Fashion, Art & Teen Culture: An Introduction

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with fashion and the like. And, although my expertise is far from vast, I feel as though I do have some wisdom to offer, besides the fact that I enjoy partaking in all sorts of peoples’ opinions--it gives me much more to work off of. A blog is, I suppose, a decent way for any 17 year old to express her fashion desires without the pressure of having someone to force you to actually carry them out. Comments are, of course, appreciated and encouraged.

I worship Teen Vogue and Seventeen (yes, as mainstream as Seventeen is, it is a good jumping-off point for teen trends), but my true muses come from real life, the girls I see every day whose Gaga-style confidence and declaration of independence emanate from their thrift store genius and personal style. One such muse is my very best friend Abby, and every time I take a peek inside her beautifully overstuffed closet I feel less like a teenager and more like an explorer; there is so much to look at from colorful scarves to elementary-school-teacher-style dresses to boots I could never pull off. As overstuffed as my own closet is, it is still much too mainstream for my taste. I have a long way to go and many trips to the thrift store on my way to becoming the type of girl I myself look up to.

Speaking of thrift stores, I wish that more people my age understood their value. Thrift stores force your mind to think of clothes shopping in a whole new way, because you must first seek out and then closely examine each article of clothing before risking the no-return purchase of said article. Also, because there is only one of each item as opposed to an entire rack full of them, if, by some miracle, it fits you well, you simply HAVE to buy it. When will you ever find another like it? Also, browsing thrift store racks is a painfully funny activity to participate in with your more fashion-savvy friends. When you purchase a piece of clothing from a thrift store, you are giving it a new life, a second chance at greatness. These clothes have been worn by people who have done who-knows-what and gone who-knows-where. I think it is the most beautiful thing in the world to be sporting an outfit composed of clothes that have already been places and done things you haven’t. Maybe, just maybe, a little of that adventure will rub off on you and take your life to a place it would not have known otherwise.

I am, by trade, an artist. I deal in acrylics mostly, and I sketch quite a lot. My mother ingrained in me a passion for paper crafts, mixed media collage art and such, also. I do crochet a bit too, not embarrassing sweaters or scarves but things like hair flowers and headbands, because my short hair allows for such things and it's good busywork. I don't know how good any of it is but people seem to like it and my art teacher always puts my projects up on display so I suppose I should stick with it. I've got a nice little setup in my bedroom, see:

This way I can jump to my paints whenever inspiration strikes, which it often does at the most awkward times. Mostly, it strikes right in the middle of homework. Also, inspiration comes mostly from music.Maybe I will post about that in more detail later.

I've got a bit of a wild streak, and that wild streak decided it likes graffiti so I also do a bit of that. My wild streak also decided to put purple streaks in my hair, which, as much as I love, do sometimes make me worry that I look just that much less austere with them. Austere isn't me at all, anyway. Being short and stubborn immediately gives others the impression of an angry 7-year-old--there is no hope for my austerity. 

Alright, enough about society and teen angst. Today is Sunday, and I look forward to Sundays so much because Sunday is the day that I wear my tallest shoes. Church is the perfect opportunity to grow a few inches, because there is not much tramping around and you are only in your footwear for a total of about three hours. Hence, the conditions are ideal. Now, if only I knew what to wear...

top, hand-me-down; skirt, thrift; cardigan, thrift (it's Lacoste! the price was so low it's sinful); tights, Charlotte Russe; shoes, thrift.