https://www.welcome fashion folk! i’ve tried to start this post at least 5 times. my fingers instinctively moving to type my customary witty-but-engaging intro only to choke on the opening lines. how do i condense 10 weeks of brave, go-where-no-gurl-has-gone-before fashion exploration into one final thought-provoking episode? the answer is i can’t. so let’s just set all of that imaginary self-grandeur aside and write the damn thing! shall we?
i opened this series with the following admission: “vulnerability is not my strong suit so you’re going to have to hold my hand a little bit throughout this process (deep breath)” and the same goes for ep 10, so are you still holding my hand? (deep breath)
long-time readers will remember that i self-diagnosed my creative, fashion, and emotional crash out, identifying that i was suffering from an acute case of:
creative identity crisis (or CIC)
noun
a period of intense self-doubt and confusion about one’s artistic or creative self, often involving questioning one’s chosen art form, personal style, or even the very meaning of their creative work.
prognosis? lets get into that shall we !
my CIC was bigger than just personal style but i decided early on that if i answered my questions around this first, the slightly scarier chosen art form and the very meaning of my creative work questions would hopefully be answered thereafter. so over the past ten weeks, i’ve pulled my style apart and put it back together again. i researched what personal style meant in the age of microtrends, stripped my wardrobe down to uniforms and basics, and questioned whether pinterest was inspiring me or just encouraging the eventual homogenisation of my whole being and soul. i went thrifting, upcycled pieces into something new, and wrestled with my unhinged polka dot obsession. i realised accessories might be the real anchors of my style, and i spiralled over whether i’m taking inspiration from icons or just copying them.
it was alot.
and if i’m being honest, going into this process i wasn’t confident that (even after doing all of the above) i would be able to “find” my personal style in only 10 weeks. and i think if i sat here claiming that i am cured and “wow i have found myself and my style” yay me! that would be disingenuous to you and also to myself. so i won’t be doing that. good? good.
i still have to answer the question however. after all of the tasks and challenges and research do i think i found my personal style? not exactly. but boy oh boy! have i learnt a lot. i shot for the proverbial personal style moon and landed amongst the stars.
star number one? i re-found my love for creating content. being able to sit down week after week and plan out the shots, the voiceover, the to-camera dialogue for my socials content was such a departure from what i was doing before and was so creatively rewarding. i felt like there was real value to my work rather than just regurgitating whatever was doing well on the algorithm hamster wheel. writing this series has been the most creatively alive i’ve felt in a long time. i have been less in my head and just consistently creating without questioning whether or not it is good enough to be put out in the world. i have found some kind of meaning in my creative work and it feels so GOOD. tick!
star number two: though i didn’t find my “personal style” in a put-a-bow-on-it kind of way, i did learn some major lessons which have gotten me a lot closer. identifying my uniform and my style anchors was a huge moment for me. now that i have my baseline established, i can layer whatever i want on top (trends, DIY experiments, crazy vintage find) — it doesn’t matter, my outfits will always feel authentic to me. i also learnt how to take a pause and to filter trends through my own lens. asking myself: would i still want this if it wasn’t trending? am i going to love and wear this next year? do i feel like this piece is authentic to my style? i stopped pretending every trend is meant for me and i no longer feel like i’m constantly cosplaying someone else’s wardrobe rather than building my own. huge steps in answering a lot of the questions i had around my personal style. tick!
and the final star? confidence baby! though some of you might assume confidence was not an issue for me, when it came to what i was doing in my life and my CIC diagnosis it was a major issue. this process has not only given me a heading and a purpose but it has also given me confidence in all parts of my life. confidence in the outfits i am putting together, what i’m doing, how i’m doing it. it’s given me my voice back and quashed (for now at least) any feelings of self-doubt and confusion around my chosen art form. tick!
so what now? well i was planning on only running this substack for 10 weeks but it has been so rewarding and the response to it has been nothing like i would have expected SO the free tier of open tabs will continue (the crowd goes wild). i will continue to post a weekly essay, touching on personal style, creativity, fashion crash outs etc. etc. it will be juicy, insightful, vulnerable and funny (hopefully?), a virtual tour through the open tabs of my brain. and of course each essay will always conclude with a short round-up of the open tabs on my computer.
however i will also be stepping things up by introducing a paid tier (the crowd goes wilder). this substack is already like sneaking a look at my brain and browser history but the paid tier will act as that folder you’re not supposed to open. extended link lists (thrift shops, cute new brands, books, playlists, sellers i’m stalking), monthly vintage digests with first dibs on finds, and the scrappy rant-tangents i cut from my main essays. you’ll also get access to my “secret folder”: instagram outfit breakdowns, lists of where i buy my clothes, closet tours, moodboards, my thrift searches and under-the-radar brands i don’t put on instagram. think of it as backstage access: less polished, more personal, and designed to actually help you build and refine your own style while getting to see how i build mine.
and now that another overly-dramatic and rambly fashion discussion has come to an end, i shall take my leave. there are so many big and exciting things to come for open tabs, so make sure to return next week when we dive head first into the next chapter (splash).
okay, we have now reached the portion of the blog where i pause my existential fashion ramblings, and together we go through my literal open tabs.
IZZYS OPEN TABS
EYLAND JEWELLERY LARGE MARIA BAG
i dont’t know where this bag came from but it is now all i think about all day every day. the suede with the caramel brown and the spots CMON
HANNAH CREAK ORCHID TOP
hannah creak is a genius queen and the pieces that she is creating are so chic, i could cry! the rivets, the cut outs, so CUTE
COACH GREEN KISSLOCK BAG
i actually gasped when i saw this bag! i am obsessed with kisslocks at the moment and this bag has the central kisslock compartment AND two other ones either side, useful and chic
VAQUERA OVERSIZED BELT
imagine a pair of baggy suit pants, a billowy chloe-esq shirt tucked in and everything cinched in with this oversized belt. I KNOW
PEACHY DEN BARDOT TOP
this silhouette is such a classic and i think this would be such a cute top for autumn/winter, it would go with everything and will immediately elevate any outfit
KARLAIDLAW VYS HALTER TOP
omgggg the FUR, THE LEATHER! this top is so chic and high fashion but also totally wearable in your day to day, i am obsessed
c u next friday <3
izzy.opentabs.com