Ever Changing

Over the past semester we have considered many different writing and fashion, techniques and patterns. Some you may have loved and hated others. We discussed personal style in writing and fashion, how the two intersect and the necessary effort in developing both of these things.

With new lines out each season, it takes a little effort to keep with the times. It doesn't just take one year of looking at a fashion magazine to then become a fashionista. You have to look at the new fashion season, observe what others are wearing, and be willingly to rid your closet of your favorite outfit because it may be "last season".

And in the same way, you will have to put in some energy to continue growing as a writer and developing your voice. That is the beauty of fashion and writing. You can choose the voice you want to have and choose the style you want to express. It is important to not just keep writing but to keep reading and recognizing what new techniques people are using to get inspiration and fresh ideas from.

But in order to be a great writer and fashion forward dresser, considering these to subjects must become a lifestyle. Just like any expert does you must do your research and homework to stay in fashion and have fresh writing styles. You will always be you but often times a fashion magazine or a great book can draw out of you thoughts and style you never knew you had.

What's Your Style?

We've covered a lot the past few months. We've looked at how to write simply, with someone else, and cohesively. We've talked about following rules and breaking rules. We've looked at about as many styles of writing as we have styles of fashion.

We've got about as many styles as there are children in large families on TLC. (Though that may quickly be false, I hear there's a show in the works called, "Bob and Sue with Thirty-Two.) As many looks as you can think of, there's a style of writing that can be seen as a parallel.

So what's your style? What sets you apart? What's your statement?

How do you write? What's your hook? Where's your voice?

Those questions aren't that different from each other in terms of underlying context.

Maybe your style's more classical with a twist:

And you write with a dignified flair for the pompous with a harsh reality.


Or maybe you're more barebones with a laidback feel:

And your writing comes from a basic place with short sentences with little fluff.


Or maybe somewhere in between with a casual feel and a dash of personality:

And you take a straightfoward approach with a spice of personality that makes your writing unique.

Or maybe you're none of these! Maybe you're an Anthropologie girl or a Abercrombie boy, a Thrift Store chic chica or a Gucci garcon.

No matter what you are, be you. And write from the heart. And may good fashion choices and great sales greet you wherever you go with your words.

All images from americanapparel.net

It's Only Just Begun

As the blog comes to an end, I say this: It is only the beginning. Over the past few months we have looked into fashion and it's parrallels to writing as well the different techniques we can practice through each of them. From the runways in Paris to the cover of Vogue magazine, we have covered it all. I have learned a lot myself about how a person's individual style can be shaped to reflect their writing style and how many times both are correlated to one another. Fashion and writing are both artforms where one can express their creativity, shaping and shifting around different techniques. Make it yours, make it work because our writing and our personal style makes us who we are. Sure at times it may be difficult to write and we have all had moments where finding a top to pair with bottoms can be one of the trickiest tasks you have ever been faced with, but keep in mind your voice and your personality. Au Revoir for now.

Accessory Addition

It is not unusual for me to spend all my energy thinking and planning the clothing part of my outfit. Which is obviously very important but can leave my outfit looking dull and me feeling frustrated. I forget how much a few great accessories can add to an outfit. Notice I said a few great accessories. It is entirely possibly to over due it with jewelry, hair pieces, bracelets, belts, hats, shoes, etc. Choosing the write combination of accessories is so important you might as well not where any if you can't find the right mix and balance.

The thing I find most important when accessorizing is not that you match your necklace, bracelet, and earrings to all be the color or versions of each other. Leave the jewelry sets for your grandma. The most important thing to consider is matching your styles. Style is not color or pattern its an overall look. So for example, a diamond bracelet is not a good accessory to wear with your hemp necklace. However, chunky colorful bracelets, a pair of Raybans, and a long gold necklace showcasing the first letter of your name would work awesome together. The styles don't conflict but at the same time they are not too matchy-matchy.

When it comes to writing a book, essay, or short story it can be helpful to think about what "accessories" you can add to your piece. Maybe it's exciting and innovative word choice or the use of appropriate punctuation. An awesome, eye catching title can also add a lot to your piece overall. Sometimes as writers we focus so much on the body of our writing that we forget the little things, accessories that can add so much. It is the small, not quite as obvious things that can make your writing and outfit feel complete and special.

