Voi Là-Bas

This morning I was browsing Tumblr and what Fashion posts I have hearted in the past few days and I came across this:

Below, where before I hadn't noticed it, I saw the word 'Abbey'. Abbey as in Abbey Lee Kershaw. As I googled her, I found out that I had innocuously been posting pictures of her outfits, both on the runway and street styles.

In short, I'm in love with her style. So much so she's officially my first 21st Century Style Icon. What I love about her is that she has an ability to pull off things in any way she wants. She is versatile both as a model and with her own looks and styling. Even with the same bloody outfit. Let me show you.

The above picture illustrates one of my favourite ever. Why? Because it's very much like what I would wear. Loose lace dress, the large blazer, its colour. However, this is not the only time she wore that outfit. Ladies and, possibly, gentleman, look and admire:

Picture from here

Can you believe it? She looks so stunningly different that she doesn't even seem like the same person.

You might be thinking that it's obvious, you might think it is indeed nothing special. But it certainly is something I deem highly crucial in Fashion. Having the ability to make yourself look a certain way is a way of expressing yourself, and this is maybe one of the top, main reasons why I love Fashion so much.

What makes her look so different is how she complemented the outfit. Make-up, hair and possibly more than we can currently observe. Clearly, she knows her assets and works them to her benefit. The ability to pull off different looks is knowing yourself and how to style according to what you are like. Fashion and style isn't only about the clothes. It's about how you wear them, how you define what you want through them, and not the brand or anything else.

Now, Abbey is a model, so on the runway she does actually have to sell the brand. I chose her to illustrate my point because as a model, she easily shows what I mean as her style is very distinct even when she's not working. Though, to be fair, if Abbey had any particular style it would be called 'versatile'.

Street Styles both from here

Street Style and backstage at David Jones S/S 2011 from here and here

Quick(ish) post today! I'm soon off to my old sixth form, De La Salle. They have Lasallian Nights show tonight and I'm going to see them get ready, meet up with people and take some pictures.

Tata :)
Tina x

2 comments

I've been reading a lot about Fashion lately and, to my dismay, some treat the subject in a highly close-minded regard. Some of these sources are even magazines and local television. Sure, one has preferences and a particular 'style', if you wish. However, declaring in an outright (and sometimes verging on the aggressive) manner that 'this thing is ugly' or 'could never be beautiful' is not really my idea of entertaining a thought about anything to do with Fashion. Besides, who am I to judge what is beauty?

I think that Fashion should be treated a lot like art. I know what I like and what makes it something which adheres to my likes. I give critique to everything, from things I might like and things which I might personally despise. It's the same with art. You cannot simply point at an Egon Schiele painting and declare that it is ugly. Or, even worse, that you shouldn't be caught dead with it in your home. Who is anyone to judge what any other person might want to wear?

Now, to make my post about something more concrete, I will move on to discuss with you a rising trend in the past few collections:

Flatforms.

Personally, the first notion that precedes me as I inspect these shoes would be a cringe. At first glance, they look strange and unnatural. I believe that this is due to only one thing: previous aesthetic experiences with shoes. Platform-ed shoes should (for lack of a better word), as per usual, elongate the leg, with the heel being higher than the ball of the foot. It is entirely due to our unconscious preconception of shoes and how they should look according to this, that Flatforms might seems slightly weird and visually unbalanced. It is the same with anything. (If you're into Visual Perception I greatly suggest the book Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye)

Prada and Michael Kors

Jeffrey Campell and Derek Lam

An article from Glamour last year, announced that "this love child hybrid between a flat platform is a win-win: You get the added inches (and confidence!) that high heels give you, but without the agony of balancing on glorified toothpicks for hours on end." Now, I do see their point. It's a refreshingly new look from the usual ankle-breakers. Honestly, though, I do not think they could replace actual heels. As I mentioned before, a particular and distinguishing characteristic is that the heel is higher than the ball of the foot, and it is this that particularly elongates the leg. The Flatforms do not do that, they simply give you an added height.

Whilst personally I wouldn't invest in them, as I like versatile shoes which do carry on through a few seasons, I do think that in some quirky way they can be pulled off. Mind you, these flatforms are not actually new this year. In the S/S 2011 they were already on the runway. As I was saying, there are a few of these which are pretty nice. Jefferey Campell's Beebee, for example, did catch my eye, and I might've worn them really- if I had a pair ;).

Beebee Flatforms by tintintinaa featuring mini handbags

I think that they would go really well with high-wasted shorts, Knicker Shorts or skirts, as I used in my Polyvore outfit.

That's all for today. I will soon post my first ever official outfit post, probably next week. ;)

-Tina :)

References: Pictures of flatforms from here, here and here.

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