Notes

Style, Fashion and Personal Style - The Pressure and the Opportunity
Today, fashion is increasingly about personal style, taking the trends and making them your personal. Women embrace fashion and use style expressing their personality, but also for many the pressure to generate personal style is overwhelming.

Our world is more and more about image and how fashion and style apply to it. These changes are influencing our desire and ability to incorporate style in our own lives. The major market influencers are:

- Our increased fascination with celebrities
- The adoption of all body shapes and sizes
- The mainstream option of more affordable, fashionable clothing
- Hot, hip, stylish and sexy - 30s, 40s, 50s
- Women have less to spend on clothing

Celebrities are everywhere and we wish to know everything about them. Where each goes and what they wear are big news. They adorn the covers of well known magazines and endorse our coveted luxury items. We follow their every fashion move, we want what they have; Louis Vuitton bags, the "it" designer jeans, Gucci sunglasses...the list continues on. Celebrities today not only wear the most recent and greatest fashions however they define what fashion is. All of this media exposure drives the 'want' factor of fashion. We wish what they have.

Celebrities are influential and getting an increasing number of attention, exposure and mindshare each day. This is often further seen by the explosion of celebrities as cover models on well known magazines. Years ago fashion models were the cover models of fashion magazines, but today it's the stars of the big/small screen and music industry. Not merely is their photo on the cover, however they certainly are a prominent story that month.

"Jennifer Lopez: Is Soooo Back, on Marc, the Exes, and Her Tell-All Album," Elle, February, 2010
"Christina Aguilera: I'm someone different Now," Marie Claire, February, 2010
Oprah, "Don't Change Your Body...Change Your Jeans! Find Your Dream Fit," O The Oprah Magazine, February, 2010

Adoption of most bodies. The increased coverage and selection of celebrities in addition has opened the door from what we perceive as beautiful. We have been slowly changing the old stereotype of beauty. No longer is it solely defined by that perfect, 18-year-old, 6 foot, super skinny, supermodel of days gone by. Today we are exposed to an array of ages, bodies and styles - Taylor Swift and Hillary Duff to Madonna and Catherine Zeta Jones...Jennifer Aniston and Eva Longoria to Oprah and Queen Latifah...Drew Barrymore and Kate Hudson to Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow.

more info & affordability. Fashion has gone main-stream. High-end clothing designers create designer wear for mainstream retailers like Target and Wal-Mart. This availability of affordable, stylish clothing allows women to become more stylish and elevates the expectation of higher fashion and style for all. Stores like H&M and Forever 21 have opened many doors for women to embrace the latest fashion offerings at extremely affordable prices. This is both a blessing and a curse; women have the opportunity to find and afford more fashionable clothing, but also have greater pressure to be fashionable.

Hot, Hip, Stylish and Sexy - 30s, 40s, 50s. Thirty is the new Twenty, Forty is the new Thirty and Fifty may be the new Forty - and the definitions of hot ladies in their 30s and 40s+ as Puma's and Cougar's proves sexy no more comes with an age limit. Madonna, Elle MacPherson, Teri Hatcher, Heather Locklear, Kim Cattrall, Halle Berry, Demi Moore, Salma Hayek and Diane Lane...they are all over 40. For women of all ages that is power. Style and beauty aren't only for the 20-somethings. Women of any age and physique can look good, so when you look good, you feel good. Women desire to look good, really good...no matter what how old they are.

Women have less to invest on clothing. The pressure of society to be stylish in conjunction with our global financial challenges makes shopping for a fresh wardrobe challenging. Today women are spending less. As per the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor� survey, "84% of female respondents have exactly the same to less money to spend on clothing this season versus last year (2009 vs. 2008)." So with less to invest it is advisable to spend smartly. "Women are definitely being more careful about how exactly and what they are spending on clothing... They are taking their time and energy to assure themselves that they are creating a smart choice," Joanne Stoner, edressme.com.

In more info feel the pressure to look good and don't want to waste money along the way. By pick the best cuts because of their body, colors that flatter, styles which are appropriate and pieces that work for their lifestyle and budget they'll be better shoppers and better dressers.

Molly Lilly Clothing Reviews is is an Image Consultant, style guru, marketer, blogger and style addict. Through her Image Consulting services Tricia helps women of all shapes, sizes and ages with almost all their image and style needs. As a marketer and writer Tricia puts her ideas, tips, thoughts, knowledge and expertise to good use and shares that with her client and followers via the StylishShe website and blog, Facebook, twitter, style articles, and soon...her book.
Homepage: https://public.sitejot.com/smidtthygese.html