Collaboratation is Key

Dean and Dan of Dsquared² have quickly become an iconic team in the fashion world. Their Fall/Winter 2010 runway collection was edgy and in your face, including classic and destroyed denim, unique jackets, and post-urban materials. The entire show had a post-apocalyptic/vampire feel using mostly black fabrics an showing few brightly colored pieces. The video of the full men's show and the women's show is available at their website www.dsquared.com.


This dynamic duo in the fashion world has certainly made an impression on the population that is in tune with the world of fashion and their Spring/Summer line is a turn back towards classy and Western-inspired.

Dean and Dan are inseparable. The two are always together. As someone who has read countless interviews with them, it's weird when I see a photograph of one, but not the other (Granted, I can't even tell them apart.) The two work together and are a seamless team tour de force in today's fashion.

As writers, we may find ourselves in a place where we have to work together with other writers. Sometimes, your voice needs to remain intact. Other times, you need to make your voice sound more uniform with the other writers' voices that you're working with. Often we see this more in academic writing, science journals, and business plans. Much more practical uses than creative writing. But what we need to take away from Dsquared is their style of fashion icon. They are a team and are always mentioned together. They look similarly and sound the same. And their fashion excels because they work together and make their ideas one.

Now I'm not suggesting that the next business proposal you have to write comes at the end of intense togetherness time with your coauthors. But maybe talking to them and working closely with them is the integral part. Maybe through that, you can make your voices sound as one, just like Dean and Dan's ideas appear as though one designer is behind the fashions.

Images from dsquared.com, chicstories.com, and zimbio.com.

Ethics are In

The fashion world is a center for many controversies, but mainly on the mass consumer level. And for good reasons, Clothing stores like American Eagle, Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Aeropostale all use Sweat Shop labor. Back in the day, PETA used to throw red paint on fur coats that they saw. Now they are using the scandalous "Go Naked" ads to protest the unethical raising of animals purely to skin them for fur coats.

These ethical dilemmas of "Do we buy a fur coat even if it was made with ethically treated animals?" or "Do I buy this cheap polo even though 3 year olds in Malaysia worked 15 hours a day to make it?" make fashion a tricky road to walk on sometimes.

We face a similar level of ethics in writing. We have to make decisions as writers not to alienate our readers. We control a very touchy medium called "Language" and how we use it can anger people, or pacify them, or even mislead them. And there are times where we may need to do those, but oftentimes, I'm sure those aren't for ethically sound reasons. When we begin to write, we have to take our audience into mind and think about how far we can push them. Maybe using the word "fuck" for a very conservative audience isn't your best idea. But if that's your voice, you have to remain true to it, but learn the lines you can cross without making your audience take up red paint and throwing it all over your hard work.

Image from fanpop.com

Rough Beginnings

As the concept pops into your mind like a quick blink of the eye, the idea quickly becomes reality as it jumps out of your mind and onto paper. Rough drafts. They are messy but unique and the beginning to any great piece of work. Whether I am writing a short story or perhaps setting my hand loose to dance freely against a blank canvas, rough drafts are the genesis to all great works. In fashion, where would the greatest couture designs be if it wasn't for Alexander McQueen, or Karl Lagerfeld's imagery set to paper? I can assure you those mystical yet gravity-defying gowns would't have made it to the cat walk with out a rough draft to make these abstract concepts more concrete.
I began sketching at a relatively young age, in fact, I included one of my sketches I did a few years ago in this post to show that, although rough around the edges, a sketch is always organic and free-flowing. Writing is very similar in the sense because every great piece of literature began with multiple rough copies. The evolutionary process that a piece, whether it involves writing or fashion, is necessary in order to better the piece of work with each draft, each time bringing it closer to perfection.
We all remember brainstorm bubbles back from the second grade, when writing an essay involved the stringing together of four sentences. Writing rough drafts is a concept that has been instilled in our brain for many years because it helps us perfect whatever it is we are doing. From the cat walk to the New York Best Sellers List, they all had a rough beginning.