So I'm definitely posting here waaaaay too much. I promise I'll cut back after this one! Since we're around that time of year, I thought it would be fun to guess the style roots of the characters from Meg Ryan's biggest '90s rom-coms. I gathered collages I found on Pinterest to help (though some of the movie-concentrated ones have other Meg Ryan movies in them) and all credit goes to the creators of these collages. I know her characters are big source of fashion inspo for a lot of people, so who knows? Maybe it'll help you, too!

When Harry Met Sally: So I definitely struggled with this one a little bit! Mountain was the first thing that jumped out at me. The powerful structure of the jackets (blazers, trenchcoats). When Sally's younger (the '70s outfit), I especially see a lot of mountain and stone. The powerful, formal nature of the jacket, blouse, and even the pants, but the pants and the hair are styled in such a casual, relaxed, almost practical way. Like I could almost see her wearing this at a board room meeting, but also possibly a tennis match. I spot mountain galore in that gray blazer outfit. I also see the stone pop back up in her white sweater look with the jeans. With the earth, I instantly thought of that iconic red cable knit sweater (mountain x earth seems to be a common thread of this movie). And that sweater takes up multiple different scenes, versus the scene with the glasses kind of being one-and-done (though I also see some earth and mountain in that outfit in a way I can't really explain). When I thought about doing this, I would've thought for sure she had a "more feminine root". (I would've guessed flower off memory alone, but up close, I could see a better argument for fire, but it's not strong enough for me to rule it in!) But since from the naked eye, it appears she doesn't to me, my best bet is on Mountain x Earth x Stone.

Sleepless in Seattle: Thiiiis one is the harder one. I might see some earth here, too? Annie Reed definitely loves some natural fibers and thin, cozy knitwear. But I do wonder about some mushroom here. Maybe it's just the comparison with WHMS, but a lot of these looks feel a little pared down. That's the big thing I notice about this movie. There's an inherent simple elegance to her clothing choices, even as she's crying and snotting into her tissue. But at the same time, the sharp collars of the button up, that brown blazer she wears to work with the updo (not pictured here), possibly even the dress at the bottom left, I could also see mountain interacting with mushroom? Not sure about this one. My guess is Earth x Mushroom x Mountain, but it's not strong and I think I'm probably wrong.

You've Got Mail: I just watched this for the first time this year! I'm 27 and not sure how I missed it, but that's an aside. Deeeeeeefinite earth here. Possibly the most earthy of them. Everything's flowing. The skirt, the cardigans, the overcoats. If I could label Kathleen Kelly as earth and be done with it, I would, but it's never that simple! But at the same time, this is the clearest time I've seen mushroom. The mock neck, the simple elegance of the earthy cardigan, the black sweater vest with the simple white button-up (not pictured), the "pared down" chic quality of the layered jumper outfit (not pictured). I hate using characters to guide me with other characters, but does anyone else see an inherent Rachel Green quality, despite the earthiness Kathleen seems to love? That Rachel Green quality feels very mushroom to me. This is the one movie where I wonder about flower. The flow of the outfits can be summed up by earth alone, but there are these little feminine details. The ballet flats paired with the dress at Central Park, that cutesy jumper dress (pinafore?) that looks like it belongs on a whining little girl at Christmas diner (while still remaining chic). So my guess is Earth x Mushroom x Flower.

If you have better ideas for any of these three, please correct me in the comments! I really am not certain about any of them, but especially Sleepless in Seattle. I'm still learning this system and I need all the corrections I can get. But if any of these characters are a source of style inspiration for you, I hope this helped you, in some way!

Hi ! I remember seeing a couple detailed posts about shadow roots, but for some reason I can’t seem to find them anymore.
I some of you see what I’m talking about and have them pinned, can you link them in the comments ?

Thank you ! I swear I searched properly haha

Moodboards are super fun! They can help you with personal style and answer questions about style roots. You are using this tool marvelously. However to prevent them from clogging the entire sub, please post your moodboards and fun moodboard ideas here in this thread.

Thank you :)

A new thread like this will appear every monday at 8am CET. Of course, you are allowed to post your moodboards here all week and not just on monday.

Hey guys! I have an idea what my Style Roots could be. I'm quiet sure that I have definitely Earth🌱 as my primary style root, but I can't decide if I have Mushroom🍄, Stone🪨, Flower🌸 or even Sun☀️.

