Look Mom, I’m a fashion blogger :)

Welcome to my first blog post, ever. I am excited to get some of my thoughts out about fashion and hear back from you guys too! Right now, a million ideas are swirling around in my head from styling tips, to how to thrift a look and not look like you just walked out of a costume store - so check back in for all of that. I am starting this blog to not only share my thoughts about fashion, but to document my journey as I grow my styling business - more on that coming soon too.

For today, I would like to do some thinking around fashion rules. ‘Black doesn't go with brown,' 'You shouldn't mix metals like silver and gold,' 'Always remove one accessory,’ etc. - these are becoming a thing of the past, and thankfully because no one has time for such silly societal rules. Wear whatever you want, people!

That being said, I find that I end up trying to assign rules in order to create a dynamic look. To me, a dynamic and fun look lies in the contrast of pieces. For example - if I am going to wear combat boots, I know that I will want to pair them with something floral, possible flow-y and voluminous, ruffle-y, or bright. This opposition of styles in a look can make it that much more exciting or fresh. Sure, you could pair combat boots with a camo jacket and jeans - but when you want to stand out, consider wearing items that seem to be for different occasions in a single look.

I’ve also found that I assign myself fashion rules to help narrow my options. This comes in handy when you’re someone like me - that has too many ideas and their brain is often skipping ahead before the chance has been given to execute the first idea. In the morning when I am trying to get dressed, I account for the weather, the mood I am in, and/or the attitude that I want to present. This helps give me a general style profile for the day. Sometimes I even need to narrow the options down more, so I will choose a main piece and then make myself create an outfit from there -- which I recently learned that RiRi does too! And most of the time I go for pants or a skirt that make me feel comfortable and then everything comes together.

I guess this is all to say that fashion rules are not universal - and we should only care about the ‘rules’ that work in our advantage. This could be super specific to me (probably due to my overly logical, puzzle-oriented, problem-solving brain), but I would love to know if anyone else out there has rules that they use to their advantage for getting dressed or shopping. Drop a comment below if you feel like sharing -- thanks for reading!!

When I am putting looks together, I dare myself to make something work. I always look for the most interesting silhouette or something that’s a little off, but I have to figure it out. I have to make it, me. I think that’s the thrill in fashion.

--Rihanna