Before we begin our fashion series next week, I thought this post was needed. When you flip through a fashion magazine, click through an online article, or even look through advertisements or catalogs, do you recognize the messages the writers and images send? They’re saying things like, “You NEED this! You HAVE TO buy this! It’s IN!” or “You need this to tuck in that less than perfect tummy, or hide those thick calves, or broad shoulders. You are flawed. You are not ideal. If you buy our product, we will fix you.”

Fashion advice abounds on how to “fix” or disguise your flaws. Articles abound on all the things you “have to” have this season. If you enjoy those, good for you. Personally, I don’t like people telling me that my body is flawed just because it doesn’t match up with their ideal, when it’s how God chose to make me. While there’s nothing wrong with following the trends, I know that a lot of it is all about getting more money from consumers.

So, in this series, there’s a few things I’m NOT going to talk about. This series is…

1. Not Skin Deep

While we will talk about things like makeup trends, styles, shopping, and dressing well, I’m not going to focus as much on your outward appearance as I am your thoughts, preferences, attitudes, desires, and uniqueness. Rather than focusing just on what’s hot now, I want you to learn more about yourself and develop your personal style. I’ll give you the basic building blocks, then you can use them to evaluate the trends and see if they’re right for you.

2. Not About What You Are Not

This is a big one. In my research for this series, over and over again I’ve read about covering your flaws, doing the best you can with what you’ve got, hiding those features of yourself that are “less than ideal.” When I read that, this verse came to mind:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.” Psalms 139:14

If you have broad shoulders, or thick ankles, or chubby fingers, or frizzy hair, it’s not by accident. It’s not a “flaw,” an “oops” on God’s part. It’s not less than His ideal.

We aren’t going to talk about hiding things that are “wrong” with you. Yes, we all probably have aspects of our appearance we don’t like. But I don’t wan’t to dwell there. Instead, we’re going to focus on how wonderfully made and unique you are.

3. Not About Perfection

This point is similar to the one above. In our series, we will try to stay away from the idea that there is an “ideal” that everyone needs to look like. If you study fashion history, that ideal has changed from curvy and voluptuous in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, to long flat torsos in the Elizabethan age, to “Grecian” high waisted and busty shaped in the Edwardian period, to tiny waists in the Victorian, to boxy and masculine in the 20’s.

If culture dictates your ideal, you’ll never be happy.

And, if you really look at what celebrities wear, some people say “They bombed it,” while others applaud their unique style. A lot of fashion is just opinion. They break the “rules” all the time. All. The. Time. So when we talk about flattering your figure and finding your style personality, take it with a grain of salt.

Here’s proof:

Star Street Style

This is Isabel Lucas. I think her dress looks like something even I wouldn’t consider when browsing the Goodwill racks. But this is what the article says: “We’ve always envied Isabel Lucas’ casual-chic style. Here, she does it again, by wearing this pink floral number with comfortable flats.” After reading that, I think, well, it is actually cute on her…You can break all the fashion rules and still look great, if you have confidence.

I want you to define your style, and find what works for you in this series. I hope you come away from each post, not feeling defeated, but inspired.

During the first week, we’ll focus on developing your style. The second week, we’ll talk about shopping savvy. The third week, we’ll talk about some specifics, like makeup and accessorizing. Each week will have a “homework” assignment to help you apply some things. And, there will be prizes! Each Monday there will be a new giveaway that will last until Friday.

Just because I love you guys, here’s a sneak peak at Monday’s giveaway:

Do you like that little Fashion 101 button I made? Here’s the code if you want to put it in your sidebar! It counts as an extra entry to the giveaways!

(a href=”http://scribblesfromemily.blogspot.com/search/label/Fashion%20101” target=”_blank”)(img src=”http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad317/Emjoyc/Fashion101Buttonwithkiss.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”)(/a)

Directions: Copy and Paste the code you see above, then go through and change EVERY Parentheses to a > or < sign. Let me know if it still doesn’t work.

If you’re not already, you may want to like Scribbles From Emily’s facebook page. That’s where the homework results for each week will be posted, plus I’ll continue taking polls there. There’s a poll going on right now, so stop by and share your opinion!
Are you looking forward to next week? I am! I think you’ll really enjoy it!
So to start off, what’s the best fashion advice you’ve ever received?

Next Post: How to Find Your Style Personality