I took a little hiatus over the weekend, but now I am back to featuring my fabulous fashionable friends.
This next feature is probably the one to make me most proud. Two years ago Miranda and I rekindled our friendship and it has been nothing short of amazing ever since. She had just moved back after graduating college and was a little lost, not knowing too many people or having much to do. We began hanging out a lot and I taught her the tricks of the trade on how to dress. Being a Fashion Expert at the time for Express, I had learned a lot on how to style people. I knew who she was so I was quickly able to bring her personality out more and show her how to dress her body.
Over the last couple of years she has become my little protégé and I am so proud to say she has become a style star. Her style has evolved so much, and she presents herself so well through it. So without further adieu....
Meet Miranda.
Going to school in Miami, Miranda found her style, she just needed to let it shine. Leaning toward the whole Miami vibe, she loves colors, blazers and heels. Sophisticated, chic is the way I would describe her style.
❝My inspiration for this outfit was to be Miami Chic. Something I could wear day or night while wandering around SoBe. Miami is all about bright and fresh colors, so the dress I thought was perfect with the striking pink and the ruffles for a feminine touch. I am all about sporting blazers, it's probably my signature wardrobe item. I love that by wearing it, I can dress anything up or down. The white blazer felt very clean and fresh to pair with my fedora. I wanted to be true to the Latin Caribbean culture Miami exudes and I think I was able to find that happy balance with this outfit.❞
LOVIN' this look! I am so proud of you and your style. Hope you all enjoy.
***I have so many wonderful friends who are into fashion, so I thought, "Why not feature them!" I am excited to introduce some of the fabulous fashionistas I call friends.***
Meet Preeti, she's the one with the afro!
This adorable, yet groovy, fashionista is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Preeti and I have known each other for almost twenty years. We have seen each other go through fashion highs and lows, but I can safely say she has the cutest style. Her style matches her laid back, outgoing personality.
Preeti's outfit choice is so cute. She chose one focal point, the scarf, and toned down the rest of her outfit so the scarf could scream fabulous.
Preeti's take on her outfit:
❝Okay so my outfit is very "me" (according to my boyfriend). I am wearing Jeggings from Old Navy (the most comfortable things invented) and a piece that is a staple in my wardrobe. I am also wearing a basic black t-shirt because this outfit is all about my scarf. I love the tapestry look of it, and didn't want to distract with anything else that I am wearing. I love scarves and how you can add them to a basic outfit (jeans and a black t-shirt) and it can turn it into something unique.❞
LOVIN' your look Preetz! You are always so effortlessly stylish.
My first Blogger's do it better assignment, White Stripes, went off without a hitch! I LOVED the "white out" theme. I was so eager to see what Kristina, the creator of Pretty Shiny Sparkly, would come up with next.
This assisngment was WAY harder for me to create a look for. My style is more boho chic than anything so when I read the challenge, Prep School, I thought uh-oh! After recruiting my friend Miranda to participate, and borrowing a tie from one of my favorite fashionisto's, Dave, the outfit and look was complete.
So without further adieu, welcome to....
I knew I wanted plaid in my outfit. It's a staple in any prepster's wardrobe so my friend and co-manager Dave brought in a few for me to pick from. I chose this pink, yellow, white, green and navy blue plaid tie and from that single piece, my outfit was created. He also lent me a belt, matching pretty closely to the plaid in the tie.
Miranda was intrigued by the challenge. We met up on Tuesday to discuss options and she sent me picture texts for opinions of "preppy." Low and behold, two days later, she conquered the look fabulously. She had forgot a tie so she cleverly took her pearl necklace and made it into one.
To create The Academy look we researched different trends and styles that fit into the "American Prep" category. Our outfits ended up becoming a mixture of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger with just a little bit of edge.
While this assignment was more challenging, it was still really fun to participate. I had a wonderful time planning my outfit as well as helping Miranda put hers altogether. In the end, being a prep really isn't all that bad ;)
The Blogger's do it better movement has been an exciting new thing to look forward to. I can't wait until the next assignment!
