evolving style and inspirations.

Style is something that can not solely be defined. It is an expression of our personality through clothes and accessories that can never be exactly replicated by anyone else. Just like everyone's personal style,  my style is ever evolving and changes depending on my mood, surroundings and my current inspirations and favourite trends.

I think I really started to establish a personal style when I was about 15. I was going through a lot of friendship problems at school (getting deep) and turned to rock, metal and heavier music to take my mind away from the drama and the isolation I was feeling. Bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco were my go-to artists to listen to but it wasn't until I started to discover girl-fronted rock bands that my fashion and personal style truly started to evolve. 

My main and most prominent source of fashion inspiration that I looked to was Taylor Momsen. At the time she was a main character on one of my favourite TV shows Gossip Girl (XOXO),  playing sweet and innocent Jenny Humphrey. Her character had always caught my attention because she was an aspiring fashion designer just like myself, and I found I could relate to her on more than one level. She then debuted her rock band The Pretty Reckless, who ultimately defined grunge music and unveiled my undeniable love for the genre and style. I fell in love not only with their grunge-rock and rebellious music but with Taylor's undoubtedly risque/ultra cool rocker attire. Some of her fashion choices such as her stripper heels and suggestive suspenders weren't exactly elements I was anticipating to experiment with myself however I still found them rather inspiring. It was mainly her studded leather jackets, lace stockings and vintage satin nighties from the op-shop that caught my eye. There was something about the endless layers and use of multiple textures that screamed to me individuality, personality and confidence.Thanks to her inspiration, lace and leather, studded pieces and a ridiculous amount of black began to take up my wardrobe, giving me confidence to wear something a little bit different and thus starting my love affair with grunge fashion.

Panic at the Disco, Paramore and Fall Out Boy -
listal.com ; galleryhip.com ; imgarcade.com

Taylor Momsen -
 imgarcade.com ; posh24.com/ ; bitesizewriters.com

As I hit 18 and began discovering music festivals, electronic music and the fresh 18 nightlife, street wear and elements of a typical festival attire started being added to my wardrobe. My solo grunge style (or failed attempt at) began to transform into a more youthful, urban and festival approved attire that saw a lot of high-waisted shorts, colour and long sleeve shirts (mainly to tie around my waist) enter my wardrobe. Skrillex's "Scary Monsters and Nice Spirites" was truly the starting point of this change, as it bought an upbeat,  positive vibe back into my life and began my long-lasting relationship with festival fashion and electronic music.

Festival Fashion - (unknown)

 This year however is the time for a little change. As a newly crowned twenty-one year old I've realised I'm at a point in my  life where I want  to be confident enough to be brave with my fashion choices and have the courage to wear bold, statement print, experiment with my style through accessories and colour and to stop caring so much about what people think. I want to start wearing the types of clothes I'm constantly inspired by and really make my style about me. 

So right now, as I'm on this self-discovering journey, I'm currently finding inspiration from my surroundings and cultures apposed to fashion figures .I've been enjoying admiring symbols and art from the Buddhist and Hindu cultures including the hamsa hand, henna art and the mandala. I've also been loving home-grown Australian brands such as Ethel and Leo and Casper and Pearl who are more underground brands but ones that aren't afraid to be different and are creating an amazing and exceptionally inspiring array of bold print and colour to achieve success and make their mark on the fashion world.

I know my style is something that will always continue to change, and a creative outlet I will keep on using  to experiment and express my personality without words. I've really enjoyed looking back at where my personal style has been and I am certainly excited to see where it takes me in the future.

casper and pearl

ethel and leo

shantiquedesigns ; hennaearth ; flickpalmateer