For The Right Occasion

Anora Crescent Photography

Where oh where do I wear this? That is the question I ask myself most when styling a look. It’s safe to say anything we choose to wear is informed by what circumstance or context we will be wearing the items in question. I don’t know about you, but I never assemble an outfit without thinking “is this too much for where I’m going?” 

Date night at a quaint martini bar in downtown Mebane? Let’s pick out a flirty, bright spring dress with beige heels. Rock concert at a cool club in Raleigh? Bring out the black leggings with mesh cut outs and a crop top with ankle boots. Low key night in hanging out with friends? High waist jeans with a t-shirt is fine by me. Imagine mixing up any of these outfits and places - how totally awkward would you feel!

Usually, my outfit-planning routine is this: Enter closet. Consider the evening’s events and destinations. Mix and match until I find the desired look. (Oh, if only is was that simple. Try on about ten different outfits, leave them scattered around your room. Yeah, that's more like it.)

I look back through these wonderful pictures taken by the awesome Anora Crescent Photography of Greensboro, NC and am reminded of those last days of winter. What strikes me most about these pictures is how perfect this outfit blends in with the environment. When modeling, it’s hard to imagine the perfect location to shoot some of these outfits. I have to think to myself, does this look read grungy, urban, industrial setting? Does it look like something that needs a nature background? And of course finding these places are a challenge. But Cyndi, the photographer, suggested taking these pictures at a lake, and now I can’t think of a better place to wear this outfit. Or maybe I’m just recalling how serene this place was. As I was looking out over the lake, there was this perfect moment where I watched birds fly across the lake and it was really beautiful and poignant.

I talked a little bit in my last series about “committing to the look” and wearing all items that connect in some way to each other to create a cohesive look. I’m really glad I got shots of this jewelry set, because I’m really excited about its authenticity and origins: it was given to me by my sister who bought it in Blowing Rock, NC, many years ago. The sweater jacket that I’m wearing from Forever 21 has a pattern that reminds me somewhat of Native American art - (so I wrote an entire rough draft on the topic of cultural appropriation vs. appreciation because I really hated the idea of calling this look “Native American” themed. Too much ink has already been spilled over this topic in the fashion blogging community already; there’s not much more I can say other than I hate using this kind of terminology to describe an outfit, and as conscious consumers, we should be respectful when borrowing themes from other cultures and ask ourselves important questions like what our relationship to a certain culture is, what do we hope to gain by borrowing a type of attire, and so on.) The Minnetonka moccasin fringe boots were the perfect choice in piecing together the perfect winter look.

Sometimes I feel like my style is all over the place. But what I think I’m really attracted to is that feeling of taking on the personality of what I wear. The girl in these pictures is enjoying the view, embracing the lively fringe boots that seemed to move even when she didn’t, and is comforted by a warm winter sweater that closely resembles a bathrobe. 

I guess the places we go and the experiences we gather are perfect homes for our style and outlook on fashion.