http://makinglifewakinglife.blogspot.com
http://www.weardrobe.com/users/yes_i_dress
How do you get your inspiration for the outfits you wear?
The biggest source of inspiration for my outfits comes from other style bloggers. There are so many incredibly stylish ladies out there who are so expressive and fashionably fearless! They also inspire me to stretch my boundaries—socks with tights? Who knew?
Who has had the biggest fashion influence on your outfits ?
I wouldn’t say that any one person particularly influences my outfits. The best thing about the fashion blogging community is that it makes trends more immediately accessible (to me, anyway). I like to see how women with completely different styles incorporate new trends into their daily wear—it helps me to visualize how I might adapt the same trend to make sense in my own wardrobe without compromising the integrity of my personal style. Oddly enough, my boyfriend also influences my style choices. He has a really great aesthetic sense and can somehow intuit what is trendy and/or classically stylish, even when he’s removed from it…it’s not like he reads fashion blogs!
If you could own someones hosiery drawer who would it be ?
My own! I’ve worked long and hard to amass my collection of tights, and while it’s still not complete (and probably never will be), I’m pretty satisfied with it. I’m not sure I would want to trade with anyone else!
What blogs and websites do you follow and why ?
I like personal style blogs that are about more than just fashion (food, art, music, lifestyle), and I prefer bloggers who I feel I can relate to. Bloggers who have infinite amounts of money to spend on clothes don’t interest me as much as those who need to stretch a budget or shop for thrift & vintage clothes. Not only can I relate to these girls financially, but I am inspired by their creativity. I know it’s been said before, but anyone can be fashionable if she can afford to buy the latest designer clothes... in my opinion, that’s not true style. Some of my favorite blogs are Selective Potential, Delightfully Tacky, Orchid Grey, Cupcakes and Cashmere, The Clothes Horse, Idée Géniale and Home Run Ballerina. All of these women seem well-rounded beyond their interest in fashion and that humanizes them for me.
Would you describe yourself as a trendsetter or fashion follower ?
I’d probably call myself a fashion follower because I tend to respond to what others are wearing more than anything. That said, I am very selective about which trends I will buy into and which just aren’t my style. Some people might rock the hammer pants and armadillo shoes, but thank you, I’ll pass.
How would you describe your style ?
I think I have a pretty feminine style. I like to wear pretty things and feel like a girl, so I tend to shy away from jeans and tee shirts (although sometimes the occasion calls for them). I used to wear only babydoll dresses but they don’t serve me well for the purposes of fashion blogging because they’re difficult to recycle in new ways. The evolution of my personal style really began when I stole a trio of wool skirts from my mother’s cedar chest and hemmed them—my standard outfit formula now looks something like: shirt/skirt/belt/tights/heels (always heels!)
Does the hosiery you wear dictate the clothes,outfit you wear ?
A lot of the time it does, actually! I usually pick up multiple pairs of tights and/or socks every time I shop so I am almost always looking for an opportunity to show off my new colors and patterns. Because of this I end up building an outfit from the tights up—if I want to wear a new blue pair, I’ll try to think of a way to work around them.
What is in your hosiery drawer or closet ? It would be nice if you could take a photo and list the tights you own.
I have everything from earth tones to bright bold hues and back again—red, yellow, blue, raspberry, green, black, brown… and then, of course, the patterns! I have lacy tights and netted tights and solid, patterned purple tights… and I’m always on the lookout for more!
How do you choose your hosiery ?
Most of the time it chooses me. If I’m shopping somewhere and I see a pair that is unlike anything I currently have in my sock drawer (or unlike-enough), I’ll most likely buy it. The one thing I’ve always kind of avoided was neon tights. I can’t really find a way to work neon into my wardrobe and I don’t really care to—I feel like it washes me out/makes me look sickly. Otherwise, if I see a blogger sporting a color that hadn’t crossed my mind I might go a little bit out of my way to find a pair of my own.
Where do you shop for hoseiry ?
I like to buy it on the cheap. Places like TJMaxx or Marshall’s usually stock good quality last-season tights at low prices, so that’s a favorite. I love HUE tights and usually buy them at Macy’s… they’re so solid I feel like my body is suctioned to them and I can’t imagine how they would tear or run. Basically any time I enter a store I first make a beeline for the hosiery section—if anything in particular catches my eye, and the price is right, it’s mine!
What was the last item of hosiery you brought, how much you spent etc ?
The last time I bought tights was actually at Goodwill. One of my friends told me that they had two-dollar tights in every color of the rainbow, so I went to see for myself and ended up walking out with something like eight pairs of tights! They’re really cheap and some of them are already showing signs that they won’t last long, but that’s kind of okay with me! They were too cheap to pass up.
How does wearing tights make you feel emotionally ? More feminine,better with girly outfits not thought about it ?
Safe! I always wear pretty short skirts (I’m pretty short so it’s basically a necessity if I don’t want to look stumpy), and if I wear a good pair of opaque tights underneath I feel like my ass is protected in the windiest of circumstances (literally)!
Do you physically like the feel of tights and touch ? Do your legs ache less, prefer than pants ? not thought about it ?
I definitely prefer tights to pants because they settle at my natural waist and stretch! It’s so much more comfortable to be wearing tights after a large meal (and I enjoy a large meal) than a pair of low-rise skinny jeans!
When do you wear hosiery,daily-once a week etc ?
Pretty much daily. Like I said, I don’t wear pants, and it’s too cold for bare legs almost eight months out of the year here in Vermont…tights just make a lot of sense, for the season and for my style.
What is your hosiery staple ?
I really like opaque tights in bright, bold colors like red and yellow. I tend to prefer my subdued tones in cozy knits.
The best and worst things about hosiery, Love-hate ?
I don’t own a slip, so sometimes wearing tights can cause my skirt to bunch up, which is never attractive. Other than that, I love everything about tights! I really think they are the best way to spice up any outfit—the ultimate accessory!
How do you put on tights ? Whats the best way ?
I’m really impatient, so I kind of just shove my feet into them and hope for the best. However, that doesn’t usually work out so well and I end up scrunching them up around my toes and then sliding them up over my legs, one at a time. I think that’s really the only way.