Hello!
Welcome to my new blog. Yes. Another blog about fashion.
It's been almost 5 years since my TEDx talk on the power of fashion. A lot has changed in that time: I've graduated school, work a full-time job, and I no longer wear the Fenty Beauty yellow gold chunky glitter highlighter that many of you commented about on the video. I've grown up! But only a little bit :)
Despite becoming a fully functioning adult member of society, fashion has remained a constant presence in my daily life. Many of the things in my talk remain true for me today. This is a good thing: I have no power in getting the video taken down from YouTube, so I'm glad I still agree with its main points.
However, I would be lying if I said some things haven't changed. I recently turned 25, which triggered a major bout of self-reflection. One of the big ticket items in the firing line of my ruminative thoughts was my relationship with fashion, and how it has evolved in these past years.
It turns out that work - the place where many of us spend the majority of our days - has had a significant influence on my style. What a truly groundbreaking observation! In all seriousness, it's been an invigorating challenge trying to marry my personal style with societal expectations of professionalism (this warrants an entire blog post of its own).
In fact, this challenge started well before my current employment. When I was taking my professional headshot to use for job applications, I had to grapple with myself. How do I remain true to my personal style - defined by bold colours, mixing prints, dominating silhouettes - whilst making sure I actually find gainful employment?
Do I follow Google's advice about neutral tones and block colours for headshots? Do I wear my pineapple print blouse and pink crystal costume jewelry? Can I feel that I'm being authentic to myself whilst also being presentable as a good candidate for employment?
I've put the final shot I settled on in this post, and you can let me know if I achieved this elusive balance. For what it's worth, I did get the job!
Working full-time has forced me to push the boundaries of my personal style in a positive way. Creativity became very stagnant during the pandemic lockdown, where my style really consisted of a rotating set of pyjamas. It's fun to start my mornings trying to pull together a work-appropriate outfit that I would also wear on my personal time.
On the other hand, my 19-year-old self would probably be shocked by my style choices today. There's a clear shift towards a more classic, mature style. This is when the rumination sets in, and I find myself wondering whether I am truly committed to an authentic way of dressing. Thus the title of this first blog post was born: the evolution of personal style.
The reality of life is that we grow up, get older, and change. Another groundbreaking observation! However, truly authentic personal style changes and develops with us as we walk through life, experience major life events, and achieve our dreams. We have the power to mould style as we evolve in ourselves.
Stagnancy is typically something we want to avoid in most things, and I think this applies to style as well. The beauty in fashion is that it's fun and impermanent. By giving our style space to grow, we're allowing ourselves to find the joy in experimentation that is at the core of fashion as a hobby and industry.
I started this blog in order to create a dedicated space to celebrate one of my deepest passions in life. I've heard from a lot of people who've watched the talk on YouTube and found points that resonated with them. I hope this blog reaches you and we can continue to explore fashion, style, and its role in our lives together.
There are so many topics I'll hopefully talk about - the concept of fashion vs personal style, ethical purchase and consumption of material goods, the latest micro trends (@Miu Miu micro mini skirt), travel fashion - and I hope to hear your thoughts as well.
Watch this space for more!
Love the banana jacket!!