Developing your personal style - Part 1

Oscar Wilde 

 In matters of grave importance, Style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.

Developing one's personal style is of the utmost importance. You don’t have to look like a supermodel or have a personal stylist to pick out your cloths everyday to look fabulous. By Understanding Your Body Type, Knowing what colors flatter your skin tone, keeping abreast of current fashion trends and shopping smart, you too can be fabulous.  

What's your body shape

What’s your body shape?

The first step in developing your personal style is Understanding Your Body Type. Are you an apple, pear, hourglass or tube? You don’t have to have a fabulous figure to be well dress and stylish. Browse through the latest fashion magazines and websites for some help. Google for images of celebrities who have similar body shapes as you and look at what they are wearing. Everyone has a troubles area, or flaws which we don’t like about our body. By identifying your flaws and assets you will be able to address your body type and understand what flatters your shape. 

The most common body shapes are Hourglass (top and bottom heavy with a small waistline), Rectangular ( straight, flat body types), Pear ( smaller on the top and bigger on the bottom), Inverted triangle ( broad shoulders and top but smaller waistline and bottom).

Once you have determined what types of clothes suit your body type best, you need to determine your best colors.

Color Palettes 



Asian's can pull off any color



Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. I am pretty sure all of us, at least once in their lifetime have had to go through the agony of sitting for a color season analysis. This may have taken place at a beauty counter in a departmental store or at your home by some product peddling ‘beauty expert’ trying to convince you to buy something you really weren’t sure off but bought anyways.

I know of a few fashion experts who strongly believe on the importance of color analysis.  But frankly, as Asians, because of our hair and eye color which is generally dark brown or black there almost isn’t any color tone or shade which doesn’t look good on us. A good gage on what your best colors are would be your wardrobe and your friend’s comments. If your wardrobe is heavy on a particular shade, i.e.: plums, mauves, reds, and purples and every time you wear a particular top people say your skin glows, then you know that’s your best color. 



Michelle Yeoh

Generally if you are Chinese, Korean, Japanese or have paler Asian skin, you can pull of just about any color from the lightest shades of blue and pink to the darkest green and red; from demure flower patterned tops to radical prints. And if you have a darker Asian skin tone, like us Indians and Melays, then you ought to know that Red is your best friend. A key cautionary note is the color yellow which generally when worn by Asians, tends to bring out the yellow pigment in our skin. And because of this, be cautious when picking this color. 

So now that you know your body type and best colors you are all set to unleash your inner stylista.