I've always loved clothes, costuming, and the storytelling that goes with them, but I've never considered myself to be "into fashion". For one thing, I will never have the slender swan body so highly valued on cat walks. My body shape is more Valkyrie than Nymph. Add in a dash of "not having money" a pinch of growing up with puritan values, and a soupçon of trying to establish myself as a "serious" musician and you have a closet full of cheap clothes but nothing that feels good to wear.

And then I decided I wanted to use more photographs and videos to connect with you all. And I turned 30. and I read Gala Darling's book Radical Self Love. A style revolution which had been brewing since my teens was finally coming into fruition. I was hooked.

I did what I always do when faced with a new interest, I researched. .

I also gobbled down every related (even loosely) documentary on Netflix I could find. Blood, Sweat, and Sequins is actually about a pole dancing competition, but each woman had her own expressive style and I LOVE costumes. Advanced Style is a must see. Also, Iris.

I stuck magazine cut outs that inspired me next to my closet like a detective looking for a common thread.

I started taking pictures of the outfits I felt particularly good in ( I really like ripped boyfriend jeans. A lot.)

I watched make-up tutorials and Pinterested and followed style blogs and marveled at how good it felt to revel in this part of me I had always been a little self-conscious about. I edited my closet and did a lot of journal-ing about who I was, who I wanted to be, and how I wanted people to feel around me while I got there.

There is so much we can't control in our journey, but how we show up in the world mentally and physically is at least somewhat within our grasp. You don't have to follow the rules, or fit anyone else's expectations. Rather, style is just another way to craft your own narrative. Be adventurous. Be playful. But most of all, be yourself.

xoxo,

Allie LaRoe

Expression and Intent