Okay, I hope that everyone here reads Gala Darling by now. If you do, yay you! If you don’t, start. I adore her blog.
Anyways, the reason I mention her is because she does this absolutely killer feature every so often called ‘Style Direction’, where she outlines her general aesthetic for the coming months. And they’re incredible. Read them here and here.
I was so inspired by this idea that I decided to try and emulate her way with words and seemingly endless sources of inspiration with my own little style direction piece. It won’t be as good. :)
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Tribal Gypsy
She’s a new-age free spirit with so much joie de vivre it’s impossible to keep her down. She’s a creator, not a consumer. She lives her life out loud. She isn’t interested in looking “perfect” and isn’t interested in trends. She wears whatever catches her eye, whatever she feels good in, whatever suits her best. She never lets society place restrictions on her clothes, and she isn’t afraid to wear the brightest colours in the crayon box: Carribbean Green, Jazzberry Jam, Wild Strawberry, Neon Carrot.
She abhors plastic surgery and orange skin. She hates all things fake. She loves natural beauty, embracing your curves and smile-lines and she believes you’re never too old to dance.
She believes everyone in the world was born to cry, smile, laugh, sing, dance: the universals. She doesn’t believe in bad dancers or bad singers. She doesn’t believe in regrets. She is fascinated by all cultures of the world, and lets them be her inspiration for fashion. She loves to wear chunky necklaces, thin gold bangles, dramatic earrings; blouses from Romania, pendants from Mexico, colourful scarves from Paris. And if she’s never been to these places, she wears pieces inspired by them.
Her style is like a chameleon: it changes with her mood. One day she might be channeling a hippie, the next a fashion maven who lives in Soho, the next a African warrior princess. No matter what though, she always listens to herself before the trends. She wears her summer dresses and sandals in winter and her fall boots in the summer. She mixes and matches patterns, revinvents her accessories every few weeks, and styles her clothes in new ways all the time. She doesn’t shy away from wacky looks or avant-garde fashion. She’ll try anything. She loves patterned tights! She only spends money on things that are ‘spot-on’ and perfect for her.
She loves culture, and explores the city she lives in as if she were a tourist. She makes plans to visit highly-rated restaurants, museums, outdoor markets, vintage clothing stores. She has a favourite bakery, bookstore, park bench, library. She doesn’t mind wandering around downtown, admiring shop windows or eating street food.
She has boundless enthusiasm for adventure and learning, she soaks up trivia and opinions like a sponge. She isn’t judgemental and views all religions, races and lifestyle choices as equal. She makes friends by really listening and being interested in other people. She doesn’t just wait for her turn to speak, she tries to understand the other person’s point of view.
She loves to make care packages, cookies and collages. She loves to write letters to her friends, sealed with a kiss. She always carries around a notebook, a novel and a lovely pen. She can make a killer gin and tonic.
She loves to fill her apartment with beautiful photography, ethnic rugs, candles, posters, strings of white lights, Chinese lanterns, bowls of candy, huge bright flowers. She likes statuettes and hand-made vases and natural soaps. She loves flea markets and garage sales.
She likes to experiment in the kitchen with different flavours and ingredients. She isn’t afraid of dragon fruit or pomegranates! She makes her own jams and soups, brownies and hummus. She is an active participant in her health, and strives to follow the Food Rules: things like “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t” and “treat treats as treats”.
She likes flowy, floaty, colourful, bright, intricate, comfortable clothes. She likes shoes that don’t give her blisters, and heels that make her legs look great. She loves boots and cute sneakers. She loves bags that have a personality; in fact she likes it when all of her clothes have a personality. She likes her fashion to have a story behind it. She likes hats. She likes clothes that are fun and vibrant.
She isn’t afraid to be alone! She can eat alone, sit alone, go to the movies with herself. She doesn’t mind what other people think of her, because she knows they are probably only fascinated by her anyways. She is a life enhancer.
She’s just herself.
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Well. What do you guys think?
Keep in mind that this is only my personal style direction, I’m not saying everyone has to like the same aesthetic as I do! I am also not suggesting that I already am this girl..I still have a long way to go before I become as fashionable and cultured and adventurous as she is. But I am drawing inspiration from what I find the most attractive.
You may remember a previous post where I talked about my love for Coco Chanel style. And while it remains true that I adore spots and stripes (George of the Jungle? Anybody?) it came to me like a jolt the other day: I’m trying to be somebody I’m not. I was trying to be the classic, classy, perfect girl, who carries a gorgeous bag and has tailored clothes.
And while I love that aesthetic and the girls who can pull it off, it’s just not me. My style is full of colour and personality, and somewhere along the line I’d forgotten about it. So consider this my first step towards Radical Self Love: admitting to myself what I really like and accepting it completely (that’s more Gala for you!).
I would love to know: what is your style direction for now? What clothes/accessories are you most attracted to right now? What are some pieces you’re totally coveting? What are some new ways you want to style the clothes you already have?
Tell me!!
Much love to all of you,
