Many have wondered if there is a real difference between style and fashion. Let us tell you, there is a difference. The pace of fashion is so fast we can hardly keep up. Fashion fluctuates with the seasons, the demands, and the trends of the people. While, style is eternal and something we can call our own. In order to grasp this concept we may need to strengthen our social selves and our character rather than letting our clothes define who we are. To do this, we want to steer away from what’s “now” and experiment with our own personal style.
To break it down, fashion is our relationship with the external. It is concerned with what is out there and what is popular by demand. Style, however, is the relationship with the internal.
It is our sense of self and part of who we are. It is the matching process of what’s inside us and how we reflect and express that identity by what we wear. In reality, it is quite simple; fashion distracts and style connects. Fashion can sometimes take our attention away from ourselves while style brings the conversation back to us.
The emphasis of fashion is on the clothing itself and the items deemed “fashionable”. Style has its emphasis on the individual. Style gives us the opportunity to create an identity that is unique to us. Fashion can erode our self-esteem and confidence by its very nature because it assumes a divide between who you are and who you should be. Fashion, in that sense relies on the unattainable and unrealistic.
Style is about accentuating your best features and being true to yourself. It is good to strike a balance between the two. Just like anything else in your life, balance is the key. Finding that middle ground or happy medium between the two is the ultimate solution. Fashion is continuously changing, something that is “in” today, possibly won’t be tomorrow or even the next week. Style doesn’t have an expiration date. It may have a dynamic nature, but it is about honouring your uniqueness and being proud of who you are.
