Monday, July 28, 2014

Lighten up it's just fashion

So yeah. I went to school for fashion design. 
And yes, I had five internships working as a designer, product developer, and merchant for various apparel companies. 
And yesssssssss, I worked in specialty retail in visual merchandising for the better part of a decade. (I'm rounding up slightly, but work in retail is like dog years...it all counts as extra).
And beyond that, I do love fashion in a myriad of forms...magazines, branding, street style, shopping, costumes...

But does that mean I'm a fashionista? A fashion plate? A model? A style icon? A fashion blogger?


Heck to the no

(Did I just blow your mind there? Really guys. I'm not a style icon. No matter what anyone has told you. I'll let that sink for a bit. I'm sure it's a shock. Here...I'll give you proof just to make sure we're clear. I call it: style snippets from basically every night of my life.)




Frankly, most days I'd settle for "mostly not frumpy". 
But even if I'm not the most gifted stylist and designer in the world (if for some crazy reason you even have a modicum of doubt, I can assure you, I am not) I technically do know what I'm doing when it comes to this whole fashion thing. I know how to dress myself- correction- I know how I should dress myself, I'm qualified to give style advice on at least a semi-professional level (which I actually did for a while in the form of Closet Crash Course), and I like keeping up with trends/style/general fashion stuff etc. etc.

It's just that my enthusiasm for all things fashion, doesn't exactly always translate into my actual style. As in- the things I buy with my money and spend time putting on in the morning. It's all very- the cobbler's kids don't have any shoes (or whatever the saying is for that strange phenomenon that causes people to neglect their profession when it comes to their personal lives.) I've actually already waxed (not-so) poetically on this already, when I started my foray into style consulting, talking about how I struggle with positioning myself seriously in the realm of fashion, when I am just so very lazy and simplistic with my own choices (Warning: I am unoriginal enough to use the same cobbler analogy, so pretty much any of my self-deprecating humor is well deserved...) I mean, there are a million fashion bloggers out there who are passionate about the whole thing....turning themselves out day after day- in trendy gear, and designer pieces- sharing their love, and talent, with well-lit selfies and perfect detail shots. Dressing well, (and if we're being honest- not being borderline unbearably cheap about clothes) comes naturally to some people...so it kinda makes sense to leave the fashion blogging to them. I may have the head knowledge, and the interest, but I certainly don't literally have the wardrobe to back it up. And my photo posing game? Could use some work


But.....but....


I think it's fun! Fashion is fun. Blogging is fun. Fashion blogging is pretty fun! Sure, I feel like a complete doufus pausing to take a picture of my shoes on the brick street outside my office... And yes, it sometimes takes a full week for me to stumble into an outfit that I deem worthy of sharing.

But...but...


It's fun. 

So I'm going to drop the self doubt (or at least shove it way down deep in my non-designer bag), and just have some fun with you all. I'll try to ignore my cheesy awkward face, and my terrible awkward posing. And you'll have to ignore the fact that I wear a rotating set of a grand total of 3 pairs of shoes. It's just fashion. Sometimes it's cute. Sometimes it's comfy. Sometimes it's inspiring, and sometimes it's just fun to make some goofy gifs. So that's what I'll do.

I played around with the new uber-stylish, and ridiculously fun partypartyapp and took some shots of my outfits this past week. So while they're not all total winners, they're at least real. No dressing up for the sake of a photoshoot just to put on sweats five minutes later. It's more like- dressing kinda up for the sake of my (super fashion-flexible) job, take a quick pic (ignoring the confused stares from my neighbors), and then put on sweats.

Most of my stuff is fairly old and random, so I hesitate to flatter myself with the idea that you'll all be clamoring for purchasing details. But just in case, I'll list the general info here. 
 Vest: Old Navy, Shirt: Urban Outfitters. Ring: from Jamaica.
 Watch: Fossil, Jeans/Necklace/Bracelets: AE. Shoes/Purse: DSW. 

  Shirt/Bracelets/Shoes: AE, Necklace: J.Crew via Ebay, Dress: H&M. 


   Shirt/Belt/Jeans: AE, Shoes: DSW, Necklace: Tiffany & Co. 
Bracelet: my grandmother's from Mexico

   Shirt/Shoes: AE, Scarf: DSW, Dress: Target. Belt/Bracelets: Foever 21.


  Shoes/jeans: AE, Necklace: Tiffany & Co, Shirt: Forever 21.
Sunglasses: Old Navy, Bracelets: Forever21 + my grandmothers from Mexico. 

Check out more of my sartorial silliness in the archives, or on Instagram: #bowdenismstyle 
And please enjoy this bonus song to go with the post title. 

4 comments :

  1. I love everything about this post! You're a fashion plate in my book. :) And I'm totally downloading that app!

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  2. I love your fashion! And I love that it is real and that you are real! Because we all can't just buy new outfits every week;) So I love seeing your style using new and old pieces. I sill wear some things from years ago!

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  3. Love it all - you put together things so uniquely, I love it!

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  4. haha, i'm right there with you. i could design/construct/style circles around most, but my everyday go-to is tshirt and jeans, super lame, but super easy. my brain is too busy with other things.

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