P.S. It really is fun to take a chance with your style! Remember, fashion is fun, it is uniquely you♥
Enjoy xx
**A special thanks to my wonderful boyfriend who was our photographer.
I recently read an article by Shaun Dreisbach, from Glamour about body image. Since I know a lot of girls with self-esteem and body issues, including myself, I thought it would be a good read. The article shocked me, but made me realize that something needs to change.
The glam squad did a survey with 300 women of all sizes that had to do with the thoughts and feelings that run through a woman's mind each day. The results were shocking:"Young women recorded an average of 13 brutal thoughts about their bodies each day"
Glamour did an experiment to find more alarming news."97% of women will be cruel to their bodies today." The experiment was extended to women across the country: record/ note every negative or anxious thought about your body in the course of one full day. The results came back with 97% having at least one, as Glamour put it, "I hate my body" moment.
A Cincinnati psychologist, Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D., specializing in body image helped Glamour design the survey. "It’s become such an accepted norm to put yourself down that if someone says she likes her body, she’s the odd woman out. I was in a group discussion recently, and when one woman said, ‘I actually feel OK about the way I look,’ another woman scrunched up her face and said, ‘I have never in my whole life heard anyone say that—and I’m not sure I even believe you.’ That’s how pervasive this negative body talk is. It’s actually more acceptable to insult your body than to praise it,"saidKearney-Cooke.This quote reminds me of the scene from Mean Girls where they all talk about how they have flaws while Lindsay Lohan says nothing. They look at her like she is crazy.
I don't think people realize how hard we all are on ourselves and the ones we love. I know when I was younger, I was called fat and told to lose weight and now it is always with me. I try not to worry about calories and enjoy what I eat but sometimes that negative body image kicks in. In the Glamour article it notes, "Nearly 63 percent of survey respondents said they had roughly the same number of negative thoughts as they expected. But few realized how venomous those thoughts were until they were down on paper."
"Our unattainable cultural beauty ideals, our celebrity worship—those all play a part," says Kearney-Cooke. I 100% agree with Ms. Kearney-Cooke, the image that is portrayed everywhere is thin, beautiful, clear skin, luscious hair, gorgeous body, etc. Even in other countries there are pressures to look a certain way. Take a look at this post from the blog Dressful. Eva ordered an issue of Vogue India to see what ideals were inside. She was shocked at what she discovered. There were multiple advertisements for skin lightening cream. There is a lot of pressure from magazines and beauty products to have lighter skin because as Eva put it in her post, "They believe dark skin is ugly and light skin guarantees more opportunities in life."
We can't hide from the fact that all countries, generations and ethnicities have pressure and body issues. Everything from "I have too many wrinkles" to " I'm too fat" run through people's minds especially women's'.
This next part saddens me to the point of worrying about kids I don't even have yet. It makes me once again think there has got to be a way to fix this body image issue. "In a University of Central Florida study of three- to six-year-old girls, nearly half were already worried about being fat—and roughly a third said they wanted to change something about their body."--- This tid bit from the Glamour article scares me. I want to have children one day BUT I want them to be happy, healthy and playful not worried about looks at such a young age.
Heartbreaking.
Something has gotta give here. We can't be passing our negative body image issues onto future generations.
So how do we fix this?
The article goes on to talk about, "Silencing your inner mean girl."
CHECK THIS OUT: "It’s worth it for not just the mental peace but your physical health as well. Research at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, suggests that women who obsess over their body and diet have chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol (even when their life is not otherwise stressed)—and, as a result, may suffer from elevated blood pressure, lower bone density, higher amounts of unhealthy belly fat and even menstrual problems. “And this was among women in their twenties!” exclaims lead researcher Jennifer Bedford, Ph.D. “If you continue on this path, it could have a real impact on heart, bone and reproductive health 10 or 20 years down the road."- Glamour.
So to my friends, and the rest of you that really obsess over looks and weight... STOP. It's only hurting you in the long run.
