I found my old style scrapbook from high school (maybe early college). I used this folder to store photos from fashion magazines and catalogues that I really really liked. Sometimes I got creative and arranged them on a page, but often I just stored the whole magazine or catalogue page in the folder.
Looking back at my choices, I can see that there are some clear and recurring themes in my taste of approximately 10 years ago. One is dresses! In bright colors and dramatic shapes!
The dresses I kept photos of are ones I wouldn't have known what to do with if I'd had them then, dresses I would probably have been afraid to actually wear. And not just the high couture ballgowns of the first photo, but the more "normal" dresses of the last two images as well. But my desire for these bold, attention-getting dresses says a lot about my taste, even though it was yet in its infancy when I developed this collection. After all, I still have a thing for dresses in bright colors and dramatic shapes, only now I'm growing brave and creative enough to wear them when I find them.
Part of the shift my rediscovery of this folder highlights, from the girl who drooled over the photos but could imagine doing no more than that and the girl who would now gladly wear these dresses or others equally dramatic, has come from getting to know myself and what kind of person I am and, thanks in large part to teaching, becoming more confident on the whole. Another part of this shift is thanks to Wardrobe_Remix. I've been watching, commenting, and posting there for several months now and I already feel much more confident and inventive in this arena. In my case, my personal development and my development of style have gone hand in hand. As I've become more confident in other arenas, my willingness and ability to experiment with fashion has grown, too, so that, for me, style really is power.
[Unfortunately, I can't provide much information about the source or date of these photos. Mid-to-late-90s, I suppose. Probably a combination of Seventeen, Glamour, Vogue, and various shopping catalogues.]
2 comments:
What a nice nostalgic review!
Those are beautiful dresses, no doubt.
It's interesting to see how the foundations for our tastes always remain, and that the key point of personal style is the growth of our self-confidence. :-)
BTW, I added you to my links list.
Thanks for adding me.
I have other posts planned for the future that will explore other elements of my taste, both those elements that have remained and perhaps some that have changed or disappeared. Really, though, it does seem to boil down to that one key point of confidence.
Post a Comment