The Everyday Icon Style Podcast

Episode 152: Embrace Individual Style Over Polished Conformity

• Tiffany Howard

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Is being "polished" in your professional attire holding you back? Let's rethink the standard of looking well-groomed and sophisticated in corporate settings. In this eye-opening episode of the Everyday Icon Style Podcast, I challenge the conventional wisdom that a polished appearance is the hallmark of professionalism. We explore how this pursuit might push you into a mold of conformity, stifling your true personal style. 

Through self-reflection, wardrobe auditing, and fearless experimentation, we can break free from these constraints and discover a style that is genuinely our own, boosting our confidence and authentic self-expression.

Elevate your individual style by perfecting the finer details without overshadowing your uniqueness. Reflect on your style journey, join the conversation on LinkedIn, and share your thoughts. 
Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with friends who could benefit from redefining their corporate chic.

Speaker 1:

Ignite your style with the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I'm Tiffany, your style navigator and confidant here to lead women in corporate America on the quest to discover their timeless style. Let's revolutionize your wardrobe, empower your confidence and embrace your inner icon. Are you ready to redefine your corporate chic? Then let's get started. Hey everyone, real quick, before we go into today's episode, I wanted to talk to you about my free guide, the Mastering your Color Palette. With this guide, I have made it simple and easy for you to create your color combinations to build a chic, classic and timeless wardrobe. This you will be able to pick everything from your primary colors, your neutral colors and your accent colors that you'll be able to add together, create a mix and match wardrobe that you love. So be sure to click the link in the description box of this episode to access your guide today. Now let's get into today's episode. Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Everyday Icon Style Podcast.

Speaker 1:

I'm your host, tiffany, and today I'm going to do something a little different. The topic is a little thought-provoking, to get us thinking and, I think, even for me, stepping outside of my comfort zone and dipping my toe into something that is, I don't know if you would say controversial or safe, but just thinking a little bit more outside of the box. And today we're going to be talking about the problem that I'm beginning to see with the term polished or put together they're kind of used interchangeably when it comes to our style and is striving to look polished actually hindering the development of your true personal style? So today that's what I'm going to kind of delve into and let me know your thoughts of this over on LinkedIn underneath today's post, underneath today's post. So polished, it's a word we hear a lot in fashion, in the style world, but what does it really mean? Do we really even know what it means?

Speaker 1:

For many, and I think what the standard is, looking polished means appearing well-groomed, neat and put together. It's often associated with a certain level of sophistication as well as professionalism. But is this term actually a crutch that keeps us from developing a genuine personal style? So let's start by examining the idea of polish and how it fits into the broader context of our personal style. So part one is defining exactly what is polished.

Speaker 1:

So what do we mean by polished? It usually refers to a look that's smooth, it's sleek, it's impeccable, impeccably put together. Think of a well-tailored suit, perfectly styled hair and immaculate accessories. It's about presenting an image that's free of flaws or any of the rough edges. But here's the thing the striving for this level of polish actually help us express who we are, or are we assimilating or conforming to a certain standard, or conforming to a certain standard? That's definitely something to really consider and think about, because when we think of the standard of polished, it kind of makes us all blend in, but it doesn't allow us to stand out and for our style and to speak for us in a way that reflects who we are. So I've been beginning to notice that many people use the idea of being polished to avoid the daunting task of developing their own style, me included.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to put myself out there, because it's a whole lot easier to adapt to a polished look, because it's clear, it has guidelines, it's not hard. You don't have to think outside of the box. There's just a set standard, a set form of rules. This is what this is. Now let's go with it. But now, as I begin to think about it a little more, has it become a safety net for us, preventing us from experimenting and discovering what truly resonates with us as a whole?

Speaker 1:

Because in a polished look. It's very I guess you could say sterile. There's no self-expression, there's no attitude. There's no self-expression, there's no attitude, there's no flirtiness, there's no fun to it, it's just straight laced. It is what it is. Nothing more to it. Nothing more, nothing less. So we want to begin to kind of break away and kind of break out of that mold.

