Free Spirit Fashion

In my last post I mentioned how I’ve been struggling with finding a consistent style that is somewhat cohesive from day to day. In fact, this is not a recent problem – I’ve been experimenting with different looks since middle school or so, trying to find my fashion niche.

The thing is, I LOVE fashion in general. I love extreme looks, from preppy to gothic, because they are personal expressions that convey a certain attitude. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a blah wardrobe of plain t-shirts and jeans; what does that say about the wearer? It says that they’re a plain person. Who wants to make that kind of impression?

However, over the years I’ve had trouble figuring out where on the fashion spectrum I lie. I’m currently in a kind of vintage/bohemian phase, but I’ve tried out preppy, punk, grunge, ghetto, and even forayed into the gothic for a bit. And that’s not to mention the other just plain weird phases, like when I would only wear kids’ clothes, or my brief tomboy phase, my black and red clothes only phase, or when I just gave up on fighting my high school’s strict dress code and just wore sweats all the damn time. I should post pictures sometime. I could cringe while everyone else is entertained, haha.

Anyway, I guess I have kind of an adventurous and edgy personality that wants to stand out from other people, but at the same time, I also don’t want to appear TOO out there, for fear that people will think I’ve lost my marbles. I still want to command respect and look classy, not goofy or like I’m trying too hard. Finding and achieving a look that encompasses all of that, though, has been difficult. 

Well I’ve lately been struck with inspiration on how to go about blending my classy and quirky sides for the coming fall & winter. It all started when I was watching a Japanese drama called “1 Litre of Tears” a couple weeks ago. (On a side note, everyone should watch this at some point. It’s about a girl who, at age 15, is struck with an incurable and fatal disease – based on a true story. It really puts your life in perspective, and makes you literally cry a liter of tears.)

I was thinking that Aya looked so cute in her uniform, and lamenting the fact that my private high school didn’t have uniforms. (Though it’s just as well; the issue came up several times during my time there, and was always voted down because the proposed uniforms were ugly as hell.) I was wondering if there was a way I could get away with wearing sort of a modified school uniform look, even though I’m in college now. (see? I never met a look I didn’t like, it seems…) So I googled “school uniform look,” and a bunch of Gossip Girl images came up. I kept googling, and immediately became obsessed with the fashion; nevermind that I’ve only seen one episode of the show. Some of the stuff they put together is just genius, like Jenny’s purple tights with plaid jumper combo, or Serena's use of thigh highs, or Blair’s orange and yellow outfit. (By the way, I’m so glad that Blair embraces orange. I love wearing the color, and no one else seems to wear it!) I find the different styles of Blair, Serena, and Jenny really appealing, each in their own way.

So now I’m obsessed with the schoolgirl look for fall and winter. I’m thinking I’ll get a couple navy and plaid skirts (I LOVE plaid) and some button-downs, and then get creative with shoes, socks, tights, and accessories. I took an online teen vogue quiz titled “Which Gossip Girl are You?” and my results were that I’m a Jenny, which sounds pretty accurate.

However, I think I also channel Serena on my lazy days, so I’ll probably end up stealing her style a lot too. Like her, I wear boots a lot. And even though Blair’s preppy look is not normally my cup of tea, I love the way she pulls it off, so I’m interested in giving it a spin as well. Maybe start wearing more headbands like she does – that would look great with my new bangs.

But don’t worry, I’ll balance it out by not wearing “uniforms” everyday. The leading ladies on Gossip Girl wear lots of fashionable stuff during their time away from school too, so I’ll probably take some cues from their extracurricular outfits. And it’s looking like denim and military influences will be big for fall, which I’m excited for, so I’ll definitely be mixing those in with my plaids and creating some outfits around those trends as well.

Overall, it’s looking like it’ll be a very fashionable fall! Now if only I could get my hands on more money so I could purchase some cool stuff… =] 

Are there any other Gossip Girl fashion lovers out there? Should I start watching the show? Do you think it’s weird for a college student to wear plaid skirts?

xoxo, free-spirited fashionista =P