You Don't Need To Be Fashionable

Coming from the middle of nowhere (kind of) in Sweden to one of the fashion capitals of the world, aka London, it's a bit overwhelming in terms of fashion. Going from nearly a year of just going to a few classes or the supermarket and then maybe popping into the one H&M, to helping out at a major fashion desk and travelling around London each day means I don't have the routine or wardrobe to deal with it. The routine I settled into in Sweden made me feel guilty over every purchase (which resulted in £80 overweight baggage fees anyway!) and I only needed to dress warmly anyway. The Uni I went to was far more fashion orientated than the Textiles school in Manchester, mostly because my course there is more retail based. My classes in Sweden were very small though and were all international students, who had a range of styles but only the Asian students really followed fashion and dressed uniquely. It was really cool to visit the canteen each day at the 10am coffee break, as classes always ran 8.30 - 12, and see a sudden sea of tall, blonde girls in all black with over-sized circle scarfs and lace up boots.

Now I'm almost back to the routine when I was in Manchester where I had to go to lectures every day, but in London while I'm interning I have to go to work each day, and that's a different kettle of fish. I don't live here so I had to bring a week's worth of clothes with me, and on the first day I had no clue what to wear! I planned out loads of outfits but didn't know if it would be a more formal environment or if everyone would be walking around in sky-high, designer heels. In the end I wore my newest thing, but that's a different post, and over the week had to hit Oxford Street to stock up on skirts and flats. Half my tasks are packing and posting out samples, and there was even an exciting (for me!) visit to the 'cage', which holds loooads of bags from every shop you could think of full of samples ready to be sent back. So a little dress and heels isn't appropriate when you're moving and sorting through bags full of shoes or rummaging through a cupboard full of lookbooks, and it's more about getting the job done well than sitting pretty.

But a month like this is what I've always dreamed about; waking up in London and travelling to work in fashion with people who love fashion too. Sweden was a different time but when I'm in the UK mostly at Uni or home in Birmingham, I'll buy new stuff all the time. The reality is I could go to lectures in a hoodie and uggs, but I dress up each day, or at least where 'nice' clothes. About once a week I'll have one of these days where you really think about your outfit and wear something maybe new or part of a future trend or something a bit different. Then you kind of think, well who am I trying to impress? I dress for myself, but say if I'm wearing a £30 foundation each day, is that a waste of money if I'm just going to a lecture?

If there was any time to invest in clothes and makeup, it's when you're working at a top publication or company (if only for a short time!). When you're faced with dressing for a certain occasion or time though, you can get really overwhelmed by your wardrobe and think what am I going to wear?!?!? Especially when it's over a series of days or weeks, it's a chance for everything in your wardrobe to get a wearing. But I get 'dresser's block' and set out in the the morning wearing things I like, but I tend to be quite meticulous and can pick out fine points to doubt myself.

I feel very lucky to be doing work experience where I am and walk out of the building thinking 'wow,  just spent a day there!' There is nothing more fun than sitting in the canteen and hearing people around you dictating articles that thousands of people will read, or hearing a buzz across the office when there's a sudden election announcement. It's really cool when the people at the fashion desk start having a conversation about Sex and the City or discuss a magazine cover; it's so cool to reinforce that people who work in fashion aren't scarily discussing obscure labels and designer friends, although they work damn hard! I love living in London for a bit and getting the bus or tube around, as there's so many faces and places that it doesn't matter what you wear as no one has time or the need to judge you. In my local high street at home, people may pass about ten girls around my age a day, but in London there are thousands and if you see someone wearing a different outfit, you just assume they have a place to go to where that outfit is damn cool and they could be very important.

So if I'm in a place where anything goes, and the people at work have incredible fashion knowledge and appreciation, it's a time to wear whatever you want and have no second thoughts. You should wear what you want all the time, but for me it's more about the thing I'm doing that day, and the fact that I don't normally need to look fabulous if I'm going to a lecture and then to Lidl! It's not sustainable and I don't have the time to wear and choose incredible outfits every day, and of course I don't have the funds to spend on loads of on-trend, amazing clothes constantly. I am only a student after all!

