STYLE DIARY

 

                                                     WHAT'S IN YOUR MIND ?

When I say style what comes to your mind? The first thing that comes to my mind in the mention of style is creativity, expression and cleanliness. Style it is individuals choice in picking items to arrange their appearance.

 Different individuals have got different kinds of styles. However, it is possible for people to have similar preferences which then may bind them  to fall under a certain labelled category. Style is timeliness; one could never run out of style it is either they switch it up or tone it down. I believe style is natural, it  is something that we were born with you cannot buy it or practice it as a hobby with the hope of it being a talent because one way or another style requires a high level of creativity to revive and make it anew so that it can resonate with how you feel which then makes it easy for ordinary people to identify you or better at least understand you and the elements of your being that needs to be respected. 

With that being said I would confidently say style is personal and unique; no one has the rights to detect how should someone else dress or present themselves because, in some instances you may also find out that individuals style it is influenced by culture, society, religion and general policies.

DEFINITION OF STYLE

Style it is a form of communication through expression of visual presentation whether be it fashion or objects. How one display things really matters because what you put out it is an expression of what is in your mind at the time therefore this is when people get to see whether you are stylish or not. 

According to my own personal experience and observations made overtime I have came to realize that so many people dress to communicate their feelings, through color they express their mood and with different types of garments they express their power. For an example in so many black cultures whenever a family is healing it is mandatory that they should wear dark colors, ideally black only for few months or so till a ritual ceremony is performed which would then be; a family will have to slaughter a goat or a cow to wash away alleged sadness and bad luck thereafter it only then that everyone can be free to wear which ever color of their choice they want and carry on with their normal lifestyle choices dressing anyhow they wish too.

 Another example would be in Xhosa culture whenever men come back from initiation school for a certain duration depending on the family restrictions they are to wear a certain outfit  which is deemed to be manly (Formal Outfit; blazer, hat, shirt, tie, ironed pants, formal shoes & a belt)  for a certain duration of time  and whenever people in the same village come across these men they need to bow down to them when greeting as a sign of respect;; up until a ritual ceremony is performed to celebrate that these men are done with their journey of becoming. Thereafter when all is done with the ritual men can now be able to cary on with their normal lifestyles which would be dressing however they want!

                                                  ADVANTAGES OF STYLE

• Belonging - Style offers Individuals a sense of belonging. When an individual has identified his/hers own different kind of style it becomes easy for them to socialize because they will get to engage with the people of their own caliber.  People with the same values, beliefs and perception come together and share each others similarities without judging one another instead they embrace each others indifferences and offer support while teaching each other the way of life that they have developed overtime, emphasizing its principles and patterns.

• Consistency - Style does not change as the trends change, it stays the same! Moreover depending upon how long a particular style has been invented, the patterns reverse, emphasizing the importance of sticking to culture! 

• Inexpensive - I believe people do not need money to be stylish. Given the ability to use what you already have by being creative and trying out different looks with the same clothes or similar items, that is what I call style. (To Repeat a trouser wearing it different for different occasions: have it with a t shirt for casual look  then put on a shirt and blazer for a Sunday dinner date. That is an old time classic look!).  With that being said I declare playing around with the same clothes does not need money, but it requires being minimalistic and open minded. 

                                                       

                                                 DISADVANTAGES OF STYLE

• Commitment - When one belongs under a certain category of style it is then their responsibility to be loyal  to that style meaning that they can not be seen looking different than usual up until they decide to officially announce that they are discontinuing with their current style.

• Comfortability - Not every style is comfortable, some clothing items are meant for a specific season but with style and other cultures you may find that they contradict the weather! For an example consider a classic look where men are expected to wear formal and woman to be in long dresses made out of heavy fabric,  they can not change into simple clothing such as  chilled mere shorts, t shirt and sandals, women cannot wear simple mini dresses, straw hat and gladiators.  Instead they need to keep to their original identified style. 

•  Not Suitable For The Environment - Not all people will be receptive of the way that you dress this may even escalate to harassment and violence

 

because of the unfamiliarity you will be presenting in a community that is used to certain looks that are fixed and deemed to be normal. Therefore it is possible for ones style to be not suitable for a particular environment. Hence there is a say that goes as follow; "There are different looks for different occasions" meaning that one should then always be  cautious of how they dress, where they are at. 

                                                             CONCLUSION! 

Style is eternal, closing off with the renowned quote of my favorite artist "You can beat me, but you can not beat my outfit" - Rihanna. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for reading till the end of this post! it is very much close to my heart. Aluta Continua! For more styles insights and Fashion Reviews please like and follow my blog. I will constantly update it to keep up and interact with you. For now let  us interact on the comments section!