"Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” - Coco Chanel

I find this to be an interesting quote. A simple sentence that says so much. Because in fact, fashion and style are not interchangeable terms. Sometimes they are even at utter odds. It has been observed that those we typically see as fashionable - fashion icons, fashion magazine editors, stylists, etc. are not really fashionable at all. They're stylish. So what is the difference, you ask? Fashion is a mutable energy, a common taste, forever changing and always staying one step ahead. Fashion is a reflection of society. Fashion is throwing a bunch of ideas at a wall and seeing what sticks. Fashion is all the latest trends you see in fashion magazines and on those trendy celebs you see out and about. Fashion is the carefully marketed offerings one finds in all the popular stores. Fashion is a science and can be measured, predicted, defined. Fashion is created to be copied. Fashion leads, fashion follows. Fashion is cyclic. Fashion is fun, experimental, temporary.

Style, on the other hand, is constant, never predictable but always confident. Style is timeless, seasonless, dateless. Style is the physical manifestation of one's personality. Style is dressing for no one but oneself. Style is an instinct. Style is knowing how to choose, to predict, to wear, to combine. Style is knowing how to take a look and make it uniquely yours, to own it. Style is not caring what other people think. Style is never walking into an event and seeing someone dressed exactly the way you are. Style is having people who know you look at an item of clothing and say "Oh, that is so her!" Style doesn't have a template, it cuts it's own path. Style is built around a core and can take years to create, hone, refine, develop. Style is having a signature look. Style is reflective, thoughtful, provocative. Style is forever.