I’ve gone through many sartorial phases when it comes to
getting dressed in the morning.  There
was my “Southern Gothic” stage.  It
consisted of anything dark, neo-goth, floral, nature-y, vintagey.  I was influenced by Flannery O’Conner,
Devendra Banhart, and Zoe Deschanel and wore lots of feathers in my hair.  After that came a “Hip-Hop Hippie” look
(yeah, that’s for real).  I favored my
high-tops, neon Aztec printed flowy dresses, and baggy (er) denim.  I listened to The Knife, The Presets, wore my
bangs blunt and got my inspiration from “The Cobra Snake”.  Actually, that phase didn’t last very long…
haha.

During one of my “phases” I read an article where a
fabulously dressed woman was asked if she found it hard to get dressed in the
morning.  She replied that it used to be
hard, but she knows what she likes now and knows who she is, and her clothing
is just as extension of that.  Her style
came totally naturally after her journey of self-discovery.

That became my goal, to know myself well enough that “getting
ready” became effortless.  I wanted to
have a wardrobe that was a reflection of myself and felt like another layer of
skin I put on in the morning.

Having  phases was
like having a season of discovery of one aspect of myself.  I’ve been able to pull what I love from
different phases and put together a more consistent look.  It’s not to say that I’m now a genius with my
clothes and look like “me” every day. 
But I get closer and closer every year.

All in all I want to encourage everyone to be themselves.  And if you don’t really know who you are, that’s
what the phases are for.  Experiment with
all those sides of yourself until you come to a balance. Interpret fashion
through your own creative, individual lenses and become comfortable in your
look!

Some examples of incredible self knowledge:

– http://showmeyourwardrobe.blogspot.com/2009/09/hannah-marshall-designer-of-hannah.html

(woah, talk about an aesthetic!!)

– http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/

(This lovely lady has impressed me for years with her lovely sense of self and style.

Love you!  Brittan