Style roots.

So... hiiiiii! I've been MIA because I have been dealing with my life. I constantly have ideas popping around in my head for entries, but the pesky details of being in my 20s, single (and dating), attending university full-time, working full-time, doing volunteer activities, and trying to squeeze in a few hours of sleep here and there kind of got in the way. Add to those factors that I maintain this blog, my personal blog, and am writing a book at the moment and I've been somewhat busy.

Sincerest apologies and thank you to those who have checked in :)

The other day at work I was flipping through magazines to find images to cut out for my employee sales for the past pay period. As I scanned the shiny pages, I saw the same commentary pop-up over and over: minimalism vs. eccentricity.

A friend of mine (Hi Hannah!) has described my style as minimalistic on a number of occasions, but I honestly do not feel that is an accurate description. I feel the things I am most attracted to are fairly quirky, accessorized, etc. That being said, after careful reflection on my style-- because yes, this is something I take seriously-- I realized, she's right. I do tend to dress in a simple, functional style that is slick and efficient. It's not that I don't love accessories, because I do. So why do I dress as I do?

I came up with a lot of theories. The thing is, this is a vital part of my own personal style exploration. Why dress myself any way other than as I feel? What causes me to refrain from adding three more necklaces to any number of ensembles?

My first thoughts went to finances. Let's get real. I devote entirely too much of my income to shopping as it is, but I really can't engage in a full-fledged shopping spree because I have too many responsibilities. I have full faith once I graduate and can get a legitimate job, that will change. I also have faith I will someday hold a position that furnishes my clothing, as I am conveniently sample size. My motivations for getting a degree in fashion are pretty transparent, as you can see.

The second theory falls in line with what so many of our adult behaviors get blamed on, good or bad: my mom. I do not say that in a negative way at all. Despite her utter lack of confidence in anything she wears, my mom has polished, clean American taste. She's very classic and makes an effort. I have never seen my mother go out in public looking anything less than dressed. She is traditional that way. Her influence has had two very large impacts on me. One, I am the only one of my friends who considers it a landmark occasion when I leave the house in sneakers. Two, American style is hardly noted for its eclecticism; moreover it is recognized for being easy to wear and pared down.

A great deal of our choice in life are shaped by our parents. As children we often try to be as like them as possible, then by adolescence we are doing our best to defy them. When adulthood hits, it seems we suddenly start noticing all the things that make us like them; it's the time when we begin using the phrase "I'm turning into my mother/father."

My childhood and adolescence phases were kind of flipped in terms of my mom. As a very little girl, I did my best to defy her. When I got into my teen years, I gradually became closer to her, though of course maintaining a general distaste for her opinions because, hello, I couldn't let my angst go that easily.

So, as a child I did the typical dress-up thing; I spent any number of hours in a child's sized purple satin evening dress and white plastic heels bedecked in feathers. I distinctly remember pictures being taken of me posing with an ivy plant, a moment that epitomized my extremely chic persona. This was nothing like my mother. She would not be caught dead in an uber-glam, attention-grabbing ensemble. She prefers to look fabulous in a less obvious way.

As I got older, I morphed into a couple of different styles. My closet was composed primarily of... well, to be totally honest, nothing worth noting. I had a cute top here and there, but mostly I did not have the confidence to let myself embrace fashion. Simultaneously, my propensity for glitz had not fully disappeared, which explains why I attended prom in an aquamarine dress with a plunging neckline-- we're talking below the belly button here, folks-- and slim links of rhinestones keeping all my pieces and parts hidden behind the sea-colored fabric.

Just under two years ago I had a moment. I realized I was selling myself short; why didn't I deserve to have fun with style as much as the next person? Why did I insist on never indulging my fashion sense? I was living in a vicious cycle: I didn't go out and have fun because I never had anything to wear. I didn't have anything to wear because I never let myself shop. I never let myself shop because I didn't want to spend money. I made less money because I was living on tips and my attitude was dropping substantially as a result of my negative vision of self.

As I said, my mom has very nice style. The problem is her confidence in it... and my problem was my lack of confidence in myself.

Style is as much believing in yourself as a person as it is believing in your ability to wear 4.5 in. platform heels for eight hours at work because they make your outfit fabulous. For me, fashion and style are about taking a few risks. Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone to keep your look current with your point of view.

After all, I think we can all identify with change in our life causing drastic style consequences. Who hasn't gone to the hairdresser after a breakup, change of job, or too many pieces of cake and asked for a completely new look? I know I have. That irrational mindset is precisely what led to any number of poor hairstyles in my past: my stint as a brunette (with blonde eyebrows), too many close encounters with a crimper, a cut that was a handful of layers away from being a mullet. Thank goodness I have someone doing my hair now who is a friend and will thus be subjected to me complaining if I look a hot mess. She reins me in when I am tempted to do a bit of emotional snip-snip on my 'do, but still obliges me by mixing it up in a rational manner.

That same logic needs to applied to apparel and accessories. It is important to indulge in a bit of exploration while still remaining true to yourself. Examples include the highly dorky glasses I purchased a few entries back, or the turband (a headband/turban) I've been prancing around town in. I stay loyal to me, though. Hey, I am a nerd, so the glasses make sense. I am a bit of a hippie, so the turband is in keeping with my personality. I wear these things, among others I've added to my wardrobe since realizing I do not dress as well as I could to reflect my sense of self, with things that take me back to my safety zone. I do not wear the glasses with hipster jeans and a concert t-shirt. Instead I opt for a pencil skirt and classic button-down. The turband is paired with designer denim or a maxi-skirt in neutral tones, not a hemp necklace and a fistful of incense sticks.

My style has evolved and continues to do so... and along with the simplistic taste of my teen years, there is still a bit of that purple satin costume dress in my life. The difference is these days I pair it with black pumps instead of white feathered heels. In fact, that was precisely what I wore on New Year's Eve this year-- and now the dress was accented with black lace, because this little girl is all grown up.