After browsing Pinterest for indefinite periods just after I heard that I got the job, I found that style is not about what you wear, but about the way your clothes work for your body. This seems an open door, but to me it really was an eye-opener. I have seen thousands of pictures of girls wearing clothing that works perfect on them which are labelled ‘fashion’. These photos really contained all possible fashion trends that I know, and I think I know quite some. Therefore I’ve come to the conclusion that ‘fashion’ is not about trends, but about wearing clothes that really work for you. Whether that are flared, straight or skinny jeans and a high waste, a low waste or no waste at all.
You can blend real short-term trends like cropped tops and leather accents into the looks that work for you if you want to, but I don’t think that’s necessary if you want to be stylishly fashionable, or whatever you name it.
In the end you will find that some combinations work for you, and I think it is very wise to stick to those combinations, make them your ‘rules’ and play with them. If you have found your personal style rules and style your pieces accordingly, you’ll feel stylish at any time.
The importance of these conclusions should not be underestimated. To me it means that I spend a substantially smaller amount of money on clothing. This is important, because starting a new lifestyle like I just did by starting my first job, I had to buy a whole new wardrobe!
In order to get straight for myself what I wanted to wear, I had to make some necessary and perhaps self-evident considerations.
First of all, there is the budget. For me it was obvious that I couldn’t buy everything at once because I wanted a sustainable, high quality wardrobe that can last for at least a whole year.
Secondly, there’s the style of the office. I work in a very big organization with a lot of different people dressing differently, some dressing rather formal, others dressing very casual. The average age is around 40, but fortunately there is a great share of young people. This means that I have a lot of freedom to develop my own style. This second consideration was very hard to make for me, and made me search blogs endlessly. I simply didn’t know what people in Dutch offices wear, because I had absolutely no experience with this. I think it is impossible to know in advance the precise style of the office because every office has its own, so perhaps it is wise to make this consideration quickly after you started the job.
Thirdly and lastly, I think it is important to stick to your own preferences while shopping in the field of comfort. This might sound strange, but I made a great mistake here! I love high heels, but they obviously have downsides with them, like sour toes and, not least important, cold feet (literally). Because I was afraid my feet would hurt too much when I’d wear my favorite heels all day, I took them to the shoemaker and let him shorten them. I can’t be more sorry about this decision than any I have made in this process, because now I don’t like them anymore! I like the edginess of a high heel, and now they are shortened, they are just not what I want shoes to be. So my favorite heels are now dusting away in the backside of my shoe closet. This also applies to what kind of pieces you prefer. I bought some blazers, but I discovered that a sweater is sometimes a better and far more comfortable solution at chilly times. I think his problem can also arise when choosing materials and shapes and all other considerations you make while shopping too.
Concluding I think that style should be about your body and the importance that you personally give to comfort. The art is to fit these in your budget and the company you work for.
