Okay, I know, in Part 2, I promised a list of my likes (and, now that I think about it, dislikes) in clothes, but I just had to tell you about this right now:

Newsflash: I’ve found a style icon!

Remember in Part 1 of this series when I mentioned my quest for something, anything to give me a starting point for my newly-evolving style? Well, I’ve found it incredibly difficult, possibly because I was looking more at women whose style has been famous for decades, the same ones most of us think of immediately: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, etc. And while I love and admire all these and many more, and can find elements of their styles that might work for me, no one woman has felt like the right fit for me. This is good, actually, since it means I still have some sense of individuality going on; I don’t want to be a clone of anyone.

But it also adds to my confusion about who I am, style-wise. I mean, where do I start? Hence my search for someone who embodies not specifically the way I want to look, but more how I want to feel in my clothes.

This morning, I found her, not in our cinematic past, but very much a present-day star: Christina Hendricks!

All you Mad Men fans will recognize her immediately; many of the photos I’ve pinned onto this board are taken from the Mad Men set. But there are also plenty of Christina on the red carpet, at fashion shows, on magazine covers, and on the street. She’s gorgeous wherever she is.

Yes, she is 14 years younger than me, and she appears to be quite a bit slimmer in her midsection than me. However, in addition to the curviness of our figures, here are other similarities I’m noticing between Christina and me.

We both:

• are tall;
• have red hair and fair skin;
• have large busts;
• have sloping shoulders;
• have proportionally small waists;
• have long legs.

Interesting. When I look at the photos of Christina on my Pinterest board, I notice right away that she dresses in a way that emphasizes at least one of these features. Even the slope of her shoulders (which I don’t particularly like about my own body) is a feature that Christina doesn’t seem to mind; I see very few shoulder-padded garments on her.

She places emphasis on:

• her bust, with a focus on interesting necklines; not always super-revealing, in fact, some necklines actually de-emphasize the girls;
• her waist, with wrap tops/dresses, wide belts, and interesting seaming/embellishment at the waist;
• her coloring, wearing mostly deep jewel tones that complement her red hair and fair skin;
• her height/long legs, with knee-length pencil skirts/dresses and heels;
• her shoulders, with necklines that widen out as they go up from her bust.

I just love the fact that Christina clearly dresses to celebrate her curves, not to hide them— nary a loose-fitting garment in sight! Most of what she wears (at least when she’s being photographed) is quite body-conscious; even the dresses that are a little drapier (ooh, that was almost a Mad Men pun!) are nipped in at the waist, allowing the rest to float around her body. I am also enamored of the way she puts her own spin on menswear, which creates a delicious yin-yang effect on her feminine silhouette.

Again, I’m not saying I’m going to start dressing exactly like Christina (or anyone else). I’m simply inspired by her style. I want to be myself! Playing up the unique aspects of me, including (but not limited to) physical looks, is ultimately the key to effective personal style.

Next time, I really will get into my clothing likes and dislikes. It will be very interesting to see how these items will connect with Christina’s vintage vibe!

Catch up: Part 1 of this series, and Part 2