Fashion Fridays: Inspiration, Abstract or Concrete?

A huge part of fashion is inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere—and for the most fashionable/fashion forward people, it rarely comes from what you see in a magazine--so don't limit yourself. Scenery, city life, photographs, people, colors, sunsets—you name it. Hell my best ideas come while I’m asleep—essentially what my subconscious held onto from the most inspirational part of that day!

There is so much beauty in the world to take in that sometimes you just have to find what makes you smile—and use that for inspiration. I know people that are inspired by the color yellow—and others that are inspired by a picture of Janet Jackson. I personally am inspired most by the beach—and for summer I usually start there. I love the colors, the people, the relaxed nature of the beach and the free flowing energy (probably why I got engaged on the beach).


I’m also inspired by the 60s…and that movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s—I’m in such awe of how formal yet casual people seemed to be back then, darling! I’m still trying to master Holly Golightly’s charm…


What YOU have to do is figure out what inspires you? What do you absolutely love? What makes you happy? Infuse that into what you put on everyday and you will love yourself that much more (and get compliments!)

Pause.

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Okay that’s the first half of the Fashion Fridays blog (2 for 1 since I didn't post one last Friday)…the next half is for those who absolutely need to have a visual, or a magazine reference as abstract thought may not be your forté…


Something that I have found to tie in with my beach-y inspiration is something called resort wear. Resort collections have gotten widely popular only very recently. I know when you hear “resort” you think affluent or snobby—and that is exactly where these collections got their start. This is also why some designers call their collections “cruise-wear” or the “summer” collection instead, to avoid the connotation and to appeal to the masses.


Resort is like a pseudo season that is in between the traditional fall and spring. I found 2 very informative articles and will share both for you to contrast. One is from a year ago and talks about the history of and how Resort collections came to be. The other, from New York Magazine, (dated last week) talks about how the market has been flooded with Resort collections this year, and how designers are trying to stay afloat to keep up with the Jones’s…


Cynthia Rowley Resort 2010




Here is the first article from FashionPeddler.com dated July 28, 2009:

Fashion Peddler.com Resort


Okay, that was a YEAR ago, now check out this one, just published last week: by New York Magazine

Resort Report 2011: Fashion Experts Answer Ten Big Questions, Like ‘Why Does This Season Exist?’

One last tip for this week. Don't feel compelled to buy designer clothes, or to spend your hard earned money on garments that are outside of your budget. Designer items will go out of style/season just as fast as Forever 21 and H&M will, so use these designer looks as "inspiration" and be sure to stay within your clothing allowance (splurge on quality [and timeless] staple items though)! Case and point, I bought this --> vintage lace shirt (never worn) from the thrift store for $7 last summer, and it looks almost IDENTICAL to the one shown in the 1st look on Philip Lim's...

Food for thought...

happy spending (or saving!),

Love,
Rose