Speaker 1:

So the next thing is, before we even determine how we will integrate polish or put together into our wardrobe. So personal style, of course it's an extension of who you are and your personality, your taste, your experiences. It's your unique, individual self. No one can pull it off better than you. But before you can truly look polished, you need to first know your personal style and what it is. If you don't, you're just putting a shiny veneer over something that's not yet fully formed. And if it's not fully formed and not cultivated and not nurtured, we'll begin to look like everyone else. We'll assimilate into line, fall into place, and then we'll wonder why that everyone else, the people over there who have looked and developed their style, why they are getting looked at, why they feel confident, why they're able to do what they do? It's because they've taken the time to develop their style first. So here are a few tips for developing your personal style.

Speaker 1:

First, you want to do a little bit of self-reflection. Think about what you like, what you don't like colors, fabrics, silhouettes, all of the things that make you just feel comfortable and confident. We want to be able to experiment, be, experiment, try new things. Fashion is about experimentation and play. This is where you begin to find it. It's not going to happen overnight. You're going to have a lot of trial and errors. But that's the fun of it, because one thing it might not work today, but you might try something else tomorrow and it will be chef's kiss. So you want to be able to experiment with that. You want to take audit of what you currently have and play around, play, dress up.

Speaker 1:

Your closet should be like your own shopping boutique, where every morning, every day, you get to go in and shop your closet. Begin to do that. The first step in doing that is you have to take inventory. If you've worked in retail, you know at least once a year you take inventory on the entire store. It is the same thing with your closet. You begin to take inventory, see what you have. You'll be able to figure out what it is you need, what it is you don't need. So this way it will kind of help you with building your own personal style.

Speaker 1:

Find inspiration TikTok, youtube Shorts, instagram, pinterest, the old, you know, the old faithful Pinterest. Figure out and pull inspiration. What brings you joy, what attracts your attention, what is something that you could say? I would like to try that Pull from inspiration and then you, from the inventory that you've taken, you can kind of play around with recreating and making those styles with what you have Signature pieces, those styles with what you have Signature pieces.

Speaker 1:

Here's one you want to identify a few signature pieces that feel quintessentially just you. This is the magic. This probably your signature pieces are probably going to be your polished, put together pieces that you use to make your, to bring and tie everything together. For me, I like a good blazer. I don't, haven't had me, I haven't gotten, haven't went blazer shopping in a while, but for me it's always a blazer or a shoe, whatever it is. Find a few pieces. It could be jewelry. Find a few pieces. Consider them sort of like your, your version of your capsule wardrobe, maybe to a cent, but find those few pieces to add those touches. It could be something very small and begin to incorporate that and then begin to see how you feel.

Speaker 1:

Next, the intersection we want to talk about the intersection of polished and personal style, to kind of bring this all together. So, once you've developed your style, the idea of being polished can now take on a new meaning, because your version of polished is going to be different than my version of polished. It's not necessarily about adhering to a generic standard of neatness and perfection, but instead it's about presenting your personal style in a way that's refined and intentional. It's nothing that has been thrown together. You are curating your own personal style and we are all at a space and a place in our lives where we deserve it, and we need to do that to give us just that extra, just touch or hint of sophistication that we have always wanted, or the style that we've always felt that we have always wanted, or the style that we've always felt that we have always wanted to create and have for our very own.

Speaker 1:

So definitely, I can tell you from my own personal experience I've found that polishing my look should be about enhancing what makes me unique, whether it's me getting something tailored, accessorizing or even grooming. Never underestimate a good hairstyle, nails done, toes done, all of the things smelling good. All of that is part of it. It's these details that will elevate your style without overshadowing your individuality. So polished is the details. Polished is the fragrance that you put on. It's the jewelry that you might put on, the bag or the shoes, the body wash that you might use that morning, your hairstyle, the hair color. That is what the polished part is.

Speaker 1:

So I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Be sure to follow me and come over to LinkedIn and enjoy the discussion over on the post that I will have for this episode. For this episode. And have you found yourself behind a polished look? If so, let me know and let's try to figure out how we can break free of doing that. If, have you developed your style? What does that look like? Share your experience with us over on linkedin. So that's it for today's episode of the Everyday Style Icon Podcast. I'm getting tongue-tied because I'm trying new intros and outros and everything in between, but before you leave, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share this with anybody that you might feel that it will help, because I am here to help and serve others. So, with all of that being said, I hope you guys have an amazing rest of your day, stay healthy, stay safe and, as always, be the everyday icon that you were meant to be.