today i'm continuing the discussion on owning your own style and if you are even slightly interested in the subject you are in for a real treat today. today
vix from vintage vixen is sharing her thoughts on the subject with us. i adore vix and admire her commitment to thrift and how that commitment actually makes her life and style richer. i must have read her blog for about a month before i made my first comment b/c our styles are so different.
i wasn't sure what she'd think of me but in true vix style, she was as gracious as could be. in this huge blog sea of sameness vix stands out like a shining psychedelic star. her authenticity overwhelms me with each and every post she writes.
so before you read what she has to say, let me tell you a little bit about her. vix makes her living selling vintage clothes on ebay. she makes it look easy, but i know from experience it is a lot of hard work. she and jon love travelling to the beaches of india often w/o any advance reservations at all. they really are free spirits. they save all year long, carry no debt (not even a mortgage) in order to follow their travel passions and to attend music festivals all summer long. a penny saved is a penny toward the beach! she makes clothing out of vintage drapery and drapes out of vintage clothing. i'm not kidding! plus she is a vegetarian. i'm very honored to call her my friend and very grateful to her for taking the time to answer my question. vix you are awesome!
so vix, what are your tips on owning your style?
I've been pondering on this all weekend (with a break for booze and shopping, obviously)!
Where do I start? To own your style you'll have to find it first. For me this came about by ditching buying retail completely and only shopping second-hand. Buying from fashion stores limits your choice to what the buyers consider fashionable (the same shaped pants and skirts, in-season colours or "it" prints) whereas charity (thrift) shops are a hotch-potch of absolutely everything and you just have to learn to trust your eye and instinct. After six months of limiting yourself to thrift shopping you'll soon get a taste of what you're attracted to.
Regularly cull your wardrobe (closet) and give away/donate/sell anything that doesn't make you feel fabulous, if you have to ask others whether something suits you then it needs to go.
My trademark style includes statement pieces of ethnic jewellery, aged denim & vintage leather or suede and bright colours and loud prints. Including just one of these elements to any outfit means that everything I wear always looks and feels like me.
Never allow an item of clothing to "wear" you, own it by adding tried and trusted pieces so that the real you shines through. A necklace fiercely haggled over in an Indian village, a 20-year old denim waistcoat roughly patched together, a tote bag hand-made from a curtain salvaged from a relative's rag bag or a top remade from your boyfriend's old band tee shirt add personality, substance and texture to any outfit I dress in.
thank you dear vix for sharing your thoughts. besides being so fabulous, you make me think and rethink just about everything i do.
pop over and say hi wouldya?
vintage vixen
xo
janet
well first off i'm very flattered that anyone would ask this question of me. i just don't see myself as that stylish. i see myself as more of a basic dresser. but i've given it some thought and this is what i've come up with.
i was influenced as a little girl by uniforms. my mom was a registered nurse back in the day when nurses wore all white, including white stockings and a little white starched hat with a hatpin in it. i loved that uniform and can remember counting and arranging them in her closet. oh lord, counting clothes started early! then i attended catholic school and became fascinated with the nun's habits. i would study the layers of black and deep chocolate brown fabrics set off by bright white cuffs and collars. oh and those shiny black beads of the rosary at their hips. and to top that off my middle sister and i would help clean the convent on saturdays. polishing the shiny wood floors and minimal furnishings really began to shape my eye to an uncluttered look. we would also get to go into the walled garden and sweep and tidy up that space. it really was a heavenly experience! and to top it off i wore a uniform that consisted of a black and white houndstooth skirt, white peter-pan collared blouse, a red sweater, and black and white oxfords. i've mentioned it here before that most girls rebelled and hated their uniforms. i remember karen borges burned her uniform and put it in a jar and brought it to school on our last day. i just didn't get that.
all of this obviously had an effect on me. today, no matter what i'm wearing i can guarantee you that it won't be fussy. that is probably my number one fashion rule. and it always has been. i adore accessories...mostly on other people. when i was in my early 20's a neighbor woman asked me why i always dressed like a man. i remember knowing she was being mean but i decided to take it as a compliment. gosh, i'm going on too long here. but i think you get the point, i believe my personal style comes from the experiences that have shaped me. and i think that is how a person finds and owns theirs.
i am planning on doing a series on this very question. i have a couple of great examples already lined up and you are going to love them!
xo
janet