Things I Always Notice About Stylish Women
The common denominators of women with impeccable style.
I’ve been doing some “fashion studying” recently, in hopes of gathering inspiration for my own wardrobe and how to wear pieces I already own, and I’ve realized something — the women I consider the most stylish rarely have the biggest wardrobes. In fact, they are the women who least regularly add their closets.
Also, they aren’t always wearing designer labels (and if they are, it isn’t obvious). They don’t seem overly concerned with whether something is “still in” or “already out,” and they dress to the beat of their own drum.
Really, they have something much harder to buy: a sense of self.
The older I get, the more I realize that style has very little to do with clothing. It’s ultimately a collection of small habits, quiet decisions, and having an understanding of what feels like you.
For a collection of my wardrobe staples — the pieces I regularly rely on to carry me through life with ease & style — you can click here.
Here are a few things I always notice about stylish women…
They have signatures.
A staple lip color, a pair of earrings they never take off, a hairstyle, a vintage accessory passed down. Whatever it is, they have something that’s just a part of their identity. They find little details that speak to them and repeat until people begin to associate those things with them — like they’re saying, “this is me. I like this. I’m keeping it.”
They prioritize their style over trends.
They know what doesn't suit them, what doesn’t fit with their lifestyle, and they skip it. They understand that trends are simply suggestions, not instructions, and that just because a hip girl on TikTok told you about an it item, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. They’re not forcing something to work for them simply because it’s “in style.”
They repeat outfits.
Stylish women don’t treat clothes as disposable. They most definitely don’t believe in the “wear it once and then get rid of it” mentality — much more of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. They find combinations they love and wear them until they’re almost part of their identity. A sweater you adore, that feels amazing on your skin and falls just right? Wear it every week. The perfect pair of jeans that hugs in all the right places? Throw ‘em on over and over.
Their shoes are practical.
They dress for the life they’re actually living, not the one they’re imagining in their head. Comfortable shoes mean they can walk confidently into a room instead of worrying about blisters. Some women are comfortable in 4” heels all day — and to those women, I say heck yeah. But for those that aren’t, they accept this and find a shoe that checks the boxes of both fashion and function.
They look comfortable.
They aren’t constantly adjusting their clothes. They’re comfortable not because they're wearing sweatpants or oversized everything, but because they look at home in what they're wearing. They're not trying to become someone else when they get dressed, in fact they see an outfit as an expression of their truest self. There's an ease about them that's impossible to fake, and I think that's what people are actually noticing when they say someone has "great style." A t-shirt and vintage jeans or a perfectly tailored midi dress — their outfit is an extension of their personality and emotions in the moment.
They buy less, but buy better.
Quality over quantity is the name of their game, and they're surprisingly patient shoppers. Instead of filling a closet with "good enough," they wait for the piece they'll reach for over and over again. They understand that the cost per wear of something you love is almost always lower than something you settled for because it was simply on sale or trending online. They understand that the right pieces in high quality fabrics will last decades, and that the initial investment is worth it. But also that sometimes the affordable 100% cotton piece is better than the $300 polyester designer piece.
Nothing is too precious.
The beautiful linen dress gets worn to lunch, the nice handbag comes on vacation, the cashmere sweater isn't reserved for some future occasion. Stylish women understand that clothes are meant to accompany life, not sit untouched in a closet waiting for a day “important enough” to deserve them. If something gets a little wrinkled, scuffed, or lived in along the way, that's simply evidence that it was well loved and used (which in my opinion drastically adds to the character).
They understand that imperfections are a part of life.
They are not constantly trying to perfect everything. Life is meant to be lived, not stressed over and constantly corrected — and they get that. Their shirt might be slightly untucked, their hair might have fallen a little by the end of the day, their loafers might have creases from years of wear (chic). They aren't chasing perfection because they know perfection rarely looks interesting. There's something incredibly stylish about someone who allows life to leave its fingerprints on the things they own (and on themselves).
In observing stylish women, close up and from afar, I've realized that what I admire most about them is their decisiveness. They know who they are, what they like, what they don't, and they stop spending energy trying to be someone else. Their clothes, and the way they present themselves as a whole, are simply evidence of that.
For a collection of my wardrobe staples — the pieces that I regularly rely on to carry me through life with ease & style — you can click here.
Till next time xx
SC
My mother was one of these women. She'd wear a suit for years and simply change a blouse to give it a whole new life!🩷 I miss her and her style.
I really enjoyed this. One of the things I've become most interested in is the idea that style begins long before we get dressed. The women whose wardrobes I admire most aren't necessarily the ones with the most clothes. They're the ones who have a clear sense of who they are, and their wardrobes simply reflect that. I especially loved your point about nothing being too precious to wear. Clothes are meant to be lived in, not saved for some imaginary future occasion. Thanks for such a thoughtful read!