You know those women you have in your life who are always put together? Not in a sense of perfect makeup or blown out hair, or even looking like a catalog. Truly stylish. Women who carry themselves with a sense of personal flare that is different from anyone else you know, but who pull it off?
Not the best photo to showcase Min’s fashion side, but I couldn’t find a good one. Trust me.
I’ve two women like this who I’ve regularly admired: Mini and Kara. Mini is a childhood friend who can wear a sequin mini-skirt, sky high boots and a tunic and somehow make it look like she’s ahead of both Gaga and Vogue. Kara is just the same. The girl seems to have the most interesting collection of handbags, jewelry items (like quartz bracelets, diamond studs, and gemstone rings) and shoes. She mixes and matches with a sense of fashion I truly envy.
Yep. Kara’s gorgeous.
So, I nudged Kara last year into sharing her sense of style with me. She regularly blogs about her fashion choices and I thought it would be fun if we each shared something out of our wardrobes, monthly, that make us smile. (With, you know, the inherent selfish motive of hoping she helps me look at what I already own with new, fashionista eyes.) This month, she’s rocking turquoise. (My love of the stone is long documented. Several of my most cherished pieces of jewelry are chunky turquoise gifted by my grandmother Maxine.)
I also love chunky jewelry and bespoke jewelry (which you can find right here). Those are the type of jewelry that can go with almost all the outfits. In fact, most jewelry lovers may have a soft spot for customized ones. If you are someone who prefers your jewelry to be custom made, looking for places such as this Ottawa jewelry store and others like it that can provide custom-made jewelry, might be useful. However, to be honest, I love any kind of jewelry! I have a rule – I only ever wear two pieces of jewelry at one time. Earrings and a ring. Necklace and bracelets. Never all four at once. As a result, I often lean on big pieces of bright color that make me happy. Like this necklace I picked up in Johannesburg.
Or this one I bought in Cameroon from a street vendor.
I also love this ring my parents gave me for my 31st birthday.
My sense of style is much simpler. I wear mostly solid colors. I love the Gap – as boring and mundane as it may be. And I fully believe a great handbag can tie together an entire outfit. I often wear thrift store finds paired with brightly colored clogs and a handbag that cost half a paycheck. Thrifty-chic? I wouldn’t go so far. But I would say I’ve got a lot to learn from Mini and Kara about putting together an outfit and rocking it with a sense of confidence.
Now, the challenge is to do so without the shopping. Anyone else working on this?
~K