As I normally do when starved of outfit inspiration, this morning I scrolled actively through my fashion Pinterest board for something that would scream out, "please write a blog post about me"! With such a large portion of my creative attention on my podcast at the moment, I've been slacking when it comes to the og emeroo. So, there I was, scrolling and hoping when finally something caught my eye. Was it the sudden urge to buy a fanny pack due to today's street style climate? Only a little bit. Primarily it was a sudden awareness of the instinctual reaction I had to the photo featuring the fanny pack. A glowing, mocha skinned woman stood there nonchalantly wearing a mid thigh length white men's shirt with a black fanny pack cinching her in at the waist. The photo instantly whispered "cool" in my ear and I began wondering what shoes were being cut off at the bottom of the photo, and whether or not they matched or better yet, clashed with the black rectangle sunglasses that sat perched on the bridge of her nose.
We've all witnessed "cool" before, but there was something about this photo, and this girl that made me think, I could never pull that off. Blame this negativity on the early hour, the lack of breakfast or a more deeply rooted issue, personally, I found my reaction fascinating. What had happened to that young, eager girl who would take one glance at any trend or bold style choice and decide without the slightest hesitation that she could somehow make it work? Blue lips? She would make it work. A canary yellow top with obscene amounts of rouching under a purple floral print overall skirt? There was no question of whether or not she could make it work, the only question was whether to go with a magenta lip or magenta tights. Let me tell you, when I was young, I WORE MY CLOTHES. With what I see as this sense of awareness that comes with aging, I wonder whether I'm making bold enough choices. I've began to worry that if I ventured further with fashion, as I used to, would the clothes wear me?
(Why wasn’t there the traditional fully snapped, edited and polished photo shoot for this post, you may wonder? It could be because there was no time left to shoot and I was far too eager to wear the outfit to wait. But remember, we’re being cool. So let’s just conquer that sometimes less is more and all you need are a few photos to get the message across.)
(Why wasn’t there the traditional fully snapped, edited and polished photo shoot for this post, you may wonder? It could be because there was no time left to shoot and I was far too eager to wear the outfit to wait. But remember, we’re being cool. So let’s just conquer that sometimes less is more and all you need are a few photos to get the message across.)
Putting garments and fabrics on your body is a choice, just like how you look at yourself is a choice. Labeling yourself as not cool enough, too preppy or not street enough, are all choices we make when standing in front of the mirror. Or, in this case, staring at a phone screen, unable to imagine yourself dressing as cool as you want to feel. Let me tell you, I feel perfectly cool every now and then. I promise you this "deeply rooted issue" could be dug up pretty quickly. I'm not worried about confidence, I'm curious about dismissing things I would really love to wear and experiment with, without consideration. I have a feeling some of you may be able to relate, so let's make a pact. The next time we gaze upon those gorgeous Instagram girls with the perfectly messy hair and the selfie lighting that never seems to dim, we'll think; I could wear my brows bushy like that if I wanted to, I could rock those thigh high boots if I wanted to, and I can feel cool whenever I want. That's one of the most magical powers of fashion and beauty, it's a continuous source of good vibes and opportunities to feel cool.
Thanks for reading.
- Emily
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