Saturday’s Fashion: a look back.
I’ve been posting my outfit pictures since January, and every weekend I have posts in which you get to vote for your favorite. Now, I had a purpose to that- I was going to do a monthly post with your favorites from each week… but… um… as you probably know, that never happened.
And now that I’m thinking about it (I was updating my outfit archives) and looking over my past outfits, I thought it might be fun for us to see how my style has evolved over the past months. I went from being a little unsteady in my fashion roots, still searching for a style that was really “me” to… well… now. I’m not sure what I am now. Some days, I love what I wear. Other days, it feels like a mess. But I have found a certain equation that works for me– cardigan+belt+highwaisted skirt– and I feel like I’m finally starting to settle into a way of dressing that is very “me.”
So! Here are my favorites, your favorites, and a few of the weirdest or least-me outfits I’ve worn over the past five months.
First up: My top ten picks.
10. January 3, 2011
Ah, January. Back when I was trying to copy everyone else’s style because I didn’t know what to do with myself. This outfit isn’t very “me.” I’m not usually much for black, but I do love the feel of this. The different textures, the polkadot tights, the polkadot skirt, the booties, the jacket… it’s all so…tough. Well, as tough as I can get, anyway. Which isn’t very.
9. February 15, 2011
Stripes on stripes. I felt so French. And monotone. And chic.
8. April 3, 2011
Hello, yellow! I love this shirt. Embarrassingly, this day I realized that the undershirt I’d chosen didn’t quite hide the bright green bra I was wearing… while I was at church. *sigh*
7. April 10, 2011
There’s something very relaxed and casual about this that I really like. Y’all should know by now that casual… really isn’t my thing, but this type of casual appeals to me.
6.February 12, 2011
To this day, this is one of my absolute favorites. I LOVE the bright color, the pattern on the skirt, the too-high heels, the brooch… everything about this, I adore.
5. April 29, 2011
Say hello to my new favorite cardigan. It’s coral, striped, vintage-looking, and definitely something I’ll be wearing often in the future.
4. April 27, 2011 (my birthday!)
This outfit is probably one of the most “me” outfits ever. It’s got floral, pattern mixing (shoes, dress), bright colors, lace, unusual detail (snakeskin shoes with floral girliness?) and an overall femininity that I can’t resist.
3. May 11, 2011
What can I say? I really like orange, patterns, and flowers.
2. May 2, 2011
Where do I even start? I love the orange shirt, the weird pattern on the skirt, the fit, the length, the shoes, the OWL!!! GAH! I wouldn’t change a thing about this outfit. Except maybe lower the heel just a tad so that they’re easier to walk in. But seriously… I am so in love with this outfit.
1. May 7, 2011
And tablecloth wins over giraffe by a hair! I had a very hard time deciding between this one and the last one as my absolute favorite, but in the end… there’s something whimsical about this outfit that speaks to me. I think it’s the flowers in the hair, and the unusual print on the skirt…and, of course, the orange shirt. Which, I have decided, is my favorite shirt ever.
Now that I’ve listed my own favorites, here are a few of YOUR favorites:
Crowd favorite:
For whatever reason, this outfit got the most votes (by ten) of any outfit I’ve ever uploaded to Chictopia.
And, last but not least, the ten worst and least “me” outfits I’ve ever worn(listen in no particular order):
1.
There is something I really don’t like about this outfit… and I think it’s the jacket. I’m not really a blazer kind of person, especially when it’s brown… and especially when it’s about four sizes too big. Note to self: get rid of the blazer.
2.
I’m not saying that this is a horrible outfit, really… but it’s not very “me.” There’s no whimsy, it’s too structured, and I’m actually not very fond of that sweater. Or black. So y’know, it’s just… not my thing.
3.
I’m going to be honest: I think this looks terrible on me. I like all of the pieces separately, but together? Not so much. I don’t really know what I was thinking when I wore this, except that this skirt is harder to style than it should be.
4.
Once again, not that this is a complete mess… it’s just not me. I’m not a businesslike sort of person, and this is a VERY businesslike sort of outfit. I do love that dress/skirt, though.
5.
I’m putting these two together because for me, they go far past the “not me” stage and into the “hello, I’m crazy, what’s your name?” category. I even titled the one on the right “crazy.” I know one or two of you loved them, but me? Not so much. I felt weird and stupid these days.
6.
I just noticed that I wear those snakeskin shoes ALL THE TIME. Anyway. The outfit… eh. It’s the blazer again. I really dislike that blazer, although I do love the dress underneath it.
7.
I think this is probably the absolute worst outfit I’ve ever worn. There is nothing about the whole that I like. But I was sick that day, so… I guess that’s my excuse. 😀
8.
This one is something that I think is okay in theory, but I don’t really like the execution of it. And it’s not very me.
9.
Once again, it’s a nice outfit (there is something off, to me), but it’s just… not my style. I do love that skirt, though. It’s so twirly!
10.
This is just me being lazy but wanting to get back into the Chictopia world. I’d been lax with outfits for a while… so it’s a bit messy and lacks my usual whimsy (or the whimsy I like to think I have.)
