Article by Sam Jorgenson
Summer starts with a bang, and it is sliding in faster than predicted. Alongside this comes the foreseen change over in one’s wardrobe: switching out pants for shorts or skirts and sweaters for t-shirts. For some, this change over can be a time of excitement to try out new outfits or revamp your style. Others may find this time to be daunting, uncertain of what to wear.
When it comes to finding a dream wardrobe, personal stylist Ellie-Jean Royden stated this on her website: “I used to struggle with finding clothes that suit my body… In Spring of 2021, I stumbled across the world of what I call ‘personalized styling.’” She, along with many other stylists, recommend their clients to find clothing that fits their body lines, color palette, and lifestyle. Many different styling systems exist out in the world and work off of basic ideas surrounding personal style choices—find clothing that will last a long time and suit one’s personal tastes.
Ellie-Jean Royden
Finding one’s personal style emerged well before today’s trends, seeking to assist people in styling long-lasting wardrobes whilst allowing for people to express themselves. Today, this exists in many different facets for individuals facing a possible ‘closet conundrum’ wherein finding a personalized style may be very important. Styling systems serve to aid in finding one’s dream wardrobe.
Ms. Royden offers her own take on a styling system, which she calls ‘Style Roots’. Made up of eight core ‘roots,’ it allows individuals the ability to find their personal style and still match it to their body contour. “The fundamental flaw that I see with these typing theories is that they don’t take your personality and your personal likes in account, so it can feel like you’re supposed to erase your current personal style and replace it with something different…” Royden created the Style Roots system to be used in conjunction with other styling and typing methods, whilst keeping the individual style in mind. The Roots themselves are based in nature. She claims that there are eight main sources from which style is taken from, which include mushroom, stone, flower, fire, earth, sun, moon, and mountain.
Each of the roots offers their own key words to describe how you may want to look. Royden argues that these style roots offer a way to express how you want to look and feel in your personal style. Asking yourself questions about how you want to present yourself play a huge role in deciding your style root, and Royden offers a quiz to help step into finding your top three. Once the top three have been found, mixing and matching elements of each—color, texture, and shape—will bring together your personal style.
Royden further explains that one’s style roots can change over time, which is common throughout life due to different experiences and tastes. If you find yourself struggling with wardrobe revamps checking out Royden’s style resources at Body and Style or her YouTube channel @elliejeanroyden offer more insight.
