Midwest Vintage

"The Coat" 

I recently took a trip to Minnesota to visit some family. While I was there, my grandparents shared a lot of family history with my cousin and me. While the information itself was interesting, I was more focused on picturing the outfits my relatives traveled in while moving to the United States. I love looking back at past fashion trends and getting inspiration for new looks. I adore the way Marc Jacobs and Chanel have recently drawn inspiration from the distant past. In the Marc Jacobs' Winter 2012 collection and the Chanel Cruise 2012/13 collection it is shown that in order to stand out in the fashion world, sometimes you need to draw inspiration much further back than the 20th century. I absolutely adore those shoes in the Marc Jacobs collection and I think even Marie Antoinette would be drooling over this Chanel line (and we all know how high her standards were). Anyways, back to Minnesota: later in the trip, my grandmother also showed me an outfit that she wore over fifty years ago. It was her going-away outfit from her wedding (back when she got married, after the wedding reception the bride would go and change out of her wedding gown and into another outfit for her family to send her and her new husband off in). The dress, which I unfortunately forgot get a picture of, was a simple, yet elegant cream-colored cotton dress. The dress was lovely, this coat however... I am in love! It is perfect! It took everything in me not to steal it from her closet. It would look adorable paired with a white v-neck some black leggings and loafers for a chilly fall day! I think it is important for us, as fashion lovers, to not only be looking ahead for the latest new trends, but to also remember that even though fashion has evolved, a truly beautiful garment will remain beautiful forever.

Here are a couple great looks from the Marc Jacobs collection:

  

And the Chanel collection:

My Style Regimen

I suppose a good way to begin this blog would be to tell you a bit about my personal style. My style evolves constantly, as I love trying new things - but all and all I would describe my style as classic with an edge. I always try to keep my looks appropriate while challenging myself to throw in some daring pieces. Within the last year my style has evolved tremendously. A couple years ago, I was so afraid to wear half the clothes in my closet because I thought people might make fun of me. I spent an entire year trying to blend in to the rest of the world - and what a waist that was! I have learned to embrace standing out and trying to look different. Fortunately for me, I attend a school where fashion is more or less appreciated and encouraged, which makes getting dressed each day exciting and challenging. I like to give myself guidelines and rules for class so I can avoid blending into the crowd. A few items I forbid myself to wear to school include: yoga pants, sweat pants, Uggs, and hoodies. Last year I had the unfortunate experience of contracting mono. When I was sick  a sweat pants on sweatshirt ensemble was practically my uniform. But after a semester of cringe-worthy hobo outfits, and once I felt better, I changed my ways and will never break this rule again. No matter how tired or stressed I am, I have realized that the cliche really does hold true - "When you look good, you feel good." Avoiding these items instantly makes me feel put together and sophisticated and challenges me to create cozy, fashionable, alternatives for those days that I just can put on those skinny jeans. This year, I have come up with a couple new rules for myself. Time and time again I have found myself coming back to my "safe" outfit which consists of skinny jeans rolled to the ankle, a plain v neck, ballet flats, and a cardigan. While I will always think this is a cute, classic outfit, I have worn it a few too many times and it is just too...well - safe. This year I am not allowing myself to wear this outfit to school! I want to challenge myself each day to put together a creative new look. Which brings me to my next rule: no repeating outfits. This is something I am already pretty careful about (if I wear an outfit in September or August I may repeat it in May or June when the weather gets nice again; also on rainy days I tend to wear similar things). But, this year, I want to be really hard on myself. I want to try to wear a different outfit each day this year to school and I want to challenge myself both to further express my personal style, and to fit new trends and fun pieces into my wardrobe. 

Me in a typical outfit for warm weather