For my 3rd night of fashion I wanted to revisit my favorite summer read, #GIRLBOSS. No, I didn’t read it in one night, but more like five and when I was done I fell for Sophia Amoruso and all her Nasty Gal coolness even harder. Honestly, I had never heard of her or Nasty Gal until March 2013 when her company contacted little ol’ me and commissioned me to make 500 of my Script Zodiac necklaces to be sold on their website. Naturally, I obliged and got to work. I have been smitten ever since; following her social media accounts, studying Nasty Gal’s lookbooks for inspiration, and of course shopping NastyGal.com. When I found out she had written a book, I pre-ordered it two months in advance. I might be a little bit of a super fan, but if you check her out you’ll see what I mean.
The three books next to my bed: Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 (currently out of print), Lives of the Great Modern Artists and #GIRLBOSS
When I read her book I really related to her story (as I am sure all the aspiring fashionistas out there did). No, I am not running a huge fashion company nor do I live in L.A., but I connected more with her childhood story. I won’t go deep into the book just in case you decide to give it a read, but like Sophia, I am an only child who grew up with an interesting fashion sense, an adventurous personality, along with a strong sense of independence. I truly feel only children can go one of two ways, spoiled and reliant or spoiled and freewheeling. Who are we kidding…”God bless the child that’s got his own”. (This is in reference to the Lisa Simpson version not Billie Holiday)
After I read #GIRLBOSS and feeling like I could take over the world, I decided to go back and revisit some of my early fashion days. I, like Sophia, was some what of a fashion misfit in my early years, but I have amazingly clear memories of many outfits and fashion pieces that I loved wearing. In fact, I loved them so much…I still have a lot of them in my closet (my plan is to someday pass them on to my little girl, however; I realize she probably won’t them, but here’s to hoping). I took some heat for some of my choices, but one thing is for sure, I never really cared. I just wore whatever I wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize my true love for fashion until I was in my 20’s and by then I was already deeply committed to a degree in journalism…go figure!
My mom was never really into clothes or shopping like I was, which could be seen as sort of a bummer, but really it allowed me to find my own sense of style without ANY real outside influence other than the occasional tease from a friend. My mom let me wear what I wanted, even if it looked ridiculous (thanks to all the great photos she lovingly saved, my recollections are confirmed and I did look ridiculous and that, my friends, is growing up) Now that I am old-er-ish, I have my own individual style and the confidence to wear what I like and what I want.
So listen up…the next time you want to snark or poke fun at the “goofy” girl in class who wants to wear red cowboy boots under mustard yellow jeans and a red, silk, buttoned blouse (wink); stop and think. She might just be the next Sophia Amoruso!
Side note: I wasn’t able to locate any “appropriate” photos from my college years and to protect the innocent I decided to leave those out. Here’s the play-by-play: I had a blast, wore a lot of Husker sweatshirts and Delta Gamma gear, wide leg pants and cropped tops…oh and apparently I decided that I didn’t need a bra, but in hindsight I really did!
Send me your throwback fashion photos! Who knows, the best ones could end up right here on The Bauble Blog.
5 Days of Fashion: Day 3 – #GIRLBOSS For my 3rd night of fashion I wanted to revisit my favorite summer read, #GIRLBOSS. No, I didn't read it in one night, but more like five and when I was done I fell for Sophia Amoruso and all her Nasty Gal coolness even harder.