Where does my personal style inspiration come from?
I have been a street dancer for more than half my life and, due to that, I found myself falling into street style fashion without putting much thought into it. Dancing has always been a release for me, it started as a hobby but then I quickly wanted more and, I started to compete. Over the years, I’ve picked up quite a few awards and titles, from gaining 1st place in regional competitions to dancing at Blackpool Tower Ballroom and becoming 2nd in the UK with my team. This lead me onto gaining 6th place in the World for Over 18 Intermediate in 2019.
Due to my success in dancing, I always felt I needed to look-more-street. I went from dancing in everyday clothing to buying specific garments to help me fit in with the rest of the industry. After a few years, my whole style shifted over to the typical street or skater look that consisted of baggy clothing, graphic artwork on tops jean-look trousers and of course, the staple trainers, either Vans or Nike. You now will rarely see me in a dress and, yes, I am one of the crazy people who will wear shorts in the winter.
I take a lot of time carefully constructing my outfits, sometimes matching them with my accessories and garments. This helps create a cohesive look based solely on colour. In this look, I styled my outfit to match the shoes I’m wearing.
With the shoes being white and the stitching being black, I could have styled colourful trousers with them but wanted to save the splash of colour for the top part of the outfit. Instead, I decided to style it with a pair of staple black mom jeans. The turned-up bottoms allow the Nike socks to be on the show which adds another accessory to the look as well as having a practical function.
Now for the top, I didn’t want to put a black top with this look as it would be a bit boring, so I used a white graphic tee. The white t-shirt with the black graphic design on the front brings the look full-circle and pairs nicely with the white and black contrast stitched shoes. However, the splash of colour is seen in the large graphic design on the back. By styling my outfit this way, it becomes a playful look that also has a smart and casual feel to it.
Of course, no outfit can be complete without a few accessories. I added my staple necklace to this look. It is a black corded necklace with a silver crystal cage. Inside the cage is a piece of Rose Quartz. I also added a silver Apple watch and a black corded anklet with a small sunflower charm to this look.
For my style, I tend to stick to a similar colour palette, and I usually base the colour scheme around my shoes. If I have colourful shoes, I try and stick to more neutral clothing with a small splash of colour; and if I have neutral shoes, I go for colourful trousers or a top. If I’m feeling adventurous, I will add patterns into the mix or go for a full-colour outfit.
I take a lot of inspiration from the music industry for my style. Artists such as Halsey and WILLOW inspire my fashion choices. Pete Davidson is another celebrity who is a style inspiration his carefree fashion choices – which are sometimes slightly questionable – bring a refreshed feel to a style that is known, throughout the world. I often enjoy looking at Tokyo Fashion week as it usually brings out new subcultures within street style, for example, individuals that have been photographed – wearing massively oversized garments that have hundreds of keys sewn onto them.
Street style does not have to be fully functional like most fashion, it’s an individual’s way of expressing themselves which is what I love the most about it.