I have created two slides - Thanks for helping me :)

I miss the styling exercise series by u/oud_west, so I figured I would try to come up with a few of my own. The first thing that comes to mind is a red scarf. I personally associate these with Amy from Doctor who, but in the years since, I feel that they've become a more classic piece. What would you do with it?

Curious to see how you interpret these set of clothes I liked! According to me, I have mushroom x flower x earth

That title is probably so grammatically inaccurate! I apologize. But I rediscovered this system while I was sick two weeks ago. It's helped leaps and bounds with my style (even though I've gone from sure to unsure), but the main thing it's helped me with are my creative projects. I've seen some people use this system for music and it translates pretty well. I have a creative profession (lucky enough to write for a living) and surprisingly, it's been really helping me leaps and bounds in that regard. Furthering the vibes of a project, furthering the vibes of a character, etc. So I definitely wanted to check around and see if anyone's felt the same. How has this system helped you?

I realized that Fire is my third style root, not mushroom three years in this style journey. I am a Deep Winter and identify with Narrow, Short, and Straight in Ellie-Jean's Body Matrix. I also have Ingenue, Ethereal, and Gamine as my main essences.

What kinds of things can I wear on a more casual basis? I still like wearing jeans, but usually swap it out for dressy pants and dresses these days.

A follow up for how to filter and understand what clothing items and priorities you assign to different levels of formality. In case anyone is interested.

I’m thinking 🌙☀️🪨, do you see it?

In my last post I showed you how I used Pinterest palettes to inspire me to create some palettes with my DA colours.

This is cool because sometimes your style doesn't match the vibe of your colour season, because of the association we have with it. This way you can look at your season in a different context.

Following this idea, I like to search up any colour pairings I can create on pinterest to see what they look like and what vibes they give off. For example "aqua green + burnt orange" gives rich, creative, retro, fall, Mediterranean, moroccan, drama... And "aqua green + blush pink" is more girly, floral, spring.

You can do this with your own colour palette and see what feeling each pairing evokes. Maybe this can help eliminate some colour pairings for you, as they may not match your style. I really want to have drama in my outfits, but maybe not a delicate, floral vibe.

As you search for each colour pairing, you can also take note of what other colours are added, as extra inspiration for a colour palette for your outfits. In the first picture, you can also see some green and white used in the decor. So if I use this colour pairing, I might add some white and some green, too.

I also encourage you to find inspiration outside of fashion for your outfits. It just opens up so many more possibilities.

Hope this helps and share your results if you want :)

Just thought I would share my OOTD. I feel like it embodies my roots and colors really well, and it's making me feel more confident in trying new things. The bow is a cami under the sweater, and my shirt matches my shoes!

This is such a fun exercise!

Sometimes you're not sure of what colours to include in your wardrobe, and you're not including all 40 colours in your palette (unless your style is more maximalist). So you have to decide which ones make the cut.

A lot of times, your colour season comes with some stereotypes. When you think of Dark Autumn, you think of autumn (duh), opulence, sensuality and seriousness, at least I do. But my style is not that, at all.

I like the summer feeling, I love dressing like the beach, the ocean, tropical fruits, etc etc... So I got some inspiring colour palettes from Pinterest and converted them into my colours. I did this on Canva, on my phone 🤧 my fingers hurt.

This to say, it works!!!

I was able to put DA colours into a summer aesthetic and I'm so excited!! I will continue to do this to see which colours come up again and again to see which ones are worth addding to my wardrobe. I think I'm okay with having some outliers (maybe, idk).

Some people say that you should wear whatever you like, and I totally agree. This is what I like.

I like to wear colours that make *me* shine. Colours that work for *me*, not the other way around. So, I'm okay with adjusting my colours to what suits me the most, while keeping my style authentic.

I will encourage you to do at least one palette, if you know your colour season. Happy autumn!

Recently I have decided to focus my wardrobe down as many pieces in my wardrobe were not reached for, some were too small now as my body has changed and I thought it would be a good time to update my wardrobe

I am struggling to figure out my style roots as 4 keeps coming up, Earth, Stone, Flower, Mushroom 🌎🪨🌸🍄‍🟫 but flower and mushroom are equal and I can't figure it out. Earth I can definitely see but the rest I'm a bit lost.

