Have you ever given much thought to why your sartorial preferences are what they are? You may know that you like a neutral palette because it’s easy and timeless, or you may prefer a leopard print because it’s attention grabbing and playful. There are any number of reasons for why we gravitate toward and adapt our personal style preferences.
As I’ve gained an interest in fashion I’ve spent more time examining my own choices and identified a few ways in which my limited vision impacts my personal sense of style.
Color
Like most people I have a collection of white, black, and gray clothing, but If you took a look at my closet you would notice a good amount of color as well. Not washed out pastels or deep colors like maroon and navy, though there are a few bits of that. Most of the color in my closet consists of saturated earth and jewel tones. Mustard yellow, royal blue, and kelly green, join the purples, pinks, and oranges I don’t know the proper names of. And red. Red tank tops, dresses, some very shiny spandex pants I wear when I let my inner party diva out. I love red!
My Cone Dystrophy makes distinguishing colors that are closely related difficult. When colors are too pale, I can’t get a good enough sense of the color to identify it. If something is too dark, it’s also a problem. It’s like trying to tell navy from black in the wrong light…. Bright colors allow me to dress with more confidence. I’m less worried that I’ve mistaken a pale blue for a purple, green, or gray.
I also gravitate to these colors because they create high contrast on my pale skin. Contrast is something I think we all enjoy, but I particularly appreciate it. If I wore pastels I wouldn’t really experience the joy of wearing color. And color is something that brings me joy. Being light sensitive means that a lot of the time the world is blown out and lacks detail. Distinct hues minimize uncertainty in my world.
Left – J Crew Factory cotton teddie sweater, Leith pencil skirt, Calvin Klein houndstooth coat. (old). Center – Anthropologie peplum top (old). Right – Good American black skinny jeans, J Crew Factory scalloped cami, AFRM brit blazer, Sam Edelman patti sandel.
*Sorry about the dirty mirror. It’s old and tarnished.
Print & Pattern
I have always loved a timeless stripe or plaid, but a few years ago I saw a picture of a striped t-shirt mixed with a floral print skirt on Pinterest and thought “I want to wear that look!” At the time that outfit felt very brave and out of my comfort zone and I was so anxious I had messed it up the first time tried it out. It’s a great look that I still wear all the time, and it inspired me to explore floral, geometric, and graphic prints.
Patterns can be difficult for me. Small floral prints look like tiny blobs of hard to define color and are wasted on me. If I go for a very small pattern it will usually be a simple geometric like a check or dot. Medium and large prints are much easier and more enjoyable for me to wear. I once had a great skirt from Modcloth that looked like a damask at first glance but was a repeating pattern of monocled men in mustaches and top hats. It was intricate but because it was on the larger size I could see it. Also, adorable.
Left – Zuri raffia dress, Tod’s eyelet detail flat loafers, Frye Illana small crossbody . Top Right – Gap high-rise flare jean, Gap Factory favorite crewneck t-shirt, BLANKNYC faux leather moto jacket, H&M plaid scarf (old). Bottom Right – ZESICA floral maxi wrap dress.
As I think about my style and how it has evolved, I am amused to see myself going in a more adventurous direction. I’m not saying I’m a cutting edge fashionista, far from it. Just that, it would be easy for me to stick with a very basic and timeless wardrobe. It’s comfortable and safe, and there is nothing wrong with that. But clearly there is something in me that wants to express itself in a bolder way. I say I am amused because it’s a style that I wouldn’t have used to describe myself in the past, but we all have different aspects to who we are and that’s what makes fashion and style so fun. I am enjoying this process of learning how to express my evolving preferences and make them work for myself and my vision.
Thanks for reading!
Rainy Day Rags 