The love of the game
One thing I've always believed is that style is deeply personal. It's so individualized, and that's what makes it so unique. If you looked in my closet right now, you'd probably see multiples of the same jeans, the same boots, the same jewelry, the same coat. Not because I think that's the only good fashion, but because of how much I love it.
In a world full of trends, it's so easy to get lost in other people's worlds of style. So many places and people to take inspiration from, and no time or space left to actually sit with what you're drawn to. When you're in a store, you typically reach for what you're used to or what you already know looks good on you. I challenge myself to do the opposite, to try on things I know are outlandish, things I would never in a million years picture myself wearing…because it's good to see yourself in new things, and see yourself doing new things. You never know what can become your thing.
Take my jean jacket. I've had it for years, and I wear it almost every week. To this day, I revert to it, because to me, it is me. It's so cool, it fits just right, and now any time I see a variation of a jean jacket, I HAVE to try it on! But I didn't always feel that way about it. I didn't always think it was "me." I think a lot of people feel that same hesitation about the things that end up becoming their signature, right up until you can't imagine yourself without it.
That's the whole idea, really: you don't find yourself. You create yourself! You are whatever you say you are. You like whatever you like. So if you're doing or wearing things you don't actually like, you can change them. What you think you are and what you say to yourself are who you become. I said I was fearless, so I competed on the Miss New York stage. I said I take risks, so I moved to Austin, Texas for an internship. I said I was driven, so I worked my butt off to make sure everything I was doing would pay off.
My jean jacket didn't start as "me." I made it me by choosing it every time until it stopped just being my jacket and started to become ME!
And that’s what I mean when I say style is personal. It's not about having good taste or bad taste; it's really about being willing to try something on or do something, outlandish or not, and being honest with yourself about whether it feels like you or not. Sometimes it won't, and sometimes it'll be a denim jacket you never take off!
The flip side of trying things on and doing new things is knowing when to let them go. This past summer I took a hiatus from my usual chaos of spontaneous plans and did a deep clean of my closet and my life. I kept what still felt like me, and cleared out what didn't. My boyfriend calls it "sparking joy." My jean jacket survived, obviously.
I tried new hobbies and new skills. I became a certified Pilates instructor just for the love of ranking in new skills… and because I love my Pilates. Because, if I can, why not! I do it for the love of the game.
Wearing the same thing every weekend because you love it is chic. It's chic to wear whatever you want, to reach for the same boots or the same coat over and over just because they're yours. In my case, that's boots, denim, and a watch to everything humanly possible.
What’s the Catch?
Trying not to “Spark” too much joy :)
