Guest Blogger: Emily Strong

Defining Looks

 

 

Can clothes make you feel powerful?

 

Whether we realize it or not, we always select our clothes with an agenda. Whether it's as simple as a desire to look professional or to blend in with the crowd, we all understand on a basic level what we want to project to the world and how to use clothes to do that. For a long time I selected clothes primarily to look pretty, or failing that, to not be seen at all. Those style choices felt safe, because my clothes didn't have a strong perspective. When your clothes have something to say, you are telling the world that you do, too.

 

 

 

 

When I tried on this outfit from Gladiola Girls, it was obvious each individual piece had something to say. The Spanish-made, vintage red boots from Gladiola's Vintage room directly evoke Victorian footwear. The geometric jewelry by Lexington artist Tara Werner is both 70s-inspired and almost futuristically abstract. These items were selected to complement one of my favorite pieces from my own closet, an embroidered leather jacket by Romeo + Juliet Couture, and the effect when put together is striking. The flowers on the jeans echoing the flowers on the jacket. The mixture of tough leather and denim with the delicate blouse trimmed in eyelash lace by FRNCH. The delicate items becoming bold and powerful by association.

 

What does it mean to call back to the past? Can that alone be a powerful thing?

While these pieces reference different eras, they all echo defining looks from those eras. They stand out from the crowd together.

Style is aspirational, always aiming for an ideal of how you want to be seen and the person that you want to be. The selection of clothes at Gladiola Girls surprise me with what they have to say and inspire me to continue defining my own style.