Welcome home

Hello again after two years later! Welcome back to any familiar faces, and a sincere welcome to any newcomers. Fancy a cup of tea? Champagne?

I think the most important thing at this moment to address is why – why I left, and ultimately, why I came back.

I abandoned this blog because I let a lot of things get to me. Let’s be real for a second: style blogging is a lot of work for relatively little recognition. You have to take photos, edit them, write an interesting post, promote it on other blogging platforms as part of an endless cycle while constantly maintaining a unique sense of style and always planning one step ahead. During my short time in the fashion blogging community, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this complaint, but I personally couldn’t shake this feeling of being vain and it created an inexpressible internal conflict. As I neared the end of my blogging days, I started to become very experimental in the photo editing process, generating unique concepts that edged me to want to do more. However, I wasn’t focused in my endeavors and struggled to find relevant writing material.

And so I stopped without any type of closure.

I came back because, well, why else. I missed it. Bottom line. For a time, I would visit this blog and look through the pictures, either cringing or thinking to myself man, I really had fun that day. I’ve always loved fashion, that part of me will always remain true. But fashion is only secondary to what really drives me: It’s writing. I want to write, and what better way to do it than blogging, right?

The objective for this blog and this ongoing project is to focus on leading a creative lifestyle. There’s a weird phenomena with artistic-minded people in that creativity is best when balanced with other creative pursuits. If you devote all your time and energy into one thing, you’ll soon become burnt out and loose all inspiration you’ve invested into that one thing. When you challenge yourself to engage in multiple efforts at a time (reasonably speaking) you can develop better, stronger problem solving skills that will eventually sharpen each project over time and allow you to look at each of your pursuits in a new perspective. Confused? Don’t worry, I still am.

What I really mean to say is that the more writing I can do, the better I will be at it. Especially after I learn the art of pacing myself.

I want this blog to be a portfolio of my work: my writing, modeling, styling, and even web design work. This is a showcase of talent. I want my work to stand for itself and to do that, I need good content.

That brings me to the next important topic, what to expect from here on out.

I think an integral component of the Harlequin blogging agenda will doubtlessly be striking photographs. In a highly visual culture, we all know an image is more likely to capture one’s attention than words alone (the writer’s woe.) Fashion is all about seeing, and importantly, liking what we see. This blog isn’t going to be just streetwear anymore, but what I would like to think of as branching into “attainable high fashion” – that is, the most idealized form the self can take with no apologies. Haute couture and "high fashion” are, in my humble opinion, the pinnacles of the fashion world and I want to strive to bring that into my lifestyle, and hopefully, if I’m so blessed, to inspire others to do the same. Through my writing, I want to learn more about the representation of self and how we create identity through style and aesthetic choices.

I’m implementing new changes in all facets of this blog. One new and I hope very exciting change will be incorporating styling series. Some of the ongoing series I’ve come up with:

How to style specific clothing items…. Do you have that one item in your wardrobe that you are stuck forever pairing with the same pieces over and over? With this series, I’ll look at multiple ways of wearing the same piece and how accessories and other items can completely change the look depending on setting and mood.

How to accessorize…For this, we’ll look at using one outfit and trying on multiple accessories. Or, say, you really are set on wearing certain accessories, and how you can plan outfits around them. This series will explore changing the ever changing tones of a look.

And this one, I’m really excited about….

“Can I do this DIY?”… In this series, I will explore and test DIY fashion tutorials from around the internet, rating and reviewing them based on level of difficulty, practicality, and whether I would recommend it. I will provide additional notes, advice, and other commentary for further personalizing these tutorials. Since I’m not a great designer of DIY things, I’m better at trying out DIY stuff and seeing if it’s really worth it in the end. Let it be known to the ends of the earth, I lead a DIY life. But some of these tutorials want me to go out and buy materials, which really isn’t that resourceful in my opinion. Plus, many of them look amazing but you really need expert level skill to create the item.

~

Phew. I think I’ve said my peace.  It was a lot to say, way more than I anticipate saying normally, but very important nonetheless. I think this blog really is about finding a voice in a loud world.

Next time, we’ll talk about what happens when your selfie needs an update. Look forward to monochromatic styling, total absence of color, optical illusions, and peplum tops.

-K