In my opinion, clothes are what we wear to keep ourselves warm and protected from the elements. Style, however, has social foundations. Style has to do with consensus – trends and aesthetics that have been agreed upon by multiple people – and with etiquette, relationships, and perceptions. Even those who have style that is as far as possible from the accepted norms have it, at least in part, because their peers acknowledge it. You don’t need style to move through human society, you just need clothes. But the people who are actively interested in style and in being stylish will always be fascinated by rules, flattery, trends, and techniques of building outfits. Those things tap the social aspects of style.
Originally posted 2013-10-02 06:36:21.