When I photographed Morgan a while back (ignore the terrible watermarks) I wasn’t yet comfortable wearing red lipstick, and I have to admit that she was a big influence on pushing me out of my comfort zone and into the tribe of red lipstick wearers. People often ask me who my primary style inspiration is, expecting me to say Kate Lanphear or another stylish magazine editor whose outfits are chronicled by us bloggers. But honestly, and I truly mean this, my primary source of outfit inspiration is from the everyday people I photograph for my blog. I’m not a magazine editor with free access to a closet full of advertisers’ latest “it” bags/shoes/dresses, I’m a grad student at DePaul. I connect with the people in my photos, and I hope you do too.
Michelle is immensely inspiring to me in how she incorporates extravagant fashion into her everyday life. Michelle dresses like this all the time – not just during fashion week. I’ve always said that it’s my dream to someday be in a position to wear Rodarte to the grocery store. Is there anything more fabulous than wearing heavily designed garments to engage in the most mundane life activities? Rodarte may be the apex, the top of the fashion mountain so to speak, but it’s more about letting your inner-self shine in the most basic environments. Not everyone (including me) can afford to wear designer clothing everyday so it’s important to remember simple ways to spice up your day-to-day ensembles. Wearing red lipstick to the office or clipping a vintage brooch onto a plain wool overcoat are easy ways to add flair to your everyday life.
After all, not everyone can be Michelle Harper – there is only one.
Celine pants aside, there is something mesmerizing about this woman’s simplicity. I know that minimalism is in and all, but she mastered the aesthetic. The oversized blazer is the key. A bit of proportion play is an excellent method to keep a minimal look intriguing, since it can run the risk of looking boring. I went thrifting recently and bought an oversized authentic Pendelton blazer for an astonishing $5. What was more startling was that whoever priced that garment had no idea what they were looking at.
