Something Borrowed is Better
A realization that I have come to is that my personal style has imprints from my most favorite people in my life: my mom, dad, grandparents, close friends, and my best friend, my sister. They all inspire me not only in my daily life but also through their fashion sense. My style has developed into a collection of all these insanely awesome and fabulous people in my life and they each (willingly, I will include) play key roles in enhancing my outfit rotation.
The wardrobes of my mother, father, and sister have truly expanded my closet and increased the quality of my outfits. From my dad’s blazer and leathers to my sister’s thrifted denim jacket (sorry, Hannah, I still have it at BC), you can spot me walking to Stokes and out on the town sporting a fusion of their most iconic pieces with items of my own. Opening the door to my mom’s eclectic closet–one could even call it “the door of new possibilities”–I almost always find myself jumping towards a fun jacket of hers, whether it’s denim, suede, quilted, or a funky knit sweater. It is often overlooked how incredibly easy it is to elevate your favorite pair of blue jeans and perfect white tee with a buttoned cardigan or vintage coat thrown over your shoulders.
If we’re talking accessories and want to level up an outfit, I love to add my dad’s weathered baseball cap, along with my mom’s chunky gold necklace layered with a pendant from my grandmother, and even my sister’s short black boots. This may sound quite simple; however, I believe that finding a new way to utilize someone’s preloved items is an art… and not to mention, incredibly sustainable and thoughtful. Here are some hopefully inspiring examples of ways in which my family of four has mastered the idea of maximizing and up-cycling our closets:
My sister’s striped button-down and my mom’s mini L.L. Bean tote with my light wash jeans and sunnies:
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
My mom’s hat, bag, crochet top, and larimar necklace:
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
On the left, my mother’s long trench, and, on the right, my grandmother’s cashmere jacket:
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
Fashioning my mom’s navy and silver western boots with my LBD and blazer!
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
My sister with our dad’s jacket, mom’s suede bag, friend’s scarf, and grandfather’s film camera :)
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
My mom’s chunky knit mock neck sweater, dad’s blazer, and sister’s boots paired with my eyelet maxi skirt:
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
My mom’s beaded hat and turquoise embroidered black boots!
Photo courtesy of Aleksa Bazylevsky
On a separate note, we are entering a time during which tariffs on imports will become increasingly high, which will force the prices of clothing items that have been on the back of your mind or saved on your phone to rise due to heightened manufacturing costs. Thrifting, buying second-hand, or borrowing from your loved ones is such an easy (and arguably cooler, more environmentally conscious) way to work around wanting to buy new pieces! You’ll never know if you don't try it on!!
Cheers,
AB
