From what point do you measure if someone is fashionable or not? ~ Stefani
Stef´s question is only about “fashionable” women but I decided that it´s best to cover as well the characters of “stylish” women. After all, aren´t the words “stylish” and “fashionable” often used interchangeably? And do they mean the same?
Well, a quick check on the dictionary will give you these meanings:
Stylish (adj) – conforming to the current style or fashion; smart or chic, modish.
Fashionable (adj) – conforming to the current style; stylish, modish.
Stylish and Fashionable are actually synonyms, and they can be rightly used interchangeably.
Therefore, anyone who is inclined to dress according to what is of-the-moment, what is vogue, or what is on trend, is considered stylish or fashionable.
But that´s the denoted meaning of those words. Remember that for some words, they have connoted meanings.
It is a fact that many women follow the trends just for the sake of being on-trend but that they are not aware if those trends look great on them, or if those trends flatter their body type, size and height.
And that´s the reason why I am inspired to design an online training course to help women Learn to Dress their Body Type which will launch early in 2015. It´s going to be a HUGE course so stay tuned.
Some women simply follow what they see on other women (the stars, the socialite It-girls, the popular fashion bloggers, or the hottest YouTube sensations), or whatever´s hot right now from the runway, without knowing, having and establishing their own identity. Case in point, the sea of fashion bloggers whose style all look the same.
Are they fashionable? So long as they wear what is vogue, whether or not those vogues look great on them, yes, they are fashionable.
Are they stylish? That´s debatable.
Think of those girls whose style is purely mod or vintage. They don´t necessarily care what´s the modern style of dress right now or which frock has the biggest cutaway to show off more cleavage. Their style is based from the past, they may inject some hints of trends on their looks, but they keep their outfits vintage inspired.
Are they trendy? No. Are they stylish? Yes!
For me, being stylish is a continuous journey until we have found our style and until we have learned to be confident in our skin. But it does not stop there. Along the way, we alter, adjust and evolve as we age, gain or lose weight, move places, got promoted, or improved our economic status.
As a stylish person you understand your style, you own it and you have learned to dress up in order to flatter your body type. Most importantly, you keep your style classy and fabulous.
You follow the trends but you only pick the trends which complement your style and which you know will flatter your shape. You´re also wise enough to know that because fashion is fleeting, it´s best to invest on classic pieces and spend less on seasonal, overly trendy pieces.
In this case, you are both fashionable and stylish.
Photo credit: weheartit