That's why it's really hard to choose what to wear because I'm could essentially wear whatever I want, this is my time to shine, forget the inhibitions! But honestly, I don't need to. If I look around right now (I'm writing this in some spare time at work, FYI today I opened all the post and called high street stores for samples, so cool!), the fashion desk are of course all dressed amazingly. But it's not about wearing Anna Dello Russo or André Leon Talley outfits each day just because you can, it's essentially about wearing what suits you and what you feel best in. Well I would probably feel pretty good strutting around in Miu Miu swallow print everything right now but at work, you dress to get the job done. And really, you have nothing to prove. I always think that if I ever bumped into a reader on a normal day, they would be pretty disappointed as I don't wear heels and fierce outfits everyday like some bloggers. I'm not a daily outfit post blogger because I don't feel right and, like I said, I don't have the time or funds to strut around just to get a coffee and make my outfit incredible in loads of ways. In fact the stares would bug me after five minutes. At first I felt a bit rubbish that I was wearing skirts, tights and tops to work that I felt didn't particularly make people look at me and think 'wow, I bet she has a cool fashion job or at least is really fashionable.' Sometimes on the tube, as this is London, you get to see amazingly dressed girls and guys who just have cool style, and in a Snog, Marry, Avoid way (but totally different!), you couldn't imagine them not having that style as their whole look is cool. I don't think I'm one of those people, although I do always have certain outfits at every point in the year that are my super outfits that I'll wear to a press day or an event, because I've indulged my love of fashion and bought something I think is really cool. They're the outfits that really come together and you love to wear, do you have those?

It's almost impossible to wear those outfits every day, at least for me, so sometimes I beat myself up a bit about not being eternally fantastic and inspiring. But you don't need to be! You don't need to prove it, and you can have a huge love of fashion without having to be 'fashionable' yourself. If you love sports and are a sports expert, you don't need to be an amazing player, or if you are a music producer it doesn't mean you have to be able to play anything or sing. Like the women who wear trainers with their posh suits on the tube while they travel, you essentially need to get from A to B, and you could write an amazing fashion piece, yet sit at your desk in jeans and a tee. Like the ladies here, most likely amazing jeans and a lovely tee, but still nothing that screams out 'I'm so fashionable, you have to look!'.

There's no burning need to make people aware that you love fashion and I'm trying to remind myself not to feel bad if nobody would take a second glance at my outfit today, especially not in London, because I'm wearing things I like and trends that I feel great in. You could argue that the people out there who just look constantly amazing are more 'fashionable' as they have that edge and that natural talent to put together a whole look and effortlessly keep up to date with trends, yet embrace their own style (this is my dream to be!), but style and fashion are different things and you don't need to turn heads to love fashion. I put a lot of pressure on myself to try my best to make people at work think I was good because I looked the part, but straight away realised you prove yourself through your actions and not necessarily your appearance. I would like to say I dress purely for myself all the time but I am only 20 and probably don't have that total self awareness or confidence. Also when working or studying, isn't it impossible to change or adapt your style just a little? I look at some bloggers and know they would dress really amazingly in their stuff every day, but maybe as a 'normal' girl or a British girl, I feel normal in the fact that I don't always command attention with fabulous outfits and would choose not to wear something because it wasn't right for the occassion. sky-high designer heels to lectures? Ain't gonna happen!

Maybe we're too hard on ourselves (or maybe it's just me) as fashion is a measure of culture and wealth and everything that psychologically puts pressure on us as a human being. I was just in Pret for lunch and the cashier guy was like, 'Are you a model?? Ah you have that look!' and I was like huh? If realistically I'd got a picture of Abbey Lee and then myself and compared them, obviously I am not a model, but I cheekily said 'I do work in fashion!' (even though officially I don't work here or anything!), and he said 'ah I knew it, the compliment is true, see!' It might have been because he was an older Italian guy (and Italian guys love the red heads), but today I was only wearing my long flared jeans with wedges and a stripy top, and I would never be on a street style site. So it could be the measures we set ourselves against. I aspire to be like the people on street style sites and if I don't think an outfit would be featured on one, I don't think it is 'good enough' Can you ever be good enough in your mind? Maybe in those 'favourite outfits' that I usually have one of at a time, but no every day.

Finding your personal style is the hardest task and once you do that you won't feel the need to buy into every trend. When you look at fashion week, most people who work in fashion are dressed lovely yet comfortably, as they have nothing to prove, they've earned their job title. And once you totally satisfy your own tastes and ideas of the best trends out there, you will be the most fashionable person you know.

