Insist on yourself; never imitate.
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
“Insist on yourself; never imitate.”
I wonder what Ralph Waldo Emerson would’ve thought about today’s world of influencers and TikTok trends.
I remember the days of Blogger and pre-algorithmic Instagram, when you could find original, authentic people who would inspire you, not through promotion, self or otherwise, but by how they approached life. What books they read. How they decorated. What they cooked and how they drank their coffee. Where they traveled. There was no real money to be had in it at that time. The reward was community and conversation. Perhaps a book deal for some.
Long-form blogging gave way to quippy Instagram and then everything became bland and for sale. The true originals faded away as the algorithm hid their posts from even their most fervent fans.
I serendipitously stumbled upon the book Rare Birds True Style by Violet Naylor-Leyland. It opens with the line: “Dressing well is one thing, having style is another, but developing a signature taste that distinguishes you from all others is something more unusual and rather special.”
It features some of the most unique and eccentric British creative minds who find art through living. Not everything will be your cup of tea, but if it gives you a kick in the pants to embrace your distinctive character in this world, then it’s done its job. I love the range of subjects from the colorful to the dramatic to Violet’s own father with his very disciplined aristocratic wardrobe on repeat, proving that being singular isn’t only about shock value. It’s about carving out your particular niche and reveling in it.
“Dressing well is one thing, having style is another, but developing a signature taste that distinguishes you from all others is something more unusual and rather special.”
What we are building here with (In) Decent Taste is a place that feels like those days of yore, with a community of people who want to express themselves through what they wear but also how they live. We aren’t here to dissect menswear facts, talk about fashion week, debate rules and terminology in 5,000 words nor do we want to create a list of what we are buying now. We want to talk about personal style and developing yours. We would love to hear about what you are wearing and how you are styling it. We also want to know if you took up painting or what book you recently read and hated, especially if it was popular with the masses. We want this space to be a table at the most fascinating dinner party and you’re invited.
My personal style preference is a riff on “classic, but with a subversive element.” I like for there to be an interesting feature. That’s not to say I avoid being matchy-matchy, because I often am. But for instance, I refuse to accept that having a particular aesthetic or “genre” of style requires blind and pedantic adherence. You’ll find me in my preppy shifts and button-downs, but proudly displaying my colorful pop-culture-and-art tattoo sleeve. I’ll throw a black leather motorcycle jacket on over my Lilly Pulitzer.
I love being a part of this. Have always tried to be my own unique person. Shoes inadvertently became my brand in my group dental practice. I used to have every color of stilettos that I wore to work. Now my body doesn’t tolerate that so I am always on the hunt for funky colorful sneakers that put some personal style on everyday clinical wear.