Style - In the beginning...

...There are some principles!

And some weeks ago I summed up the keys to style in the following 140 characters:

"@DenDamBelle: It takes 3 things to be #stylish imo: Knowledge (of your colouring & shape) Creativity (with what you own) & Confidence (in who you are)"

Then, just before attending the latest CMB conference, I tweeted about how I was breaking the* rules, an idea that was reinforced by style guru Sue Donnelly at the meeting.

And just this week I watched the fab Channel 4 programme "Fabulous Fashionistas"  which again talked about finding your style and, challenging stereotypes and rules.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/fabulous-fashionistas

With all that talk of breaking rules, it seemed to me an obvious blog topic. So here we are...This is the first blog in a series about rules and how to break them.
*Note: There are the rules, and there are your rules!

Part one:

Knowledge is important because styling is about rules and knowing what fashions are out there that will work FOR YOU, but more importantly its about knowing the rules enough so you can break them well. It's often the rule breaks that allow you to be creative... 

...And being creative is critical to personal style and brand. People often ask what the difference is between fashion and style, and for me its that fashion is largely about conforming and following (trends) whereas as Gore Vidal stated "style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn" - hardly the words of a conformist and definitely an invite to be creative.

Not everyone is an out-there 'creative' dresser like Helena Bonham-Carter, Zandra Rhodes and the "Fabulous Fashionistas" but everyone can be creative with what they own and by adding their personal touches to an outfit. It comes with being more conscious, doing a little more thinking and planning (eg not just wearing the same combinations) and a willingness to play a little. And that's where confidence comes in - the confidence NOT to blindly follow the trend, replicate the catwalk/highstreet or stick with what we've always done.

Carrying this off is probably the hardest part, but throwing in some rules breaks with confidence - et voila... You have YOUR signature.

So stand tall, look like you own it and work it!

What's next:

Establishing some rules will be the subject of the blog that follows this one. The one after that will be how to break the rules. And then I'll share with you about the day I put my 'money where my mouth is' and challenged myself to step out of my comfort-zone in confidence!

Until next time!

Denise x

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