

During this post, I’ll go over some links, stores, pieces, and ideas that have struck me on my journey of personal style, and maybe you can take something from it. My current focus is on accessories that I can put on which take only seconds of effort but add so much… presence. To this end I’ve enlisted the aid of an awesome jewelry designer, Bella Agronik, of Opal Sky Creations (site launching late 2009). She’s provided me with 4-5 beautiful pieces that I feel exemplify me and what I’m all about, even better than anything else I own. I cannot say enough good things about the gorgeous appeal and amazing feel of this jewelry. A topic I’d like to get into another time is the phenomenal feeling of trusting an artist to be in touch with your soul and express your vision through their own personal creativity and style. Mm. (This must be what people feel like when I create something for them eh? )

"Take a plain, low-priced product like jeans and embellish it with design. Suddenly it becomes a ‘fashion’ jeans." – Howard Davidowitz

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Carnelian Pendant w/ Red Coral – Click to Enlarge/Details

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Onyx Necklace & Bracelet – Click to Enlarge/Details

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Fluorite w/ Hematite Pendant – Click to Enlarge/Details

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Wood Bead & Date Pit Necklace – Click to Enlarge/Details

What you can’t see from the pictures above is how I feel when I wear these pieces. Anything that makes you feel your best is not only something to bring into your life fervently, but it is something that has farther-reaching benefit’s than most people are aware.

Also in the accessories vein, I’m looking forward to this amazing stained-glass pendant crafted by Tanya Mustachi. I’ve known Tanya a long time, she is extremely talented and her artistry is wonderful. I like the bad-ass-with-a-touch-of-class-ness of this pendant and I don’t even have it yet!

On top of all that, my parents gave me this beautiful watch this past Christmas, which I felt like getting adjusted and it suits me so well. I’m also looking at belts, wrist-bands, etc.

I’d like to mention that though I started with these, accessories are often considered the finishing touches of style and are looked at as the added details that help one shine and stand out from the crowd. Still sometimes I may feel strongly like wearing a certain piece, and base an outfit around that, other times, vice-versa.

Speaking of outfit’s, lately mine tend to unify and flow (concepts you may be familiar with from art class.. but are quite universal,) receiving attention from me much the same way an art commission would. Many of my clothes are hyper-functional as well as stylish, or they have a story of some kind to them or both. (Stories are awesome, who doesn’t like stories?) When I was younger I was in a bit of a rut. Life is always changing around me. Fashion changes, my body shape and attiude changes (for the better!), and I enjoy being able to adapt to these changes, and still reflect who I really am:

"Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress, and the way to live." – Gianni Versace

A lot of things I buy, I buy at MEC. My friend Jon, who is an energy management enthusiast, turned me on to the superb gear sold by Mountain Equipment Co-Op a long time ago, and I’ve loved it since. My lightest-yet-most resistant-to-the-elements jacket is from there, as are my fleece-lined winter dress-pants + the wicking long tees i wear for climbing. This winter I’ve been able to offer spare hats to a few friends, and I picked up the most amazingly stylish winter boots as well.

"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy: for the apparel oft proclaims the man." – Shakespeare

MEC makes versatile, specialized, super-high quality clothing for all of Canada’s fickle-weather and crazy terrains, no matter the season, and they do so for not-a-whole-lot more than the average store. Personally, I think it is tremendous value for one’s dollar. Not only that but they are extremely active in all things environmental and their presence bolsters and aids and contributes positively to all sorts of green companies + consumers.

Another inspiration for me came in the form of KinoWear.com: a male-oriented style website, featuring articles like: What Asia Taught Me About Style, Why Passion Is So Attractive, and How To Choose Colors That Flatter) It’s run by Professional Style Coach, Jae, and their forums contain worthwhile discussions on all aspects of style.

(If I wasn’t already so dashing, I’d definitely get an Image Consultation from Jae )

"The creative universe begins with it’s essentiality, and, whatever path the imagination takes, ends with it’s purity… I love the T-shirt as an anti-status symbol, putting rich and poor on the same level in a sheath of white cotton that cancels the distinctions of caste." – Giorgio Armani

Next up: spiritsentient Shirts – All this art + style stuff prompted me to create my own shirts. Here’s an example: spiritsentient – Brainstorm.

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I had a blast creating this and have more in the works! Let’s see, what else… Sometimes I find ridiculously beautiful clothes in the unlikeliest of places, such as garage sales, the Thrift Store, or Value Village.

And even articles of clothing I don’t show-off that often (or do I), such as boxer-shorts and undershirts – I like for them to have my own personal style, flare, and preferences showing through – Bamboo and Silver-threaded stuff in summer and Polartec / fleece stuff in winter.

I’m placing my first t-shirt order from Silverback Apparel soon, and I’m making the switch to Bamboo Boxers from Joe Boxer, and I’m super excited. The little things in life can often make a big difference

There are entire stores dedicated to nutritional supplements, the shelves filled with products to cater to individual work-out/needs or growth-style.

Of course, there’s a lot more to personal style than just clothes, and I could go on about them for ages: there’s your walk, your posture, how you behave under pressure or how you express excitement. There’s your car, computer, furniture, or home. There’s your MSN name, facebook profile, or even the way you talk. Of particular interest, most people will tell you, is the that the way you kiss says a tremendous amount about yourself to others.

There are even modelling schools and deportment courses which delve into this in-depth. They focus on:

Deportment Stages – How you carry yourself tells people a lot about you. Learn how to sit, stand, walk and carry yourself to give the best impression that you can give… one of confidence, individual style and grace.
Correct Posture – Posture is one of the most important subjects of deportment, for not only health but also presentation reasons. Your posture says a lot about you.
Personality Development – Your personality is your most important asset. Confidence and self-assurance is the key to all areas in life. Allow us to help you obtain these precious qualities and excel to the top.
Speech And Conversation – Learn to converse and project your voice in a clear and confident manner with the use of breathing and vocal exercises. Just watch the difference in how you are received by others!
Wardrobe Planning – Fashion is all about style – creating your own INDIVIDUAL style without being a fashion victim. Dress to suit your shape, colouring and your lifestyle.
Nutrition And Body – Nutrition, correct eating and exercise all help to obtain a healthier mentality and lifestyle
Skin Care – Today’s beauty routines are compatible with the busiest lifestyles. Learn how to care and protect your skin for everyday. A professional skincare teacher will look at you individually, perform a skin diagnosis and show you how to care and maintain your skin type.
Hair Care – The importance of clean, healthy, shiny hair cannot be underestimated. Understanding your hair type; determining what colour and style will suit your face shape are essentials for good hair. Learn the basics of styling in a practical session.
Make-Up – Learn the tricks, update your skills and let a professional make-up artist give you a step by step demonstration on current fashion trends and classic looks. Make-up that goes from day to night, you will learn what colours suit you and how to apply them to your own face.
Manicure And Pedicure – Your hands and feet are always in view. Learn to keep them well groomed in this practical class to compliment your new image.

I hope this trip through my personal life can give some ideas on how style can say a lot, and regardless, on any level, anything we think manifests itself in the physical world… so think good things, your-style.

"Know first who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly." – Epictetus

I’m out… Love to hear your own style stories, inspirations, recommendations, etc.