Glamour came up with 7 things to turn your negative thoughts around.
1. Rewire you brain: My translation is, instead of listing the "CONS" about your body, list the "PROS!" There has got to be something you like whether it's your eyes, hair, whatever, choose something and go from there. Kearney-Cooke suggests "keeping a pen handy to note things you do that make you feel good about your body... Doing this puts positive stuff front-of-mind and starts becoming instinctive.”
2. Ask yourself: Is this negative feeling really about your body or is there something else causing the bashing.
3. Exercise: You will physically and emotionally feel better. If you set a goal of lifting a certain weight or running a certain distance and you achieve it, that will boost your self-esteem. Womenshealth.gov says, "Regular exercise has been shown to boost self-esteem, self-image, and energy levels."
4.Say "STOP!": If you have to, yell at yourself to stop the negative body image thoughts. I have done it a couple times and it helps. My boyfriend always corrects me too. If I say something negative, he will make me say "I'm beautiful" three times before we move on.
5. Remind yourself: Fretting over body issues doesn't get you anywhere. I recently heard a saying that I love, "Worry is the misuse of the imagination." So don't worry or obsess about the bad things, use your imagination and do something to create a better self-image.
6. Appreciate your body: Realize all the things it does for you. You can move around, explore, live because of your body. Be thankful you are alive.
7. Play up your strengths: Don't compare to others. I'm guilty of this but we all have qualities that are better than others. Someone might be "prettier" on the outside, but you could be prettier on the inside. Focus on the good traits you have and be proud of who you are.
We need to stop being so emotionally abusive to ourselves. If a significant other was saying such hurtful things, hopefully you wouldn't take it or maybe even get out of the relationship. People need positive reinforcements in their lives to believe in themselves and have a good body image.
In the end, we all have things we want to work on or fix about ourselves, but don't dwell on it. Just know you are unique and beautiful in your own way. The next time a negative idea pops in you head, say "NO! I am beautiful just the way I am."
Photos by Victoria Grace Choeff and Michael O’Hara
Michael O’Hara always has two things with him; his fashion sense and his Canon Rebel XSi camera. The 20-year-old photographer can be found at almost every St. Augustine hot spot taking photos of Flagler students and other interesting people. His passion is photography but from the looks of his style, fashion is a hidden passion for O’Hara. I recently had the chance to talk to the communication student about his unique style.
Marich: What inspires you when you dress?
O’Hara: “I am inspired by unusual patterns in fabric, as well as a signature article of clothing or accessory to pull the entire outfit together. I am also inspired by underground LA style, as well as looks being worn throughout London. Colorful, dark tones, and a serious edge.”
JM: Where do you get your fashion sense from?
MO: “I feel as though I received my fashion sense from one person in general. Mary Kate Olsen taught me that there is definite order to chaos, and chaos can be trendy.”
JM: How would you describe your style?
MO: “I would describe my style as grunge chic. Anything that is tattered or black is hot in my eyes. I feel as though my style pushes the boundaries, for instance, a Looney Tunes black “Taz” t-shirt worn under a black leather jacket or tattered light wash denim vest is perfectly acceptable to me. As long as my style makes a statement, I’m happy.”
(Photo to the left is a self-portrait taken by Michael O’Hara)
JM: Where do you like to shop?
MO: “I have a couple of stores/designers I cherish most. [One] local clothing store I love is American Apparel. I love basics! [Some] stores nationally I admire are Blood is the New Black, Rag and Bone and Marc by Marc Jacobs. Thrift stores such as GoodWill and Betty Griffin are also hot spots for good eyes and good finds.”
JM: What is your fashion accessory you can’t live without?
MO: “A fashion accessory I cannot live without are bracelets. I really love finding unusual and unique wrist candy and it’s the perfect way to compliment an outfit.”
JM: What is the one thing you can’t leave home without?
MO: “One thing I cannot leave home without are my contacts. Like it or not, contact lenses are a huge part of my fashion. Deciding to sport glasses or contacts is just as important as deciding what top would go right with what bottoms. There is a system to my madness.”
