#SlowFashionOctober is probably one of my favorite IG tags to follow each year. I'd place it right up there with #MeMadeMay and #FashRev . Karen Templer of Fringe Association is the mastermind behind #SlowFashionOctober, and I have to say that I have adored seeing her vision transform over the past few years. So many more people have jumped on the sustainability train and are talking more and more about the need for slow fashion and how it not only relates to us all but how it can be incorporated into our daily lives a bit more easily.
Each year, Karen sets out to further our collective discussion around slow fashion. This year, she has developed some incredible Action Items as well as Discussion prompts. Being an overachiever myself (Yes, I also listened to her entire Inspiring interview with the Love to Sew Podcast gals and could 100% relate to Karen on so many levels!), I decided that I was going to follow along with a blog post each week discussing my own take on each prompt as well as my thoughts on my current wardrobe.
If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I recently deleted my entire blog by mistake (yikes!), so this challenge is honestly coming at the perfect time. It's a great way to not only fill a void that I unintentionally created it is also a great way to start fresh and in the direction I feel is best for where I see my life and sewing habits are headed!
Week 1: What's Your Look?
This week, Karen started with that simple question: What's your Look? What is it that makes you feel your best self, that makes you sing (figuratively, unless you are a brilliant singer, which I am not)? Or as Marie Kondo might ask, What items bring you joy?
Funnily enough, I had already started this exact process only a few weeks prior. In a blog post that was swept away with the others, I discussed how my partner saw me in an outfit I had just completed and set me on the course to completely rethinking my wardrobe by uttering the simplest of sentences: "You look like a Parisian about to frolic through a meadow or something."
Thus an obsession began. I immediately hopped on over to my Pinterest account and began a new *secret* board entitled "My Ideal Style." I combed through old pins of mine to pull out images that still resonated with what I believed to be the quintessential Parisian girl look, or at least the look that best suited me. All the while, I was gaining a much clearer outlook on what my style truly was- a task I have found personally daunting throughout the years.
With a cursory glance through my entire board, I saw a few common themes emerge:
- I crave more subtle colors with punches of bright pieces here and there.
- My overall color palette gravitates towards pastels that are ultimately grounded in black, white, and the occasional earthy hue/
- I am definitely a fan of more classic lines and silhouettes.
Subconsciously, I had begun to pin all of the items I felt my current wardrobe was lacking. Currently, my closet is filled with "frosting" as Kelli from True Bias might say. I have a lot of fun, quirky prints in a myriad of colors. They all definitely make me happy, but finding a good outfit pairing each morning can be a challenge.
I set out to further my research into embodying a true Parisian style, not just in clothing but also in lifestyle. I purchased a few new books and obsessed over Parisian blogs while I honed in (and continue to hone in) on my own version of what I have discovered. Honestly, I have found a kindred spirit in the French. I absolutely adore their philosophy on life and leisure and wish to embody all that the French abide by: intentionality, thoughtfulness, quality over quantity, etc.
But in order to move forward and begin filling the holes of my closet, I needed to take an inventory of everything I owned. So, I took a page from Karen's book and then added my own fun twist!
I wound up taking pictures of everything in my closet on a plain white wall, just as Karen has on her own blog. This will help me to keep a visual track of the items I have at any given time. I can see how useful this will be when out and about purchasing fabrics or patterns. I can easily grab my list on my phone and see if that cute new print the fabric shop has gotten in will fit with my current array of clothing or if that pattern looks like my ideal Parisian style.
I took this little task a step further by setting out to create an art project, essentially. I always loved dressing up paper dolls when I was younger and wanted to bring in a bit of joy to this very organizational task by creating my own paper doll set! Complete with all the clothing from my closet- how fun is that?!
Yep- I hand drew each and every item in my closet as well as drew my own little paper doll version of myself! I used a template croquis I found online as my base and transformed her to my liking.
I then took the time to cut out each of the pieces with an X-Acto Knife. Then the fun really began in dressing her up in different outfits!
I have kept all of my drawings Black & white for the time being as I am the worst when it comes to coloring things in beautifully. One day, when I master the art of well... art, I will attempt to color each item in realistically. For now, I am enjoying the time playing with shapes and silhouettes on my mini-me.
