Monday, January 7, 2013

Hello again! Style evolution + NYC Chic

So, it's been a while. I don't want to say I gave up (although I am notorious for starting blogs, posting once and then completely peacing out on the whole endeavor), but I guess as days and then weeks without writing go by, it gets harder to just remedy the situation and write. Guilt builds up and for some reason it becomes easier to shove it all under the bed than to face the situation head on. At least that's how it is for me, pretty much with everything.

But! New year, new me. Writing. Reading. Doing. Makin' shit happen.

Anyhoo, I was thinking today about how my personal style has evolved since I moved to New York. Finally having an income, however meager, does help as I have been able to make some fun additions to my wardrobe. But I think it's also just the NYC attitude that has affected my habits. There is a sense of sartorial freedom that certainly didn't exist at the University of Rochester (where fashion goes to die), but I'm not quite as inspired to be kooky and random as I was when I studied abroad in Amsterdam (where fashion goes to smoke a bunch of grass and assemble the weirdest mish-mash of clothing ever). Instead, I find that I strive for glamorous and bohemian just as I always have, but with a much more muted aesthetic than I have ever been drawn to before. I've found that most of the women here who look the best usually look effortless and unstudied. The best example of this: I've finally stopped wearing a bajillion bracelets all the time and have now pared my arm bling down to a few small red strings with evil-eye beads on one wrist and a delicate but unusual looking gold cuff on the other. Of course, less bracelets equals more rings, but that's a different story.

I work in an office building that houses mostly creative and fashion-type offices and this makes for great outfit-watching during my coffee runs. From what I've seen, I would say low-heeled booties, cuffed jeans and a silky button down is the uniform of the young girl in a creative profession. This looks spectacular on its own and is highly conducive to looking hip, professional and comfortable all at once (a difficult feat!), but it's never fun to look like every single other girl waiting in line for the elevator, so I try to find ways to change that shit up a little. As follows:

NYC working girl uniform


Interestingly, as my bracelet wearing has decreased, necklace wearing has increased exponentially. For my birthday this summer, I got a little gold necklace with a circle on it and I've been pairing that with a longer gold horn pendant from Urban Outfitters and sometimes a longer rosary-type necklace. I think it looks very rocker-chic without completely overpowering an outfit. It also goes with like anything, provided there isn't a whole bunch of detailing on the shirt.

This is the exact necklace I have from UO.  It's uncomplicated but packs a big punch style-wise.

I love these astrology pendants from Free People. So versatile.



The second thing I've been into since moving is mixing patterns. This is, in my mind, the hallmark of the true fashion girl, but it actually isn't ALL THAT hard to do. You just have to develop an eye for it. The way I see it, some patterns basically function as neutrals. These patterns, a good example being a subtle leopard print, work well when paired with something more detailed or colorful. Textures also fall into this mix, so you could do a grey python clutch as the neutral against a more complex plaid button down and be set. Throw in some black coated skinnies and a colorful shoe and now I want that outfit! Ahh inspiration.

Get these clothes on my body, ASAP.






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