I have been told that I was obsessed with clothing from the very beginning and was known to make multiple outfit changes in one day (much like my daughter does now haha)!
I can distinctly remember picking out a pair of patent leather mary janes at the mall, and convincing my mom to buy them even though they were a size too small! I loved them so much that apparently I was willing to suffer for fashion at the age of 5! |
STYLE AS EXPRESSIONFor myself, style is a visual expression of who I am. I was painfully shy growing up, and while I'm not nearly as shy now that I'm an adult, I think I learned how to use my clothing as a way to convey my personality to others without having to speak. So it's kind of social in that it's a useful conversation starter, and it's still how I tend to meet people out in the real world now (and through my blog/IG for that matter)!
It's also very personal because it's deeply intertwined with how I feel about myself, how I want to feel as I occupy space in the world around me. These ideas have obviously morphed a bit over the years; from a kid obsessed with Punky Brewster, to a punk/emo teenager, to a very literal interpretation of vintage style in my twenties, to a more practical kind of work wear-inspired uniform today. I think I'm a little Marie Kondo about my wardrobe! Whenever I get something new, I try it on for fit. Fit is number one, but after that, I sit there and really think about whether or not I love it. If there is even one tiny detail off, it will always bug me. So I try to be very honest with myself about why I want something new, if it really fits into my wardrobe, if I'll wear it enough and love it enough to justify the space in my closet.
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For myself, style is a visual expression of who I am.
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Blogging and BeingSince I've been blogging for practically my entire adult life, it's hard to even know exactly how deeply it's affected my style, but I would say that it's helped me to really explore both my personal style and also the fashion industry in general.
I started out really obsessed with vintage because I was young and I was into countercultures and it was an economical way for me to really experiment with my style, while also opting out of the big trends. It was an easy way to escape from the mall and to find my own creative expression. That appreciation for vintage, sifting through clothes from decades past, is also what really gave me my fashion history education! Being so intimately involved with clothing and selling vintage taught me a lot about textiles, construction, fit. It became this foundation that led me on my search for what I eventually discovered to be "slow fashion." It started because as I grew older, my vintage wardrobe became a lot more precious to me. I keep a lot of my favorites as keepsakes, but I don't wear them as often because I don't know that I will ever be able to replace them. So I wanted to find new garments that were constructed like my vintage favorites. At the same time, I was working in fashion and learned a lot about the complexities of production, specifically the ways that brands work so hard to lower prices at the expense of quality, but more importantly, human rights and the environment. I was also making friends with smaller, independent designers who were really focused on finding great textiles and producing more ethically. So it was really this very natural progression. |
Somewhere in that process over the past several years, I made a very quiet resolution within myself to try to avoid fast fashion all together and to just see if I could do it. Now I keep a very small wardrobe of very thoughtfully constructed clothing that fits and makes me feel good, and I've never looked back!
Images: Erin Perez Hagstrom for the Ginny & Jude Women Project