Understanding fashion and style is an essential journey to dressing well and defining your personal style.
It’s important to stress that fashion is a collective concept, while style is truly personal.
To give you a better context, let’s briefly touch on some historical aspects, motivations and the evolution of clothing.

Clothing
Clothing refers to the physical items we wear on our bodies, such as shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, coats, etc. They are tangible and can be described in terms of fabric, cut, color and functionality. Clothes are essentially the material you wear them with.
Clothing has evolved from a basic need for protection to a complex means of personal and social expression. Each era has brought its own innovations and meanings, reflecting the changes in technologies, cultures and social values over time.

History of clothing
The history of clothing dates back to prehistoric times, when the first humans wore animal skins to protect themselves from the weather. As societies evolved, clothing became more complex and began to reflect cultural, social and economic aspects.
– Prehistory: Use of skins and leaves for protection.
– Antiquity: Development of fabrics such as linen in Egypt and silk in China. Clothes began to have social symbolism.
– Middle Ages: Clothing indicated social status and was influenced by the Church.
– Renaissance: The emergence of fashion as we know it, with innovations in design and materials.
– 20th century: Industrial and cultural revolutions, including haute couture and ready-to-wear. This expression refers to standardized clothing, made from patterns and made available on the market on a large scale.
– 21st century: Fast Fashion concept, fast fashion that creates concepts to encourage consumers to buy. It aims to meet the demand for clothes that follow current trends. Unfortunately, fast fashion has a negative impact on the environment and encourages slave labor.
For these reasons, many companies have opted to work using the slow fashion concept; a slower, more sustainable fashion that values quality and durability.
The evolution of clothing is closely linked to technological advances, cultural changes and economic influences.

How to define personal style
To define personal style, you first need to know the universal styles.
Knowing the seven styles will provide clarity to help you define your individual preferences when it comes to fashion and style. Each person is unique, but we often share style characteristics with others, which makes it possible to categorize common patterns. These categories are a useful tool for understanding a person’s stylistic preference.

1 Classic Style
– Personal Style: People with a classic style tend to prefer timeless, well-cut clothes. They opt for pieces that don’t follow passing trends, but remain elegant over time. It is quite common for people with an analytical personality to choose this style as their primary style.
– Characteristics: Clean lines, timeless pieces, neutral colors and understated elegance.
– Associated Personality: People with an inclination towards the classic style often have organized, sophisticated and traditional personalities. They value order, stability and understated elegance.

2 – Natural Style
– Personal Style: Individuals with a natural style prefer a more casual and comfortable look. They opt for clothes that reflect simplicity and authenticity, often choosing organic materials. People with a phlegmatic personality often adopt this style.
– Characteristics: Light and natural fabrics, earthy colors, organic prints and relaxed silhouettes.
– Associated Personality: Individuals with a natural style generally have relaxed, authentic and friendly personalities. They appreciate simplicity, authenticity and have a more relaxed approach to life.

3 – Elegant Style
– Personal Style: People with an elegant style seek glamor and sophistication. They opt for garments that reflect a luxurious look, often choosing clothes with refined details and high-quality finishes. They are generally people with a dominant personality.
– Characteristics: Glamour, refined details, luxurious fabrics and sophisticated silhouettes.
– Associated Personality: People with an elegant style often have refined, glamorous and detail-oriented personalities. They seek luxury and sophistication in all areas of life.

4 – Creative Style
– Personal Style: Individuals with a creative style have a bold and expressive approach to fashion. They opt for clothes that allow for experimentation and reflect their artistic personality. Communicative people connect with this style.
– Characteristics: Mix of patterns, bright colors, unique pieces and artistic expression.
– Associated Personality: Those with a creative style generally have expressive, imaginative and daring personalities. They adopt an artistic approach to life and are open to experimentation.

5 – Romantic Style
– Personal Style: People with a romantic style prefer a softer, more feminine aesthetic. They choose clothes with delicate details, floral prints and soft fabrics that emphasize femininity.
– Characteristics: Soft fabrics, floral prints, feminine details and delicate silhouettes.
– Associated Personality: Individuals with a romantic style often have dreamy, sensitive and passionate personalities. They value emotional connections and have a penchant for enchantment.

6 – Dramatic Style
– Characteristics: Bold lines, contrasting colors, statement pieces and striking silhouettes.
– Personal Style: Individuals with a dramatic style look for clothes that make a visual impact. They opt for pieces with bold lines, contrasting colors and daring silhouettes.
– Characteristics: Bold lines, contrasting colors, statement pieces and striking silhouettes.
– Associated Personality: People with a dramatic style often have striking, confident personalities that seek to attract attention. They like to make an impact and stand out in different aspects of life.

7 – Sporty Style
– Personal Style: People with a sporty style value comfort and practicality. They choose casual clothes, often inspired by sporty elements, and prefer relaxed accessories.
– Characteristics: Comfortable pieces, simple silhouettes, practical colors and relaxed accessories.
– Associated Personality: Individuals with a sporty style generally have relaxed, practical and energetic personalities. They appreciate functionality and simplicity in their lives.
Your personal style will probably evolve over time, because it reflects your changing personality, lifestyle and cultural influences.

To define your personal style, you need to look at a few points:
The first point to note is your primary style.
Your primary style should be based solely on your personal taste, it should be the one with which you most identify. In general, this style doesn’t change, it’s directly linked to your personality and personal values.
The second point should be the choice of secondary style.
Your secondary style should be based on your daily needs: work, children, daily activities in general. This style can change over time, according to changes in your daily routine.
And the third point should be to define your tertiary style.
This style should be based on the union of the two previous styles.
It should be a combination of your personal taste and your daily needs. The tertiary style can also change and adapt to new demands and needs.
Reflect on who you are, your passions, your daily activities and your lifestyle. Ask yourself: how do you want to be seen and remembered? What impact do you want to have on people? What subliminal message do you want people to read through what you wear?

Conclusion
The main difference between fashion and style is that fashion is collective and style is personal.
Style reflects who we are and is an indispensable tool in building our visual capital, but we’ll talk about that another time.
I hope I’ve helped.
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