You know those pieces that you have a hard time getting rid of? Yeah, me too. My wardrobe is filled with eccentric and colorful garments. It's 99.9% items that I either made or is a specific vintage piece I altered or value. And 9/10 times I usually end up selling garments I made for myself. I feel the most cool when I wear things I emotionally connect to.
When you add statement pieces into your day-to-day-look, it's a huge mood pick-me-up. If you have to wear a uniform or follow a dress code, that's a fabulous opportunity to ignite innovation! Your statement pieces can be found in other objects from through jewelry and bags, to hats and shoes. Even undershirts or undies - there are no excuses to not add something to make you feel your cool. Energy and mojo are real factors that affect your day; contribute to elevating your soul vibrancy by putting thought into your chosen physical possessions.
You know I have a thing for nostalgia. Never a hoarder, always a collector. And, I've always been good at being a fan. When I find something I believe in or passionate about, I must have a token of it's essence to add to the treasure chest. Ergo, I have a large personal collection of passed down and found pins, buttons, patches, fabric swatches, and t-shirts from eras past. I love combining these memories, embedding superpower into one garment.
My dad has annually purchased one new pair of Levi 501's. It's a character staple in his life. Last year, I purchased just one for myself with an inspired intent. These jeans now felt special because of the way I looked at their meaning. They quickly became my go-to-wear-on-a-regular-basis garment. I transformed these jeans for myself, constantly adding new painted patches. These jeans fucking rock and unexplainably go with everything. They're probably a second-cousin to the magical jeans from The Sister Hood Of The Traveling Pants. Bottom line, if I was going to go run away in a boxcar to go join a band of gypsies, I would pack these pants in my suitcase.
When I am buying a new item, I see it as a canvas. The quality of your canvas and material elevates any artwork. Usually when I design or come up with a new aesthetic, I make something for myself as a test run. Here, I can find out if it translates as cool. Does it feel organic? If you're trying too hard, it can become contrived. If you are copying a design, it can become contrived. If you are mimicking someone else, it can become contrived. POINT IS, I really hate the term, contrived. It technically means "deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously." No doubt you have to put thought into design, but there is a dire need for spontaneity and a sense of laissez-faire when painting.
I've gone through many style obsessions, from wearing only 1940's dresses and all monochrome darks, to painted overalls and rockstar bougie layers, but now I am interested to how to re-invent again. Ideally, I could now throw on a basic tee and bottoms, with classic lines, and pair it with select statement pieces. Wearing a New York uniform, aka all black, and spicing it up with painted statement details and one or two wild pieces is my current my street style aura. As someone who runs her own business, but is also an artist and rockstar-in-my-own-head, I try to find a professional, yet curated, happy medium.
