OOTD: Self-Expression Through Style

One of my favorite parts about my job is being a member of the INSIDER Spirit Squad. Every 2 weeks, my office dresses according to a particular theme. We take a group photo and give awards to those who best embodied the day's theme. The Spirit Squad takes the office's suggestions for themes and organizes when and what each theme day will be. I actually wore this jacket for our 2nd theme day – Millennial Pink Day (a theme which was chosen based on an article I wrote a while back).

A couple weeks ago, the Spirit Squad was talking about what it means to best embody a theme, and the concept of the definition of style came up. Kyle, another Spirit Squad member and the person behind the camera for the photos in this post, said that fashion is about trends, while style is about wearing things in new and unexpected ways. This definition places emphasis on how something is being worn as opposed to what is being worn. Josie said that one's sense of style depends on wearing what makes them feel best. Personal style, then, could prioritize fashion trends, comfort, making a statement, emanating a particular persona, etc.

I've always regarded style as a form of self-expression, while fashion refers to the industry which chooses and advertises trends each season. That's why I consider myself a "style blogger" instead of a "fashion blogger". My definition of style, then, is a mix between Kyle and Josie's definitions.

For me, self-expression entails a number of different things. First and foremost, dressing to express myself means dressing to show the world who I am. I'm creative, thoughtful, intelligent, and witty. My creativity shows in the unique pieces and combinations I wear. I'm thoughtful in how I put together my outfits, paying attention to detail and dressing appropriately for the weather and whatever environment I'm going to be in. I like to be smart about what I wear, keeping in mind where my clothes and favorite fashion trends come from. I often throw a little bit of whimsy into my outfits, like the dog socks I'm wearing under these boots.

Self-expression also means wearing things that say something about me. This jacket is an obvious example, as it displays my blog name in my own handwriting. You can't tell in these photos, but I'm also wearing a necklace with a scorpion on it, because I'm a Scorpio. Pink is my favorite color, so I wore an outfit composed almost entirely of it. 

While I don't prioritize following trends by any means, I do like being inspired by what's "in" in fashion, and choosing to wear trends that I like outside of their importance in fashion. This slip dress, for example, is a huge street style trend right now. When I saw shots of celebrities walking around in slip dresses, I remembered being in middle school and finding a silk slip (like, the kind you wear under a dress) in a box of hand-me-downs. I tried it on and modeled it for my mom, declaring that I wanted to wear this dress to my Bat Mitzvah. I genuinely don't remember if my mom was horrified or amused, but I can tell you I wore a real dress to synagogue for my Bat Mitzvah. So, learning that this was now an appropriate style to wear in public inspired me to purchase a slip dress for myself.

Comfort and aesthetics play a huge role in my sense of style. I love this shirt because I can wear it without a bra. Wearing a bra always makes me just a little more uncomfortable, whether due to the underwire or the straps. This dress kind of feels like wearing nothing, an ideal bodily sensation. I've been big on leather (well, faux leather) jackets since high school. I couldn't tell you what it is I like about them, but I find them aesthetically pleasing enough to have 2 of them. I've already mentioned that pink is my favorite color, so I've been figuring out how to wear pink since before millennial pink became a ~thing~. 

Finally, I'd be lying if I said my style was completely unique to me, uninspired by others. I've wanted a personalized jacket with my blog name on it since seeing Payton of Hustle + Halcyon and Dani of Mermaid Waves rock theirs. I had originally intended to embroider a denim jacket with Broke & Fabulous, but I have much more experience painting, and this jacket is just such a perfect representation of my blog.

How do you find and define your sense of style? Comment below to let me know!

OOTD: That's So Hannah

Black Steve Madden Chelsea booties - distressed mom jeans - black mesh top high-slit dress - black H&M cropped faux leather moto jacket - brown ribbon choker - gold leaf headband

Evelyn is in staying with me this week for her spring break, and we are seriously tearing up NYC. Yesterday we hit up the Museum of Natural History, where we paid $0.50 each for admission. She's studying biochemistry and I got my Bachelor's of Science in psychology, so there was plenty to thrill us both. I got to see a human brain, a life-size replica of a giant blue whale, and an entire display featuring my birthstone, so I was a happy camper.

This outfit was inspired by Leandra Medine of Man Repeller. She rewrote what it means to be a fashion blogger: She's all about dressing for yourself and really experimenting with fashion as a means of expression of oneself. Since becoming an avid reader of the site, I've committed to buying statement pieces that really scream, "Hannah." This shirt-dress hybrid was one of those purchases. It's such a unique piece that I couldn't quite find something similar to link to (I've provided a couple pieces with similar qualities, but nothing close). My sense of style isn't always one-of-a-kind; my favorite embroidered jeans are literally everywhere right now, but they're still so ME. I'm dedicating myself to dressing for me and me alone to express myself and make myself happy.