Comments

[esther]

Hey!
Cool article girl !!
I can relate to that !! I am studying fashion design in Paris and last year I had a 2 month internship at a designer's studio/showroom/shop and it was super hard to know what to wear ! Since I needed to be fashionable / not too weird in case there were new people to meet / comfy because you have errands to run and stuff to do / light because it was the beginning of summer and it was hot!! So yeah, hard everyday. Finally I just rocked the gladiator + vintage (or not) dress or cool top + jeans and if I wanted to be the cool cat I used to take wedges in my bag and put them after the subway journey.
But it was hard to match one of my co workers... he just wore like Louboutins and Isabel Marant tops or Margiela or Chanel or Balenciaga bags... (and yes, he was a guy working in 4" heels)
And you're right, just wear what you feel lovely in ! and don't be scared to wear twice the same thing, they know you're a student and probz won't even notice.

[Zoe]

This is great and totally inspiring.

When you look at fashion week, most people who work in fashion are dressed lovely yet comfortably, as they have nothing to prove, they've earned their job title.

This is true. A lot of the girls, in the city I am in dress very similarly, I call them the "urban outfitters" or "topshop" girls. It's all about wanting to fit in or be seen to be part of some stylish club. I honestly don't know if i could work in either of those shops because frankly keeping up with the "trends" would exhaust me and my wallet. Fashion is an adventure, it should be about finding out who you are, what you like and what suits you. My wardrobe has gone through metamorphoses in the years since I've started college, I'm constantly reassessing it, mostly out of necessity (selling on ebay to buy something i prefer and know would suit me better). And I feel exactly the same as you, I wear expensive foundation, dress nicely for lecturers etc, for myself. I am really very shy and its through my clothes that I can only express myself and distinguish myself. I don't want to get stares (which i often do in my own town, especially younger people because i think they don't know who they are yet and difference in fashion terms scares them because its not the norm and not what their friends or wearing or the magazines are celebrating).

Although, while I don't think everyone should be channeling ~high fashion~ I do feel sad when I see people dressed frumpy and boring. Everyone has a personality, they should embrace it! My mum wears tracksuits and tops from the 80s for day wear, but when she makes the effort she looks great!

" you don't need to turn heads to love fashion. "
Fashion can be intimidating, especially in this new generation of street style.

[Zoe]

Basically what I think I was trying to say is that fashion is very influenced by your culture. Like you pointed that you're a british girl and you wouldn't wear heels to lectures! The same applies here, I only see the asian girls tottering around in heels here, because thats the norm at home. If one of my peers did that, the stares would be something awful "WHERE does she think she's going?!", but I admire girls who do wear heels to lectures. More power to them! I only wish I was brave enough and able to walk in them.

Fashion is very much culturally defined, when you look at the street style blogs you don't see them in some country backwater, the focus is all around the metropolis because people are braver there, there's so many different native mixes in the city. The culture I come from is very much, don't make a spectacle of yourself because you are bound to meet someone you know, this applies to fashion. And even though its more fashion forward in Dublin now, these people still go by a standard 'look', as opposed to it being a bit more eclectic in Dublin.

I hope you understand my meaning! eeek trying to avoid exam revision! x

[Zoe]

Oh no I mean more eclectic in London, not Dublin in that last comment!

[Leia]

This was such a great post, Selina. I completely agree with you and I have struggled with this myself. Of course I love fashion, and I would LOVE to be one of those girls who looks like she's stepped out of a Lookbook every single day. But I too have a life that requires running around or being comfortable, and essentially that does have to come first! Of course, I'm not an Ugg-boot-hoodie-wearing person *either* but that's only because I would never feel happy/comfortable that way.

It's funny because when I go to uni I try to "dress down" as much as possible without actually losing my style (not an easy task, I tell ya) because I study development, which is essentially about poverty, and I don't exactly want to strut in wearing a Louis Vuitton handbag and a Burberry coat (although some other students do). But when people find out I have a fashion blog they kind of eye me up and down, and I can sometimes see that look as they are thinking, "does this person have any right to write about fashion?" but the thing is, I don't let it annoy me. Clearly *some* people think I have the right to write about it (or else they wouldn't read my blog!) and you're so right, you can love something without immersing yourself in it 24/7. Like today, I'm wearing jeans and a stripey top, but I had an exam earlier (and it's FREEZING) so I wasn't going to show up in a little skirt and heels because that's what I love!

Anyway, sorry for writing so much, but I really did love this post and you are so, so right about it all.

[Djosell]

Hey! I awarded/tagged you the sweet blog award! Please check my blog!

