street style - The Seventh Sphinx

Here are some of my favorite fashion and style blogs to follow (I like to use feedly), some of which are relatively new to me, and some of which I’ve been reading for many years.

feedly, so useful

1. Karla’s Closet

Jewelry designer Karla Deras has a distinctive style I fully appreciate. I admire a lot of the svelte silhouettes she favors and, while her taste isn’t always aligned with mine, I love her style, especially her use of color (which often manages to be somehow both bold and restrained) and preference for clean lines. I also like her incorporation of recipes and moodboards, and the aesthetic of her site was one of my primary inspirations when I was designing mine.

2. Garance Doré

A wonderful fashion blog by the French illustrator Garance Doré, which it is very likely you know about already. The other dominant influence of my design/layout, this blog has really exploded in popularity in the last few years (in tandem with the fashion industry itself), and understandably so with its beautifully photographed blend of frippery and reflection. She draws from all areas of her life to create content, one of the main things I find to admire in her site, and the one I most hope to emulate.

3. because i’m addicted

A tremendous source of cool photos, mostly but not all fashion-centric. Technically I don’t read this blog so much as just look through it.

4. Shine By Three

This is a style blog I’ve only recently begun to follow but it’s quickly become a favorite. Margaret Zhang is gorgeous, for one, and does stunning editorial shoots that are, basically, exactly the kind of thing I want to be doing. One of the kinds of things. She kind of rambles, too, which I like.

5. Dulceida

A style blogger from Barcelona who often does music and video collaborations, and blogs in both Spanish and English. I’m not a faithful reader exactly, and I’m not necessarily really into her looks…but she’s so charming to me. I like how she does things, her enthusiasm (she starts most posts with ¡Hola preciosos!), and once in a while she’ll do a look that I find pitch perfect.

6. The Sartorialist

Well, obviously. One of the first and now one of the most widely followed street style blogs, with shots from all over the world by photographer Scott Schuman, boyfriend of Garance Doré above. There’s always something of interest in the clothes (I especially like that he features men and women of all ages, and often on bicycles), and once in a while there is a photo that makes a deep impression on me…I keep checking in on this site so as not to miss those.

7. Nadia Aboulhosn

GeekOutsider recently directed me to this blog, featured on buzzfeed a bit ago, and it was an instant winner. She’s doing some amazing editorial stuff as well as wonderfully bold, often edgy street stuff. I like that her style is (like mine) all over the place. It’s one of those style blogs that inspires you to do what you want, and makes you realize that if you were wearing what you really wanted to wear, things would be much, much, weirder, and much, much better.

There are others I like, of course, but these are the ones I follow with regularity at the moment. I’ll have to list favorite beauty blogs another time. Any favorites of your own you’d recommend?

images are from (and link to) relevant sites

Like I was saying in the previous post, there are so many active trends in women’s fashion right now (and new ones born every day, it seems), if you want to look on trend, it’s almost too easy…

Just wear:

anything plaid

denim on denim

a tulle skirt with button-up shirt and/or a leather jacket, alternatively a pleated skirt

lots of little gold/rose gold/silver rings, esp with a hammered finish, esp not quite matching in style

lots of big, chunky rings

all white

high waisted denim shorts, high waisted anything

a tuxedo blazer, esp with jeans and a t-shirt

leather pants, alternatively leather overalls, alternatively a leather skirt

your jacket unbuttoned, esp your jacket just over your shoulders

white pumps

brightly colored shoes, esp heels and oxfords

heels and skinny jeans (this trend isn’t going anywhere)

flats and skinny jeans (ditto)

a jumpsuit

bold brows, esp with freckles (freckles are totally trending)

heels with asymmetrical silhouettes and one or both sides open

loose, slightly messy bohemian hair, esp long

anything that could be characterized as Parisian

chunky gold jewelry, chunky white jewelry, or some combination of the two

a floppy felted wool hat

a wiggle dress (think MadMen)

a mid-length skirt or dress with a weighty boot or a bright sneaker, esp Doc Martens or Converse (or similar)

graphic prints, alternatively graphic eyeliner

lots of layers, as in 4+ layers, where each is partly visible

a pencil skirt, esp if not black or gray

oxford pumps

a leather jacket, esp if not black or brown

metallic shoes

lipstick, esp oranges, esp brights, esp mattes

a long, full skirt, esp with boots

white shirts, esp slouchy, v neck tees

western clothes in African prints

two of something you only need one of (2 button down shirts, 2 scarves, 2 belts, 2 pairs of socks, etc)

statement or retro (possibly outright bizarre) glasses or sunglasses

neon shoes and/or a neon bag

a skater skirt, a tea dress, a smock dress

men’s outerwear, esp a double breasted wool coat

vintage touches on an otherwise contemporary ensemble (a vintage lip color, broach, hairstyle, shoes, gloves, earrings,etc)

an elaborate belt with a simple dress

pointed flats, esp animal print (ballet flats in general going strong)

mustard

turquoise

royal blue (bordering on neon)

a sequined skirt/pants/blazer

a long necklace with a large pendant

plenty of bronzer and/or highlighter

a dainty gold necklace with a small round disc pendant (esp a virtually invisible pendant), esp several of these together

a formal or tailored skirt with a t-shirt, esp loose and plain, alternatively esp novelty tees, esp geeky novelty tees

anything remotely bohemian, including braided crowns or any messy braid, long messy hair, flowers in the hair, loose long dresses, lace dresses with tan leather boots, loose, unstructured tank tops with chunky jewelry, elaborately tooled leather belts, anything from Free People…

tribal-aesthetic jewelry

a bright eyeliner on the lower lash line only

bib necklaces, especially those with faceted stones, especially those with a mix of stones

heels and rolled boyfriend jeans, esp with holes

knee-high boots and a trench coat, esp in a jewel tone

jeans, a nice blazer, and loafers or athletic sneakers

unexpected floral print (as on boots, heels, loafers, pants, shorts, belts, socks), esp a vintage floral print (like vintage wallpaper)

stacking many, many bracelets (any kind will do)

knee socks

elaborate nail art

a messy topknot, esp with bangs, alternatively any J. Crew promo hairstyle

a slouchy, light-weight scarf worn loosely but closely gathered at the neck, esp in a bright color or silk

a men’s sweater, a men’s watch, a men’s blazer, or any combination

a cape

a minaudiere, alternatively any implausibly small bag, alternatively any implausibly large bag

ad just about infinitum

Appearing fashionable in the sense of ‘on trend’, then, is so straightforward as to be formulaic.

Roughly:

To look casually fashionable, do one or two of these things (or some other thing). Maybe only one if it’s the right one, and this list is not anywhere near exhaustive (which is part of the point I’m trying to make in making it so long), as one look at pinterest will show.

To look quite fashionable, do two or three of these things.

To look solidly fashionable indeed, do four or more of these things. This can be disastrous given an unfortunate combination or even just a lack of confidence. You might look like you are trying to hard or like you got dressed in the dark…or you might look awesome. I say don’t worry about it, though, just wear whatever you like. Attitude will carry the day.

[A cheeky demonstration would be ideal here but it is just too damn cold. Remind me later.]

Tag: street style

reading: favorite style blogs