Finding your personal style can be tricky for many of us. Figuring out what we love and don’t love, which elements of our styles always need to be included versus those that are fun sometimes but not an essential addition to every outfit we wear.
Now there are so many ways to do this and there are plenty of other posts here on developing your signature and personal style which you can also read up on. But today I want to share with you another way of developing your style and thinking about what is right for you, that expresses your personality, that works for your lifestyle.
In the Movie of Your Life What Would You Wear?
In the movie version of your life, what would your character wear? What would their wardrobe look like? How would they accessorize? Thinking about dressing this way will help you hone your personal style.
If you’ve ever read a script there is a lot of information in it about the character’s wardrobe and appearance as it paints a picture of personality, background, class, state of mind, age, career, ambitions, status and a myriad of other things.
When you think about movie or TV characters they have a look that defines their personality. It communicates to us visually so that they don’t need to waste lots of time on explaining it all to us in dialog. TV and movie characters never, ever wear “it’ll do” clothes, because they are never “just” going to the supermarket, school run or dashing off to do an errand (and nobody will notice… but we do).
Every outfit is a representation of who they are and their belief, personality and attitudes.
Think about a television series like Sex and the City or Mad Men or anything with a cast of female characters (even Game of Thrones). Each character has her own unique wardrobe which no other character would look right wearing. This is because the clothes have been so carefully selected to communicate the personality and state of the character.
In Sex and the City – Carrie is Creative/Dramatic, Miranda Classic/Relaxed, Samantha is Dramatic/Rebellious and Charlotte is Feminine/Elegant Chic. None of their styles completely overlap and they would not look congruent or believable if they wore each others outfits.
Notice also that characters never keep an item for “a special occasion”, they wear the clothes they have. They dress appropriately for each and every day, in a way that expresses who they are, their lifestyle, what they’re doing and what the script demands they communicate.
They also have good grooming (unless of course they have a hangover, and then they have “hangover hair”… and we know what that looks like!).
Discover Famous Costume Designers Processes and Thoughts on Creating The Wardrobes For their Characters
Read interviews with costume designers as they discuss finding the right clothes for their characters.
Mad Men’s Jamie Bryant
Patricia Field on Sex and the City
Michele Clapton costumer of Game of Thrones
Patricia Field on The Devil Wears Prada
These costume designers really give an insight into how they clothes a character and think about outfits and what they are communicating.
Why not apply some of these costume designers principals to your personal style?
What would the movie version of you be wearing today?
