How to Combine Your Style Roots | the 56 style identities
The 56 Combinations
You have a unique style identity. The 8 Style Roots help to define these identities and polish them, so that every day you show up as yourself. Although you can have combinations of two or four roots to guide your style, three is the optimum number, for a few reasons. Firstly, the number three is appealing to people - it’s why we use the rule of three in literature, interior design and fashion; groups of three are satisfying to the human mind. Secondly, three creates the most cohesive yet interesting balance - with only two roots, its easy for your style to feel a little simple or predictable, whereas with four roots, your style can feel a little scattered as it is harder to stress each one in every outfit. Three is both achievable and aspirational.
With that said, there are 56 groups of 3 you can make from the 8 style roots. You could take this one step further and say there are actually dozens - if not hundreds - more combinations because people have roots in different priorities e.g. someone with the style roots sun, mushroom and flower (in that order) would look different to flower, mushroom and sun; however, I find that in reality, this is a little too rigid - sometimes your order shifts, whether it be for an event, or just through the seasons of life. Although I don’t believe your three roots change, as they are the three pillars you can rely on throughout your life, I do believe sometimes one feels more important than the other. For example, I might lean on mushroom more in a work setting, and flower at a family event - I am still being true to myself, but bringing out a certain element of my unique combination in certain environments.
Pinterest Boards
I am making a set of Pinterest boards for each of the 56 combinations so you can see how your roots might manifest themselves together. If you are not sure which style roots you have, you should check out the Style Streams Exercise to help you find them.
Putting it into practise…
Most of us have more than one thing that influences us, and therefore our personal style. We are all multi-faceted, and our style looks the most unique and impactful when it too has multiple elements working together.
To make sure your outfits are all seamless and not a mish-mash, EACH piece should contain elements of each of your style roots
for example…
Both of these outfits below share style roots: mountain, moon and fire, but they execute it differently.
The outfit on the left is okay, but it feels very ‘of-the-moment’, whereas the outfit on the right feels timeless but with some personality.
You are unsure who the woman of the left is: is she feminine, edgy or smart? We don’t know. Whereas the outfit on the left gives the impression of a sophisticated women who has a little spice - this is much more exciting concept.
The problem with the outfit on the left is that if you took each piece away you would be left with a completely different outfit - each piece is an extreme example of a style root - whereas almost every item on the outfit on the right has at least two elements which are mountain, moon and fire. There is more mountain than anything else, but that’s okay - mountain would be her dominant style root, with the other two influencing the look. It doesn’t have to be equal!
LEFT
tulle skirt - fire
leather jacket - moon
exaggerated shape - mountain
RIGHT
skirt
lace- moon + fire
simple silhouette - mountain
moderate length - mountain
bag
snakeskin print - moon + fire
structured - mountain
leather - mountain + moon
shirt
sheer - fire
smart and modest - mountain
clean white - mountain
shoes
heel - fire + mountain
leather - mountain + moon
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