Style Logs: Welcome Chelsea Gregoire

I am terrible at introducing myself.

I don’t forget my name or anything; it’s more that I have to pick which Chelsea to introduce. I am 25 years old, and condensing my resume into one page is a week long task of debating which things are least important…is this a normal problem to have?

My chosen style is the most all-encompassing way that I could introduce myself. The clothes I choose to keep in my closet tell you what I’m into, what I’m working on, how I allot my time.

Chelsea Gregoire. Photo: Shandi Chester

For example, I have a massive t-shirt collection, and I rarely wear them. My fiancée, an artist and sex blogger, thinks that I am a borderline hoarder. I swear I’m not. The person who looks through my t-shirt collection, however, will know more about me than most anyone else in my life.

“You watch hockey?” Yep.

“You love whiskey a lot, don’t you?” Hell yes.

“You…went to seminary? How? Why? How…” Yes, that happened. And I may go back.

Cue the puzzled looks from me, to the seminary t-shirt, to the “Whiskey Missionary” t-shirt, back to me.

What is most important to know, though, is that branding is one of the most significant concepts in my life. I brand myself by how I carry myself, how I speak, and especially what I wear. I find that feeling confident in what I wear carries over into my confidence when I am out in the world, and I greatly value professionalism at the same time. When I pick out my outfit for the day, I am branding myself, and I am deciding how I will feel and how people will understand my brand…me. And as I begin this next adventure, which includes opening my own business, this will become ever more important.

Photo: Shandi Chester

All this being said, I’m going to use my style log to examine how my style fits into every aspect of my skill set, my passions, and my relationships. It’s all there, it’s just in the fine details—the three lines I have the barber cut into my fade behind my ear, the lacing of my shoes, the fit of my pants, the cuff on my shirt sleeves.

And, honestly, I think we’d all be better off if we cared about the fine details, in ourselves and in others.

Cheers,

Chelsea