[libertylondongirl]

ALWAYS wear what you feel comfy in. If your personal style is emo then don't feel you need to dress like Anna Wintour. As Kate Lanphear proved, what you wear yourself doesn't preclude styling main book fashion.

Try too hard & everyone will notice for the wrong reasons. But as a fash mag hag of over 15 yrs, I wld say that the editors around you WILL notice what you wear, & judge you on it.

That's doesn't mean, as you quite rightly point out, wearing a ludicrous Russo-type look to sit on yr ass in the fashion cupboard, or wearing heels to push a rail, but it does mean looking together a la
Lanphear or as a vintage 50s princess or in jeans & converse or whatever is you feel like wearing, and wearing cool accessories - and that cld or whatever you fbe New Look - in fact more impressive to look great on a budget than just flashing labels which looks silly at yr tender age, and looking as though you do have a passion for fashion and looking as tho you embrace fashion as an integral part of you.

If you want to stand out from the zillions of interns, you need to look like you have style - not fashion - style. Dull but true. (But - the most important part is energy, enthusiasm and always being willing to go the extra mile for your editors as an intern.) LLGxx

[Leah]

Really wonderful post Selina! I think I needed that gentle reminder. The thing that bugs me is when I tell people (who don't know me) I'm interested in fashion (& studying it yadda yadda) they ALWAYS look surprised. Without fail. The only bit of that which irritates me is that there are such narrow preconceptions of what someone who is interested in fashion looks like. Truthfully, I'd much rather figure out what my personal style is (and then incorporate trends I like) rather than mindlessly spending lots on the current trends. Anyway, hope you're enjoying your placement! It sounds like an interesting & exciting place to work x

[kirsty]

i love this post! you've really hit the nail on the head, and i think a lot of bloggers, hell- any people who don't have the funds but love fashion- will identify with what you've said. I love fashion but as a fellow student who's trying to save money to study abroad next year, it's a constant battle between wanting to splurge and trying to prioritise. I only started blogging a couple of months ago, and I love it, but I keep wondering if I have something to prove. On a good day I feel perfectly entitled to keep a blog, I love fashion, and it's fun and great for escapism. But sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, or that people will think I have an overblown opinion of myself, thinking I dress brilliantly all the time. which i definitely do not! A thing I have noticed is that I wear something a bit more "out there" one day, I do get compliments and people take more notice- but it also gets negative reactions too. some people seem to think i'm attention-seeking, or they genuinely don't like the outfit or whatever. but fashion is about discourse, you don't have to please everyone!
Like you I'm still trying to figure out my personal style- and what I don't like to wear. I love buying new things- but it often means I end up selling stuff on ebay to keep my bank balance in check! And then I feel like I'm getting caught up in the consumerist fast-fashion, which brings the guilt. I sound like a mess, haha!
Basically just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in feeling the pressure of looking great all the time :)

[Charlotte]

This is one of the most engaging articles I have read of yours. It gives off a huge sense of empowerment and self-worth which is ultimately what every young woman should have because....why the hell not?!

I wish you all the best at your internship :)

[pierrot le fou]

in sixth form i was awful with clothes! i spent all my pay on clothes and often got asked how i managed to wear a different outfit everyday. i thought it was the only way i could feel good about myself or confident but then realised the happiness i got from organising clothes wasn't because i was wearing something nice but because it was my only creative outlet

it's completely different where i study now (coincedentally in manchester) where girls are outnumbered by boys 15 to one which is kinda intimidating. most girls wear crop tops and leather effect leggings... the environment i'm in,i don't feel inspired to dress up nicely and usually wear the same pretty boring (and modest haha) outfits :s i get so jealous when i see people in lovely clothes and stare a bit

[Winnie]

Wow. I loved this post Selina and even better that Sasha shared her thoughts on this too. Definitely taking a lot on board from this.

I definitely agree that dressing for your own style is key. I'm definitely not one of those girls who look like they should be on the Satorialist each day, infact, some days I am happy in a baggy t-shirt and leggings! But...I would never leave the house looking sloppy.

It's so great to read that you are having a great time interning!

[Kimberley]

I loved this post. I feel exactly the same about going to lectures etc. I sometimes get in and think "wow that day was a waste of make up"!!

