.028 FINDING YOUR STYLE: PART I

Working retail makes for a lot of time to space out as loud music blares in the background and as customers destroy perfectly folded piles of clothing. More often than not, I think about the million ways I can off myself but when I am not lost in the despair of my mediocre way of living, I am thinking of how someday this will all pay off and how I will become a style advisor to the stars - or something like that. 

So this past week I have been cooking up ways to help people establish their personal style. The first step is to admit that style comes naturally for some and that the rest need a little guidance. If this were not the case, then I would be out of a future career. Accept this first step and you are good to go.

I thought, in lieu of recent events (a story for another time), I should dedicate my next posts to creating a guide to style. This will not be a guide to trends. As Ralph Lauren says, "Style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over quickly. Style is forever." Rather, this will be a step-by-step process on how to create and shape your own personal style. Think of this as a foundation. Eventually, I will release you like a bird to the wind, or some other terrible analogy that involves setting you free into the world with a better sense of self and personal style.

THE UNOFFICIAL STYLE GUIDE

PART ONE

Want to find your personal style? Want to revamp or change your personal style? Alright, let's do this. 

FIRST we will start by figuring out what you consider to be your staples. Think: You are planning out a week of outfits, what are you most likely to wear? 

• Pants: trousers, jeans, harem pants, etc.
• Skirts
• Dresses
• Sneakers
• Heels
• Etc.

Do not worry about specific style-influences just yet. The most important thing is to know what you are most comfortable in. Yes, reaching out of your comfort zone is fine and dandy, but it is always good to know what feels like a second skin. As an example, I will list my basics. As a heads up: I will also get into specific cuts, shapes, etc. 

My Staples

• Harem pants, jeans.
• Harem includes any drop-crotch sweatpants for the sake of simplicity.
• I need my jeans to be high-waisted. I have a short torso and the high cut gives me more of a waist. I also know that I like higher-waisted boyfriend jeans. No flares or bootcuts.
• Mini-length straight skirts. 
• I know I cannot pull off a-line. I have tried and failed on numerous occasions. 
• Maxi skirts are cute but do not suit my personal look.
• I need a skirt that hugs me, though, "school girl"skirts (only pleated) are an exception.
• T-shirt dresses, shift dress.
• Too short for maxi. 
• Baby doll is not for me - nothing empire.
• No drop-waist.
• Essential rule: if it looks like a potato sack, it works for me.
• Button-ups, t-shirts, loose tanks, crop tops
• Tops are easier for me. 
• Preferably not fitted and longer (if not cropped).
• Nothing with cinched sleeves or v-necks.
• No halters.
• Jackets. Jean, leather, cotton blazers.
• Nothing cropped.
• Jackets are a must have for me. I am most flexible in this category.
• Sneakers, Dr. Martens, platforms, chelsea boots.
• I cannot wear heels. Every time I buy heels I wear them twice then resell them.
• *I can wear platforms or flatforms.
• Accessories:
• Minimal accessories. No statement necklaces, bracelets or rings.
• Watches.
• Beanies.
• No large hats, headbands, or large clips.

I mainly thought of what I have worn over time, what I feel comfortable wearing, and what I know looks good on me. This does not mean that I do not try on a baby doll dress every once in awhile or that I do not want to purchase a pair of non-platform heels, this is just the basic skeleton of what I am known for wearing. 

Your homework is to list out your basics and trust me, it does not need to be this detailed. I would even recommend writing out a list of items you want to put in your basics that still need to be tested out. After this is done, we will move on to basic style types. Until then, good luck!

.027 WHAT IS AFTER NORMCORE?

Once again,  life caught up to me and my personal blog had to be put on the back burner. The last month of my final year of college had been spent writing blog posts for my College Fashionista internship and promoting a massive KickStarter event for my PR internship. Oh, and school, work, a social life and a few pinches of sleep. Life has been hectic and I am only now starting to feel it slow down. With graduation on the horizon, I am feeling less tension and, rather than nervousness, I feel relief.

Over the past month I have kept trying to conceptualize normcore, perhaps giving more credit than I should to the blasé fashion movement (or anti-fashion movement, rather). The past few years fashion subcultures had been inspired by efforts to standout. Clothing with loud prints (think donuts and Bart Simpson), cutouts, high-low, oversized Jeffrey Campbells, pastel lipstick, neon - the list goes on. I would call it a strange blend of the big-and-loud eighties and the aesthetic of a late nineties teenager taking fashion advice from a Lisa Frank backpack.

Now it seems as though fashion has matured. Rather than looking to Saved by the Bell or ironic captioned stills from King of the Hill, fashion is grasping for the complete opposite. We are making a time jump to the early 00s where Sex and the City reigns and the efforts to stand out are at a minimal. But by setting oneself apart from those that strive for the abnormal, are those that work hard (though, they may think by being minimalist they are not trying at all) to make themselves "normal" standing out in the end? Or do they even really care? The normcore movement is oozing with irony and, yet, the aesthetic is appealing and right on time whether those that consider themselves a part of the in-group think so or not. Fashion works in cycles and in due time the ones still "stuck" standing out will gravitate towards normcore (maybe not as a lifestyle, but as a trend). Eventually being normal will be...normal again. Is the next move to standout? Is fashion always about fluctuating between these two modes?

(The nineties fashion Tumblr users around the world praise.)

(Massive trenches, loafers, easy-going style - Sex and the City reigns supreme.)

