Recently, someone asked me a question about fashion and about how one might develop their own sense of fashion. It was definitely a question that got me thinking about my love of fabric and design. It only took a moment for me to realize that I was already implementing a very effective tool for developing a sense of individual fashion and expression. ..my fashion album.
Now, many of you are probably thinking that cutting out clothing, shoes, and snippets of anything else inspiring could be a huge waste of time, but hear me out! How many of you have looked through a magazine and found yourself earmarking pages or saying, “I would love to have a ______ like that”?
A fashion album could easily be called an inspiration album. I find myself cutting out pieces of furniture because I love the lines. I snip wallpaper because I love the pattern. Many elements can be used to recognize your personal fashion sense; whether it be in the realm of clothing or home decor. I mean people pay to have a n “expert” discover these things for them – save the money and take a journey into yourself.
I will cut out pieces from magazines over months and slip them into my photo pages. Over time I come to find I have an entire outfit – and typically not the outfit originally published in the magazine. I will find a pair of shoes in October’s issue, a pair of pants in August and a shirt in July; as you can see in my example pages above and below.
It’s pretty apparent that I have a love for vintage designs. However, it is SO obvious when you flip through my album that I am pretty bohemian and eclectic as well. And while I am very familiar with my own style choices, there are times that even I will learn something about myself by looking through it. A couple weeks ago I realized that I probably had six or more shirts and jackets that donned the same collar style. After realizing that I evaluated why I liked the rounded collar so much. It’s feminine, it’s soft, it’s set further out to the sides so that the buttons can still be seen in all their glory. Simple things, but they are revealing.
Being that I am learning more and more about sewing, my hope is that I will one day be able to find similar patterns and/or design my own based on these pieces. It’s also like playing paper dolls as an adult! However, in most instances I cut the heads away so as not to compare myself to the models and to focus on the pieces themselves.
So, get clipping! I am eager to hear what you learn about yourself.
Archaic Inspirations 