https://www.welcome fashion folk! today we are endeavouring to explore a pretty big question, one which i can readily admit i am not entirely equipped to answer but obviously am going to try to answer anyway. feeling entitled to share my opinion on everything and assume it matters just because i have one? couldn’t be me??
self-actualised-joking aside, today we are going to explore the fine line between admiration and imitation. how can you take inspiration from someone you admire without losing yourself in someone else’s image? because more often than not it feels like i’m not building my personal style at all, i’m just copying other people’s style and calling it mine.
as women, we’re constantly bombarded with images of other women and told to replicate them at all costs: “jennifer lawrence embodies quiet luxury and you should too if you want to be accepted and loved by society at large!!” and it makes sense, jlaw is HOT, COOL and RICH, i would want to dress like her too — especially if marie claire is telling me in no uncertain terms that all you have to do to also be hot, cool and rich is buy this specific skirt and a ralph polo jumper. but i’m getting ahead of myself.
i am someone who regards themselves as having style, i am having issues with the personal piece — hence the substack — but i have style nonetheless. this means i have a lot of style icons that i take reference from. growing up i would stand in my hometown newsagents just staring at the women on the covers of vogue, i-D etc. wondering where they got that jacket and how i could replicate it from the charity shop down the road. i have spent hours of my life poring over fashion girl instagrams; iris law, lindsay vrckovnik, chloë sevigny, devon lee carlson, paloma elsesser etc. wondering how i can bottle what they have. i have had many phases in my fashion journey and so many have been dictated by who i was obsessed with at the time. but (and this is crucial everyone) where does inspiration end, and copying begin? am i just cosplaying someone else’s wardrobe at the expense of creating my own?
ding ding ding. i sure was!
and look, influence itself isn’t bad. fashion has always been about references and referencing, that’s what makes it fun. but i think it can be easy to conflate self-worth with what you’re wearing. when what you’re wearing needs to look exactly like what jennifer lawrence has on in that one picture in order to feel good about yourself, that’s where it gets sticky.
i think if we were really honest with ourselves, we’d admit that when we are “taking inspo” from someone’s outfit we are also secretly hoping that in some way our lives will begin to replicate the life of said person. we are copying in the hopes that we’ll also magically become as hot, as cool and as rich. or maybe that’s just me? the real kicker is, the reason we are so drawn to uber-fashionable people is because they have such a strong and innate sense of personal style. (and i’m sure they also take inspo from others) but rather than copying, they take said inspiration and apply it directly to their personal style, which, because they are being true to what they love and what suits them, makes them look even hotter, cooler and richer.
so when i ask the question: at what point does ‘inspo’ stop building your style — and start erasing it? i think this is that point. if we are just constantly adapting what we wear to not only match whatever trend is going around at the time but also to match whoever is coolest, in the hopes that we will become cool like them, we then erase whatever personal style each of us is working with and ironically become way less cool.
it’s also not lost on me that i am a fashion influencer and part of my job is to literally influence people into copying my style and purchasing items (now who wants to talk about irony, right). and i’m not here to convince you to throw off your fashion-guru oppressors and forge your own path entirely free of style influence. but i am asking us all to think. so much of how we dress is tied up in our own view of ourselves and how we value certain people in society over others based on aesthetics and fashion. but i think a big step in the right direction, is learning how to filter it.
start by asking yourself: what is it about (insert fashion icon here)’s look that you love? the shape? the colour? the texture? if you can pull out just that detail — and rebuild it in a way that feels natural on you — then it’s no longer just copying. it becomes yours.
and now that another ambiguous and open-ended discussion has come to a dramatic conclusion, i shall take my leave. make sure to return next week when we discuss my personal style journey so far, what i have learned and what the future of the open tabs substack looks like (huge).
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
ANGEL MOON MIA CAPRI
these are the perfect capri in my opinion! not too tight, not too baggy, with a cute pattern plus angel moon just has the cutest brand vision in general
COUCOU INITMATES CAMI SLIP
i am so obsessed with this french blue colour, its so flattering on every skin tone and the coucou cami slip is just iconic, a wardrobe staple for sure
LUCILA SAFDIE CLEO SHORTS
i was really obsessed with booty shorts this summer and with a big jacket and boots they can definitely come with me into autumn and specifically these ones from lucila safdie, i am in LOVE
VIVIENS VINTAGE PEACOAT
everyone needs a cute peacoat and everyone should buy it vintage because there are so many cute ones out there! i am obsessed with the big buttons and the cream colour on this one
ASHLEY WILLIAMS YUKI DRESS
ashley williams can do NO WRONG omg her 25fw collection is everything and more and this yuki dress in french blue is my current fixation, i NEED
RAGS RE-DONE FLIRTY SKIRT
the lace! the polka dots! the ethically sourced materials! this rags re done skirt is so beautiful omg, so fun with boots and a cute top! cmon
c u next friday <3
izzy.opentabs.com