EDAW

Today, Sunday February 26^th begins the first day of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, EDAW, sponsored by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, also known as ANAD. It is a week devoted to educating society about eating disorders, as well as reminding the masses the importance of respecting our bodies. So what exactly does EDAW have to do with FashionMatterns, or fashion in general?

Fashion and self confidence have everything to do with each other, and their link explains why it is that I am pursuing a career in fashion. How you choose to dress yourself each day has powerful effects on your self esteem. Even if you may be feeling self conscious about your body one particular day, by simply wearing an outfit that you love, your self esteem can soar.

The well known celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe has explained this sensation well by saying,

 “I’m a firm believer in the adage that it is what’s on the inside that ultimately counts. I mean, who doesn’t subscribe to that? But there is plenty of virtue in aesthetics, too. And a smear of lip gloss and a bang-up haircut can have powerful results both inside and out.”

It is fashion that made me realize the respect that I owe to myself and my body. The feeling when you put on a dress that extenuates every curve properly, and hides all of your flaws, I live for that feeling. The way that I dress myself makes me feel unstoppable, worthy, and as if I can do anything. This transformative power that I have experienced with fashion is where I draw strength from to get over my fears and insecurities. I hope that by reading all of the upcoming posts for this week, you may learn that fashion is a friend that can help you feel strong while enduring the challenges of life.

Keep checking in and email me your thoughts at fashionmatterns@gmail.com

When In Doubt, Mood Board it Out

Unless you work in the fashion industry or are very passionate about the art of fashion and clothing, you probably are confused by the title of this article. Let me first tell you what a mood board is; a mood board is something we as creators and designers use in fashion to inspire us and give us a general sense of direction. To be more exact, it is typically a poster board with collaged images that have a general theme or idea unifying them. Urban dictionary defines a mood board to be, “A collage or collation of images and text expressing a certain topic or subject, often used to generate ideas or for project work” (Urbandictionary.com).

So why would a mood board be useful to anyone but fashion designers or artists? Well as I stated before, when you are in doubt, you should mood board it out. What I mean by this is, when you are feeling uninspired, unenthusiastic about your wardrobe, or overall lacking a sense of confidence, creating a mood board can give a renewed sense of life to the collection of clothing and accessories that you already own. Hanging up all over my closet are mood boards that I have created over the years. Every time I open up my closest to put together an outfit, I have a plentiful amount of inspiration, but more importantly a starting point to create my outfit.

When it seems as though you have a closest full of clothes, but nothing to wear, it can be helpful to turn to photo shoots, magazine advice, or really anything that you find aesthically interesting for help.

To better clarify this idea, let me give you an example. Being a broke college student, I do not have the resources to go out and buy an entire new wardrobe to work with for the upcoming winter season. So with the start of a new year and a new season, I thought it was time freshen up my outfits. I was very inspired by the recent ad campaign of the brand Ray-Bans. Their advertisements contain the phrase, “Never Hide”. From this slogan, I collected images that are portrayed this: bright pieces, eye catching textures, shiny bling, and of course a confident and alluring attitude.

When creating your mood board the only rule I have is that there are no rules. Simply gather anything and everything that inspires you and put it together on a board. For a more specific and direct sense, stick to a theme (but I have often found, by accident, a person collects pictures that have unifying elements without the person even realizing it). You cannot do wrong when creating a mood board. So do it up and do it big, and get inspired!

Breakfast at Target

It is Saturday morning and the time is 10:00 am. I throw on a chic outfit consisting of jeggings, an oversize sweater, some eye catching jewelry, black ballet flats, and of course my oversize sunglasses. I arrive at my favorite store and grab a tea from Starbucks to drink as I wonder the store. Sounds like its just out of a movie right? Well I am not in Manhattan and I am not outside of one of the most well known luxury jewelry retailers. But I am at my favorite store, spending some time alone, and enjoying my time in my “happy place.” What is this weekly ritual that I perform? Its my breakfast at Target. Not quite as upscale and glamorous and the movie, but its my own version that fits my lifestyle and opportunities.

