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Style
is the common denominator that distinguishes the milquetoast from
the truly inspired. Ask a hundred people to define style and you’ll
likely get as many answers. Defining style is tricky; you know it
when you see it, but it defies a simple, pat definition.
I think of personal style as it relates to all aspects of life. Certainly,
one aspect of style is how we dress, entertain and decorate our homes.
While style icons are aware of trends, they are just as likely to take
a 180-degree turn from those precepts and embrace their very antithesis.
Having enviable personal style requires creativity, courage, imagination
and a disdain for conformity. It is not a pack mentality. Style gurus are
quick to dismiss the mundane and the ordinary; they are innovators, not
followers. They have no need to be told how to think because their minds
are full of ideas and opinions based on what they intuitively know to be
right for them.
Style encompasses a great deal more than clothes, home décor,
cars or entertaining: style is about how we live our lives and present
ourselves
to our friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances. What we contribute
to the world and community in which we occupy space, how we treat others,
and what we stand for define our style more succinctly than all the
superficial trappings combined.
From my perspective people with style express their beliefs and convictions
without apology. When they hear misogynistic, racist or homophobic
jokes they don’t remain silent for fear of reprisal; they denounce vitriolic
ignorance because anything less would compromise their integrity, values
and…style.
Style greats aren’t shrinking violets. They have strong opinions,
ideals and convictions, and they aren’t afraid to express themselves,
even when it is uncomfortable, embarrassing or controversial.
The people I know who have tremendous style recoil when they encounter
injustice. They have strong political views and keep abreast of world events
and how those events affect their lives and the lives of others. Whether
or not they have a formal education is irrelevant: They educate themselves
and encourage lively repartee and debate among their peers.
As I think of my style icons, I am amazed at how diverse a group they
are and how seemingly little they have in common: Quentin Crisp, author
of “The
Naked Civil Servant,” who, in 1931, came out and whose mission in
life was to spread the message that homosexuality was not to be feared
but revered; the recently deceased Rosa Parks who, in 1955, sparked the
civil rights movement by ignoring the law and refusing to relinquish her
seat on a bus to a white passenger; former President — and self-proclaimed
born-again Christian — Jimmy Carter who, in spite of his personal
belief that abortion is wrong, embraces a woman’s right to choose
and is a tireless advocate for the separation of church and state;
former Gucci designer Tom Ford whose creative genius and in-your-face
sexuality
has men and women of all persuasions swooning and waiting with bated
breath for his next career move; talk show host, actress, producer,
activist and
entrepreneurial magnate Oprah Winfrey who, while tackling the tough
issues, inspired a nation to read again; and, finally, preacher and
civil rights
icon Martin Luther King who, by speaking out against injustice and
discrimination while advocating non-violent activism, inspired a nation
to share his
dream.
From a poor, marginalized Montgomery, Ala., seamstress to a gay man
who resurrected the Gucci empire from the dead, each of the aforementioned
people was — or is — an innovator, not a follower. Each
of them knew what was intuitively right for them, and what was right
for
them has, ultimately, been right for us.
Indeed, style encompasses more than clothes, home décor, cars
or entertaining. Real style distinguishes the milquetoast from the
truly inspired.
— Edward Norman is an Image Consultant,
Master Designer and Colorist, and the owner of Edward Norman Image
Consulting. He can be reached at 704-614-0207
or by email at qstyle1@yahoo.com.
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