The 20-year-old is making a name for himself in the photography world but also the fashion world. With his grunge edge, people remember who Michael O’Hara is.
Six months after she stuck her stilettos in the fashion door, Ashley Spiker, is getting noticed. Since becoming an internet fashionista, Spiker has become a well-known name in the world of fashion bloggers.
Not only did Spiker create her blogging website, Alice In Stilettos, but she contributes to Modern Hippie Magazine, which is an online source focused on promoting eco-friendly living and style. Since beginning her blog in October, Spiker has received a lot of attention. In January alone, she had over 3,000 hits and was featured three times by the Independent Fashion Bloggers website, which is a community of online fashion bloggers. She also recently began working for Sleekfly.com, an online celebrity website, as the marketing director. With all her spare time, she is also an up and coming personal stylist. Creating her own website, ashleyspiker.com, Spiker gives tips and advice for interested customers.
Her credentials include:
Creating and developing the fashion website, Alice in Stilettos
Being featured frequently by Independent Fashion Bloggers
Contributing for Modern Hippie Magazine
Attending Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Fall 2010
Spiker is quickly getting her name out there and networking.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Spiker. A dear friend and a fellow fashionista, she tells us how she got to where she is.
How have you gotten your foot in the door in the world of fashion?
“I really took the marketing that I had, because I know how to get people interested, so I took more of that angle of it. I just started my blog in October and babied it.It honestly took a while. Then I found Modern Hippie Mag, began writing for them, and just let all my friends know what I doing. My friends really believed in me and started spreading it. I started a twitter and joined Independent Fashion Bloggers. It’s slow the first 6 months, and it’s still slow. I’m not where I want to be but I’m ok with that because it’s growing and that’s all that matters. I want to keep contributing to more sites, so I can get more traffic and more exposure.”
Spiker has learned that video is important, especially when it comes to the cutthroat field of fashion. “Because everyone is doing blogs and it’s already pretty saturated, the next thing is video. Video just does better. People are more willing to watch a video than read an article on how to bleach your jeans.” On Spiker’s website, Alice in Stilettos, she has a “do it yourself” section where she gives you a video explaining steps as well as a written version so you can better understand the process.
How did you begin Alice in Stilettos?
“When I realized how passionate I was about starting a website about fashion and style, I began to explore ideas for a name.”
On a plane ride home from New York, Spiker tried to come up with a name for her new creation. “I really wanted stilettos in the title because I am obsessed with shoes.”
With an adoration for Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Spiker had created the perfect name. “Alice is innocent, conservative, and stuck in a mindset that she doesn’t want to be in so I was like what if I take the concept of Alice, kind of grown up and expressing herself.”
What inspires you?
“We’re sitting here at Starbucks, I’m talking to you with a tape recorder, and it’s just so beautiful. I’m in a really good place in my life right now where I am very appreciative of everything in my life and I live in such a beautiful city. I like being creative. I never felt like I was good enough to write where other people would want to hear it or that I wasn’t there yet, but you have to realize that if you want to do it, you are there, you have the passion for it and I just started believing in myself.”
Who is your favorite designer?
“I have always, always had this special place in my heart for Christian Dior, especially their couture collection this season. As far as Fashion Week in New York this year, I think one of the best new designers is Irina Shabayeva. She is amazing. She has a real niche, because she does things like hand painted leather and feathers. I forget where she is from but its heavy influential in her designs. I love it. She is amazing.”
Spiker was fortunate enough to go to New York Fashion week for the Fall 2010 showcase and see the fabulous fashion first hand, including Irina Shabayeva. With that experience, she has learned a lot. She has been able to create DIY’s, write reviews of runway shows, and write other posts about fashion.
Who is your fashion icon?
“Some brilliant upcoming designers are from the middle of nowhere. They are isolated to a certain extent and they come up with these brilliant designs. I know that I have that capability. I’m not designing but I’m coming up with creative things to do. I just really like to be unique and not look at other blogs when I am writing. For fashion bloggers I really like Sea of Shoes. Her site is just amazing. She has a very elaborate style.”
