I've Discovered My Modifier and It's Simple
I've Discovered My Modifier and It's Simple
The most freeing modifier ever
If you are familiar with Tibi and its founder, Amy Smilovic, you know very well that the brand represents a style summarized in three words - Chill, Modern, Classic. Then, everyone is encouraged to add another word - a modifier - that more closely represents their personal style. A similar method, known as the Allison Bornstein three-word technique, involves choosing three adjectives to define your style, which then guide your style choices. Although I've seen many people select their adjectives effectively, I personally struggled with this for a while. I took the outfit below from my favorites and stared at it trying to figure it out.
From the Tibi trifecta, one adjective that definitely resonates with me is “chill” or "relaxed." There's nothing I dislike more than wearing an overly stiff outfit. While such outfits might look great on others, they just aren't for me—I can't stand them. Perhaps it's because they make me feel closed-minded and inflexible, though I'm not entirely sure. So “chill” is certainly one of my style adjectives.
Next, I consider “modern” a good adjective for my style. I tend to favor modern silhouettes, shapes, colors, and garments. These pieces need to feel fresh and interesting, not like the plain, basic items I wore before. So, “modern” is definitely one of my adjectives as well.
However, “classic” doesn't really suit me. This might be due to my lifestyle—working from home in a village doesn't offer many opportunities to wear blazers or wool pants. It could also be that classic pieces tend to make me look (or feel?) too conservative. I'm not entirely sure, but classic is optional in an outfit for me, and thus, I don't include it in my set of adjectives.
I also love a feminine angle towards clothes - dresses, skirts, and non-ruffle type of femininity in outfits makes me feel and look great. So the third adjective I picked is “Feminine”.
I was quite content with "Modern," "Feminine," and "Relaxed" until I saw the Creative Classicist choosing her adjectives as "Modern" and "Feminine." I admire the Creative Classicist's style to death - some of her outfits are pure genius, and she always mixes things in the most interesting ways. However, I don't dress the way she does - I do not have the natural instinct as she has, and it would require immense effort for me to try to replicate their outfits. Her style is also much more classic than I usually wear. So I started questioning my adjectives and felt like something was missing.
I figured it out when I wore the outfit pictured above. I felt great in it. It is feminine yet relaxed - thanks to the relaxed dress (but still a dress). It features modern accessories - Cos shoes and a Wandler bag. But most of all - it is very simple. You can just throw it on and be ready in 2 minutes, which is usually my routine. Thus, my fourth and final adjective is “Simple”. That's it.
Now, "simple" might not be the most aspirational word for a fashion adjective, but it has been incredibly liberating for me. When considering an outfit, I ask myself: Will I need to fuss with this outfit or struggle to keep it in place? Is it easy to put on in the morning? Will it pull, squeeze, or be uncomfortable? Will I need to think how to style it or accessorize extensively? If the answer to these questions is "yes," then it's not my style. And hence, the missing piece of the puzzle for me is "Simple"—my style is Modern, Relaxed, Feminine, and Simple.
I also briefly considered it’s cousin “minimal” - but minimal implies neutral shades, and a fairly clear aesthetic that is a bit different than mine - I love color for example. So after brief consideration, Simple has won.
Here are a few more outfits that embody being Modern, Relaxed, Feminine, and Simple that I've recently worn.
Fun fact: after discovering my modifier Simple, I realised that @stylethechange has actually called my inspiration outfit “simple” in a comment - maybe it stuck in my subconscious? Anyway, very happy with my choice!
Have you found your adjectives? How is this process going for you? Please share them in the comments!
I find it fascinating to see the different nuances that people perceive from the same word. I chose minimal, but to me it does not imply an absence of colour but rather an edited palette of colours.
Equally I chose “eased” over “relaxed” because for me relaxed is more akin to undone, a manner of wearing something not the garment itself - something like a classic oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up and unbuttoned. I would not buy an oxford shirt in the first place, but I would buy an oversized linen shirt which for me is a garment with inherent ease. And I don’t always want to feel relaxed, but I do always want to feel at ease in what I wear.
Eased also means to me the lack of fuss that you describe so well. I do not like having to work hard to wear my clothes.
But then I’d have also said that eased was a (more British English) synonym of “chill”, but some of the things Amy and the Tibi stylists wear look like really hard work to me, albeit stunning. To them chill seems more like a way of fitting into any occasion or setting rather than a description of the actual clothes or how they physically feel.
I can’t remember where I saw this advice, but in the end I found it was more helpful to write a few sentences to describe my style, which alleviates the feeling of going round and round in circles trying to extrapolate all the implied meaning of three or four words.