More Than Magazines

Walk This Way: The Citizens of Rosebud Newest Curated Collection on the Catwalk

Witness my fantasy runway show, just in time for the tail end of New York Fashion Week. Consider yourself, dear reader, front row and center. Fashion is as much about fantasy as it is about apparel, and sometimes I wonder, as a fashion blogger,  just how much fantasy is part of what I do here. After all, those outfit posts are staged, and don't think for a moment, that I would post an unflattering pose! I unrepentantly re-touch + embellish: I'm over forty, so indulge me the occasional soft focus and air brush on those raccoon eyes, and a cropped edit so I can represent more hour glass than time's up.

I also wonder sometimes, about the reality of friendships; we blog, we comment on blogs, we say nice things. Well, at least I try to say nice things, and I've been lucky, very lucky, that mostly nice things are left in the comments here. Virtual friendships are forged; have you ever wondered how much reality these friendships possess? Is our community just as much a fantasy as the fashion images we ingest? 

Fashion Fantasy: Rosebud Magazine, The Last Word in Style

You may have your own astute opinion, and depending on your view of the proverbial glass, may surmise the half-filled glass to be half full, or all bull. It all depends, I suppose on your own experience, your personal proclivity towards cynicism, or temperament. As my boyfriend once put it, after I shared what felt like a triumphant night of schmoozing with the finer fashion folk: "That's great, babe, but don't forget that people are fake and full of shit." Especially in the fashion industry, this can be so painfully true.

Half Full, or Bull? This Image Has Been Photoshopped

I am perhaps, a cynical optimist. Or put more succinctly: I am a ROMANTIC.  And as such, my eyes are focused more on what CAN be, than on what actually is. Sometimes, I set myself up for disappointment.

There is indeed a certain whiff of fantasy, even on this blog. I've been blogging a handful of years now (where does the time go?) but I keep many details of my personal life, well, PERSONAL. There are a few reasons for this: first, I don't think my life is all that interesting, and as I writer, I strive to keep my content entertaining. On one hand, I believe in honesty, on another, I value privacy. So some details are left out, you know,  the names have been changed to protect the innocent.  

For example, and I share this now only as an example of the edits of fashion blogging, but you may or my not be aware that this is my day job. But I'm in no way a "full time blogger." I do a number of odd jobs to ensure I can pay the rent. To pay the bills, I do freelance, as well as don an apron and work in a kitchen, as I've done most of my adult life. Fashion blogger by day, pizza slinger by night. But I hardly think, aside from the occasional Instagrams shot in the confines of my night job, that any of you would find the wonderful world of pizza assembly very glamorous, or interesting. 

So we're back in the pocket of fantasy.

When it comes to fashion, and fashion blogging, it is indeed a medium of dreaming and illusion. Is it possible to separate the facts from the fictions? Do we really want to? 

Possibly, especially when it comes to the people are fake and full of shit pronouncements. While I've had my share of disappointments, when it's come to our blogging community,  I've been fortunate to have forged connections, and made real friendships. 

Zip it! It's All About Being Open About Being Private, for Reals

I've been lucky to meet some "bloggy friends" in real life, and haven't been disappointed yet. Most recent, was a magical "moment, " the meeting a very model-esque and talented Joni. Small world being what it is, I was introduced to her in a blog post by Reva, a dear, dear friend I've yet to meet, from Revas Rags to Roses. Turns out, Joni's from Seattle, my new home city. 

I felt giddy as a school girl, meeting this talented artist! Let me tell you that Joni is even lovelier and more enchanting in person, which is saying a lot, because she's pretty lovely on her blog Walking Colors.

In what felt like the tick of a minute, we ended up chatting FOR HOURS! I encountered a bright and wonderful soul that is creative, clever, and supportive- all traits I relish in a person. I felt selfish and greedy, and did not want to "chronicle the event." I preferred to put the camera + recorder aside for the sheer joy of sharing time with this woman. And I am so glad I did. Joni posted about our meet-up, among other things, and you can read her version of things HERE. But more important than checking out all the nice stuff Joni says about me, I'd rather you go discover for yourself an example of what TRUE STYLE is.

More than magazines, real life women who blog about style and fashion have a big influence on me, and on more things than the fluff and fantasy of fashion. They bear more influence in my shopping decisions and dress choices than an air-brushed fashion cover girl. The personal style bloggers I follow light up my head with examples of REAL style, which for me, is as much about inner substance, a dedication to beauty, and cultivating the costume of character, as it is about the thrall of a fashion fantasy.

 Who or what inspires your taste for style?