à la mode: Buffalo Girls

After reading Diana Vreeland’s biography by Eleanor Dwight, I realize what  an  influence  Ms.  “Dee-AHN-a” had on the fashion industry. She is a fantastic example of making (smart) decisions when it came to one’s dress, and the impact one’s dress has on others. Her son was quoted saying, “She makes you see and feel and smell what she is talking about,” which, in my fashion, is quite endearing of a person to express themselves in such a way.

For me, the joy of creating my own looks for myself comes from the fact that the best way for me to remember the things that happen in my life is through associations I form through what I was wearing at the time. When I dress a certain way for a certain event or day of my life, even though I may not be able to recall exactly what I had on, those feelings I had wearing those clothes are attached to that garment in some way. It’s like a way for me to chronicle my life for myself, so to speak. Displaying a certain flow to the story of my life keeps me inspired to live my day to the fullest, everyday, as to keep the story of my life soaring high. I am intent on making the most of myself in this life, and one must always look nice for destiny, correct?  Another quote that keeps ringing in my head that comes from Diana Vreeland’s biography is her philosophy that, “Fashion is theater,” and that she used this philosophy to live a fulfilling life day in and day out. Her credo: “Don’t just be your ordinary dull self. Why Don’t You be ingenious and make yourself into something else?”

The thrift is a great time-portal of insipration...

...a great place to take what you find and turn them into a work of your own, just as Diana Vreeland suggests above.

On that note, ‘tis the season to be (animated)! For instance, thinking about this coming fall and winter, I would say a good inspirational point of reference for our clothing decisions would be in choosing our favorite characters from our childhood Saturday morning cartoons and wear exactly what they wear!

As if jeans weren't already being exploited via ultra luminescent colors this past season, this month's August “denim” issue of Teen Vogue implies that  printed jean will be a good idea to consider when one thinks to participate in this ("new normal") trend that is in line with this (falls collections).

When I looked at the spread "Buffalo Girls" I immediately thought of how much fun it would be to go to the thrift store and find a way to make each one of these looks. This spread was actually inspired by the favored aesthetics of a late stylist by the name of, Ray Petri, who was on the pulse of 80’s British street fashion, “Buffalo Boys” being the Caribbean term for a rough street attitude. Editor-in-Chief, Amy Astly praises Petri for taking “the stuff of regular life,” and “turning it into fashion magic.”

The thing I love about thrift stores is the opportunity to really put your creative wits to good use, for instead of going to a store and choosing from the stores pre-selected styles that imply more ways to buy their clothes to look like the women they think you want to look like, thrifts stores really test your imagination to choose from a wide assortment of clothes and formulate your own idea of what looks great on you. In my fashion, it’s a test in filtering. Not only that, you can buy the clothes for so cheap, one can cut, safety pin, rip, add and twist the clothes you buy to be tailor made just for you, by you, and without the guilt of altering a pair of pants that cost $30 from a popular store.

As much as you would think thrift stores would have worn, and out of date clothes, if you should look deep inside yourself with a bit of open-mindedness, you might be less reluctant to consider the out-of-the-box ways of wearing the old and used items you find to fit into your style diaspora, ensuring a show of true originality and confident flare. In my fashion, "Buffalo Girls" is a good example of the similar items one can try to buy at the thrift store to match the playful looks dawned by these young girls. With the right amount of layering, and the correct combinations of interesting textures colors and prints, these examples open the imagination to what items to focus your sartorial search at the thrift.