About

Important note: I have been blogging throughout my process of discovering these systems and how they work. Since some things I have written about in the past I have changed my mind about, so please keep that in mind while reading. At this point, I am satisfied with where I have placed myself in various systems and feel solid in my knowledge of them, but I am always happy to answer questions in the comments!

About the Site

I have a linguistics background (and a linguistics-related job). In linguistics, syntax is the structure, such as grammar. Semantics is how the words we place into these structures interact with one another to create meaning. I see these style systems as structure, as the syntax of our style language, and our personalities (likes, dislikes, style influences, etc.) as the semantics. The syntax you need to make your style work and look good is determined by things like body type, coloring, and the overall impression you give.

Style Syntax is about exploring these things and figuring out how to make them work for you. Style systems are a shorthand for figuring out what the key elements of your style should be. There are lots of them out there, but right now I focus on David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis and Dressing Your Truth. These are the two systems I know best, and the ones that seem to be the most popular. They also focus on more than just “correcting” your figure, and instead try to help you figure out how to bring out your own natural beauty. I am also interested in David Zyla and Fantastical Beauty. I am aware of other systems, but I have decided that they are not ones I want to explore.

I got interested in style systems, color analysis, etc. because I was feeling lost, style-wise, in my late 20s. I wanted to develop an adult style that reflects who I am. So Style Syntax also partially focuses on my own experiences, and where I am currently with my style and how I am working with these systems. You can read about about my personal experiences here.

I am also interested in the history of style systems, and you can see the results in my research in the Historical tab.

If you need to reach me, you can reach me by email (hello@stylesyntax.com>hello@stylesyntax.com) or Facebook. Thanks for reading!

-Vanessa

8 Comments on About

  1. Tordis
    July 8, 2014 at 8:00 am

    Hi Vanessa! I love your blog although it has only started 🙂
    I’d love to follow your blog via email, could you insert such a function? (and maybe rss for all the rss-lovers out there, too?)

    Reply
  2. stylesyntax
    July 8, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    @Tordis Thank you! I will do that once I figure out how exactly I want to do it.

    I did add an RSS link, though.

    Reply
  3. A.
    July 19, 2014 at 10:20 pm

    This is a really good blog, and I’m glad to have found it. You make this easy to understand (no small feat). Please keep it up! 🙂 I’ll be following you.

    Reply
  4. Dianne
    August 6, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    You are doing a great job! This blog is fantastic. Thank you for sharing all of your work.

    Dianne

    Reply
  5. Tabitha
    November 6, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    Hi, Vanessa, I am so glad you are writing this blog. I am also in my late 20s and have been reading about color and style analysis for the past few years. I have had a color analysis, and I hope to one day get a style consultation done and another color analysis since I’m not completely at ease with the type I got (soft summer). I appreciate your tackling this complex subject and the way you link together multiple different brands, systems, and websites on the matter.

    Reply
    • stylesyntax
      November 6, 2014 at 10:57 pm

      Thank you! I hope you find it helpful, although I’m still learning everything myself.

      Reply
    • stylesyntax
      January 15, 2016 at 1:56 pm

      Ah ha, thank you!

      Reply

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