Well, if we continue to move on this path of working our way through the nineties and 2000s (not to say other decades are not serving as inspiration) we will eventually hit the next line of trends. Soon we just might find ourselves idolizing 2004 Nicole and Paris and ironically sporting Von Dutch caps. Leather pants with a lace up crotch or Jnco wide-legged jeans could be our new future. What sounds absolutely dreadful (in my honest opinion) could be the post-normcore. With Naomi Campbell in Phillip Plein's fall 2014 show sporting a look reminiscent of Nelly in the "Ride Wit Me" video, the reality of an early 2000s aesthetic is upon us. Arguably it is already here with its microscopic crop tops, shimmery accessories and chunky shoes but on the flip side, those were also popular in the late nineties. There is so much more I could go on about, but I feel as though I am exhausting my point. Overall, normcore is more than likely here to stay for the next year or so. I like it (though, not necessarily the attitude surrounding it), as I have always admired minimalist fashion. Just be prepared for what is to come and understand that Jnco jeans could be a fashionable reality once again. 

(Naomi Campbell in Phillip Plein's fall 2014 show - Fashionista)

(I would have killed for these outfits in 5th grade - More photos here!)

.026 FESTIVAL SPECTACLE

With Coachella starting tomorrow and other festival lineups being announced, the fashion world in all respects (celebrities, companies, designers, etc.) is buzzing with the term "festival-ready". Fashion retailers are creating festival look books in preparation for the slew of customers ready to create (and imitate) festival-ready trends. Some trend reports are saying that large floral print is the next big thing while others are placing an emphasis on peasant tops and prairie style dresses, but in the end, does not all festival clothing have the same aesthetic? There is always an emphasis to go bohemian. Whether that means big hats, fringe-lined crop tops, wide pants or a maxi skirt, is up to you. To me, the festival look is a predictable one and the predictability of it all almost makes a festival seem like a costume event (do not even get me started on girls that cultural appropriate items such as Native American headdresses or the, even more misunderstood, bindis). This leaves me to ask: Where are the game changers and how does one change the game?

(Source - Evelina Galli, photo from Coachella 2013, a not-so-distant past.)

I would like to start by saying this is not an "us versus them" argument. I am certainly not a special snowflake and given the disposable income, I would also find myself heading to Coachella in a large hat paired with tall gladiator sandals. I am not some higher fashion power, I am merely looking to be an agent of change. Plus, is not fashion all about cycles? There are always new trends to anticipate and I am wanting to start to make speculations. We cannot have girls in knitted kimonos and tie-dye shirts forever...right? 

MY SORT-OF-GUIDE TO FESTIVAL CHIC

Going to Bonnaroo, Pitchfork, Lolla, Outside Lands, anything else that will make me violently ill with jealousy? Well here is a guide to what to wear so you stand out without looking like you are trying too hard. Or something like that.

CULOTTES

Trade-in your short shorts for a pair of culottes that are not only comfortable, but chic. 

(Cutlottes: Topshop - $64.00)

STRIPES

Swap out the tribal print for a 70s-inspired striped crew-neck.

(Shirt: Urban Outfitters - $18)

JELLY SANDAL

Ditch the traditional gladiator sandal and throw on a pair of heeled jellies.

(Sandals: ASOS - $52.68)

MID-LENGTH DRESS

Rather than step out in a predictable maxi, try a mid-length dress that hugs at the knees.

(Dress: Zara - $119)

STRAW HAT

Alright, I still like big hats, but straw hats..that is a little new, right?

(Hat: Urban Outfitters - $34)

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Just one of the many ways you can put these tips to use:

f e s t i v a l by seaminor featuring Butter London

.025 WISHLIST: SUMMER EDITION

Normcore. 70s boho. 90s grunge. 60s schoolgirl. What does this all mean? So much inspiration, so little time (cough, and money). Summer is a time where I usually start off motivated. My wishlist is usually spewing with a myriad of shorts, skirts, crop tops, sunglasses, and sandals. I know I want to be music festival ready, but practical. I want to stand out, but not invest too much in a certain look. All of this is fine and dandy, but if you all know anything about the Midwest, the weather is particularly muggy, usually jumping into the nineties causing a wonderful choking sensation that makes one grasp for any sort of air movement. When the temperatures rise, my motivation to be fashion forward plummets. I would rather just put on a crop top and high-waisted shorts, a look that is less-inspired than, say, a flowing skirt, gladiator sandals, a cropped tank, and perhaps a few bohemian accessories like a large sun hat or a pair of rounded sunglasses.

I need to find some way to have my desire to dress well trump my want to be pathetically lazy. Perhaps I need to make a more realistic list of clothing - something including items that are within my budget, worth the investment, and not too high on the "trendy" scale. If there is anything I know about myself, it is that I tend to buy one or two (pricier) items that I think I will wear (For example, last spring I purchased this kitschy, ice-cream-design sundress with a low back. I wore it once and hated every minute in it.). My close friend repeatedly tells me to avoid buying what I think I will wear and instead opt for something I am enamored with. I know the logic sounds simple enough, but as an impulse buyer, I tend to misjudge my gut.

This all leads me to the point of this article. I am going to show you my well thought out list of items I think are perfect for this summer in a sort of "lookbook" fashion. I hope that what I want inspires you to make a list of your own (Perhaps incorporating a few of my choices, as I hope that I have some authority in advice-giving.)!

KEEP IT SIMPLE

(Shoes: Zara - $59.90)

(Jacket: Urban Outfitters - $69.00)

(Pants: Topshop - $80.00)

FESTIVAL READY

(Dungarees: Topshop - $76.00)

(Sunglasses: ASOS - $47.04)

(Top: Nasty Gal - $48.00)

SUMMER SCHOOL

(Dress: Nasty Gal - $68.00)

(Shoes: Topshop - $64.00)

(Socks: American Apparel - $12.00)