Where Does Your Inspiration Come From?

So I happened to watch Pearl Harbor the other day. I was in the need of a good cry (I sometimes get like that for some reason!), and so I popped in this baby. It was fantastic, per usual. And upon finishing it, after wiping the tears, I was all of a sudden inspired to dress very a la 1940's. Had I watched something like Burlesque and my outfit would've been completely different!

And then at school today, I was asked by a couple of Visual Communication students for an outfit picture and a brief questionnaire they had for one of their classes. It had your basic questions like How would you describe your personal style? and Who is your fashion icon? and Would you consider yourself to be on trend? and it got me to thinking: where does one's personal style and inspiration come from? It brought me back to my Critical Thinking class this morning in the sense that our opinions and our beliefs are conditioned by what we download and absorb as we've grown. Fascinating, is it not? So then of course I went into my deeper canyon of thinking and came out with a few new thoughts.

How would you describe your personal style? Now I love the quote: "To define is to limit", for I think that using a couple words to describe your personal style is simply not doing justice to the whole being that you are; however, they don't want some philosophical answer, they want simply some descriptive adjectives to describe your style's aesthetic. I came up with some along the lines of vintage, classy, elegant, different, old-fashioned, and sensual. But of course that all changes with the changing of the seasons, and even as quickly as the blink of an eye. My personal style stays true to my old-fashioned aesthetic, but adapts to everything around me: films, food, weather, boys ( I know, no judgement!), emotions, music, and the list goes on. And so I ask you this, where does your inspiration come from?

Who is your fashion icon? Man, this is another one of those tricky questions. The first one that comes to mind is Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, but she is more of a hero to me, being the first to introduce me to the fascinating world of fashion when I got to portray her in a wax museum way back in 5th grade. Plus, I love her stand against the molds of fashion and her power in the feminist movement. But then I think, there's also Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and even Joseph Cassell's styling for Taylor Swift (my favorites being all in the Blank Space music video especially). So how does one choose just one fashion icon? How do celebrities always choose just one? Cause then I think of Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Schiaparelli, and even vintage Balenciaga. So I would love to know who your favorite fashion icon is!

Would you consider yourself to be on trend? Now instantly my answer goes to "no", and for many reasons. Firstly, I belive in the ideal of "Fashion fades, style is eternal." That being said, I believe in mashups of past seasons and not giving a darn what each season says is "in" or not. And some trends don't work for everybody! I'm a firm believer in personal style, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a trend that comes out that works for me. So would you consider yourself to be on trend?

Anyhow, these couple questions just really made me think today. Maybe it's that Critical Thinking class getting to me, but that's a good thing, right?

What I wore: naturals rhinestone vintage earrings (used), brown silk vintage 1940's style dress (used), gold sparkly BANANA REPUBLIC belt (sale), and tan t-strap MIZ MOOZ pumps (used).