my heart used to belong to fashion. i would make my own jewelry, copying the styles i saw in Teen Vogue (remember those wooden bead necklaces? the big ones? i made 3 of those). i dog-eared countless pages in countless issues of Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Elle Girl (rest in peace). i would circle certain tops or dresses. months before homecoming or prom i knew the exact style of dress i wanted, but could never find it in any stores. i suppose you could say i was ahead of the trend. i always "settled" for betsey johnson because those dresses were the craziest and most unique that i could find. and then the next year, every macy*s would have the dress i wanted the year before in all kinds of colors. and then a bunch of girls would be wearing them at the dance, and i'd be wearing another crazy betsey johnson dress.
now, thanks to stores like urban outfitters and forever 21 (and magazines like NYLON), the latest fashions ARE available to everyday people as soon as they appear on the runways (in less extravagant materials of course). while urban is expensive and forever 21 affordable, i get the feeling that anything i buy there will be looked down upon in a way. urban outfitters' peacock jewelry is cute, but i know that by wearing it i'm basically screaming URBAN at everyone that sees it gracing my collarbone or earlobes.
nevertheless i find myself overwhelmed by greed and lust every time i enter an urban outfitters. the jeans fit me perfectly, the tops are creative. but i'm not about to drop 40 on a top with a cute flower print. but on my first shopping trip in a real store (not a thrift store) with an intent to purchase rather than just look at all of the things i can't afford, i bought a somewhat overpriced top that i love love LOVE:
it's the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and it's adorable. since i pretty much only wear black leggings and jeans, the $28 shirt was a perfect way to bring some excitement to my little torso.
and then i went to the american apparel outlet in camarillo. now, as someone that greatly admires the wild looks of runways and magazine spreads, the innovative placement of zippers and buttons, as well as zany prints and crazy textures, it would seem that american apparel would not appeal to my taste. but there's something about its simplicity that makes it unique. it allows space to experiment. some of the shiny stuff is actually pretty wearable and obviously eye catching. they are well-known for their leggings (though i personally prefer some that can be found in a little ventura fashion store) and their v-neck tees. however, they are expanding their collection to include materials that can't be found used in attractive ways in other places. for example, velour! never have i ever been drawn to this material. velour track suits were a disgrace to women's bodies everywhere. they made asses look bigger and fashion senses look cheaper. but american apparel has changed that for me with this particular velour sweater:
the sweater i bought is not this particular color. it's way cooler. it's tri-colored: white, light mint green and dusty denim blue. the mint green is on the stretchy cotton wrist part and the stretchy cotton bottom band, the sleeves and the bottom half of the sweater are a dusty blue velour, and the top half is white velour. hard to describe but also very easy on the eyes. because it was at the outlet it only cost $28 (rather than $38). it was my favorite purchase of the day. it made me feel confident in fashion again, as well as excited to start putting together innovative outfits and experiment with different combos as the chilly weather permits. it may just be american apparel, typical "hipster" wear as some might say, but it's fun and cute. and for someone that HAD to shop at thrift stores all summer (i didn't have a job, couldn't get a job and therefore didn't have money), being able to purchase a brand new sweater was priceless.
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