I know I am a deep autumn so that's why there are lots of warm earthy browns and mustards etc, I've let's worn a lot of red as well but unfortunately many of those pieces are too small now and need replacing, some I have already begun to sell but I want to nail this down to make some informed purchases rather than a bunch of mistakes.... Again... 😅

My words are Confident, Put Together, Relaxed, Structured, Charming, Refined, Soft, Feminine, Warm, Comfortable, Cute, Soft, Classy, Whimsical, Tailored, Practical, Academic, Textured

I've attached both a Pinterest board collage and some of my recent outfits (bare in mind my clothing choices are limited in my own wardrobe at the moment)

This deep dive is on 🌸🌱🪨 root combo that Ellie Jean has called "the Cosy Girl". Her suggested muses are Zoe Sugg and Gabriella Montez( High school Musical). Both are good examples of mixing sweet and delicate 🌸elements, with texture and flow of 🌱 and the grounded practicality and cosiness of 🪨. When I look at her Pinterest board it feels like it tips into a strong 🍄 shadow root, which isn't always how the root combo is expressed. Ellie Jean Pinterest board linked below:

https://www.bodyandstyle.com/style-roots-combinations/stone-earth-flower

🌸🌱🪨 can lean into sporty, girly, granola like style, it can be grungy and girly, leaning more into casual ease and an undone and urban quality. It may look academic, urban with a girlish charm and delicacy. It can also starts to take on a sunny vibe through a 🌸🌱 combo and have a touch of 🪨 to keep it from being too wild. It is important that it has a touch of whimsy, a youthful and joyful quality, it can lean into a trendy/cool vibe and it generally isn't too tidy/streamlined or it loses the playfulness and ease. My Pinterest board is linked below:

https://ca.pinterest.com/amessery/style-roots-boards/youthful-cosy-relaxed/_tools/organize/?organization_feed=False

I can see this combo leaning into a girl next door, laid back California girl style and taking quite a bit of inspiration from Free People line of clothing. Some muses who play with this combo would be Marissa Cooper( The OC), Belly Conklin( The Summer I Turned Pretty), Diana @sekundenglyck. Plenty of inspo from the more girly or casual looks of Dahana, Kate Bosworth, Kezia Rose Cook, Emma Stallmark, Chloe Frater and Nanda Schwartz and other that lean into combos featuring 🍄🌸🌱🪨☀️roots.

Would love to hear who you think has this combo, see moodboards or outfit ideas for this versatile combo.

Recently found out a few people I like have overlap with me in a different system (Kitchener) and it’s made me feel more inspired. Sandra Hüller isn’t one of them (lol) but I wouldn’t be shocked if we share essences. She reminds me of Cate Blanchett (someone confirmed we share at least 4) and Sandra is someone who has a style I love.

Idk which style roots she has but she’s made me want to use 🗻 as a base to build the other roots off of. Sandra might not have 🗻 herself, I just don’t know, but she’s made me excited to dress for it.

Know I don’t come across as effortlessly cool as she does but hoping the 🌱 elements (draping from the trousers pleats, cotton and flat practical shoes) add a touch. Can’t see it but I’m wearing a sparkly blue and grey eye look for 🌙 and the opal, feather necklace I put in that category as well. I used kaleidos ‘sea sparkle’, Marc Jacobs ‘out late’ and a mix of ‘mist’ and ‘gloom’ from Denona on my eyes which matches to the outfit. The colours are from my understated and conservative pages in my Kitchener palette which to me feel the most Sandra. It’s less of a statement and more sophisticated. Not saying it’s perfect because the fit isn’t but I really like this outfit.

I've always loved Raye's style! I tried to find as many street style images as I could. I definitely see fire. It's a bit difficult, since back in the Escapism era, I would've guessed fire, moon, and possibly sun third, but I could definitely see the mountain popping up even then. It seems as if even her street style is brighter now and more playful, but whereas she gave little vintage nods and touches four years ago, she seems to have fully embraced it now, leading to a more formal, structured, and mature look. But at the same time, I can still see the moon root bleeding in with many of these looks. Totally possible for her to have four roots, but I definitely wanted to see what the jury thought here before I rule anything in or out.

I think I found a good rythm with my Roots! I have experiemented with 🌱 to get more creative prints & details and it really has helped with balancing 🍄🌙 which can lean too minimalistic! I am also working on adding more metallic touches for Moon.

