photo credit: zenonline

I recently left a comment on one of my favorite girly websites FabSugar about a celebrity whatshername’s so called inability to rock a high fashion outfit. Because of blah blah blah that and blah blah blah this. *Grrrr*

It really gets my panties in a bunch whenever I hear women bash on other women for not wearing the right shoes, or having the wrong hair, or liking an outfit but disliking the woman in it, etc. etc. etc.

Why?

I have a few reasons:

Reason 1) It’s a goddamn free country!
And we are blessedly free women too! Despite budget limitations or capabilities great fashion is available to us all and we all have the blissful right to explore it and find our own style. Whether you can sew it, buy it, borrow or DIY it you are free to wear whatever you damn well like!

Reason 2) Style is a practice
I nearly go through the roof when hearing that someone (usually a celebrity caught in public headlights) is deemed by others as not having the “chops” to pull off high fashion. How does one get that skill? Practice practice practice! And progression! That means NO girl or woman should be limited to training wheels or a soft served diet of “classics” & “basics”. Practicing & experimenting with wilder shit and soon enough a girl will be rockin her own trends.

Reason 3) An outfit works or it doesn’t
I mentioned this in my comment – and it’s super simple really. Celebrities get the brunt of it because they are under the microscope every damn day while five bajillion non-celeb people each take turns poking at every little thing about them with tweezers. But us behind the scenes chicks get it too. You can get told by anyone from your mother to the sales girl that you are “too skinny!” or “um your hair should be longer”…tsk tsk! UGH!!!Being barred from wearing certain things based on the “opinion” of others is really cruel. And sometimes an entire outfit (and along with it the woman often enough!) is deemed unsuitable based on a tiny thing like a girl’s hairstyle or the color of her shoes when she should still get kudos for getting everything just fine. OR pointed in a more beautifying direction with a different color choice, etc. That “works”.

An outfit “doesn’t work” when absolutely nothing in the ensemble harmonizes or it all overloads the senses in a garish way – and that takes a helluva lot actually.

I get that there are fashion faux pas (”misstep” in French actually) and there are some ugly catastrophes that can occur but as long as a girl keeps a cool head and learns something as she experiments there is no reason for her to limit herself even when she doesn’t get every single thing perfect.

I KNOW because I myself have suffered the bad perms, neon biker shorts, and hammer pants of yesteryear *shudder*. But I learned and took stock (Curly hair is still fun – just shape it; Skin tight can be sexy, just be careful; hammer pants were the old haram pants, go figure!)

So can you, and everyone else. Just pay attention.

Meanwhile I’ll say it again and so should you: Fashion police – step off!

That is all – I’ll return next week for a more…informative post ;)

Happy Styling!

photo credit: dr_vaibhavahuja

Girls let me tell you. It’s pretty damn difficult to copy celebrity style. The trouble usually begins with not having buckets of cash to plop down for whatever your little fashion heart desires. Also most of you aren’t oozing out your pores the fame that compels top designers to throw their most glamorous clothing at you every minute. And look, I know you want to look just as effortlessly gorgeous as Miley Cyrus, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, or Katie Perry…or whoever you admire. But the fact is well, Angelina is Angelina, Beyonce is Beyonce, and so on. They OWN their style. So should you.

The good news is that you can copy and borrow from “Iconic Styles” that easily fit into your own.

What do I mean by Iconic?
Think easy to recognize characters:
The Rocker Chick
The Cheerleader
The Hot Librarian
The Sexy Secretary
The Goddess

Most celebrities are already doing this and actors get a lot of practice with the movie roles they are cast in. The awesome difference is they don’t just dress up and play one character all the time. They have their own fashionable little group of icons to choose from. And so can you! The additional beauty of it all is you can infuse each iconic look with your own unique flavor each time. Your own “Goddess Style” isn’t the cardboard cutout copy of Angelina’s! Your Rocker Chick won’t be the exact over the top duplicate of Lady Gaga’s.


photo credit: Facubeagle

So stay tuned and I’ll happily blog for you ways that you can pull off your own version of Sexy Secretary, Pop Diva, or Fierce Glamazon. You can pick and choose the elements that make up whatever iconic look you want – I’ll show you how on Wednesdays.

