I know I’ve talked about this a lot already, but French Vogue (runway collections) is the gift that keeps on giving. Me inspiration, and you blog posts. Hope you’re not sick of hearing about the F/W 2019-2020 collections yet, because I’ve got another one coming your way.
I touched on some of the fall trends that piqued my interest a while ago, so today I want to take a slightly different approach. When it comes to the way that I approach my personal style, the style avatar system remains my frame of reference. [One more hat tip to Redditor “lumenphosphor”, whose comments on r/FemaleFashionAdvice sparked my personal style revolution last year.] It may not be an approach that works for everyone, but if you consider clothing a form of self-expression – and find that you have a lot of different aspects to express – you may find it helpful. I love clothes (duh!) and in the past I used to struggle to distinguish between clothes I admired and those I actually wanted to wear. Understanding my avatars eliminates that struggle. I can look at an outfit now and immediately know if it’s something that suits my personal style, or not.
[Sidenote: when it comes to shopping, it’s a little more complicated because, while I can easily tell if a piece of clothing works for one of my avatars in principle, other factors impact whether that piece is a long-term keeper or not. Wearability and versatility are sometimes hard to predict in the store; the downside of thrifting is that it’s not conducive to planned purchases – you have to make quick decisions, on the spot. Not all of them are winners.]
The interesting thing is that, since I chose my avatars last year, I’ve been finding inspiration for them everywhere. They are not static concepts but ever-evolving, well, characters. In fact, to keep them relevant, they have to evolve. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good exercise to look at the F/W 2019-2020 collections and see what new inspiration they might yield for my avatars.
The Prince
There were a few options that looked promising for this avatar, but in the end I kept coming back to this outfit from the Tom Ford collection.
Black is the “power colour” for the Prince, but I am starting to think about trying other monochromatic looks. Dark green, in particular, has been on my mind lately. It evokes similar feelings for me as black, but has a slightly more mysterious edge to it. The red of this outfit would be too overpowering for me, but I would love a deep plum or smoky purple as an alternative. What I also love about this runway look is the mix of textures. Matte, shiny, velvety. Texture adds so much depth to an outfit, especially a monochrome one. It also looks luxe AF, which suits the Prince nicely.
As with the rest of my discussion here, it’s not my intent to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes at the mall. I will wait and see what I can find in thrift stores, with a special focus on velvet and satin pieces, and coloured leather – especially in dark green and plum tones.
Key notes: silhouette remains unchanged; update colour palette; focus on texture.
The Artist
I’ve posted this Brendan Maxwell runway look before, but it bears repeating:
This is a perfect look for the Artist: architectural lines, minimalist, subtle romanticism. There is a slight gothic undercurrent that also feels very “of the moment” for the Artist. Other things I love: the pairing of a light colour with stark black; waist-defining belt over volume; long layers on top; long, swirly skirt. Long skirts, in particular, are a current obsession of mine. I’ve been looking for vintage pieces more and more, because the last time maxi skirts were a Big Thing was some years ago. Vintage Ralph Lauren is one of my current Holy Grails; I’m even eyeing some pieces on eBay, although prices are a bit higher than I’d like.
Key notes: cinched in long layers; long, flowy skirts.
The Adventurer
This avatar has fallen a bit out of favour, so to speak, lately and it has a lot to do with my preference for skirts over pants, especially jeans – those used to be a cornerstone of this avatar. But, wait! Because the Celine runway has sparked a whole new love affair:
Those are actually culottes, not a skirt, but it works for me either way. Why did I not think to pair all my Adventurer tweeds with skirts? Well, I guess sometimes you just need someone else to show you the way. I just love, love, love everything about this look, including the slight retro vibe. Luckily, I thrifted a pair of tall slouchy boots last year, which will be in heavy rotation this year. I will also be looking for some cropped culottes – or regular ones that could handle some DIY cropping.
Key notes: update silhouette with skirts (and culottes); tall boots rather than ankle boots; more femme than boyish.
The Bohemian
Funnily enough, this was the avatar I saw the least on the fall runways. Nothing really jumped out at me, except for this Etro look:
Also, a runner-up spot for this Ralph Lauren ensemble, mostly because I am obsessed with the pants:
I’m very into my plaid skirts at the moment (plaid for fall, groundbreaking) so I will be playing around with the first inspo. I am actively hunting for a gold pleated skirt to bring some extra shine to my closet; in the meantime, I think it’s time to pull out the metallic Opening Ceremony pants I thrifted this past summer and give them a whirl. Otherwise, I will continue to do what I’ve been doing – using the Bohemian avatar as a bit of a wildcard. I think the vibe will be more “luxe boho” than “hippie boho” heading into the winter – richer fabrics and darker colours, that slight gothic vibe.
Key notes: plaid & metallics as “accent” pieces.
As always, I would love to hear from you: Have you tried the style avatar approach? Do you take inspiration from runway collections and, if so, what is your process?
Live for these analytical posts. Curious where your brutalist jewelry pieces fit in? I see them as mostly bohemian, which seems less dominant here. How do / will they work with other avatars?
I think they’re a great fit for the Prince and Artist, actually. They feel more gothic to me than boho, and there is a strong current of darkness to both those avatars.
So you completely inspired me with your avatars the first time you posted, and I use them now too. My avatar the Prince is exactly like yours – dark, architectural, luxe, moody,full of texture play. I wouldn’t have thought of colours but I like where you are going with it and may evolve mine as well.
My second Avatar is The Sophisticate – polished, sharp and corporate (think Anh from 9 to 5 chic.)
And my third is The Artist, but it is more focused on artistry in embroidery, texture, pattern – beautifully made things (I am East Indian, so my saris and woven shawls are a big inspiration.)
Look forward to seeing your new looks – you continue to inspire me!
Your avatars sound very cool, and I’m glad you’re finding the concept as useful as I am. The best part for me is that inspiration comes from everywhere but now I have a framework to make it relatable to me and my life … if that makes sense?