10 YEARS OF LOVED BY LIZZI: I TAKE A LOOK BACK AT INSTAGRAM & EXPLAIN MY STYLE DNA

As part of my celebration posts of 10 years of Loved By Lizzi; I take a look back through my Instagram account to pinpoint my style DNA.

My very first post on Instagram was on 9th March 2012, around 4 months after I started my blog, Loved by Lizzi.

I only joined Instagram because I was told by my hubby that it was the newest ‘thing’ in social media (a field I was trying to get to grips with now that I was officially a Blogger, with absolutely no clue!).

I truly love Instagram – it’s been such a huge part of my style journey and I am not sure my own style would have moved on as it has, if it hadn’t been for this app.

There are many ways you can use Instagram, socially with friends, run a community based on a specific topic or you can use it for personal reasons, which I do too; I use it for style inspiration, journalling my style desires and for me to diarise what I wear.

I try very hard never to wear the exact same outfit; don’t get me wrong, I wear my clothes over-and-over again, but I like to change at least one or two elements to keep my style moving forward.

WHAT IS STYLE DNA?

It’s unique to you, #fact – No one else can be you, you are unique, and whilst many people I am sure copy what you wear… they simply cannot be you.

Your personal likes and dislikes on style have evolved from your childhood, you can’t suddenly change your personality overnight and neither can you change your style DNA.

You can work on it, enhance it, tweak it, but ultimately you will always come back to your true self. So embrace YOU!

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Using my Instagram with roughly ten years of imagery to go through… I take a look back on some key style DNA that I know I have and I will show you, that the woman I am today has just evolved and not changed!

INDIVIDUALISM

I can’t exactly remember which family member said this, but as a child I was absolutely obsessed with watching St Trinian films; and often it was suggested to me that I acted like the Head Girl in the film – mainly for my stubborn behaviour to look and dress exactly how I wanted to.

School uniform and me did not have a good relationship at all, and on the last day of school in my fifth year, I burnt my school tie – only to go home and get a right ‘telling off’ because my mum wanted me to pass it on to my younger brother – who remember’s the days of ‘hand-me-downs’? This was very much my generation!

I spotted this in my early days of posting on Instagram and this still rings true to me today.

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I still own this t-shirt and wear it pretty much most weeks at home. It’s my go to comfort tee and the message is truly me.

Sadly the brand, She Died of Beauty no longer exists – this tee will be with me FOREVER!

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AN ALL-BLACK OUTFIT

I have worn all-black since around the age of 12 years old. It’s always been my favourite colour to wear and yet somehow, it’s so taboo… mainly by stylists! 🙂

The arguments and the fallouts I had with my father about wearing black as a teenager, then in my twenties and it continued on even until I was 40 (the year he passed away).

As an Italian father, he felt that I would not be able to show my grief when he passed, because I was in black already, strange but true, that was always he’s point of view on the subject of me wearing black. Needless to say, I mourned for over two years…. and still miss him very much!

Coming back to the colour of black…. I can firmly say hand-on-heart: I find that I am my most creative when I wear black; and I am at my most confident – so why would I not wear it??!!

Here’s me at the British Fashion Awards in 2014, I absolutely loved this black dress – I felt all Morticia from the Addams Family 😉 (Again, not something I think my father would be proud of me saying! LOL)

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I still own and wear this black jumpsuit – several times a month!

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I STICK WITH CLASSICS

The word ‘classic’ always sounds so boring to me, but yet I have learnt over the last ten years that my style DNA is firmly in this camp. It doesn’t matter what I do, I naturally come back to choosing the classic option.

I think this is why I love the brand Chanel so much, the brand DNA is classic styling.

Time and time again, the simple elegance of a classic is what I truly desire, I love timeless pieces.

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OVER ACCESSORISING

I think it’s the Italian in me, I am definitely not one for taking any accessories off, just as I am about to head out of the door.

I finish the ‘art of dressing an outfit’ always with accessories; I select them based on my mood at the time and what I am doing – I am very much… more, is more!

I love embellishments on a garment; I love buttons that looks like gems – I just like my classics to look a little bit different.

Whilst at times I would love to embrace the Scandinavian vibe, my heart firmly sits with ‘edgy’ the need to take it one level up from wherever anyone else would leave it!