The Early Years Crafting with Grandma
We all have our own journey with style, mine started in primary school, when I would spend hours each week drawing outfits and crafting at my grandma’s house, a hobby I still do in my spare time now. As I went into high school, I continued to spend most of my time creating outfits on online dress-up games on my shared laptop with my sister.
Some outfits I designed when I was 9 (taken on my DS camera, of course)
My more recent fashion sketches, random drawings and mood boards
Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking
I adored TV and film with a focus on fashion, such as ‘Clueless’, ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, and that continues to inspire my dream of being a costume designer or magazine editor today.
This type of media has also inspired my everyday choice of clothes as I gravitate towards 2000s and 90s-inspired pieces. I love Vinted and charity shops as I can find vintage clothing and it aligns with my sustainability values.
When creating outfits, I like to match colours and styles to make them more cohesive. My wardrobe is mainly made of brighter colours like teal, blue, pinks, cherry reds, except for some black basics. I also prefer to buy interesting silhouettes like one-shoulder tops or flared jeans.
A collage of some of my recent outfits
“I was desperate to be perceived as cool.”
I believe that what you wear can have a huge effect on your mood. I can vividly remember a time that I was embarrassed by something I wore; I had lost my pink and cream coloured raincoat, reminiscent of strawberry and vanilla ice-cream, and I had to speak to every class and ask whether they had found it, a horrifically awkward task that almost everyone from a British primary school has had to endure at least once.
Another issue was that everyone else in my school wore coats in dark colours like black or navy blue, and I felt embarrassed to even admit that I owned something in a fun colour. Even though no one had ever criticised it, I assumed that other people didn’t like it, and I was desperate to be perceived as cool, something that I try to care less about now.
Little me and my outfits
However, nowadays, I’m a lot more comfortable with not fitting in fully because I have tried so many different aesthetics and have become confident in what I like and don’t like. Additionally, making friends with people who have alternative styles, and aren’t ashamed of it, has definitely helped too.
Whilst my personal style journey still isn’t over yet, I’m proud of how far I have come.
(All photo credits: Katie Higson)
