How would you describe your personal style?
I’m going to start off with “a classic cocktail: shaken with a splash of trend”, add a little “menswear gone girly”, and end with “mature on the edge”.
Where did you get your passion for fashion?
This may sound strange, but I think I was born with it, although it went unrecognized for years. My mom has shared with me stories of how picky/stubborn I was with regards to my clothing when I was a little girl. I also remember memorizing outfits of friends I saw at school or from movies I watched as a kid. I had no idea there was such a thing as “fashion” or “style” until I was well into high school. I just knew what I wanted to look like. It wasn’t until I started purchasing my own clothes that I discovered fashion magazines and catalogs. That opened a whole new world for me and basically validated my love of clothes and how I dressed.
Where do you find sartorial inspiration?
EVERYWHERE! I’m always looking: blogs, magazines, online lookbooks, pinterest, the mall, the street, Starbucks, school parking lot, TV, movies, etc. My eyes are always wandering. You never know when inspiration will strike.
What is the difference between fashion and style?
Well, that’s THE question, isn’t it?
I’ve read how others have answered this question and I agree with all of them. Fashion is what’s being offered and style is your personal interpretation of it.
Getting nerdy on you, fashion is a fixed point in time, as in, that was in fashion the Spring of ’92. However, style is timeless and never fixed. Just like your life, your style changes, evolves, adds pieces from the Spring of ’92, then keeps maturing.
Any advice for a woman who is starting to find her personal style?
Wear what makes you happy, cover your basics, and know what fits your body. Once you got that down, start experimenting and don’t stop. The more you do that, the braver you become. As we age, we have a tendency to tame our style of dressing. It should be the opposite. What you wear is it’s own language, so why not say, “Look at me! Look at what I’ve accomplished”? Believe me, people like me are looking at people like you and we are appreciating your efforts.