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…and if yours is defined, why I think yours is also.
“Sustainable Fashion” became such a buzzword in the industry that some people are actually questioning – what exactly does it even mean at this point!? Establishing a healthy attainable definition for this term is going to lay the groundwork for how you put it into practice and on my blog, sustainability = the purchases you make that you KNOW you’re going to use, make the absolute most of for as long as possible and dispose of responsibly after a long period of time.
In fashion, defining your personal style is exactly that first step you need to build a truly sustainable long-lasting wardrobe.
So by my handy dandy definition, any well-established thought-out personal style is going to be sustainable. You know what you’ll wear, the trends you’ll enjoy, the pieces that’ll represent your personality, the colors that work well for your mood and your look and at this point, even if you make a purchase from a fast fashion retailer, you won’t be falling into their quick, disposable clothing trap – you’ll integrate those pieces into your wardrobe for years.
Breaking down my own style and wardrobe truly helped in solidifying my taste in fashion and guiding future shopping decisions. Step 1 was finding 3 words I would use to describe how I dress. Really thinking about it – what 3 words would encapsulate all looks? Versatile? Colorful? Edgy? Modest? There are endless possibilities, but I wanted to pick only 3. Not to box myself in, but to give myself categories to work with – minimal, classic and edgy.
I feel most comfortable wearing very simplistic jewelry, muted prints, solids, pastels, monochromatic looks, structured silhouettes, small neutral bags… You will never see me mixing prints, there will be no daring combinations of textures like faux feathers and leathers, absolutely no neons or bright color blocking, zero exaggerated ruffles and poofy skirts… I dislike trends with a passion and don’t understand fashion influencers who’ll wear everything off the runways – obvious promotion of overconsumption aside, this just makes me think the influencer is confused / commercialized and its hard for me to find any kind of inspiration in that.
Not to be overlooked – we all undergo changes in moods and preferences and occasionally purchase items out of character, in which case I recommend thinking about the color palette you love. A boho or retro bag in the shades that complement the rest of my minimalistic wardrobe will fit in just fine and still last me a very long time.
just like I arrived at owning a minimalistic wardrobe by wearing lots of things that were screaming “please don’t do this”, loving classic silhouettes came to me after a ton of stuff that was, well, not very classic… I’m talking about many years ago when I followed (or tried to follow) trends and purchased things like leopard mini dresses (in multiple leopard color combos…), flip-flips that doubled up as boots (don’t even ask or Google this), rings that literally spelled out “f you” and many other things that just… weren’t ME. Starting to ask the right questions to define your personal style early will drastically impact how comfortable and confident you’ll feel. AND pull you away from disposable low-quality fast fashion quicker.
I have a few staples that make me feel like I run the world – a structured blazer, any combination of black / white / neutrals, distressed denim, trench coat, oversized blouse / sweater, a midi dress in muted solids or classic prints like polka dots or stripes and high quality knits.
This is the 3rd wild card keyword in my personal style categories. Having gone through a brief punk rock phase in high school, some elements stayed with me forever. I absolutely love occasionally spicing up safe classic looks with a metallic spiked cuff, a pointy platform boot, asymmetric outerwear, an old leather jacket or a few other statement pieces. In moderation.
Also a huge fan of introducing edginess to some minimalist and classic pieces – for example, a black or white outerwear piece with exaggerated oversized sleeves or very subtle studded details or a very classic pencil skirt with a metallic twist belt or a button-down with extremely long sleeves that would cut off right at the stacked rings…. You get the idea.
Narrowing down your style is not an easy task and will probably require some experimentation, mistakes and taking risks. “Define your fashion style” google search is probably a solid first stop at discovering some fun interactive quizzes that could potentially shine some light on what styles you prefer and gravitate towards. The only questions I highly urge you to ask when shopping are outlined in My 5-step shopping formula to help you build a sustainable wardrobe.
Let’s start a conversation. Tell me a little about yourself and what you thought about the post!
I approach this blog as a diary – taking you on my honest sustainable fashion & lifestyle journey, with sustainability aspects I slowly adopt, struggle with and feel passionate about. I’m building INNABOSE.COM to be an informative, visual & creative resource inspiring even the smallest changes in the world.
GENERAL BLOGGING TOPICS YOU’LL FIND HERE INCLUDE
#sustainablefashion
I’m also a Ukrainian New Yorker – having strong pride and patriotism for both: my homeland 
and my current home 
. For years, I’ve been on a side mission to capture my stunning NYC and elevate the depth and beauty of my Ukrainian culture, fashion and language (some of my posts are in Ukrainian!)
February 24, 2022 – my digital space shifted to include information about russia’s war on Ukraine, the devastation and destruction my home country is dealing with and the bravery, strength and inspiring spirit they are facing it with. A large portion of my posts today highlight Ukrainian brands, fashion, culture & the strong, incredible Ukrainians making gorgeous clothes you can buy & support local businesses, economy & people fighting for freedom every day. We are also a community who donates to Ukrainian organizations found in any of my recent posts!
#standwithukraine
Inna Bose
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