I often get emails from fellow fashion-lovers wanting to know how I got the style I have today, and how they can achieve their own personal style. Well, let me tell you. It wasn't easy for me. Today I present you with a summarized style history.
I'm going to do you all a favour and skip the grade 7/8 gothic phase. Thankfully there aren't many photos of that anyways.
The next style for me began in the summer between grade 8 and 9...Back then we called it scene. Today I don't know what to call it other than the style of sheer horror. Within this style there were many phases.
Okay, I actually remember taking this photo when I got my first scene haircut (short, choppy with blond chunks). And I had my scene bandana, and even some band pins. Wasn't I cool.
This outfit would have been worn with skinny jeans (but really, skinny jeans were extremely hard to find back then. I would buy jeans and sew them to be skin tight).
This was about half way through my scene style. I had adopted new things. I no longer wore bandanas, but I shopped frequently at thrift stores. The shirt underneath is polka dot and I remember it was from value village. The sweater I wore all the time and featured gun bullets and guns down the sleeves. That was a popular scene thing. I even had pink gun earrings. For some reason during this time I adopted chunky high-top nikes instead of the usual scene slip-on vans. I...I don't even know. The piano belt speaks for itself.
The next phase was strange. It was now cool for scene girls to be a little more girly - wear cute prints(see: tree print), chunky costume jewelry, flats instead of sneakers...My hairstyle was slightly different too. I think at this point I became slightly better at doing my makeup too. Urg. The blonde was back, but only in two streaks.
I remember wearing a lot of different beads too. And pointy black flats - those were all the rage.
I don't know how, or why. But somehow this phase evovled. Suddenly, I was buying guess purses and dressing slightly...I don't know how to describe it - trashy? I had a sudden obsession with pink and gold. Not only that, I liked combining ghastly colours to make them clash. I liked cheesy clothing items. I made necklaces out of cardboard and felt (see: bat necklace). Everything had to be loud and gaudy - and even shiny. I think this entire phase was fuelled by a girl on myspace named Kiki Kannibal who somewhat started the trend or at least helped spread it.
This merged slightly with my next phase, which was still a bit scene but wayyy tond down. I also liked "Harajuku" style (like, lolita I guess) but I never really dressed myself in it much. I really enjoyed this sweater from Gwen Stefani's brand though.
At the end of grade 12 and as I entered university, I was
obsessed with the show Gossip Girl. I decided I wanted to dress like
Blair Waldorf. Thus entered a totally new style. This was when I joined
chictopia. Below to the right is my very first outfit post.
I started buying shiny dress shirts and loved leopard. I got an asymmetrical hair cut that was much less scene and a bit more grown up. And I actually began wearing heels during this time - even to school! I bought a crapload of bow headbands/clips and coloured leggings - which would haunt me for years to come.
At some point, things started to change. I think I got sick of dressing entirely formal and romantic looking. I was still inspired by gossip girl but it got pretty confused and bad. I don't mind the outfit below on the left, but the one on the right is atrocious.
There were many weird choices throughout - some which I liked, some which I didn't. One day I decided I liked Emma Pillsbury from Glee's style and almost discarded all my clothing for a cheesy teacher wardrobe. Eek. (See: right photo.)
Slowly but surely, I think my outfits became better - or at least that's how i view it currently. I think they became a little more balanced and detailed. I think your style can develop and over time you get a better eye for matching different things together. I also stopped getting a definite "icon" (no Blair Waldorf, no Emma Pillsbury) and sort of just trying dressing in a way that was more casual and relaxed, while still mixing in the occasional feminine piece.
That being said, I'm sure 2 or 3 years from now I will be calling my style of 2012 'the style of sheer horror'. So what is the moral of the story? No matter what you do, you are a fashion disaster. No no no, I think that the moral of the story is that you should have fun with fashion and have fun with as many phases as you wish. Keep trying new things if you want to. Don't be afraid to change, and don't be afraid to make a fashion mistake. Personally I think it is inevitable. Being a blogger, I'm able to properly track these ill-steps and laugh about them later. Or cry.
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