[elizabeth]

Great post, i feel like i can relate to this a lot! Right now between school and sports and friends and other stuff, there's so little time to plan out outfits and be really creative. It's hard to be well-dressed all the time! and yeah, like you said, i'm still trying to find "my style" too, which is difficult (especially on a student's budget!) That's really cool that you have a job in fashion though. and for what it's worth, I think you're fabulous :)

[Cassiopeia]

Ah yes, the intern fashion experience... I turned up for my first day at work in a vintage dress of my mother's and pretty much stuck with that for the entire four months. It was always amusing to wear what I felt comfy in, constantly comparing myself to the spiky, cool, all black and body-con-wearing other interns. We made quite the team, from one end of the spectrum to the other. Considering I was often grovelling around for cuttings that had drifted behind the samples rail and changing the photocopier toner, one did quite well not to be too precious about it all. Great article. Make sure you keep your ear to the ground about sample sales. I found the 10am work starting time endlessly useful once I'd mastered the art of getting up early enough to be one of the first few in through the doors... Luella bag yay!!! :D Good luck with it all!

[Ashleigh]

Fantastic, exactly how i feel about dressing up and fashion. Im the reader you met in Marylebone recently, and you looked awesome then! [think you were wearing those crazy wedges] and i looked a total mess. without sounding completely stalkerish from this comment, this is why you are my favourite blogger, because even though we have different kinds of style, you know what its like just to be an average student living in the UK, on a students budget, shopping in places I shop [even the difference between Topshop/UO and H&M/Primark counts to me!] and you blog about stuff i recognise, in a style i recognise. this is a great post, it kicks me up the arse to get my own blog actually running...
jealous of your internship to an insane amount as well. and adding to a comment made further up, yeah im way more impressed in people who have great style on a budget than the people i used to go to college with who just walk into topshop with daddy's credit card and come out looking annoyingly good.

[Kylie]

I've always thought of you as someone with a killer sense of personal style as well as incredibly passionate and knowledgable about fashion. Having your own style doesn't mean having to dress to your absolute best every, it is real life after all! I think most of your readers (including me) feel the same self-doubt about not being able to live up to the high fashion standards that we'd like, but I think that personal style matters in the long run, so not being able to dress perfectly everyday really doesnt matter. In the end, it's where your heart is so it doesn't matter if a person dresses "the part" or not!
<3<3<3

[dinoprincesschar]

i love this post, selina :)
you're totally right; i think that your fashion should mean dressing for you, and have always believed in pushing the boundaries and using fashion and clothes as an extension of who i am and how i feel..which gets me a lot of odd looks in a little fashion-backward town in the midlands..but still!
i'm glad that you're living youre dream in london :)

[Clare]

I love that your write long, involved posts, it's a real treat to read them.

London really isn't scary, it's important to find your own style and be comfortable in it, there's no point dressing for someone else after all.

Glad to hear your internship is going well!

http://iliketweet.blogspot.com/

x

[cutato]

What a wonderful post! So glad to hear that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Unfortunately even though I know and understand this, that it's simply too impractical and I've neither the time or the financial needs, like you, to wear a "worthy whatever *I* want" outfit daily, it's still a constant battle in my head. Just got to keep reminding myself that there's more to life (not that I have to get over it entirely...) :P

Thanks, Selina!

[ambika]

I think any work environment (but especially yours--wow! What an opportunity) presents a challenge in terms of figuring out what the norms are. I've worked in hospitals where the surgical staff are always in scrubs (even when they're not operating) and even tho scrubs are the equivalent of pajamas, even wearing jeans isn't allowed--to working in companies where you can dress casually regardless of what's going on.

Always, when starting somewhere new, I err on the side of looking too nice rather than too casual--but I know everyone copes differently!

[Author in the making]

great post! you are such an inspiring blogger and i LOVE your blog xx I completely agree, i seem to have a need to look amazing- all the time. I can get so frustrated when i don't look brilliant and it can even dampen my mood for the day :/ in some ways, i think most teenage girls find this- but i can completely relate to you xx i'm glad you're having a great time though xxx

[Mark]

Hi, first time seeing your blog, i love yout top header, it's really nice. Im loving the article, your a really good fashion writter.

http://fashionwaist.blogspot.com/

[Sarah]

Ahh the fashion intern outfit conundrum. I know where you are coming from...I've done several fashion internships, and found it harder and harder to try and look 'fashionable' each day. When you get up at 6am and it's dark and snowing outside, the last thing you want to think about is putting together an outfit!!

