Sunday 1 March 2015

aussie curves challenge - style inspiration

how do you know when you find the style that is right for you?  what inspires it and how do you bring it to life?

i had a period of my life, where i kind of fell into a style slump.  it's not that i wasn't bothered, but i was a single working mum, living a lifestyle that didn't really allow me to spend a great deal on fashion and it became a bit of a why bother kind of thing.  i always wanted to look nice but fashion wasn't the most important thing in my life.

once things settled into a better lifestyle routine, i started to make some changes.  my son and i moved to highgate hill and lived in the iconic torbreck building.  Living in west end/highgate hill made me come alive. i felt like i belonged somewhere and was able to let my style shine through.  i slowly started to incorporate different elements into my looks cause in west end, anything went.

not long after this my sister moved to india on posting and then began to send me parcels of stuff and one of the parcels contained these incredible shawls and beautiful garnet jewellery. the jewellery went on and never came off for many years and the shawls were so incredible that i'd never seen many around, and when i wore them to certain events, i would feel amazing and they were a great talking point and they had a story.
she would continue to send parcels containing trinkets and clothes she got at markets and many of them were adorned with beading, sequins or just generally fantastic and unusual and i started to build a look that became my own. then started, the where did you get your outfit question. a question that i still get nearly 20 years on. these items, teamed with my own re ignition of sewing saw my wardrobe slowly build.

my style inspiration has definitely been from india.

i ended up going to india for a holiday in 2000 and quit my job and stayed for 6 months.  india is a country of extremes - poverty vs wealth, dirty vs clean and the one constant in all this is colour. colour is everywhere - from the buildings, to the food, to the clothes and didn't that make my heart sing.
 
 
while i was in india, i got to see some incredible fabrics, beadwork, traditional clothing and after months of living in a world that made me feel so humbled and inspired i returned home with many treasures, including this 60cm statue, my bobble head people (grandma and grandpa) hand beaten cutlery that was all bundled into my suitcase amongst all my other goodies.
if you went to a traditional indian party or a wedding, it was pretty normal to wear something colourful and adorned (hence the sari above) and if you have been to an indian clothing store in australia, it is wall to wall beauty and it's hard not to be mesmerised by the amazing colour and beading.

of course my bags also contained many pieces of beautiful clothing mostly from the market along with a few other beauties that i keep tucked away.
for this challenge, i was excited to get out on the footpath and do some twirling.
 
 
 
 
 
the indian style influence is definitely something that is with me most days with my silver bangles only ever getting taken off if i am going through airport security, getting a massage or have to enter a library (they jingle a lot).
 
my look above was my work outfit for Friday and quite timely given that i decided to share my style inspiration.

I certainly wouldn't want to be someone who is pidgeonholed as only having one style, but india was definitely the kicker for me and i find most outfits are inspired by it in one way or another - whether it be colour, jewellery, texture or something pink and when you combine them all together - KABOOM - it's like a party that is waiting to happen.

Does finding a style that suits come from experimentation, magazines, from family and friends, people on the street or like me through travel - there are so many opportunities to build on the inspiration that is all around us. Go forth and style it up.

what i wore
pink skirt and tie up top from new delhi, india
shawl from janpath new delhi, india
singlet from target
necklace and anklets from fiji

workwear was
jeans from target
shoes from mollini
top and earrings from india

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