"if Katharine Hepburn had been an artist"

and other phrases you can use to describe your style

In my last style AMA (ask me anything), I got this question:

I struggle with Pinterest. Firstly because I don’t even have the words to find what I am looking for. And secondly because as a plus size person they are often hard to mentally translate to my body. Do you have tips for Pinterest? I would LOVE to read a “how to gather inspiration” breakdown post.

This is a great question because while I recommend gathering inspiration as one of the first steps in defining your style and while I recommend you don’t limit yourself to things you think will flatter you, there’s still the question of exactly how you go about doing so. 

If you’re new to Pinterest, get started by searching. We’ll get to descriptive words in a minute, but you can also just go to https://www.pinterest.com/discover/ and click on “Women's Fashion”. After you pin a couple of images, Pinterest will start suggesting things for you. 

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A post shared by @mindfulcloset

Finding words is hard. Maybe you describe an avatar instead of using descriptors. Mine used to be “70’s French art teacher”. That evoked a mental picture for me that was as powerful as a series of adjectives. For a recent client, we came up with “if Katharine Hepburn had been an artist”. Can’t you just picture that? A classic, retro vibe but also more colorful and a bit quirky and slouchy. TikTok influencer Becca Murray named her style “octogenarian art teacher” (I don’t know what’s up with all the art references, is it just coincidence or is there something else going on?!)

@thebeccamurrayit’s not an age, it’s a vibe

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In the workbook for my group program, I throw out a list of descriptive words just to get everyone thinking: 

• Sporty

• Edgy

• Girlie

• Unique

• Loud

• Bold

• Eclectic

• Retro

• Tough

• European

• Chic

• Trendy

• Clean

• Flowy

• Funky

• Artistic

• Biker

• Athletic

• Romantic

• Tomboyish

• Soft

• Sharp

• Modern

• Bohemian

• Floral

• Graphic

• Geometric

• Colorful

• Neutral

• Feminine

As an exercise, everyone in the group gets to see each others’ Pinterest boards and suggest words for them. 

A few new words that come up through those suggestions were: 

• Joyful

• Vibrant

• Iconic

• Sunny

• West coast

• Refined

• Flow

• Expressive

and 

• Depressed Preppy 💀😂

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A post shared by @mindfulcloset

I also like to add in a few words about how the style is going to be carried out in practice in the wardobe. In the video linked above, I show a few clients’ Pinterest boards, and a couple of the different phrases we came up with were “simple, relaxed, cozy, with natural fibers, small prints, and warm colors” for one and “simple and clean with blocks of bright colors, fun prints, and cool shoes and jewelry” for another.

Stylist Gabriela Karefa-Johnson on her style: “My style is an eclectic offering. Chaos is very much at the core of how I choose to personally style myself. I oscillate between more femme and more masculine. I always think I’m an alien between the worlds of a 14-year-old boy and a girl who grew up in the aughts obsessed with fashion, and the September issue, and The Hills…” photo credit: Phil Oh

Play around with this, and don’t put pressure on yourself to get it right. Style is constantly evolving and you’ll never nail it down perfectly. Try searching a few words that resonate with you with the word style (i.e. “refined style”) and see what comes up and how you respond to it. 

Stay tuned, on Thursday I’ll tackle the second part of the question about translating looks to your body and post a tip for how to use Pinterest’s new “body type” filter when searching.

Do you have three words, a phrase, or an avatar for your style?

P.S. If the sound of my group program is intriguing to you, make sure you get on the waitlist for the next round, starting in January. We cover defining your style, editing your wardrobe, and learning to shop mindfully. If you’re only interested in the defining your style piece, check out my $47 recorded workshop “Uncover Your Authentic Style”.