“Fashion is a language. Some know it, some learn it, and some never will — like an instinct.”-Edith Head
There is no doubt about the fact that clothes play a significant role in everyone’s lives. While some people may regard it as another thing to do in their daily routine, it is a reality that everyone has to choose clothes every single day before heading out to work. In this regard, some individuals may exercise a rather blasé and apathetic attitude towards their sartorial choices while fashion-forward, and style enthusiasts take a little extra care in ensuring that what they choose passes their standards. With this in mind, the latter people would be the meticulous set–ones with a little more concern as to how they present themselves to the world. The former, however, would be the kind of people who think that their lives do not revolve around clothes–that they have other more important things to think about other than the ideal color of sweater they should wear for that morning. But if there is one thing in common about the two sets of people despite their contrasting outlooks on clothes, it is that both do value style to a certain degree. Stylish people value it more, but while those who have an indifferent attitude towards clothes would not place as much importance on it, there are certain types of clothing they would feel themselves gravitating to.
It is a known fact that style is more than just your clothing selection. It is how you wear them and what you are trying to convey by wearing them. In this regard, you can easily spot those individuals who took the extra effort in refining their look from the bunch of individuals who just donned an assortment of clothing because they cannot be in the nude. So, what influences style? What makes one prefer streetwear clothing over more polished and formal designs? How does one choose what kind of clothes they purchase? Well, you might be surprised, but plenty of what influences someone’s personal style has little to do with the fashion industry. Although social media, favorite designers and various forms of media have a pivotal role in covering trends, there are other things that would factor into someone’s aesthetic. Here are some of the things that influence your style that are surprisingly not clothes:
1.) Climate
Of course, this one is a no-brainer. After all, you cannot actually expect one to wear a fur coat during a scorching day, or a flimsy blouse when it is freezing outside. In fact, one of the initial things you do before you get dressed is checked the weather outside. After all, you would not want to be wearing too thick clothes that would leave you stewing on a hot day or filmy ones that would not give you so much insulation on a cold day. Climate plays a significant role in influencing what you wear, and if you are lucky enough to live in a tropical climate, you can get away with wearing shorts and tees all your life. However, if you experience harsh winters, you would be better off having a go-to winter coat.
2.) Your Job
While most contemporary companies have a very modern view on dressing for a corporate environment, there is still a semblance of a dress code which they expect employees to adhere to. Today, most employees can get away with wearing jeans and casual sneakers—something that might have been preposterous two decades ago. However, this does not mean that employees can just get away with anything. If no uniform is imposed, there is a likely chance that a dress code would be enforced.
3.) Other People
While you might not be ready to admit such fact, it is an established reality that humans have an innate craving to be accepted and a desire for approval. Most of the time, this is evident enough in the way we dress. In fact, it is for this very reason that most of our clothing choices are subconsciously affected by our desire not to stand out. While considered stylish and fashionable, outrageous trends that beckon attention tend to look weird or crazy. Furthermore, some of us would want to wear clothing to make us seem more attractive to the opposite sex or to be accepted by our peers. While we might not care enough to admit it, the type of people we surround ourselves with tend to play a considerably significant role in influencing our clothing choices and style.
4.) Hobbies
Do you have a penchant for skating? Or perhaps, do you listen to heavy rock music? Well, you might not have noticed it, but your hobbies tend to show themselves in your clothing choices. Of course, you would want to choose clothing that would make it easier for you to perform the activities you find yourself most interested in. In fact, just take a gander at your closet, and you would notice that some of the things inside are inspired by the activities you do and hobbies that you have. It is precisely for this reason that trends such as the urban lumberjack and the skater chic have come to life.
5.) Sports
Varsity jackets, cheerleader skirts, basketball jerseys—these are just a few things of the slew of sports-inspired fashion you can get today. All these trends stem from the world of sports, and what their athletes wear and they have a huge impact on your clothing choices and style. More often than not, if you wish to support a specific sports team, you would be wearing your team jersey or if you are gearing up for a big game, whatever sport you might be into would play a critical role in what you wear to the field. For this reason, you would find many men and women wearing coordinating colors that would inspire team spirit and complement each other as well.
Indeed, whether we like it or not, our current environment plays an integral role as to how we dress ourselves and how we select our clothing. It plays a significant role in developing and shaping personal styles—so much so that no two people entirely dress in the same way. It is in this manner that we can truly express who we are as individuals and what makes us unique and different from one another.