Sea of Shoes was created by Jane Aldridge at just 15. She began blogging about her love for designer shoes. Two years later, Aldridge has signed a deal with Urban Outfitters to create a limited edition shoe collection. It just shows that if you believe in yourself and “just keep writing” as Spiker would say, you can make your dreams come true.
“I think Karl Lagerfeld, for Chanel, is amazing. He is weird but he’s himself. I like anyone who is so unique. And I love that Marc Jacobs said he’s not going to bring celebrities to his show this year because they’re boring. I love that designers, more and more now, are not being afraid to really express themselves. I just love anyone who is extremely unique.”
What is your job and how did you get it?
“I am the new marketing director for a celebrity gossip site called Sleekfly, which is based out of Tampa. It’s really fun and I get to work from home. They are going incorporate my blog into their site. It’s a celebrity news site, like Perez Hilton without the attitude.”
Spiker is in charge of promotions as well as their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
“I had a Google alert set up for ‘fashion writer needed’. I think I had applied to almost every fashion writer job known to man and I was like this is crazy there is always going to be someone who has better credentials than me. Literally, the day I thought, maybe I should go back to marketing, I was on Craigslist and it just said social media something, so I sent out my resume and it turned out to be a celebrity gossip site. It was just meant to be.”
What made you want to get into fashion?
“I just like looking creative. I don’t like when people are creative in every other area in their life but when it comes to what they are wearing they don’t care. People are visual. I don’t see why anyone isn’t, to a certain extent, interested in fashion. You can enjoy fashion in a way that is best for you.”
Spiker just created her personal stylist website. She wants everyone to feel confident and proud of the clothes they wear. “Be honest. I think that’s the most important thing about styling is to be honest with your customer. Who cares if they get mad at you, you were honest with them. Stylists are trying to help people find clothes that look good on them.” As we swapped stories about working in fashion, Spiker and I both believe that “everyone is self conscious about something, but sometimes you have to be brave enough to try new things.”
How would you describe your style?
“Eclectic. I like city chic mixed with vintage.”
Paris is one of Spiker’s favorite places to go. She studied abroad for French and fell in love.
“I think that’s really where I got my vintage style from. When I studied abroad, there were so many wonderful boutiques but things I just couldn’t afford so I tried to find the places where local girls shopped.”
Once she began creating her own unique style, Spiker wanted to find more vintage clothing in the US. She began looking for stores locally in Sarasota and Venice as well as online. She says Ebay has a great selection. “Just be careful because sometimes you can get charged for things that you haven’t purchased.” She suggests the site ASOS, an online fashion store with hundreds of brands and thousands of pieces to choose from. “I have learned a lot through fashion bloggers, when they say where their stuff is from, so there is a bunch of new brands that I’m so excited to check out.”
What is some advice you want to give people who want to get into the fashion world?
When she answered this question, she immediately came up with these five suggestions:
Be confident
If this is what you want to do, go for it.
When you write something, bring the value to people so they want to read your stuff.
Be friendly and make friends
Last but not least: Believe in yourself.
“If you stick to these things, honestly you will improve.”
When she first started her blog, like many, Spiker was intimidated, thinking no one wants to read what I have to say. “When I was first getting into it, I was like man I only have two articles up here but I wanted the content up there so I was given some advice, Just keep writing. As you know, as a writer, you keep going, you keep learning. You don’t want to put something up on your site that you’re not proud of or you don’t have a point to. I think blogging is just a good way to improve, get yourself out there, and build your content.”
Her personal stylist website is the next step she is taking into making it in the fashion world. “I want to give people a portfolio of picture and things they look good in.” With her career taking off, and her name floating around the fashion world, Spiker is excited to see where the future takes her. From one fashion blogger to another, Ashley Spiker has what it takes to make it in the fashion world. With her unique style and personality, this bubbly fashionista will definitely make a name for herself.
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
