The term aesthetics is defined as the perception, interpretation, and appreciation of beauty, a value that provokes emotions of admiration, awe, and fascination upon viewing as well as oneness, plenitude, and connection when creating. Aesthetics begins with an understanding of who you are inside and out to solidify multiple narrative sequences in the manner you see fit. By dressing authentically and intentionally you may enhance physical attributes through self-expression within the fit, balance, and proportion for self-concept, style, and intention. An aesthetic will capture varying attitudes of all sides within tangibly conjured up for an instrument of expression drawing from a wide range of influences that allow for creative impulses to have a place in the world. To have an aesthetic is not to box yourself in and define labels, but rather to define another channel out of many that life has to offer in regards to visual and personal expression that resonates with oneself.
It’s not to mold yourself to a label or to cause distress over not being a proper fit, but to simply be and creatively express your own personality, intelligence, and experiences through a lens you feel well suited to. In regards to fashion, your style is a combination of all you think, feel, covet, and do. Aesthetics are a component of this as we will be drawn to certain visuals due to our individual psychology and philosophies of beauty.
The act of forming an aesthetic is to create visuals in your eye that align with the set of leading principles by which you live through actions, demeanor, and outward appearance. The aesthetic experience of enjoying and creating are inevitably intertwined as fashion is experienced on a multitude of levels innate both internally and externally as the act of honing an aesthetic is both sensory and emotional. A personal aesthetic is not necessary, but many long for one and strive to create it due to how fashion provides a space for belonging in the world through knowledge, understanding, and acceptance that shapes the visual narrative of life. If you are interested in the study of fashion and how people signify specific social or cultural positions through dress as well as why we are drawn to certain aesthetics I have a video dedicated to the semiotics of fashion.
Philosopher David Hume states, “Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.” We see our own application when defining, finding, and developing personal aesthetics as aesthetics are compiled by the mind and emotions relative to one’s sense of beauty, hence the development of taste through views and perception. This may be both from contrived or natural sources that are found within in hand with outer principles governing the idea of aesthetics based on time, location, culture, etc.
For example, from the 80s into the 90s the age of the supermodel had taken the world by storm as this very traditional, bright, charming details, and lavish design approached through a fresh and indulgent style. With the economic crash and social factors of the 90s, antifashion was on the rise, with opposition in line, construction, and disproportion. The fashion industry embraced anti-fashion rhetoric with open arms with development over time and the standards of beauty in terms of visual aesthetics of style shifted as the use of proportion, construction, line, and even presentation shifted. Multiple aesthetic channels opened up.
In this example, we can see the main and sub-channels of aesthetics that provide multiple versions of beauty that resonate with an individual based on what they view as the fashion that encapsulates their romantic and logical idea about life or their own placement in the world when viewing emerging ideologies in terms of aesthetics and beauty. Our own relationship to this furthers our own decidualized state and within our life, we get to partake in the art of creation for a reflection of our spirit externally as “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. All aesthetic channels hold great beauty and meaning, but depending on the innate sense of beauty philosophy the eye has, it will provoke different feelings due to their aesthetic manifestos.
In the 1930s, the aesthetics of dress were influenced by innovation and the progression of technology such as films. Fashion at this point in time stressed the importance of dressing to personality traits through “Fashion Types.” Very similar to character types in media and culture today, but applied in the real world through marketing. Into the 70s and 80s the focus shifted to achieving a distinctive and individual aesthetic in a time where culture placed value on individuality amidst the flourishing abundance. This has grown over time into the channels we have today, both accessible and quickly cycling. For this, we can see how apparel functions in terms of aesthetics and how this is an evolving aspect of culture, this begs the question: what causes an aesthetic to truly resonate?
CURATION
The artistry of the piece will resonate, as the way it is designed, the meaning, and the story behind the product produce an authenticity that will either resonate if worthy of acceptance based on one’s sense of self or the coveted aesthetic they are drawn to- which by extension is a part of oneself to find, hone, or develop a sense in subject and intention. Many people who are drawn to the same or similar aesthetics will further in the philosophical identity and the meaning of it as psychologically the visuals that hone this aesthetic will create connotations and links to concepts that provide further meaning to imagery from both personal and group experience.
The emotional process by which an authentic aesthetic comes to be is a subconscious one as the function, cultural connotation, color theory, and overall concept linked to visuals will define this. Typically an aesthetic is obtained from interests, inner psychology or sociology, philosophy, lifestyle, fashion preferences, and the type of self-expression one looks to achieve. Aesthetics require emotion and development. Each piece that goes into curating the aesthetic tells a story and has so much thought and intent behind it. This is an inherent beautiful instinct through personal taste, life experiences, interests, and evolving variables.