So there you have it! A mini history of my fashion evolution thus far. What are your personal favorites, whether they’re posted here or in the outfits archive? Least favorites? And what style would you categorize me as? I’ve never been able to figure that out. 😉
Thank you all for taking an interest in my fashion; it’s really helped me be more confident in just… being who I am, dressing the way that I want to dress, and not worrying that somewhere, someone thinks I’m weird.
And now, because the day is beautiful, I am off to… be outside. (Not sure exactly what I’ll do, but y’know. :D)
Have a wonderful weekend!
10 Comments
Sosha
I haven’t been following all your posts, in fact, this is the first one I read. I write to say that it takes a fair amount of pluck to put up pictures of oneself in an outfit that doesn’t really work… You’re gutsy like that!
Mara
Haha, well… I think it’s less about being gutsy and more just… I don’t really mind people seeing me on my bad days. I’m a person, everyone has off days, so… why not be real? 😉 Thank you, though. I guess it does take a little bit of not caring what people might think. And I already have all of the bad outfits in my outfit archives, so people might eventually have seen them anyway. 😀
Asia Morela
Yay! Congrats for coming all this way! I laughed at some of your comments. 😛 And I must say, some of these outfits do look as though you were dressing up as somebody else, but for us readers, they’re still fun and lovely to look at. 😀
But I really get what you mean about outfits that are “you” or “not you”. I’ve also realized over the years that I tend to dress according to a certain general style… not even on purpose. Which is why when I make a specific effort to look a certain way, it usually doesn’t look much like me, even when the result is not bad in itself. Then again, my “general style” is pretty versatile and miscellaneous… It’s when I try for consistency (ie to wear *only* feminine clothes, or *only* classy, or *only* sportswear, etc.) that I look “not me”.
This makes me want to start taking outfit pictures too! LOL
I love your yellow dress, your blue dress, your flowery dress, your orange cardigan and shirt… Bright colours draw me. 😉
Mara
Why, thank you. 😀 Hehe. It is really fun to scroll through the outfit archives page and see how I’ve evolved in style, from being kind of uncertain about what I was doing or whether I even wanted to wear dresses all the time to… not even owning a pair of pants. Hehe.
Yeah, I think reading fashion blogs has really helped me realize that I don’t have to dress to a certain style, I don’t have to wear completely new items every day (for fashion blogging purposes), I don’t have to own amazing brands (I don’t think I even own *one* brand-name item), etc. I just have to be myself. And really, any time I wear things that *I* love, it usually turns out to be a much better outfit than if I’m trying to conform to someone else’s style.
Do it! 😀 Outfit pictures are fun.
Bright colors draw me, too. (If you couldn’t tell by the fact that my top three favorites are all orange.)
Rene
Very cool looks; I can see you like eclectic just like me. Keep up the good work.
Mara
Thank you. 🙂
Kelly
Woot! Where can I get a jacket like the one from January? Love it! As for my picks from the list you gave I’d have to day they are ; the one titled summery(or at least I think it is) with the backless dress and head scarf? It makes me want to go to the beach! Got Flowers also because I loooove the dress and the tights and the cardigan and the belt and yeah…pretty much the whole outfit! S is for Scarlett too! I really like the polka dot skirt and with the belt and the red it just looks fab. I is for Iceberg though at first it seems like you did the thing the blue guy did in The Truth About Love, the skirt and blue dots on the tights pull it together I think =) it also makes me want to go to Narnia haha. H is for Hot Pink might be my favorite, it gives off the impression that I want to so it’s inspiring! Kay, so yeahp! Have a happy day! haha
Mara
I think I got the jacket at Target on the sale rack. 🙂 I love it, and I don’t wear it often enough!
Yes, Summery. 😀 That one is fun. I feel a bit scandalous in that dress because of the really low back, but… I can get away with it in the summer. 🙂
I haven’t ever seen The Truth About Love, so I don’t know what you’re talking about there. Hehe. But yes, H is for Hot Pink is one of my favorites, too. 😀 You too!
Demy
Such a pity I wasn’t following your blog before I met you in Chictopia 🙁 I have lost so many amazing outfits… I actually really love your style. I’m not sure I could ever describe it, it’s just Mara style. It’s you. I see YOU in your outfits, and that is what I really love about your style. I did never thought that you copied somebody else even though you thought so.. Oh and I have to say that you’re not fair with yourself, lady! I really love most of the outfits you don’t like. I mean, WHAAAAAAT??? Look at number 2 (<3), 4, 8, 10!!! Are you mental?? Perfection, that is! 😀 What.ever! I love your style! And this blog is perfect 😀
Have fun..being outside lol! I guess I'll have to live through you, because tommorrow I'm having a Latin exam and I have to keep studying (F**K exam period :@) Bye bye! 😀
Mara
You can always scroll through the outfit archives. 😀 Clicking on a thumbnail (for most of them) takes you to that outfit’s blog post. 😉
Hehe, I wasn’t really saying that I *hated* them, but they’re not very “me” outfits. I mean…most of the ones that I dislike are outfits wherein I was trying to dress like someone I’d seen on Chictopia, and not like myself. #2… is a pretty outfit, but I was not comfortable in it. So y’know.:D
I did have fun! I love being outside when it’s sunny. And it’s been really nice weather lately! Have fun with your studying! 😀 Don’t die. Or do anything terrible and drastic. 😉