From what I can gather, this means lots of forest greens and earthy browns, combined with an abundance of fake fur and animal-themed accessories; sweet, and whimsical, and a little bit silly, like the lady herself! It already seems to be a pretty developed aesthetic. She was rocking this awesome set of forest animal rings by H & M (although she'd knocked the antlers off the deer, inadvertently transforming it into a donkey), and elected to further augment her look with a fluffy snood, furry brown mittens, and a bottle green pair of brogues. If you want to emulate her (and why on earth wouldn't you?), I can highly recommend Zara, where the pair of us spent a good forty minutes stroking and nuzzling the faux-fur offerings. So cozy!
The sis, then, has a really strong story behind her wardrobe for this season, and she is fully prepared to work it. Indeed, spending time with her this weekend prompted me to reflect on my own choices for winter. I've never really had a narrow sense of style, preferring to veer between influences, silhouettes, and even genders from day to day. I love the sense of freedom and fluidity that comes from playing different roles and adopting different personas. This approach to style, however, is insanely time consuming. It requires a great deal of energy, imagination and forward planning to re-create yourself every day, and I am just not in a position to squander any of my intellectual resources right now! I'm in the final year of my PhD, I'm teaching undergraduate courses, I'm presenting at conferences, I'm starting my marriage... life is madness! I have to find a way to get dressed that's a little less draining!
I think I need a stress-free way of looking stylish, and the sis has been a big help on that front. I plan to adopt her approach: pick an inspiration for AW10, and stick to it; build a seasonal capsule wardrobe, where the pieces largely compliment one another, and then milk it for all it's worth. Looking at the things I've bought or thought about buying in recent weeks, it seems that my unconscious has already decided the direction I'm going in. I've been stocking up on dark maxi dresses, chunky socks, gothic-tinged pendants, and cropped or over-sized jumpers, without even recognizing the underlying narrative. When I fell for these grey New Look work-boots, though, it all fell into place:
I had a pair just like this as a teenager, covered in slogans written in nail polish, which I wore with long skirts, army shirts, and heaps of eyeliner. I hadn't even noticed the creeping influence of nostalgia upon my buying habits; I guess it's tough to recognize the fact that one's own youth is being recycled! I've unconsciously been shopping for a winter wardrobe that's pure 1990s. It's no wonder, really; it's subterranean influence can be detected all over the place at the moment - maxi skirts, relaxed Alexander Wang-style t-shirts, velvet, and cropped knitwear all lend themselves to the vibe. See Kristin Knox's style for a clearer idea of what I'm talking about.
So, for AW10 I'm thinking:
- Jane Lane from Daria,
- The cast of Heartbreak High...
- and Claire Danes as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life.
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