'Marie Joséphine Charlotte du Val d'Ognes (1786-1868)', Marie Denise Villers (1801)

- - And that's really okay. 

I do not need to be her, or her, no matter how good she looks. I am me. Trying to be another would simply be a great disservice to individuality - it would be cosplaying at best, mockery to the all of us at worst. 

I also do not need to buy into trends. I don't need to 'experiment lots' in order to find my style. (Not so) deep down (this is just fashion after all), I actually know what I like and it's pretty much what I already own and wear and feel really good in... it's all quite simple if you stop distracting yourself long enough to really sit with that. Stew it. Let it seep into the marrow. I know what works for me perfectly well and I don't need to (literally) buy into the big, buzzy or exclusive designer name for the sake of it, or the new 'timeless classic' that'll still be untouched at the back of my wardrobe in less than 6 months' time.

Side note: I really miss when fashion influencers wore clothes and not brands. or trends. or one-time items of clothing. back when they just had a really good eye for their own style and they had fun doing things with pure creativity in mind. when the integrity of their unique perspective was still intact and hadn't yet turned into a means of making money off our everyday insecurities about wanting what other people who seem better off have... Am I allowed to say all that out loud these days? Oh well... I still respect and follow quite a few influencers, but there's no love lost for the 'industry' as a whole. Should influencing people to ultimately covet planet-harming material goods and keep on overconsuming even be an industry...? Fair enough if there are no brand deals and all you're doing is sharing style tips and not monetised links but... anyway, that's a mighty meaty topic for another day...

what works well for me:

- relaxed button-up shirts, preferably oversized

- midi and maxi length column/pencil skirts

- baggy, thin knit jumpers

- closefitting tops with a quirky pov

- trousers, preferably on the looser/straight cut side

- dark tones and neutral colours (excepting red & blue)

- bomber jackets and long large coats

- lots of really good accessories (leather shoes & bags, textured jewellery, interesting belts, colourful socks, silk headscarves!)

style sirens who've nearly drowned me:

- any sort of high/thin heeled or pointed toe shoe... I'm soon to be a mum of two and am now on mat leave. there's just no rhyme, reason or excuse henceforth.

- the colour green

- outerwear that serves no function or purpose beyond that which I already own

- ruffles and puffed sleeves and frilly things

- stiff or structured wide leg trousers/jeans

- cutesy floral prints

- jackets and tops with big shoulders/stiff arms

Just remember love, you do not need to add more to your wardrobe by any means. You do not need that  one thing or that next thing. You know it only leads to nowhere that really satisfies. Get off that hedonistic treadmill and stop feeding the harmful capitalist machine with your blood sweat and money. I'll report back later on how I'm doing with that myself...