Personal Style Evolution

When I was a small child, my mom used to make sure that I was always well dressed. If she had two outfits that she wanted me to wear that day, she was known to purposely spill my food on me so she had to make outfit changes (which is totally something that I would do now). Somewhere around the middle of elementary school, I started dressing very casually, as did everyone. T-shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts from Old Navy and Target became the norm. I followed trends (see: ponchos and gauzy, peasant skirts) and never really looked "cute", but nobody really did.

(Eighth grade)

Come middle school, I don't even know what I was doing with my closet. I really wanted to fit in in middle school. I wore whatever everybody else was, which at the time meant I had drawers containing a lot of Hollister, Abercrombie, and "retro" Aeropostale while it was still awful (it still is, but it used to be really bad). I made sure my hair was pin-straight and that my bangs were pinned back into the highest quiff allowable with hairspray and bobby pins. Eighth grade was around the time that I got a little lost with my style, or lack thereof. I stopped caring about fitting in, which meant that I had to find something else to channel my inspiration for how to act and clothing. I started wearing band tees and shirts from Urban Outfitters. It was the year I got my god awful bangs and my first, and only, pair of Ugg boots. 

(Freshmen year)

(Summer between freshmen and sophomore year)

(Fall of junior year)

(Winter of junior year)

The beginning of high school was rough. Luckily, I wore a uniform my entire school career, sans senior year. My personal style relied on dress down days, which seemed to add pressure on me. Why I cared so much about what other people thought about my clothes never really became clear to me, and still isn't. Regardless, I sort of dressed safely. Plain tees, skinny jeans, flats, and if it was cold, a sweatshirt from Pink. This identity crisis of sorts carried on until my junior year. This was the year of no bangs, riding boots, and me finally finding my niche in fashion and beauty. I started my blog in the summer of 2012 and started reading more fashion magazines in an attempt to become more knowledgeable. I started taking chances with bold lipstick and tried accessorizing my uniform. I bought clothes that fit me better and that I was sure nobody else in my school would have or wear. 

Fall of senior year

Winter of senior year

Spring of senior year

Senior year was the time of my life fashion wise. I stressed a lot almost every morning trying to pick out an outfit, but it was all worth it to me. We had dress code senior year, which meant that we had to look business casual every day. For some girls at my school, this meant wearing leggings and long sweaters and hoping to God that they didn't get caught for breaking dress code. For me, this was heaven. I loved dresses and skirts and high heels (even though I'm hopeless walking in them). I strived to look my best every day, typically refusing to wear pants unless it was my neon khakis or mustard corduroys, both from the Gap. I hammered out nice outfits every day because I wanted myself to shine through. Fashion is like art for your body, just like makeup is art for your face. I finally found something that I thought that I was good at, and I took it and ran with it.

Being voted best dressed my senior year for superlatives meant more than my classmates ever knew, and will probably ever know unless they happen to stumble upon this. It sky rocketed me to a whole new level. If other people my age liked how I dressed, I must have been doing something right.

Fall of 2013

Fall of 2013

Spring Break 2014

As of now, my fashion taste doesn't match my wallet. While I'd love to don J. Crew head to toe, that's not fiscally possible. I opt for a lot of sweaters and riding boots during the fall and winter, using statements scarves to switch it up or puffer vests. In summer, I like chino shorts and chambray tops or comfortable sundresses. Nothing beats dressing up for parties or holidays. For Easter, I wore my favorite dress I've ever purchased, excluding my BCBG prom dress that I scored for $69 ($300 lower than retail price---#DealOfTheCentury). I have a different fashion taste than how I dress, but I don't have the money to back my fashion taste, or the body, which doesn't bother me as often as it used to.