Growing up I was taught to believe that being a girl and looking pretty meant you had to follow the basic societal norms of style. If you wanted to be a 'pretty' girl, you had to wear 'pretty' things. Pretty shoes, pretty jewelry, pretty blouses, pretty tights, pretty sweaters, pretty coats, pretty pants, pretty hair, pretty nails, prettyprettypretty. Pretty always meant pastel, or floral, or tailored, anything not resembling or reflecting something a boy would wear, and of course, pretty ALWAYS meant 'matching' (GROSS).
I don't know about the rest of you, but I grew up in a conservative household, and therefore my self expression was always stifled by 'that's not what we do or say, and that is most certainly not what we wear.' All I ever wanted was to wear blue jeans, two different colored shoes, and put my hair in pigtails (sound familiar?) every.single.day. And while I was sometimes allowed to do this, more often than not I was the subject of 'I can dress my daughter cuter than your daughter' syndrome, which resulted in LOTS of dresses, LOTS of matching outfits, LOTS of ribbon, and LOTS AND LOTS of hair brushing. Ouch!
A psych 101 student could probably dissect this post (and get a C, because she'd only be half right), as some sort of allusive peek into the resentment of my childhood, but really, I was fed, clothed (obviously), and most importantly, loved. My mother and I just really, REALLY didn't see eye to eye on fashion, even when I was 6 years old.
That being said, growing up with a very feminine mother, and me being somewhere in between, I have found a happy medium in my love for all things girly and all things tough. I like to pair pastels with black, florals with rips and holes, skirts with combat boots or sneakers, ripped jeans or shorts with cute oxfords or flats, and (gasp), I'll even throw in some heels every now and then (only if there's an edge in there somewhere).
And as I think I stated in my previous post, I have been so.fucking.BORED. with almost EVERYTHING I've been seeing popping up in the world of fashion. Magazines, runways, the internet, etc. It's all the same girly shit with no backbone. I mean, I am a girly girl, through and through, but I have to have some sort of edge reflected in my style. Because while I am small and have a soft spoken voice, my personality is nothing of the sort. Therefore you will not catch me in boating shoes and pastel shorts unless there is a studded leather jacket and some sort of rip somewhere in the equation.
Refreshingly enough, there are some fashionistas floating around the internet right now that I deeply admire. They can make an oversized sweater or tee‐shirt look like an evening gown, or black leather leggings and combat boots seem as tailored as a classic tuxedo. They are amazing artists, and I truly admire their bold stance to not follow what is overwhelmingly 'current.' Sure, they have their own cult following, but only because they are amazingly and effortlessly different.
Check em out:
Lua P.:
Kayla Hadlington:
Last but not least, Olivia Harrison (I've posted about her before, she is my absolute favorite, she is perfection in everything she wears):
(photos 1 and 2 taken from http://lookbook.nu/luanna, photos 3, 4, and 5 taken from http://lookbook.nu/kaylahadlington, and photos 6, 7, 8, and 9 taken from http://lookbook.nu/oliviaharrison.)
Following the fashion trend of 'pretty girl meets tough chick = hot chick ' in the previous photos, I'd like to add my own outfit to the mix, lovingly borrowing from all of the outfits seen above, and sported at my engagement party that took place in late January (sorry, only the clothes are pictured, not me... I don't feel like digging out my tripod buried in the hall closet, nor changing my VERY comfortable jeans and tee‐shirt to pose for the blog after a 10 hour work day):
Sweater: Thrifted, Urban Ore.
Skirt: (Actually a dress), Forever 21, hella years ago.
Shoes: Vans Hi‐Top Skate, Vans Shoe Store.
Black Patterned Tights: Target.
Bangles: Thrifted, Urban Ore.
Belt: Imported from London, hella years ago.
Notice anything? The shoes!!! If you read my previous post, you would know that I have been longing for a pair of hi‐top skate checkered vans for awhile now. I opted for the black and grey pattern since the combo is very versatile, and I can always change the laces if I feel the need for a pop of color. (I also dyed my hair the deep burgundy color showcased in my last post, while leaving in some fun bleach panels in the bang and nape area.. but I will talk more about THAT in my next post, which will be all about hair and skin care at an affordable cost... stay tuned!)
Anyway, I guess my point in all of this is, you don't have to wear pastel petal skirts and pumps to look pretty, you don't have to wear oxfords with tailored pants and button up blouses to be proper, you don't have to wear itsy bitsy sequined mini dresses and 6 inch heels to be hot, and I hope you already know (but may I remind you) that you certainly don't have to be a guy to be tough. All you have to do, is be yourself... for to be yourself is to love yourself, and I love you all. :)