And then you get to the office and other team members are dressed awesomely, but not in an over the top way. But I guess that's what happens when you have a fashion pay cheque and all the freebies that come with it!

But as you say, it's just not practical to wear heels and your Sunday best when you're crawling round on the floor doing cutting and lugging around boxes. I think you have the right idea sticking to what you feel comfortable in, and saving your best for special events.

[Rebecca]

I had exactly the same problem when I did a placement at a magazine in London a couple of months ago. I brought new dresses, shirts, skirts and heels only to find that a lot of people just dressed in what they felt comfortable in which ironically enough was jeans and uggs! The fashion team that I worked with were more up-to-date on their trends and dared the 5 inch heel to work look but I chose flats and boy am I glad I did! I didn't know what to expect from the placement but it turned out I was doing pretty much the same as you, packaging samples to send back and undoing the ones we receieved, except all this was done whilst sitting on a cupboard floor with staples snagging your tights! Lovely!

I have only recently started blogging but it's nice to see that someone posts longer articles on their blog opposed to just short comments as this is the approach I am trying to take with my blog.

Also very impressed (and a teeney bit jealous)of all the things you have achieved already! Good luck to you!

[Jade]

What a wonderful write up, so thoughtful and unassuming :)

[Maelle]

Hi :)

Wow! Just discovered your amazing blog randomly on the Teen Vogue website and I can't help but think that you have a pretty amazing life :). I'm still in high school and basically I'm under tons of pressure about finding what I wanna do in the future. I'm thinking working in fashion would be great but I believe that fashion designer is not a job that has lots of job offers and so I just want to find a job where I'm sure I'll get a job after university as long as I work. Are you studying fashion merchandising? Do you like it?
I read many fashion blogs but they all end up making me feel bad because I do not have many fashionable clothes and none of those I have are from famous designers so I'm really glad you made this blog because it is definitely the only down to earth one I've ever heard of. So thank you :)
I would totally understand if you were too busy to answer but do you have any advice as to what job or studies in fashion should I take that is...well, that opens the door to more jobs than the others? My e-mail is minimissmidori@yahoo.com.
I'll definitely continue reading your next posts, :)
Maelle

[vintage and cake]

this is such a hit the nail on the head post. Clothing is soo powerful now. I am a full time mum at the mo, too my 8 month old son and I have day's of chic. Most of the time I feel bad for wearing just 'everyday' wear as I use to work in fashion retail and people would comment all the time, plus I had more time. Now it is a mission just to wash my hair and little things as my son comes first and half the time I'm just doing a shop or going to a playground. You see the odd mum in a stupidly fashion outfit at them and it looks silly. I want to beable to get in there and have fun playing with my son, rather than worrying about my heel's etc ....

I think 'yummy mummy' has blown it for mums now, there is a huge amount of pressure to look good 24/7 ....Maybe years ago I would have gone with it. Now at 27 I'm starting to not care, plus I live in London and like you say noone looks (this does depend on where you are) but for the most part ....you can get away with everything. I love this post, I hope youngergirls like yourself reading it will listen to your most mature advice. I think for 20 you are very together, I wish I had been at your age. Hope you enjoy, the rest of the Work Expirence and have fun. That's what life is for, to enjoy and not worrying yourself sick about what to wear after all its about what you do and what you leave behide. People think about your kindness etc .....I have never heard anyone say 'oh she/ he was really well dressed, but was really horrid' well maybe some people have. Oh great post hun, well done xxxx

[Elizabeth]

Thank you for this long, lovely post. I get where you're coming from, to a certain extent. It's obviously not easy to think of something unique and extraordinary everyday. I certainly can't. I have wonderful days, and days when I try a bit but nothing seems to pop. I really can't see myself getting out of the house in a t-shirt and jeans or anything too casual though, to be quite honest, because I would just feel unhappy and uncomfortable and thoroughly not myself. I generally don't find dressing up a chore. It's easy to create a good outfit, less easy to create an amazing one. I don't think having great style means being able to create a street style blog-worthy outfit everyday. It's about knowing who you are, what you like and working with that.

I sort of get/don't get the whole asian/dressing up/high heels thing. I don't think we have many true style mavens in Singapore, but most people do know how to follow trends/buy pretty things/walk in high heels. I used to think we were a bit blah dressing-wise, but the more I travel the more I realize that though many cities have more individual standout dressers than we do, a large percentage of people there don't dress up at all.