Welcome back! It is officially Spring and you know what that means...coughing and laryngitis!
Well, that and Fashion Week! Lets focus on the latter, shall we?So, we gear ourselves up throughout the second half of Winter, loving our warm and cozies however, (im)patiently awaiting the sun to swoop in and save us. Because with sun there comes warmth and with warmth comes... new fashion trends! Its always exciting (and a bit terrifying) to get our first glimpse at what the designers are sending our way. I admit, I'm not exactly a fashion guru or a trendsetter. Honestly, I'm not even a trend follower, so much as more of a, "oh that's cute, i think ill wear that" kind of gal (to which my VERY fashion savvy sis informs me, "beck that's been in trend all season" or even worse, "beck, that's last years trend"). And honestly, when i hear I'm wearing something "in trend" i almost cringe. Ive never been the "in" girl, choosing my wardrobe based on what the runways and magazines tell me. If anything, Ive been more of a rebel..."you can't tell me what to wear so now I'm purposefully NOT going to buy that hat! That adorable, priced to perfection hat Ive been looking at now for weeks and can't believe its in my hands and I'm putting it back because I'm just THAT stubborn."
Ok, so Ive softened a tad. Here's the thing, I am an advocate for "living authentically". To remain open to change and continuing to always evolve and be true to whoever shows up in my mirror. Sometimes that change occurs on a daily basis. I wake up some mornings and i need...i mean NEED to dress up! To completely blow out, curl up and spray to near death my hair. To spend an entire 10 minutes (that's a long time, trust me) on my face smoothing over, covering up and brushing on colors, shimmers and glosses. Picking out something purty for my ears, my fingers and my wrists. Then usually going about my day full of glamorous meetings, important classy lunches and high end shopping sprees.
I may have added a tiny portion of a Kardashian day in there at the end. Either way, then there are days (more often, I'm sure) that I wake up to my same fantastical life but my mirror looks more like how it did 8 hours ago, before i rolled into bed. Same tee shirt, yep. Black comfy stretch pants, sure thing. Wash face, brush teeth, assess hair situation. Ok, after a quick and thorough attack by the "dry shampoo of the moment" to my roots, its up to the crown with a cute messy bun we go! Voila! Flip flops on and were good to go.
All of this is to basically say, I actually DO love fashion. I own an obscene amount of black in my wardrobe but I love color! Designs and textures and pink! Every shade of pink now. It makes me feel like the girly side in me can play nice with the subdued side of me. I love my hoops. I cherish my chunky rings. I adore my super feminine flower hair clips, which double as pins (that you'll never see me wear...i can't stand pinning anything to my outfit). More or less, that is me. Continuing to just go with my flow. So...
Its fashion central and my People StyleWatch is teeming with all the latest. The big, the bold and the beautiful. I am swooning and sighing at each page turning. I love to see what folks like me (cause I don't care who you are, you're just like me) are putting on in the morning. Yes, i realize not everything you see in the mags are necessarily "real life" for these folks either but, I do love the sections you go through that are the "stars are just like you" or "look at these ladies dressed down" or "wow check out the pages of Hollywood without their makeup on". I live for those pages! The glitz and glam are wonderful to admire but I personally like to see the real people living out their lives from the gym to the dog park, stumbling back to their car dropping groceries while pushing strollers.
As usual, Ive gone off on a tiny tangent. Not too far though. I'm working my way back to the runways! They can be down right scary, at times. Take exhibit A for instance:
Yet, the trend I believe may have been born out of this extreme, in a much lesser and personally acceptable way, is the ever so present (everywhere) Tribal/Aztec trend.
When I say everywhere, I mean you name it and it is Tribal-ized! Aztec-tified!
Swimsuits. Towels. Shower curtains. Living room decor. Foot stools. Kitchenware. Headbands. Nail designs. EVERY WHERE! As I looked around my local shops I became overwhelmed. For a gal who's fashion sense is in slow motion most days, always a few steps behind, this felt like an obvious and suffocating ambush straight from the Amazon. It is not that I am opposed to the design itself. I actually love that rustic, bold pattern. It stands out and leaps off the materials into the viewers eye. And the colors! Wow! Talk about using traditional and nontraditional hues together in a mash up of brights with darks. Primaries with pastels. Stripes, zigzags and swirls all creating gorgeous imagery all in one place. Truly an art. You can't miss it though. Have i mentioned, its EVERY WHERE!
This begs the question then; How much is too much? Do we buy up what we see just because its there? Its honestly difficult not to right now. Its a jungle out there, baby! Be careful.
Lets say you head out for an innocent day of shopping. You need a few things for the house. The weather is looking lovely and you've just cleaned out those summertime clothing bins from storage. Of course, you need a few newbies here and there. Off you go!
Six hours later...you're sitting in the backyard under your new Aztec inspired lawn umbrella. Sipping a nice cool drink from your tribal patterned plastic table wear. Catching rays and perfecting(well, beginning for most of us) your tan in your fantastic swimsuit you just picked up on sale-who could resist those patterns and colors though, ROAR! Just then your daughter runs outside shrieking with excitement over the brand spanking new dress hanging in her closet...you guessed it, the maxi covered from shoulder to floor with various shapes, figures and patterns all intertwined and repeating with what seems to be a thousand different colors. "Thanks Mom! Its just what I wanted...all the other girls have them too!" How could they not?
I actually adore the look. In a bright pink and neon green on my 10 year old, amazing! I'm only wondering, do we need this overkill? And in the same paragraph Ill give you my feeble attempt at an answer. Its a conclusion, really. In my opinion, this wonderful unique design is everywhere so that it can be loved and enjoyed by each of us in whichever way touches us. For some of us, it may be in a piece of clothing we wear. For others, maybe setting our fun outdoor tablescape to feel like a festive retreat. Ive even seen cellphone cases representing someones style with the dramatic effect of the tribal circles and colors popping from their palm. What a perfect way to make that statement with something new and on trend!
It is within the taming of this beast (yep, gotta love those puns), that the true personal style evolves. Simplicity is key. Outplayed and overdone are the faux pas for this particular vogue. Suffice it to say, less is more. You will enjoy your one or two tribal inspired pieces so very much more if they are not in every corner of your home. Also, let the immensely populated patterns speak to you. Decide first, what would you enjoy owning or using? Set out and remain focused (trust me, you need to be focused for the adventure you are about to embark). Try not to be overwhelmed. You will know when you've found your individual Aztec-tified counterpart(don't you just love making up words)!
For moi, it was easy peasy. I wasn't out looking, by the way, finding my piece was accidental and mostly due to the inexplicable obsession I have with elephants. Then you throw a clearance sticker on that beauty and its a match made in all
13 levels of Aztec heaven.
Happy hunting to all!
