Style!

I said I'd dedicate a post to my style. I will warn you that you will have to endure some pretty bad cliche photography. Here it goes:

My style has definitely evolved a lot over the years, but some elements have stayed the same. I have always loved tutu skirts and poofy dresses. I have always been inspired by styles with a theatrical or dramatic aspect to them.

In order to discuss my style, I will have to start back in the 90's. When I was about 8 years old, Clueless was my favorite movie. I wanted Cher's, Tai's and Dionne's wardrobes so badly (I also remember begging my parents to get me a beeper because of this movie. I was not obliged.). I especially loved this outfit Tai wears during her makeover:

[Photo courtesy of leavemethewhite.com. Also, RIP Brittany Murphy. :(]

I also really wanted that cool computer program that Cher had where you can look through your wardrobe and see how outfits look on you before even trying anything on! I used to try to dress like Cher and all them, but I could never find anything like the outfits they had. I remember my favorite store being Limited Too!

In middle school, I was a bit chunky and my style was pretty plain. My favorite store changed to Aeropostale and I developed a more "preppy style". Once I had the cliche epiphany that I didn't care about fitting in but that my friends did, things got a little awkward and I entered my "goth" stage towards the end of eighth grade. My favorite store changed, yet again, to Hot Topic. I got my first pair of Chuck Taylors in eighth grade (I am now determined to get a pair in every color!). I wore baggy clothes because I was really self-conscious of my body. My wardrobe consisted of lots of black, Tripp/bondage pants, fishnet shirts, band tee's, and lots of those rubber bracelets-worn all at the same time, of course. This is also when I first got into rock music and started playing guitar.

At some point between the ages of 13 and 15, I lost 26 pounds and got bangs. I started to experiment more with dresses and a prettier version of the goth style. Amy Lee was a really big inspiration for me during this time, and she still is to some extent. Her style is one that I consider to be somewhat dramatic with the dark colors and the tutu skirts and fancy dresses. So I did the best I could on a budget of a 15/16 year old to reproduce that kind of style. At this time, the MySpace craze broke out. Yes, I went from gothy to somewhat "scene" and took numerous pictures of me at various angles dressed up in all kinds of outfits and I am not ashamed! I swear that our generation is going to have the most visual representation of our lives ever.

[Age 16-I had a tendency of brightening the crap out of pictures]

[My hair was super short back then!]

By the time I was 17, I also began to become interested in vintage fashion. It started with just 60's mod fashion, but soon expanded to 50's, 40's and 30's fashions as well as 70's and 80's. I began to frequent Forever 21 a lot. It became and still is one of my favorite stores. I started shopping at thrift stores after costume shopping at one for a Drama Club production during my senior year of high school. I remember reveling in the fact that I had discovered a place where I can get clothes that were exactly the style I was going for...and for cheap too!

[One of my very first thrift store finds! Please excuse my lack of the use of self timer and the over-usage of the brightness setting]

[Stop Staring! dress from Daddyos.com]

It's pretty much progressed from there. Now I am inspired not only by my past styles, but by other styles I discovered along the way such as Lolita, menswear for women, pin-up, boho, etc.



The main way to describe my style is vintage or vintage-inspired. My favorite type of clothing is dresses. I am a sucker for a dress with a fitted waist and a full skirt-very much the style of the 50s. Add in a floral print and I am sold. Floral print is a favorite of mine. I love lace and polka dots and eyelet too! Peasant dresses are also a favorite of mine. I love Gunne-Sax dresses.

[Acquired thanks to my lovely eBay addiction]

[Roberta thrifted dress]

[Polka dot shoes and tutu skirt! :)]

I like romantic styles and tea party-esque dresses. I love finding dresses that remind me of my childhood. There are such cute dresses made for little girls and I always wish that they were made in my size! I get really excited when I find a dress that is reminiscent of that kind of
look.

[Vintage S. L. Fashions dress from eBay!]

[Also from eBay][Jodi Michaels vintage dress-yet another eBay find]

I'm also a big fan of tights...



While I like very feminine pieces, I also like some edgier stuff like the leather and military jackets that are popular now. I am on a search for the perfect fitted tuxedo jacket that has
tails in the back but is kept short in front. Blazers are a current favorite of mine too!



So that's it! My style has changed and some of it has stayed the same, but that's the great thing about fashion-it's always changing. Style doesn't have to be permanent. It can always be experimented with and improved. It's such a creative arena and I am constantly inspired by tons of different looks everyday...especially since I'm a part of the Chictopia community! :)