Dress for Thine Own Self


Top, Zara (boys' section!). Jeans, BDG. Shoes, UO. Bag, Filson.
It continues to blow my mind that people notice what I wear. And no, this is not an attempt at false modesty here. The group of people I hang out with on a regular basis are fashion conscious and therefore are usually aware of what I wear and such. Yet on a rare day, an acquaintance would come up to me and say she likes what I wear. However, it is not just a polite one off comment on an item of clothing I happened to be wearing that day, but rather observations on how much she appreciated my sense of style, something she found consistent and was unfailingly "me". This caught me off guard and was extremely flattering of course, but more than that it thoroughly surprised me because to put it narcisstically, I was always dressing for myself and myself alone. The guiding principles as to what I wear on any particular day mostly are just how I feel and what the weather is that day. How others will think of me through or because of my manner of dress are never a deciding factor. So what can I conclude from this? That you should stick to your principles and dress only to what feels right for you–no matter what kind of style you like or what society dictates as "good taste"–because you'll develop an innate lexicon of style where you can play around with a set of definitions well understood by you alone (i.e. set items of clothing). And who knows, someone just might appreciate your efforts and sound judgement. I will leave you with a quote from John Fairchild of WWD:

“"Style" is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style.”

18 comments:

Amelia said...

I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote. I think everyone should try and develop their style as opposed to draping themselves in the latest fashion.

That bag is a lot bigger than I imagined.

Anita said...

I agree with what you wrote also, I think it's stupid when people choose to wear the latest fashion over something which they, themselves would prefer to wear. What you wear defines who you are.
http://xtheperfectmess.blogspot.com

james said...

mm hmm! preach on sister! i love this post =) you look so cute!

the notebook doodles said...

what do you think about the filson bag, do you like it? pros and cons? i'm really interested in purchasing it but not quite sure if i should get a proper leather one..?

Rachel said...

Really great post (and outfit!). It's always so nice to see people being true to their own style, especially on blogs, where it's easy to tell when bloggers wear something just because it's what's "in" (or simply because it's a "courtesy of" item). And I'm like you -- the weather dictates what I wear a majority of the time, haha.

Jada said...

AMEN to this post! You look adorable, btw! :D I think it's a lot better to just dress what makes you happy and comfortable. You explained it perfectly in this post! I hope your fall semester is going well. You have the best fall outfit right there :D

Phara said...

That's spot on what you've just said. Just dress the way that feels good and make you feel like yourself!
X

rosapelsblog said...

very nice blog! i follow you ! u have a nice hairstyle anyway!

Anastasia said...

It's a fun feeling! And I'm totally with you. You have got yourself a new follower C:

anastasia

yanqin said...

Even when I dress to fit in, for "serious meetings" and people compliment me, I feel like a fraud. Definitely better to dress in a way that feels true to you.

teresa said...

I really really like your style Joy. :-) It's actually similar to how I usually dress, only that we have different items. I sometimes wish I'd owned yours, like this pair of UO shoes! Fall seemed to have come here in Hong Kong and I can't wait to get myself dressed in layers of blue/ white and brown. I'm looking forward to reading more of your style posts!

Aya Smith said...

I'm crazy for those shoes!!! Lovely outfit :D

Aya ♥ Strawberry Koi

Anonymous said...

well-said, my friend. i admire how you express yourself so well, Joy -- in dress and in writing. beautiful!

Miss B. said...

Super cute outfit! I need to check out the boys section of Zara , great tip;)

xx,

Miss B.

Kate said...

I have been lax in keeping up with your blog lately, alas, but this was a pitch perfect entry through which to dive back in. I love your writing, and truly admire your style! Keep it up!

{with fingers crossed}

Joy said...

@Amelia, it's great to know that you feel the same way!
@Anita, you go girl! Checked your blog out and you have GREAT photos on there. Too cute!
@jamie, thanks girlie :)
@Rachel, GMTA srzly. LOL.
@Jada, You sure adhere to this rule too. Sometimes I feel like I'm preaching to the choir here because the friends I've made here via blogger already do what I'm trying to get at here :3
@Phara, :D
@Rosa Pel, thanks for the follow mate.
@Anastasia, glad you like what you see.
@lin, I'm pretty sure even though some office wears can be quite conservative and limiting in many ways, I am sure you can find someway to spice it up with own unique flavour!
@teresa, thanks for being such a sweet reader. In the past I was wary of doing outfit posts mostly because what I wear might come across as "boring" compared to the other bloggers online so it's nice to know that some lovely people (such as you) appreciate the realism in my outfit posts :) I'm going to go back to HK around Jan. If you don't think it's creepy we can meet up or something!
@Aya, thank you. I live for oxfords.
@Katrina, thanks! You know already how much I love your blog <3
@Miss B., ya most def check it out. It's cheaper too ;)
@Kay, great to see that you're back! Hopefully you like all the new content posted!

Teresa said...

Love your jacket and cute schoolgirl look!

invasionista

blouse said...

Love that quote you ended on!! Greatly worded post.

xo,
jen