Do you have a "look?"

I do not have a look.  Or if I do, I am not aware of it.

I have always wanted a look but it never came naturally to me, which is strange since I was always interested in fashion.  I just lacked the energy to make it happen, I guess.  

It also has to do with my being raised to believe you weren't supposed to put too much emphasis on appearances, as well as growing up male in a culture where men are not supposed to be interested in clothes.

So I've been highly ambivalent about cultivating a look, as well as judgmental of those -- men in particular -- who seemed (to me) to be overly focused on their appearance.

I generally think of dressing up as theater.  It's fun to wear a costume and perform, but I don't want to do it every day.  It feels like work.

Sometimes I wish I wore glasses because they can give you an instant look.  But I'm cursed with perfect vision.

The thing about a look though, is how do you know if you have one or not?  I mean, everybody looks a certain way, but not everybody has a look.

Maybe a look is like obscenity: it's hard to define but you know it when you see it.

Casey and Gertie definitely have a look.

Many people copy the style of a particular celebrity and that becomes their look -- often for life.  In my apartment building, for instance, we have a Liza, a few Farrahs, and something vaguely-Leslie Uggams.  Our Betty Grable suffers from acute senility, poor thing, but she still gets the lipstick and eyeshadow on.

When I walk around the city, or go to the Chelsea flea market on weekends, I always see people -- both men and women -- who have fabulous looks.  It's more than appearing fashionable: they have found a way to express themselves through clothes that is both highly original and extremely flattering.  It's like alchemy.

One of the surprises when I started sewing and getting involved with Pattern Review was how many passionate sewers are turning out ordinary-looking -- albeit attractive -- clothes.  No doubt they fit better than RTW (ready to wear) and are constructed of higher quality fabrics, but sewing for most people isn't about creating a look, or at least, not one that I can readily discern.  Most people just want to look nice. 

When I think about looks, I remember something I read about about one's identity in some psychology book: There's the you you are, the you you think you are, the you others think you are, and so forth.

I think you could say the same thing about your look:  there's the look you have; there's the look you think you have; there's the look others think you have, etc.

Then I'm reminded of the old "if a tree fell in the forest" question:  if you think you have a look, but nobody recognizes it as a look, then do you really have a look at all?

This can get confusing and potentially vertigo-inducing, like when you look up at the stars at night and wonder where the universe ends. 

So I ask you, readers:

Do you have a conscious look?  If so, how do you describe it? 

If you don't have a look, would you like one?  What would it be?

Do tell.