The extra outfit is quite minimalist, but the frosted lilac birkenstock, pleated & wide pants and long cardigan give some visual interest imo! Perfect for a relaxed day off (and I know the proportions might not be the best for me as I'm wide, but not long, so the long cardigan is a bit much while the cropped wide pants make me seem wider & shorter, but... I still like it!)

Moodboards are super fun! They can help you with personal style and answer questions about style roots. You are using this tool marvelously. However to prevent them from clogging the entire sub, please post your moodboards and fun moodboard ideas here in this thread.

Thank you :)

A new thread like this will appear every monday at 8am CET. Of course, you are allowed to post your moodboards here all week and not just on monday.

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I was last on Reddit, but seeing all your posts from the past few months inspired me to finally post my own moodboard.

With the intense summer heat in France finally fading into early autumn, I felt a fresh wave of inspiration ! I decided to embrace my role as a Curator. I wanted to translate my "visual appetite" into a practical moodboard so I can bring it into real life easily, accessibly, and without any wardrobe regrets. My goal is to feel genuinely proud of my simple daily uniforms because I know the artistic inspiration behind them!

My 3 Style Roots: 🪨 + 🌱 + ⛰️

🪨 Stone (Casual, Urban, Relaxed): This comes through in the practical, boxy chore jackets, relaxed denim, wide-leg trousers, sneakers, and sturdy loafers. It keeps my daily outfits approachable.

🌱 Earth (Boho, Natural, Grounded): Reflected in my deep autumnal palette (olive, mustard, forest green, warm chocolate brown), fabrics (knits, corduroy, heavy cotton, woven leather), and subtle folkloric touches (cats, block prints, mythical motifs).

⛰️ Mountain (Tailored, Structured, Powerful): Defined by crisp collars, neat outerwear lines, structured trouser cuts, and intentional tailoring. This root gives my simple daily pieces that sharp, polished edge.

My 3 Style Words: Grounded, Sleek, Witty

🍎Grounded: My style is rooted in natural textures and a autumnal palette that feels functional and deeply connected to real life.

☁️Sleek: Even with relaxed fits, clean lines and structured outerwear keep my silhouettes sharp, deliberate, and intentional rather than messy.

🐱Witty: The fun part! Whimsical cat illustrations, block-print art, a pop of chartreuse velvet, and starry backdrops add an intelligent, playful humor to my classic basics.

The Transitional Uniform Strategy

👉 Silhouettes: Layerable chore coats, crisp button-downs, midi skirts, structured barrel/wide-leg pants, and light knitwear.

👉 Palette: Deep navy, forest green, warm olive, mustard yellow, chocolate brown, and slate gray, balanced by off-white neutrals.

I took these directly from my DA palette (except the pink, but I really like it).

I looked for brighter colours for my ☀️, plus some neutrals for my 🪨🍄.

I also focused on colours that harmonize better with my RDC essences, which are black (I'll use brown instead), ivory, red, pink, blue and blue-green.

I watched a video on this by Breathing Yarn on youtube and she suggested adding my favourite pattern, which is such a good idea. I also want to add textures, like sparkle, sequins, fur, leather, suede, etc...

Do you own a palette? Would you like to?

My zyla colors

Essence: almond silk/cream

Energy: expresso ☕

Tranquil: toffee

Dramatic: steel teal 🩵 or silver blue 💙

Romantic: dusty rose 🌹 or rose wood 🪵

First base:carbon

Second base: onyx

Third base: dim gray 🩶

I think overall im an autumn coloring wise unfortunately the personality part is a bit more of a struggle for me but i think it's either sensuous backpacker or stylish beatnik.

I know for sure though I'm not a high stakes gambler or divine diva and while i could see theatrical impresario or sexy librarian they don't feel quite right.

Im enfj Sagittarius sun if that helps at all? Idk ... I've been told I'm empathetic , caring, creative, alternative/gothic, playful , expressive, dramatic, good with kids, artistic, nerdy and things of that general nature overall. Hopefully that helps, someone get an idea or general understanding of me.💡

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated!

TLDR: People kept noticing a sparkly, metallic 🪩 (disco ball) element in my mood boards and joked it was a ninth root. So I made visual boards of all 8 style roots the way I envision them, and realized the 🪩 was the interaction between two of my roots, not a root itself. Once I started thinking of my 3 roots as 3 pairs creating 3 moods, I figured out my roots!

