Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A STYLE STORY: Clearly Beautiful!






 You can’t do personal style without getting personal.

                                                           - Sun Devil Stylist


One of the first elements of learning your personal style is learning your dominant color characteristic (DCC).  Think of it like a foundation upon which you may build your entire wardrobe around.  Can you remember a time recently when  someone said to you, "You look great today!"?   Most likely you were wearing a color that made your face light up! Come along with us as we learn about what makes each of us shine! There are six categories in dominant color characteristics, so we are just getting started. In our last 'style story' you met Soy. Her DCC was a DEEP. Today we are introducing another DCC - CLEAR.
A CLEAR is someone with a very high level of contrast between their hair color and skin or eyes.  Their eyes are usually very BRIGHT and sparkly!!  Bright colors look fantastic on them and the best neutrals are BLACK and WHITE.  Silver accessories are always  the best option for you!!
Meet Aly!  She is an Elementary Education Sophomore here at Arizona State University. We asked her to be a part of our photo shoot because she is a great example of the Dominant Color Characteristic - CLEAR!

Do you see the high contrast between her hair, skin and eyes?



Aly can wear the black and white stripes because they too are high in contrast. She doesn't get lost in it. You really see her!!

Who or what has influenced you in your current personal style? 

I would describe my personal style as vintage and feminine. I love vintage silhouettes and bold colors, but I am also a girly girl and love fun heels, statement jewelry, and bright lipstick. Even on regular school days, you can find me wearing dresses. In fact, fifty percent of my wardrobe consists of dresses and skirts! A-line skirts, high-waisted shorts, and head scarves are some of my absolute favorite fashion trends to work with. They are fun, unique, and make a statement. One of my biggest style role models is actress and singer Zooey Deschanel. She definitely has the fun and feminine vibe that I love and she also plays off of vintage styles and trends. As a vintage-fashion junkie, I also look to a lot of the “greats” of old Hollywood: Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel, and Grace Kelly are all strong, fashionable ladies that I look up to for not only their style, but their great confidence and ambition. 

When did your ‘style story’ begin? What was your age and circumstances when you began to shop for yourself and choose 'styles' for yourself? 

I have always loved fashion. Ever since I could walk I was playing in the dress up trunk and trying new styles. I was very fortunate that I had parents that encouraged me to be myself through my style- no matter how ridiculous I probably looked. Whether I was going to school, to the store, or just walking down to the mailbox, I would make sure to grab my plastic heels and pink sun hat, because even at that age, I was a strong believer in accessorizing! I was always a confident little kid, I never thought twice about what other people thought, and was pretty happy as long as I liked what I was wearing. It wasn’t until junior high that I actually realized that trends were a thing! Everyone started getting the same haircuts and shopping at the same places. I kept doing my own thing- sometimes I felt a bit “out of the loop” and different because I stuck with my own style. In high school I toned down my crazy fashion a bit and acclimated to the norms of high school fashion a bit more and learned that maybe less is more! Now I can pull little pieces of vintage inspiration or a feminine touch into an otherwise casual outfit. 

What is your favorite personal feature and how do you ‘play it up’ in expressing your personal style?

My eyes are definitely my favorite feature; they are super blue and probably twice as big as they should be. Going along with the vintage vibe, I love to apply strong, bold, winged eyeliner to make my eyes a main focus. I also have blunt bangs, which draws focus straight to my eyes. Paired with a bright lip, my blue eyes really pop! 

Talk about your experiences shopping in boutiques, malls or on-line clothing ordering.

When you can find a boutique that can accommodate to a college student’s budget, let me know. When I can afford to shop at boutiques, it’s a great change of pace because boutiques are perfect for finding some unique pieces that are hard to get in other chain stores. At the mall, I usually shop at Forever21, H&M, and PacSun because these are ideal places to get your simpler (and cheaper) closet staples and accessories. My absolute favorite place to shop is actually online. ModCloth.com is an amazing online store that caters to girls that have a sweet spot for retro flair and vintage inspiration. Anything from basic cotton tees to standout, full-on vintage dresses can be found at ModCloth.com. Usually, shopping online is a bit scary because you can’t try anything on, but ModCloth has pieces that you really can’t find anywhere else!
Again, see how beautifully a CLEAR wears a very bright color.  WOW!

Her CLEAR intensity is not over-powered by the intensity of the color of her dress.
You notice the dress but not as much as the lovely Aly IN the dress.
That is a mark of great personal style!


What are one or two items that are hardest for you to shop for, and why do you think that?

I actually have the hardest time shopping for the simple and basic things. When I shop I tend to go straight for the crazy, statement items and forget that I need a plain tee or denim jeans. Whenever I shop, I have to make myself a list of the more practical things I actually need, so I can make sure to get the running shoes instead of the teal pumps. Personally, shopping is fun, so I never want to take a step back and be realistic, I just always go for the first thing that catches my eye.

When you are wearing colors that you know make you look your best, you feel GREAT!

What do you LOVE to shop for? Name a few of your favorite items?

I love shopping for dresses and shoes: anything fun and feminine! Cute heels and a colorful circle skirt can put a smile on my face any day. I could spend hours trying on all of the expensive shoes at Nordstrom. Even though I know I’m a college student on a budget, I still like to try on fun things and pretend I can actually afford them! I guess I never really grew out of playing dress-up. I also have a sweet spot for anything with a bold color or fun pattern. I’m just really, really bad at keeping it simple! 

What do you DISLIKE the most to shop for? Name a few of your least liked items?

I’m sure you have heard it a million times, and you will continue to hear it from almost every women you talk to for the rest of your life: swimsuits. As women, we are encouraged to wear certain items of clothing that flatter our figure in day-to-day dress, but with swimsuits, it’s nearly impossible to hide your problem areas. I used to compare myself to the mannequins and was always disappointed with how swimsuits fit me- particularly around the hips and thighs. I have large hips and a smaller chest, so finding a swimsuit that makes me feel confident and covered in all the right places is definitely a challenge. Shopping for swimsuit season is always a challenge because a swimsuit doesn’t hide any of the things you normally try to cover up, and its just out there for the whole world to see! (SDWP will tackle swimsuits soon, so keep coming back to our posts:))



Aly loves her A-line dresses, but also is showing some variety wearing a maxi dress!

 When you shop for clothing, how do you feel about your body? What do you think is the most challenging part of your body to dress and why?

I’m a bit of a pear shape, so my hips are the widest point on my body and I have a butt and thighs. I always feel self-conscious wearing pants, because I feel as thought they draw even more attention to my wider hips; hence the reason I wear so many dresses. Because my hips are the widest part on my body, I have to be careful with what I wear up top. If I wear something loose, it can make me look like I have no chest, but if I wear something that hugs me around my waist, my shape is revealed! One physical attribute that I do love when I shop is my waist. Give me a dress that tightens at the waist and flares out from there and I am a pretty confident lady. If I dress right for my body type I am ready to take on the world, but there are still things like jeans and baggy shirts that make me feel like I have no chest and hips for days. Every women faces different challenges when shopping and dressing for her body, I have mine just like the next girl! 
Aly, You are beautiful and a great example of a CLEAR.

THANK YOU!! to....

Aly for sharing your 'style story' with us and for letting us get to know you!!

Thank you to Matt Le Photography for the amazing photographs!  Francesca's for your time and beautiful clothes and to Flow Hair Society Aveda Salon  for their talented stylists!  We could not have done this without you ALL!!  Your donation of time and talents was very generous! Thank you for loving our vision to 'inspire ASU women to REVEAL self-worth through personal style'

                                                                                                    - Sun Devil Stylist team

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