How to Cultivate Eclectic Personal Style (a Cheat Sheet)

I was flipping through this book recently, and was struck by the way the author described "eclectic" style. She broke the book down into chapters, each featuring a different style: "Bohemian," "classic," etc. But, when she got to eclectic, she described it as being a combination of different styles.

Basically, you go through life, experimenting, changing your style every few years. Maybe you're a bit punk in high school, but by college you are more Bohemian, and after that you start to get into minimalism. Eventually, you have your own, unique, "eclectic" style comprised of all the best parts of each genre. You kept the leather jacket from your punk phase, and your favorite maxi skirt from your bohemian phase, and now you wear them both with a breton top from your minimalism phase. That's eclectic style!

Wow, I thought, that's such a good description of how personal style can evolve!

I have so many reference points for my own style, from designers to movies to characters in books! Sometimes I full-on embrace the character I'm feeling that day and dress 100% nautical or 100% grunge. But, more often than not, I combine a few seemingly contradictory references into one outfit.

Here are some of my favorite examples from past outfit posts.

Farmer meets Rockabilly

The rockabilly elements of this outfit (leather, nipped-in waist, saddle oxfords) are grounded by the country sensibility of a gingham button-down.

Heidi meets Western

The heidi braids are a nice contrast to the denim-on-denim look of this "Texas tuxedo."

Punk meets Romantic

This is a combination I wear a lot. I love to tone down a tiered dress with a leather jacket or dress up a band tee with a floral skirt. As opposites, these two styles work together in perfect, balanced harmony.

Military meets Garden Party

A casual, olive-green jacket makes a silky floral dress more appropriate for daytime. Add tights, and you've got a way to wear a summer dress in the colder months. 

Casual meets Glamorous

Another great example of how contrasting elements can make an evening piece daytime appropriate: a white t-shirt is the perfect counterpoint to a sequin skirt. 

Sporty meets High Fashion

What can I say? Sometimes, you get the urge to wear Versace to the tennis court. Versace for H&M, but still. 

'20s meets '50s 

Era mixing is a great way to keep vintage clothing from looking like a costume. Here, a '50s cardi gives shape to a fringed flapper dress. 

What I wore today: 08/30/2012 (Black and Gold)

As I mentioned in this post, one of my favorite things to wear when I'm not at work is a band t-shirt with a pretty skirt. It's just such a fun and unconventional combination. Yesterday, I kept the whole look black with gold accents, pairing a vintage Spice Girls t-shirt (loved them when I was a kid in the late '90s) with a sheer skirt that can easily be dressed up or, as in this case, down. What do you think?

Spice Girls t-shirt - Vintage
Pleated sheer skirt with high-low hem - Target
Jeweled leopard sandals - Target
Letter-charm chain belt - DIY from a Dior keychain (tutorial here)
Studded-bottom bag - eBay
Honey bee earrings - Anthropologie
Studded friendship bracelet - DIY (tutorial coming soon)
Wishbone ring and mountain-lion leather cuff - Stylemint
Arrow ring - Anthropologie
Giraffe bracelet - Target
Starburst bangle and others - Forever21
Pavé cable link bracelet -J.Crew
Necklace - J.Crew outlet

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What I wore today: 08/04/2012 (Pixies and Roses)

I feel very lucky to have a job where I can wear clothes that express my personality. However, it's not a free-for-all, and there are a few things I can't wear at work. T-shirts with graphics are against the rules, as are short shorts and denim shorts, and I can't work on my feet for hours in a pair of killer heels. Therefore, on my days off, I often try to plan my outfit around something I've been wanting to wear but couldn't wear to work.

I wear this band tee a lot on casual days with a simple pair of jeans. But, I'm also a big fan of dressing up a super casual t-shirt with a girly high-waisted skirt. The unexpected combination is one of my favorite outfit recipes. 

"Death to the Pixies" band tee - gift from Ryan

"Flora Fortress Skirt" - Anthropologie (also seen here)

Sandals - Dolce Vita, Urban Outfitters (last seen here, here, and here)

Sparkly suede clutch - Anthropologie (also seen here)

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DI(fr)Yday: How to make a punk rock shirt with spray paint and stencils

For this week's DI(fr)Yday, I'm making punk rock shirts for myself and Ryan. I've made a step-by-step tutorial so you too can customize and make one for yourself or a loved one.

Step 1: Gather supplies. You will need:

- Shirts (I picked a thrifted blue work shirt for Ryan's Clash-inspired look and a black Hanes v-neck for mine.)

- Spray paint in desired colors (I used gold for mine, partly because it's nicely symbolic of capitalism and partly because I have some left over from this project.)

- Paper bags, cardboard, or newspapers (to keep the paint from bleeding through to the other side of the shirt)

- Tape

- Stencils (You can buy them as I did or make your own if you are so inclined. I used 2-inch stencils for my shirt, 1-inch ones for the front of Ryan's, and 5-inch ones for the back.)

Step 2: Arrange stencils.

- After placing a paper bag or similar between the layers of your shirt to prevent bleeding, arrange stencils to spell out your message. Band names or lyrics are a good way to go. My shirt say "Capitalism stole my virginity," which is the name of at (International) Noise Conspiracy song, as well as just a really cool thing for a shirt to say. For Ryan's shirt, inspired by The Clash's 1979 Tour, I used his birth year 1981.

- Tape the stencils in place so they won't blow away with the force of the spray paint. You can use double sided tape and hide it under the stencil if you don't want the tape lines to show. For mine, however, I wanted as messy and haphazard a look as possible, so I allowed the tape to show and arranged the letters a bit wonky.

Step 3: Spray paint.

- Follow the instructions on the can. Mine advises shaking the can for a full two minutes, holding it about six inches from the surface, and waiting two hours before handling. I did this in the garage to prevent fumes from gassing up the whole house; I recommend it. I also recommend dancing around to Ramones' songs while shaking up your spray paint as it makes the whole process much more enjoyable.

Step 4: Arrange more stencils and spray once again.

- If a stencil needs to be repeated and you only have one, you will need to spray the full message in steps, waiting for the paint to dry before moving the stencil and spraying again. Take care to keep the area where the stencil will be moved clean when you do the first layer of paint. See below for an example of how I moved the 1 on Ryan's shirt for a second coat.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. Remember to stay calm and just roll with it. Things don't have to be perfect for this project to work. In fact, the more imperfect you shirt is, the more punk rock it will be.

P.S. All the while I was making these shirts, I was watching Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version). Mine is a life of contrasts. :)

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