Mixing Your Fashion Personas

by Anna Villaruel
(Seoul, South Korea)

May 18, 2012: In my opinion, one of the key ingredients to a fabulously chic outfit is to define your true fashion persona. Chic fashion is all about adding the unexpected to Classic. Expressing your unique point of view really adds a fresh breath of air among a crowd who is reluctant to step out of the box.

Courtesy of Hey There Rach (left) - Roxy Qwerinto (center) - Ashes (right)
The fashion style quiz categorizes 6 general clothing personalities and can help uncover your personal style. We usually have one core fashion persona that is reflected in all of the outfits we put together. But I think it's important to remember that we often have a secondary and a third clothing personality that we should have fun experimenting with!

My fashion personas

With me, my core fashion persona is Classic but my dark features call for lush, bohemian textures & prints (Creative which is an updated general term for "Eclectic") and my hourglass body shape is complemented by soft 'n flirty Romantic pieces such as a ruffle dress or a skirt with draping.

So this is how I mix and match an outfit with my 3 true fashion personas:


For this example I'm combining a timeless polkadot shirt dress with a skinny belt wrapped around the waist to give it some shape. And then to define my exotic coloring a tribal-inspired clutch purse is thrown in along with classy pearl stud earrings, tortoise sunglasses and a pair of flirty-romantic open toe wedge sandals. Depending on my mood, I sometimes add some Trendy or Natural (previously known as "Sporty") to my outfits.

One fashion persona that doesn’t quite resonate with me are Dramatic – mainly because I don’t feel it reflects my personality and taste. I feel awkward wearing blazers with prominent shoulders and I prefer soft, rounded shapes over angular ones. But I usually take bits and pieces from it that I can interpret with my true fashion personas.

Like for example, wearing a blazer in a bold color such as red or electric blue but without the shoulder pads. Or taking accessories with a subtle Dramatic style, such as a statement necklace with natural round gemstone beads.

How to experiment with various clothing styles

Trying out different clothing styles is super-fun and can help stretch your fashion envelope. Sticking to our usual "outfit routine" over longer periods of time can get us stuck in a rut so I encourage you to take a trip outside of your comfort zone to see what's on the other side of the fence :-) In this way you'll discover new colors, details, shapes and styles that you can implement to your style.

There are several affordable ways to different implement clothing styles. Here are a couple of tips:

• Take an eclectic/bold print and choose a toned-down neutral color palette
• Experiment with accessories rather than garments - they make as fabulous statement or conversation pieces. An accessory is a cheaper investment and is flexible to combine with your outfits
• Do some research and try the color combinations that are typical of a fashion persona. For example, Classic calls for monochromatic and neutrals. Bohemian is all about earthy, rich colors. Romantic typically has soft, pastel color combinations. Dramatic uses bold hues and striking two-tone color palettes such as black against white, or bright blue against black.
• Look for accessories and garments that have a blend of your true clothing personality. For example, a tailored blazer (Classic) with shoulder accents (Trendy)
• Get crafty and sew/glue on details that create a juxtaposition with your current clothing style. Examples are: Change the buttons, sew on pearls/studs/beads on your tops, spray paint your bags, alter the shape of your skirt, etc. For more ideas and easy projects, check out DIY blogs such as I Spy Diy, A Pair and a Spare and Studs & Pearls

Let me give you ideas on how to mix Classic outfits with each of the fashion personas:

PS: Keep in mind that each fashion persona has several sub-categories. For example, Minimalism and Preppy tie in with Classic lines and a neutral palette but have a different flavor to them. Also, many of the clothing personalities overlap with each other (Preppy is a mix of Classic and Natural). I'm interpreting a fashion persona based on what appeals most to me.

PS 2: Items are used to showcase outfit examples

So here’s a “pure” Classic outfit:



It's certainly a cute and simple outfit - perfect for looking low-key at the office or if you want to give your conservative in-laws a "good-girl" impression. This is something I would wear (obviously!), but if you're feeling rather frisky and want to express your personal style - then consider shaking it up a little by experimenting with each of the general fashion personas:


(updated to "Creative")






(updated to "Natural")




While editing these outfit images I noticed that I used a lot of neutrals! I then realized that that is the "power" of my dominant Classic fashion persona that is interpreting each of the clothing styles - creating a much toned down outfit combination, although the clothing and accessory styles tie in with the general clothing personalities.


So how do you combine your fashion personas?