My Fashion Inspiration

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and with today’s topic, I couldn’t think of a better time to do it! There have been some subtle changes going on, and while I wouldn’t call it “rebrand”, I like to think of it as a realignment with what I set out for the fashion side of my blog to be. I want to share a little bit about it today!

It all starts years ago when my cousin (closer to my mom’s age than my own) Amy used to give me makeovers as a kid. She and my mom grew up together and were extremely close. Amy was a Miss Texas contestant, making it to the top 5 several times and eventually trained Miss Texas contestants (Yanci Yarbrough was a close friend of hers), was a motivational speaker with Zig Ziglar later on in her life, and always looked like a million bucks. The kicker? She shopped exclusively at resale, estate sales and garage sales. Not only did she do that, but she managed to snag brand name items (Ralph Lauren, 7 For all Mankind, etc.) at a fraction of the cost. She never, ever, paid full price for anything. No lie. Still don’t believe me? It gets more outrageous. Amy found and bought her sister-in-law’s wedding dress at Goodwill. Like the one she wore in the ceremony.

Amy has and always will be one of my biggest influences in life because, not only did she look fantastic on a daily basis, but she loved people in every aspect of her life. About 6 years ago, Amy was diagnosed with a very rare, very aggressive form of kidney cancer. Three months after her diagnosis, she passed away. Up until the moment she died, she was kind, joyful and extremely funny.

When I was a child, Amy gave me a baby doll (like a life-like one) along with a diaper bag filled with all the baby things I could need (including Cheerios, which I ate myself). I named that doll “Baby Amy” because she was one of my favorite people to go see. Even now, Amy is a huge part of my life. She inspired me to love fashion, great deals, and more importantly, love people who, by many others, were deemed unlovable.

When I set out to write about my fashion sense, I looked elsewhere for inspiration. Other blogs, websites; All which showcased high price fashion that I can’t really, well reasonably, afford. I had forgotten about my main inspiration when it came to clothing: finding quality pieces at half the price, because to me, there’s nothing glamorous about blowing all of your money on a pair of shoes. Why spend more money on clothes when you can save and shop sales and then use what’s left to help others? What people find interesting and cool are when you are able to find high quality items or stylish pieces for insanely awesome prices. Amy taught me to think and live this way through her very actions. This perspective is what I hope to encompass in my blog and my fashion posts in particular.

Where do you find fashion inspiration? Who or what inspires you?