In the meantime, would you indulge me a moment and list some characters you would love to dress up as? From your favorite movies and stories. Share those dress up fantasies! I bet I could help you make them a reality – just let me know!

Happy Styling!

photo credit: Andy Houghton
As I mentioned in my latest Fashion Friday post Style is how you respond to Fashion. It’s YOUR voice and how you have a conversation with the goings on in Fashion.

But how do you get that Stylish “silver tongue” anyway? Especially when Fashion seems to be constantly running at the mouth about hot trends, fierce looks, celebrity handbags, ultra designer shoes, hundred dollar t-shirts, and “look at this!” “grab that!” or “get this color NOW!”.

Find Your Inner Style Spot
First…chill out and center yourself. Find that nice, cozy, feel good spot in your Soul where your Style resides.
Ahhh…feels great huh? This is where you know whatcha like wearing and what looks fabulous on you. It’s that singular and lovely voice that is totally familiar and totally your own. The voice that says “yes” to the colors that add sparkle to your eyes and “no, thanks!” to the colors that suck all the life out of your face & hair. It’s there, trust me, though it might be deep down. Just get comfortable and listen to that stylish core.
Once you listen to that inner voice you can better speak with it’s wisdom – through your wardrobe and dressing choices.
Also pay close attention to the way the people around you respond to what you are wearing. Catalog those compliments of the real folks that actually interact with you. That says volumes about your style and how well you are at communicating it. Give that more precedence than what the critics are cooing on & on so-and-so starface at the Oscars or Grammy’s. Get real when you get centered by sticking to your own self and your own circle or community.

Tune In & Tune Out
Next thing you gotta realize that you can’t follow every thing that Fashion is talking about. That would teleport you straight to crazy town and drain the style right out of you. You don’t want to have play catch up all day do ya? So tune in to the stuff that really interests you AND that you can actually participate in. Everything else can go straight to the bargain bin in your head.
Take me for example – I never remember when fashion week is, or who won the last Project Runway series, or the name of the designer handbag that dangles on Beyonce or Rhianna’s arm. Sex & the City 2? Don’t even get me started. That stuff may be kind of interesting at one time but not enough for me to actually relate to.
What does get me excited and what do I love to talk about and shop for? Things like how the Twilight movies inspire a new take on vampire chic. Or how gothic fashion has given way to Steampunk couture. Or that I can now get cage style stiletto sandals for under $50 at Target where our First Lady of Style Michelle Obama proudly shops on occasion. I will happily chat about those things with my girlfriends and listen in for advice and interesting points. Save yourself some brain space by tuning out the chatter and tuning in to your key points of interest.

Understand Trend Patterns…Easily
After you’ve practiced tuning in to what matters to you and tuning out all the babble you will discover something a bit surprising. Fashion trends are not as bamboozling and exhaustive to keep up with as you think! This is because trends follow patterns. Of season, of media, and even the economy. Season is by far the strongest influence of trend. Since most of us still get hot Summers and cold Winters you can confidently prepare for bright colors by the end of April and layer on the warm and dark tones around November. It’s really not that big of a deal. Designers bring out the all the soft & fresh floral patterns in Spring and get all moody and darkly romantic in Fall…it’s like clockwork really.
What you want to keep your eye out for is what movies, or characters you like in box office hits and what themes, patterns, and designs they are displaying that really struck you. Or what the celebrities you admire are wearing in the latest magazines to get inspiration from. This also goes for popular television series as well as the retail explosion Gossip Girl inspired in shops like Forever 21 for example.
*Word to the wise stylista. A lot of trends are just fluff and nonsense actually – flaming hot for mere seconds and then obnoxiously “not” once everyone wipes the dazzle from their eyes and sees how ridiculous it looks on everyone EXCEPT the hot new screen starlet or reality show glamazon. Keep a healthy dose of fashion skepticism with you.

So start practicing these 3 things and you’ll do beautifully and keep Fashion from talking circles around you.

Keep checking in to the blog – later on I’ll tell you about being a Fashion badass and be well on your way to becoming a Zen Master of Style.

Leave a comment below about what your Style Soul tells ya :) or tweet me! Always love to hear about it.