Role Models
The ever so witty and lovely Sugar Kane of (swim)suit issues mentioned the other day that you should pay attention to your own individual features when choosing your style role models. At first I thought I don’t have particular role models at all and I was whining about this at Sugar Kane’s comment box. But on reflection I think my style is highly influenced by a certain style type.
There are a bunch of women I consider extremely interesting style-wise. These intriguing women are all fictional, they’re slightly uncanny characters and they have outstandingly strong features. They all dress in black, they have an attitude to die for and some of them even look magnificent when kicking ass and running on heels.
I might as well call these characters my style role models. May I present: Catwoman, Marla Singer, Renee Madison and Irma Vep.
Before you draw any equals between me and my style role models I must warn you that my personal style is hardly as interesting as the look of these gorgeous characters. There are some similarities, yes, but perhaps I wouldn’t be able to pull off such a full-blown edgy look. Sure it would be fantastic to be an action heroine or femme fatale but as it turns out I have a loads of work ahead of me if I ever want to get my act together.
Do you have any role models?
Sanna 5. June 2008 | Style Inspiration | Comment [2]
Wall Fashion
Add some funk to your walls with fashionable wall stickers by ferm LIVING. Low-hassle and low-commitment wall stickers are an easy-peasy way to change the look of a room instantly. See how to hang a wall sticker here (Quicktime movie).
Link tip via one of my favourite design blogs, Bloesem, image via Apartment Therapy.
Sanna 20. February 2008 | Inspiration Home | Comment [6]
I Want To Dress Better! (vol. 3)
So you thought I’m going to talk about different body types, e.g. pears, apples, lollipops and cornets this time, right? WRONG!
Now don’t get me wrong here, I truly believe that you should actually get to know yourself in order to dress better, but in my opinion it is more important to admit your size and learn to love your figure.
It took me almost three decades to understand that one of the key things to make my clothing look good on me is loving the figure I’m in. To be honest, I have gone through some major changes over the past few years. In the beginning of the millennium I was all skin and bones with ballet honed legs but I wasn’t anyhow more happy or satisfied with my looks back then than I am today. Yes, I shopped skinny t’s from kids department and I was extremely petite but I was also a light-headed, shivering human wreck who was afraid of passing out in public. After moving abroad, getting to know Middle European pub culture and giving up my dancing lessons I experienced a total body transformation. I gained weight and lost my athletic figure. At some point I had hard time to accept my new lumps and bumps and I did the indefensible: I slowly slid into self-loathing. Trust me, there’s nothing fascinating and sexy in a gal who doesn’t like herself.
Let’s face it: Some of us look like Twiggy while others more closely resemble Marilyn Monroe. Variety a good thing so embrace it! No matter how wide hips or how small chest you have, there’s a style out there that will make the most of what [insert desired higher power here] gave you. Have you ever wondered why some people look so great, and some look terrible? It’s because the ones who look great have admitted their size, and are wearing clothes that fit them.
I’m not going to give you any tips or pointers on how to downplay certain undesirable features because I believe that a genuine smile and a healthy self-esteem are the greatest accessories a gal can ever have. Mark my words, the secret of looking amazing is to have an open mind and a wee bit of self-confidence.
Sanna 17. January 2008 | Style Inspiration | Comment [4]
I Want To Dress Better! (vol. 2)
When I decided I wanted to dress better I thought it would be a good idea to become more conscious of the fashion and style around me. I wanted to develop a critical eye and a better sense of what looks fabulous. There are plenty of ways to increase style awareness. If you want to pick up some tried and tested fashion ideas, you should try one or more of the four following ways.
It’s pretty easy to pick a truly disastrous look out of a crowd, isn’t it? Therefore people-watching is an easy and interesting way of eyeing the myriad of real looks that are out there. When I’m out and about I try spot some people I consider stylish and well dressed and then I try to figure out why they come across this way. I’m asking myself, what is it about their outfits and personal style that appeal to me. I pay attention to the details, e.g. fabrication, colours and patterns. Sometimes I have even asked my subjects where they bought a particular garment that grabbed my attention.
Every now and then I flip through some fashion magazines. I believe they give me a better sense of which colours, patterns, styles and silhouettes are hip and happening at the moment. I have to admit I don’t bother with glossy mags such as Vogue or Elle because I believe they are more appropriate for fashionistas which I’m not. I better scan through some down-to-earth mags that feature attainable clothing and accessories.
I have gotten a lot of style inspiration by watching telly and movies. Also, surfing the web has taught me to dress better. The web offers numerous of fashion sites that can help you brush up your style. I’m scanning through sites that offer runway fashion but I find style blogs such as Stylesightings, Only shallow, Reykjavik Looks and The Suburban Queen among others the most inspiring because they offer “real life” style and fashion ideas.
Besides being creative and style aware, you should know what actually looks good on you. Read more about different body types soon.
Sanna 13. January 2008 | Style Inspiration | Comment [6]
I Want To Dress Better! (vol. 1)
I know I’m not in the midst of a fashion emergency and I’m not gonna get a visit from the fashion police anytime soon but I still want to learn how to dress better. I thought I should start from the very basics because there are no hard-and-fast rules of being stylish.
One of the basic principles is to always look well groomed and clean. I have to admit that sometimes when I crawl to the 7am train I have that just-rolled-out-of-bed look, and by this I don’t mean that sexy kitten look all women’s mags are raving about. Think about desperate grunge rocker, and you’ll get the idea. From now on I want to take better care of my clothes, make sure that my dresses, skirts and blouses are well ironed and my shoes and bags unscuffed and polished. I know I’m not the world’s snappiest dresser but I believe I can improve my appearance by looking neat and natty.
Another key to dressing better is to make sure you’re wearing clothes that fit. Visible and bulging panty lines, quadruple breast syndromes and, ehm, camel toes are sooo no-no (been there, done that). Purchasing vintage pieces is sometimes a bit tricky because sizes vary from decade to decade and therefore it’s always a good idea to say hello to Quilters Tape Measure. I have done dozens of mistake purchases when buying vintage pieces online and I have actually worn items that have been either too small or too big for me. I promise I won’t do that anymore, not even for the sake of gorgeous vintage piece.
Don’t overdo trends should be an obvious guideline when learning how to dress better. A touch of animal print here and a hint of loud hues there is enough. Experimenting with fashion fads is fun, but wearing them head-to-toe is a bad move.
And finally, it is important to be creative and open to new ideas. This is something I need to work on because honestly, 99 percent of my clothes are black smock dresses. So stay tuned if you want to know how to increase your style awareness.
What has been your biggest fashion faux-pas?
Sanna 9. January 2008 | Style Inspiration | Comment [7]
