it’s not on you, it’s in you.
a lot of times when we see people who love fashion and use medium such as blogs and social media to showcase this love, it is often assumed that the subject is vain or self-absorbed. yet, this isn’t necessarily true. we must remember that clothing is, afterall, a means to an end: keep our bodies covered (and protected) season-by-season. there are some who choose solely functional/practical pieces for this purpose. while others use their style of dress to express the inexpressible.
i, and so many others, fall into the latter category.
some backstory.
i was raised by a mother and father that were/are all about styling. i can vividly remember the beautiful sweaters and leather skirts and dresses my mother would adorn her slender frame with. i remember the high waisted jeans, and the pumps of various colors, styles, and heel heights. similarly, i recall how intentional my dad was about his carefully chosen accessories for his outfits: a nice hat or subtle jewelry. more than anything, his impeccable way of mixing colors and layering still stand out to me.
simply put: my parents took their time getting dressed, and fully enjoyed the process. as such, i can tell from photos of me as a child that my clothing was determined with the same effort and intentionality.
i don’t think i’m able to categorize my style in any way. i was a huge tomboy as a child/pre-teen/teenager. i always loved tennis shoes, but my uber feminine mother was determined to condition me out of this love. i purchased my first pair of pumps during my first year of college. they were nine west and they were perfect. this pump set me on a path to tapping into and embracing my femininity. yet, as i progressed through college i would always find a way to return to my love of sneakers. and while i built many outfits around my sneaker of the day, my femininity always remained centerstage.
as it stands, i’d say i own an equal amount of sneakers, heels/pumps, and heeled boots. not to toot my own horn, but my style repertoire is pretty well-rounded. toot-toot.
this means on any given day, my outfits can go from super casual/comfy to glammed up and sexy—and sometimes it’s a mixture of both. it’s one of the few things i love about being a woman, having that type of flexibility in the way i choose to showcase my femininity.
and so the full circle moment for me: these days i’m purchasing sneakers (at resale, ugh) more than anything. it turns out, my love for sneakers outlasted my mother’s determination. there’s much to be said about this, too.
who we are at our core outlives all. while i love the clothing, love my growing shoe arsenal, and really enjoy the art of dressing, at the core of it i’m still who i’ve always been: a radical being with the best intentions for myself and for others. day-to-day, i literally dress based on my mood, so my clothing simply helps to articulate my inner world. that’s it, that’s all. do i love designer clothing and shoes? why, yes. but strip me of all of the clothing and shoes, and the essence of who i am still rings true.
it’s not on me, it’s in me. and inside of me there’s a pure heart and a soul that is steadily blossoming into its fullest potential. no doubt, i love it here. and i’m thankful for the means to clothe this vessel in the many ways i’m blessed to do so.