Rather than aspiring to define yourself, define your style icons and inspiration. When curating an aesthetic in terms of fashion, the first thought is to look at fashion. This is necessary and a great foundation, but also is everything a disservice to oneself though as fashion is a reflection of a time, concept, or place. When honing an aesthetic rather than having the pieces dictate your configuration, you want to get to the root of the concept and configure accordingly. Inspiration can be found in numerous imagery from interiors and paintings to music and films. Each piece that goes into curating the aesthetic tells a story and has so much thought and intent behind it from the derived source as well as your own personal narrative. This type of thinking allows for one to never be boxed in or confined to a label.
Protocols of dress have evolved into multiple avenues of channels and aesthetics today that hold the nature of fashion in the modern age. With much access to multifaceted channels of aesthetics, more often than not, one may be drawn to multiple labels of aesthetics, specific components, or a vast array. THis is natural because we are dimensional beings. Forcing a single label is to limit and not honor our own magnitudes, it is best to explore all aspects of apparel and feel what harmonizes. While names and labels aid in development as a tool or vehicle of exploration, falling under a label is not the end goal.An aesthetic is an ever-changing and evolving part of ourselves as we grow and change. To hinder this, is to hinder development for the sake of visuals rather than honing the visuals of our lives.
To blend aesthetics, retaining a proper balance and harmony is crucial. With this foundation, further elements and embellishments are easier to integrate into despite differences in the community of saturation, value, and the relationship of visual effect. For element implementation, if unsure of how to implement an element, think of its concept and how this will interact with the other aesthetic. For example, there are varying degrees of formality and unity under the aesthetic, the contrast of a structural garment unparalleled sensations that illuminate the underlying tone of aesthetic combinations.
Another technique to infuse elements to execute your aesthetic is pattern play, meaning to choose an element to dominate and the others to accent scaling patterns, and break them up to create distinct focal points in look for solidarity. By finding common ground or contrast that allows for further emphasis on both a form of consonance will occur. Layering will often add degrees of visual weight, you can do this very strategically to highlight features, balance out proportions, and create leading lines to the face that evoke the sensibility of the aesthetic.
With more on searching for your aesthetic in terms of inspiration between runways, and trends, and remaining true to your style, my friend Bella Lombardi will fill you in with tips on the process.
Hey guys it’s Bella and i’m going to be talking about my side of the advice for finding your personal style your personal aesthetic. So it is not going to be you know, short and easy or whatever, it took me years to realize what I actually like. I’m gonna be honest it took years but I’m going to pretty much say how I did it. You can find inspiration in anything for fashion, I’ve looked outside before and got ideas for outfits. I think the main source of inspiration is Pinterest. Pinterest is the best for inspiration because people like me and the people I follow have multiple boards of different aesthetics because you can love multiple aesthetics, there are no rules. Go through those boards and take inspiration from them all and find the things you love and resonate with, once you do that you make your own boards and figure out okay how can I interpret this aesthetic into a style.
Once you do that, everything will be so much easier in creating your personal style. After that make sure you can style these things into multiple styles because again you do not have to have like one single aesthetic, I feel like fashion’s supposed to be fun, There’s nothing wrong with being versatile and having different vibes in every outfit you wear.
Also, vogue runway, seriously runway will give you so much inspiration, once you dig deep into vogue runway because runway’s where the trends originate from. Again, don’t focus on the trends, but runway is always ahead of the game and old runway shows are where I get my most inspiration, like early 2010’s runway, late 2000s runway,
What’s funny is once you see those collections, they all have a similar thing going on with them and realize that’s how you find what your personal style is, and they all connect with each other in some way, even if their different styles they’ll find a way to connect and then you mix it together and it becomes one aesthetic, one personal style. Because if your main aesthetic is many aesthetics in one honestly that’s how some of these fashion icons are given their name because people love their vibe and aesthetic and it’s multiple aesthetic mixed into one. do not overcomplicate finding your aesthetic or personal style. It’s all built into one, style is aesthetic, fashion is everything.
When moving from the curation and development stages into implementation, you will begin to build a wardrobe based on identity over a guide by your chosen concepts of choice and remaining rooted in the visuals you are drawn to. This is a fluid process, if something speaks to you, take note of this and don’t opt for it right away when pulling away from trends as this line may be blurred at times. Trends may resonate and be a part of your aesthetic, but more than not they will fall short over time if you are following what is “in” rather than your eye for visuals.
All in all, the development is a journey to embark on, to breathe life into your aesthetic and to live your philosophy, and see beauty through a lens that is crafted by the heart. By defining this yourself, a truly personal and authentic one drawing from all you love and see fit in life stays with you in your ensembles rather than having it defined for you. In the words of Deepak Chopra, “To define yourself is to limit yourself. Without labels, you remain an infinite being.”
SOURCES: Aesthetic Types and Principles- https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Ae… What Makes Something Beautiful?- Aesthetic Pleasure Psychology- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl… ANTIFASHION – ARTE Distribution, (Shimamura and Palmer, 2014).
