To blog...

I have always wanted to start a blog. Ever since the fad of Xanga died by the rise of Myspace and then Facebook.

Now, it is not the fact that blogging is "in" or the fact that I am an aspiring journalist (cliche, I know) that propels me to blog. It is not the allure of easy fame. Although, if fame found me I would not complain. And even though this blog will be all about style and the world of fashion (cliche, again, I know), I do not aim to gain thousands of followers, and I do not plan to establish myself as an expert stylist and blogging genius.

I am doing this for me. I am doing this to better my writing. I am doing this to keep my love of fashion alive while I am immersed in the world of hard news reporting at my prestigious j-school.

Honestly. For years I have volunteered here, was a leader there, studied this, and signed up for that to further my ambitions. But, along the way I have barely kept my head above the waters in a sea of stress. I need an outlet. I need to write for me; to rekindle my love and natural desire to write that has been stifled by my studies. I need to write about fashion to remind me of my true love; to keep me connected to the pure joy I receive from simply holding a pair of elegantly crafted Louboutin heels or a unique Marc Jacobs bag.

Back to the blog. It will have a theme. It has too. I have too many thoughts that bounce from topic to topic to allow this blog to exist without a bit of order. It will be written, day to day (more realistically, whenever I have time to log in during my scheduled day), about what outfit I wore and the thoughts and adventures and happenings that are connected to it. Why? I was inspired by a book.

I came home from college during a break to a bag of presents. My mom always gets me little presents to surprise me. They are never expensive. But, I cherish them. This book is one of my all-time favorites. It was bright pink with a sketched woman in a velvet (it was actually velvet) black dress and hat on the cover. It is titled, "Dreaming of Dior" and is by Charlotte Smith.

I always read the introductions. Yes, I am that girl. Except novels. I read the introductions after I finish because I worry they will taint my interpretation. Back to the book. The introductions told me that this book was about a collection of fashion through the ages that was owned by a woman, the author's godmother. Smith inherits the collection from her godmother and with the collection of clothes comes a collection of stories. Each story is connected to a specific piece of fashion from the collection. The book describes each piece and tells the story tied to it. Brilliant, right? This book inspired me to keep a journal of my daily fashion. Now I am doing it. Over a year later.

Why? Fashion has always intrigued me. It is my art. It communicates, inspires, and transforms. Those are powerful verbs, which makes fashion a powerful creation. And it is available to everyone. A label is not necessary. A Dior gown is born from the same origin as a homemade sundress- a sewing machine. But, more importantly, you take it with you. It is the art of everyday. It is like a photograph. Fashion expresses the vision of the designer, the wearer and carries messages about the situation and people involved.

I want to tell my life through the thing that always uplifts my spirits- my fashion. And maybe inspire someone to be fashionable along the way.

<3, the stylist