OOTD: Red Roses, Red Roses

Black suede Mossimo clogs - black rose-embroidered H&M jeans - black off-the-top Forever 21 top - black cropped H&M moto jacket - gold necklace - gold and crystal drop earrings

I've been looking for a basic pair of black jeans for, like, forever. Of course, I fell in love with these embroidered jeans and bought them instead of something basic. They were $30, which is more than I usually spend on a single item of clothing, but I really sat myself down and thought about how I could better spend that money. Would it be better for me to buy myself a pair of something I love with all my heart, or a couple pieces I like? I mean, it's rare that I find something for less than $15 that I really love. I already have most wardrobe basics, so at this point I'm really only adding stand-out pieces to my closet. I decided to commit to going with quality over quantity, and ended up buying the jeans (obviously). 

So far, they've totally been worth it– I've owned them just three weeks but have already worn them six times. I've also already spent all of my shopping budget for this quarter, so I have to wait until the end of March to buy any new clothing. Clearly, I need to fine-tune my shopping habits, but overall I'm glad with the new direction I'm heading in with my closet.

OOTD: Galentine's Day // Self-Love

Happy Galentine's Day! As many of you know, this is my favorite holiday, because it celebrates something that is so important to me: platonic friendships, specially between women. Last year for Galentine's Day, I wrote about how how I came to realize that female friendships are absolutely essential. This year, I'm writing about something a little different: self-love.

I would argue that Galentine’s Day is as much about your relationship with yourself as it is about your relationships with your gals. After all, you are the only person who knows you from birth 'til death. Thus, it’s extremely important to cultivate and maintain a loving relationship with yourself.

Self-love is similar to friendships between women in that it is often misrepresented in popular society. Both relationships are meaningful, fulfilling, and, in a word, essential. I see self-love labeled as self-absorption, selfishness, or narcissism far too often. This negative portrayal discourages people, specifically young people, from working to develop a loving relationship with themselves for fear of being labeled self-centered.

I’ve spent a long time working on my relationship with myself. I’m still working on self-love, but I’m mostly content with myself. One of the biggest ways I’ve worked on loving myself is simply by spending time alone with myself. I’ve always been pretty introverted and required time by myself, but I haven’t always been thoughtful about how I’ve spent time with myself. Once I realized that my relationship with myself is, in fact, a relationship, I started treating my time with myself the same way I treat my time with my friends. I’m nice to myself (I treat myself the way I want to be treated), I do fun things with myself, and I listen to myself.

Another way to cultivate self-love is by engaging in self-care. This can, on occasion, be cutesy and romantic, like what you might see on Tumblr. You can take bubble baths with your favorite TV show, treat yourself to a coffee, or wear your favorite underwear. Most often, though, self-care is pretty boring, but essential nonetheless. You practice these methods every day: you practice self-affirmations, feed yourself good food, brush your teeth, go to bed on time, go on a walk, and do things that make you feel good about yourself. So much of taking care of yourself just relies on forming healthy habits, which anyone can do.

In light of Galentine’s day, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that an important part of self-love is surrounding yourself with people who love you AND who want you to love yourself. For me, these people are my friends and family. I’m so grateful to have the amazing friends that I do who love and support me and are excited for me, even when my life takes me away from them. Even long-distance, our friendships serve to empower each other. I’m so grateful for these gals and, though I wish I was celebrating today with them, I’m so glad that we’re all doing some seriously rad stuff across the world.

How I Wear: Faux Leather Moto Jacket

I was recently looking through my post archive and I realized something: I re-wear a lot of pieces in my OOTDs. As a broke young adult, I really only own so much clothing, and I do what I can to style all my pieces in different ways. However, I definitely own some things that I tend to wear on a more regular basis. This new series, "How I Wear," will take some of my favorite pieces and examine four different ways that I've styled them to make four unique outfits.

The piece: A black H&M faux leather moto jacket. I bought almost this exact jacket for 40 euros in 2011, and it's been my go-to piece ever since. 

Flirty: Edgy leather and romantic lace come together to make the perfect cool-flirty look.

Night out: A leather jacket is a classic look for a night out. A fun fringe skirt and casual-cool tee make this perfect to wear out.

Fall: Pairing this jacket with such a great fall color made the outfit perfect to wear to coffee or around town.

Casual: Whenever I want to add a little extra something to an otherwise boring outfit, I throw this jacket on on top.