Shop My Winter Look
The thing is, most of us openly love fashion to an extent. Whether we love to spent time browsing, joyously buying or dreaming of the new in pieces that we share on social media, it's a shared love of sorts. In between creating I spend my days chatting about what's fresh, where to find the best dupes, delighting in my favourite brand launches with online friends, planning trips aligned with seasonal showcases and then pinching myself, because my job involves a topic I not only chose to study for 6 years but that plainly put; brings me joy. There are so many of us in this community who love to follow amazing blogs, find inspiration from our favourite social media influencers and seek out the best way to express ourselves via our looks, no matter what budget we find ourself with and that's where I feel our personal fashion rules arise. Of course there are no strict fashion rules to follow because where would the fun be in being told you can't do something? No true rules that mean you can't dress, style and create looks in any way you'd like to, but the beauty of personal style as opposed to fashion as a generic term, is the unique touch we each bring to the trends we see, shop and admire. No matter the season, no matter the trend, no matter the budget - we all have our own fashion rules to play with, to create with and to have fun with.
Our Home Away
From Home
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Near Chicago
Illinois
So what might this stylish year hold?
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There's a multitude of answers to that question of course but what I do know is when it comes to this year, I would love to rediscover even more of a passion for styling and trends. Admittedly, although being able to progress in a career that aligns itself with all things fashion is exhilarating, there's also a certain amount of pressure that mounts through social media and that can quickly dampen the most exciting of opportunities. I know I've spoken to members of this community before about how we often lose our love for our hobbies when they become monetised (which I would like to note is a huge privilege to even be able to do such a thing) but that shifting focus naturally also refocuses your priorities.
I want to rediscover a balance of delight in my style as it naturally adapts and grows alongside me, while also finding a little more confidence in myself to experiment with and manipulate the newest trends. Wanting to push boundaries with my style might sound like an obvious goal when I capture fashion content as part of my job but no one is immune to feeling not cool enough, not trendy enough or simply not confident enough. But see above - where's the fun in that?!
I don't want to save things for best anymore - why should we spend money on things that we're lusting over, only to treat them so preciously that we never get to show them off to the world? Wear the pieces you spent so long tracking down and let that wear boost your self confidence and style. Because why should we hide something away we love?
On a very personal level, I know that when I care for my physical and mental health in ways that are achievable, the pages in this years style chapter will just thrive. But that's what fashion and style are, they're truly personal to each one of us and our individual situations. For me this hobby turned career can be balanced more easily between importance and fun, my adoration for fashion can be rediscovered with gusto and the want to explore a different side of my style can be a natural next step and not something just out of my grasp.
I spent a lot of last year slowly working out, albeit likely a little later than I should have, what sort of career person I am. Not in the sense of where I see myself in 5 years or what I can do to better myself, but how I can act in the here and now to make a difference to my work and life, in real time. I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm a true believer in the ways of manifestation but I do know that dipping into the idea of it has opened up a world of positive thinking that I've really been enjoying. I've been able to transfer a lot of what I've explored into boosting my self esteem, allowing myself to believe in my abilities and to open myself up to far more opportunities for growth. It might seem somewhat out of the ordinary to align something like fashion with the power of positivity but when fashion means so much to me and has offered to open so many doors, why not equate them?
Your style is a way to express yourself, a way to tell a story, a way to sway from the practical to the purely fashionable and for so many of us a way in which to mirror our self belief. There are many that won't feel that way and may have a more practical interpretation of fashions impact but for the rest of us who adore fashion, maybe a few new fashion rules to follow is a way in which to expand our self confidence for the coming season. Whichever way you choose to view this industry though, I hope you have fun with it. After all, what's fashion without fun?
PS - This amazing scarf was a wonderful limited edition collaboration between The Tartan Blanket Co. & The Little Magpie aka Amy Bell. I so hope they collaborate again because this is without a doubt one of the most beautifully crafted scarves that I own.
Congratulations again lovely!
