Exploring Little Italy in New York.
We’re in the midst of New York Fashion Week as you’re reading this, and it can’t be more exciting to hear about all the new collections strutted down the runways. There’s a part of me that wished with all its might that I were there, back in New York and a part of the crowd, immersing in all the energy that’s revolving around anyone with a name in the fashion industry. But there’s also a part of me that knows this would probably never happen – because I won’t ever be a fashion blogger.
And the main reason for this is that I cannot, for the life of me, wear anything that goes beyond my mid-thighs paired with a sleeved top on a daily basis. Living in Singapore means you get scorching hot sun with cloudless blue skies one minute and a crazy downpour the next – and all of that in a day. I don’t sit in an office all day and be protected from these weather extremes. Neither do I have a car, nor take cabs often when I need to get to places. Instead, I wander out for work and chores like grocery shopping and what nots – and yes, I take the public transport (which means I sometimes need to run for that bus or bake under the sun while I wait for the lights to change). For someone like me who is hands-on in everything that I do, functionality in the way I dress is more important than anything else.
I guess that could be why I’m resigned to fate. I’m so much more of a beauty person than a fashion person. While I probably wouldn’t recognise a new limited edition clutch from Valentino, I can tell you about SCENT OF A DREAM from the Charlotte Tilbury X Kate Moss collab. I just can’t help it! A beauty counter filled with rows and rows of eyeshadow pans can make my heart flutter more than a shelf full of Chanel Jumbos ever could. I suppose the vain queen in me will never be able to hold off looking into the mirror for long.
Personally, I love style. Unlike fashion, style to me doesn’t live on the coattails of trends, is not exclusive to a privileged few and it’s something that is different for everybody. It is unique to the individual and expresses who you are as a person. And style, to me, is a total can-do no matter who you are. Being stylish is being able to put together pieces of clothing and accessories in a personalised structure such that others would recognise you for it. It is the Anna Wintour bob and the Karl Lagerfeld collar; your signature flowy chiffon dress or punk rock leather jacket. And I would like to believe that you can be stylish even with a simple tank top and A-line skirt.
However, not being a fashion blogger doesn’t mean I don’t like fashion. I do know and love a good beaded blazer when I see one (what I probably won’t know is which collection it’s from) and I love most of the outfits that fashion bloggers put together, be it whether I discover it on Instagram or Facebook. I have my favourite fashion bloggers (Crystal and Melissa, here’s looking at you!) but always love discovering more. Sadly, it’s just that I can’t see myself wearing them unless it’s 18 degrees out and it’s guaranteed that I won’t perspire in them. That’s also why you don’t really see layers in the outfits on The Skinny Scout, especially since I do wear them not only for the shoots.
So yeah, I guess coffee runs in that tweed knee-length skirt and white boyfriend blouse isn’t going to happen anytime for me. Besides, watching runway shows in the comfort of my bed over fibre broadband beats having to navigate fashion politics anytime (and I don’t even have to dress up for it). They’ve got all the action – live or not – on the Internet nowadays, and you get to watch it all up close and in HD. What’s not to like?
Till the season ends,
Roxanne
P.S. Check out this article by Whowhatwear on the things people don’t know about being a fashion blogger.