Edna Woodman Chase, the chief editor of  Vogue  magazine for nearly forty years, once famously said: “fashion can be bought. Style one must possess.” Her words still hold weight in today’s busy and changeable society. Like Edna, I believe that no amount of money can buy style. Style is something you either have, or you don’t have. While money can buy the most fashionable clothes around, actually knowing how to put these clothes together in a way that complements your unique figure, age and personality is a skill of its own. Furthermore, true style isn’t about what you wear so much as it is about your poise, your behaviour, your manners. You can dress glamorously, but it doesn’t necessarily make you glamourous. When it comes down to it, your actions say more about you than the price tag or label on your garments. So, what is style?

Conduct

Esteemed fashion designer Caroline Herrera was correct in saying that “elegance isn’t solely defined by what you wear. It’s how you carry yourself, how you speak, what your read.” Do you carry yourself with confidence and grace? Nothing is more stylish than a woman with poise. Your mannerism comes into play here too. Are you courteous, respectful, friendly, polite and, above all, gracious? Dressing fabulously but behaving poorly shows a complete lack of glamour and class – but behaving in the poised manner described above only affirms one’s elegance.

Appropriateness 

Dressing according to your age and situation is another core factor of style. It’s important that you dress for your particular circumstance. We change and grow throughout our lives, and learning to adapt to these changes is the key to a stylish appearance. Embrace your age and dress accordingly. You are beautiful no matter what stage of your life you are in right now, and don’t need to dress like the younger generation to ‘fit in.’ In actual fact, dressing age appropriately is the most glamorous thing you can do for your look. Similarly, remember to dress for occasions. You don’t want to turn up to a casual event in your finest! If in doubt, keep things simple – clean lines, good quality fabrics and minimal accessories.

Confidence

Elegance and confidence go hand in hand – its s getting the amount of confidence right that’s the tricky part. There’s a fine line between beautifully bold and blinding self-assuredness. Under-confidence? Not good. Over-confidence? Worse. Be comfortable with yourself – your body, your clothes and most of all, your personality. You should be confident with your real self so that you feel good – remember, when you feel great, you look great.