This book was provided to me through Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
There was a time when I lived for fashion. My first full-time job was in the fashion industry working for a fashion distribution company. I majored in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising for two semesters of college and was the vice president of Fashion Club before switching to a major in International Business. I have been to NYC Fashion Week two or three times, which was a-maz-ing! I was offered internships at Capelli New York and had Fairchild Fashion Media calling me for weeks on end trying to get me to work for them. It would have been a wonderful opportunity, but I was a typical poor college student who couldn’t afford to commute to the city for an unpaid internship even though I had a “stellar resume.” So my dreams of Jake Gyllenhaal visiting the office (as I heard he did) and whisking me off for coffee at some familiar little spot in the city drifted. I spent the next six years at an office job that was less than satisfying and hardly what I wanted to do with my life.
Fashion was my first love, with writing trailing closely behind. I adored it as a child and experimented with many, many styles throughout the years. Now…I am a homemaker who makes a few bucks here and there behind a computer screen. My closet isn’t as impressive as it used to be. If you want to pin a label on it, I am the stereotypical white girl mocked in memes all over the internet. ✓ Uggs, ✓ leggings/yoga pants, ✓ North Face, ✓ Alex and Ani bracelets, ✓ designer bag, ✓ messy bun, ✓ over-sized sunglasses, ✓ fancy beverage in one hand, ✓ iPhone in the other hand. Not entirely original. But trust me…there was a time when people would come up to me and say, “I love your style.”
I received my copy of Refinery 29’s Style Stalking the afternoon before my husband and I attended a hockey game. So of course I was immediately drawn to the first photo in the book. A little tomboy, a little girly, and oh-so-cool. Then I laughed over the image of me walking the steep steps of Prudential Center in high heels, tripping and taking out the popcorn-peanuts-cotton candy guy and maybe a small child. But it got me thinking, “Who would have thought to pair a sports jersey with a skirt and heels?” I love it!
“Layering is like composing — it lets you put a little story together.”
The book reads more like a magazine. Lots of glossy images of people with their own, individual styles. Each chapter breaks down these styles into basics, different ways to style one piece of clothing, Q&A’s and how to pull off looks all year ’round.
For me, the book is all about the pictures. If a picture speaks a thousand words, the photos in this book are saying, “Girl, go reinvent your closet!” It’s the same as a style pin on Pinterest. I don’t usually click through to the original source when the photo is inspiration enough for me to look further into my wardrobe.
Just like seeing someone walking passed you on the street and admiring their outfit, you may not always go up to them and throw a compliment, but you’ll surely rush home and see if you can pull off the same style! This book does the stalking for you. No more feeling like a creeper trying to snap of pic of that chic stranger’s shoes, jacket or bag. It’s all inside the pages for you.
“Getting dressed is so much more about satisfying a personal whim than getting dressed for other people.”
While Style Stalking is a fun book to look through, you can find the same inspiration in magazines, on Pinterest and on the street. However, it’s inspired me to think about being a bit bolder with my looks. Instead of looking like Johnny Cash all the time, maybe I’ll add a pop of color here and there. It’s time to take on those neglected accessories and break out of my comfort zone. I used to be so good at taking fashion risks and not giving a damn. I need to find that girl and that passion again. I want to look in the mirror and say to myself, “I love your style.”
1 Comment