A lot of the time I do not even buy anything. If I do it is usually some groceries or a fashion magazine- something inexpensive. But the point is that I am getting away from the world for awhile and doing something nice for myself. I believe that this is a great example of one of the themes that I am constantly trying to convey to my readers: fashion and fabulosity is not about spending a fortune. It is being happy and making it work for your budget and resources. And maybe one day I will shop at Tiffany’s and Barneys in Manhattan in between owning a fashion magazine and pursuing my other passions- well I can dream a bit, can’t I? But in the meantime, I am grateful to have my weekly trips to Target that bring a little brightness to my Saturday mornings.

Do What You Can Do

What we can take away from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: that yes, everything right down to your panties should be as fabulous as you are! So stop putting yourself down for not having the body of an angel or not having a rock star boyfriend, and embrace what you can do. Whether you can afford the 2 million dollar bra that Miranda Kerr wore, or the 5 for $25 panty deal is more in your price range, buying beautiful and high quality bras and underwear will make you feel great!

The Good, the Bad, and the Excessive Shopping

The holiday season has officially begun, which means, “It’s the happiest season of all, there will be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow…hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near” according to Andy Williams. But for most consuming-obsessed Americans, it means it is time to hit the mall.

What was once a one day shopping ordeal, Black Friday, has now grown into a weekend long event. To retailers, Thanksgiving is now referred to as “Brown Thursday” and it marks the beginning to an exhausting and seemingly never-ending weekend of shopping deals and steals. Although this weekend provides discounts and sales to customers, making some expensive items affordable for the average middle class family, it also is creating unhealthy shopping trends.

Our new shopping habits are completely distracting us from the true meaning behind these holidays, as well as taking away from our time to appreciate family and tradition. When will consumers draw the line and choose to gather around their fireplace with good friends rather than standing outside in the freezing weather on Thanksgiving day, just to one of the first 50 in line at Walmart to be able to buy that flat screen TV that they have always wanted.

These forward statements may surprise some that know me well, for I love to shop and have always ventured into the crowded and overwhelming malls on Black Friday, but we have to practice our shopping habits in moderation. Why should we spend our entire Thanksgiving and holiday weekend in a store, when we could be reconnecting with friends, bonding with our family, and simply appreciating all of the things we already have to be grateful for?

Not to mention, our shopping habits are also affecting the holidays for people who work in retail. These employees, who are the overlooked heroes of the Thanksgiving holiday (other than our mothers who slave away in the kitchen), cannot enjoy the holiday with their family because they are being called to work by their bosses to prepare and cater to our country’s demanding shopping needs.

With our constant growing and revolutionizing society, I am afraid that it is safe to assume that these new “holiday traditions” are not changing, and in fact may get worse in the coming years. To mark the occasions, all we need now are some new Holiday songs by Beiber or JLo raving about the new products we bought and sleep we lost, all in preparation for the perfect holiday.

Fearless

"Being fearless isn't being 100 percent not fearful. It's being terrified- and jumping anyway."
- Taylor Swift

To Experiment, or Not Experiment, That is the Question

"Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." 

This famous line from the movie Mean Girls tells us a lot about one of the most celebrated holidays in the country. Although the purpose is not always to dress in an overly exposing way, Mean Girls is right. The holiday is a night or weekend where you can dress in whatever you want and no one can say anything about it. It is an evening where you can dress up as your favorite Superhero, hot mess of a celebrity, or even favorite food, and no one will judge you for it.
With this thought in mind, I was shocked to hear a friend say recently that she does not like the idea of dressing up for Halloween, and she has never been able to "get into it." When I pursued this topic more, I learned that insecurities and fear were holding her back. She explained that she did not like the idea that "all eyes would be on her outfit for the evening."
On the other hand, I have feelings that differ strongly from this. I always look forward to Halloween as an evening where I can embrace my silly and adventurous side, and go for something new and interesting, without judgement. If I had my way, I would love the opportunity to dress up differently each day. Although I do try to incorporate costume-like ideas into my every wardrobe, for example hippie or flapper inspired accessories and outfits, wouldn't it be nice if we could experiment everyday without critical eyes watching us?
I simply found this conversation interesting; my night of experimentation is another girl's night of reservation. So where do you fall? Will you be dressing up as a simple cat, going all out as a seductive vampire, or are you going to dress up at all? My hope is that you pursue something new and have a light hearted spirit while doing it.