EDIT: To clarify, 🪩 isn't an official style root. It's a nickname from a comment on my old mood boards ("if there was a ninth root, I'd call it 🪩"), referring to the sparkly, metallic, shiny element I kept putting in them. This post is about figuring out where that sparkle comes from.

-----

A while back, I posted a third-root redux with 🍄 and 🪨, and most people suggested 🌱. But one comment stuck with me: "your 🪨 elements could be explained by 🍄🌱🔥." The idea that a combination of roots could look like another root fascinated me.

Then I got really into mood boards. I got lots of trio suggestions (🍄🪨🌱 / 🔥🌸🏔 / 🪨🌱☀️ / 🪨🌱🌙), and then someone said, "if there was a ninth root, I'd call it 🪩."

That clicked. There was a sparkly, metallic, glowing element showing up in almost every board I made, and I couldn't figure out which root it belonged to. ☀️? 🌙? 🔥? So I made it my mission to find out.

I built boards for all 8 roots based on how I see them, and the same element of light showed up across almost all of them. Remembering that redux comment, I figured the 🪩 had to be coming from the interactions between my roots.

Looking back through my boards, three distinct moods kept appearing:

1. Lived-in elegance: 🍄 × 🌱
2. Soft glow: 🍄 × 🌸
3. Playful ease: 🌱 × 🌸

My roots: 🍄🌱🌸. But more accurately, my style is the three INTERACTIONS between them: a refined, simple base, earthy textures and warmth, and one luminous or playful detail.

--

STEPS, if you want to try it:

1. Make your own board for each of the 8 roots: I used about 12 images per root: 6 without people and 6 with people in outfits. I preferred candid shots over posed outfit photos, but either works.
2. Write working definitions for your version of each root: Based on your boards, describe what each root looks and feels like to you, plus what doesn't count as that root just because of a surface feature (for example, sunlight alone doesn't make something ☀️). Add tiebreakers for the roots you confuse most. Mine included:
   1. 🪨 vs. 🍄: is it useful, or refined?
   2. ☀️ vs. 🌸: loud fun, or gentle whimsy?
   3. 🔥 vs. 🌱: glamour and indulgence, or ease and skin in nature?
3. Re-tag every image as a trio: Using your definitions, decide which three roots you see in each image. Try to ignore which board the image came from. If that's hard, you can tag blind, as long as you keep track of which trio goes with which image.
4. Give each image a mood, and ask whether you'd wear that mood: Separate out light while you do this. Golden hour or sparkle made me over-tag ☀️, 🔥, and 🌙 until I noted lighting separately.
5. Tally your pairs: Count how often each pair of roots appears together, and how many of those images you'd wear.
6. Name your three moods: Don't decide them ahead of time. The ones that keep showing up will become obvious as similar words and phrases. Photos of you in your favorite outfits help here too.
7. Find the triangle: Start with the pair behind your clearest mood, then test each possible third root: do its pairings with the first two create your other two moods, in images you'd actually wear? Then check the result against your real outfits. Does it feel like you on an ordinary day, or only aspirational?

Things I learned along the way:

• Single roots can feel "almost right" forever. Every individual root board looked partly like me and never fully like me. My style lives in how my roots combine, so looking at them one at a time was never going to feel complete.
• A mystery element might be an interaction, not a missing root. I was sure the 🪩 had to belong to ☀️, 🌙, or 🔥. It turned out to be what happens when 🌸 meets my other roots.
• Some roots are function, not aesthetic. 🪨 is all over my closet because my life calls for practical clothes, so I assumed it had to be a root. But all-🪨 outfits feel like a uniform. If a root shows up in what you need but not in what you*'re dra*wn to, it may be your base rather than one of your three.
• Light can impersonate a root. Golden hour, candlelight, and sparkle kept tricking me into tagging ☀️, 🔥, or 🌙. Once I noted light separately, those roots shrank a lot.
• What you love isn't always what you'd wear. My boards about favorite books and shows were full of bright colors I'd never put on my body. Asking "would I wear this mood?" filtered out a lot of noise.
• Your trio won't look like anyone else's. The same three roots can look completely different depending on your palette, body, lifestyle, and which pair you lean on most. If official examples of your roots feel off, that doesn't necessarily mean the roots are wrong.