What's your Label?

*Update: Some of the information in this post is outdated.  The site has been "overhauled" since this post was done, and therefore things have been added and deleted.  

A few quick things first:  Because I am posting so inconsistently, I thought I would make it easier for people to find out when there is anything new! If you would like to receive an email notification that will update you every time there is a new blog post, just send a message through the contact form I have available on the "Contact" page.  Also, every time I do post something new, I post several more pictures to the "My Inspiration" page for any extra outfit ideas you may be looking for! :) I would also like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has been reading and been so incredibly supportive.  I started this as something fun to do, and although it is in the very early stages, I am really excited for where it will hopefully go.  Hope you enjoy "What's Your Label?" and stay tuned for more!

In today's society labels have become everything.  Are you preppy?  Are you hipster?  Are you nerdy or athletic?  It all starts in high school.. well at least it did for me.  For those four years of my life I spent every day trying to figure out who I was and where I was going, as though that was something I could know at 16.  The biggest problem was that I was so focused on becoming the girl everyone would like, and not focused enough on becoming who I really wanted to be.  Of course my close friends and family showed me over time how crazy that was, but let's be honest, there's no changing the mind of a teenage girl.. especially this one! As I transitioned into college, I knew it was an opportunity to change and grow into the woman I had always imagined being: someone filled with passion for what they do, someone that inspires others and loves themself, and someone who can eat McDonald's every day and never have it catch up to them.  I wanted to stop being the girl who allowed others to determine what my label would be or if I was cool enough to fit in.  Although I haven't quite reached becoming her, I am definitely able to say that I am steadily on my way there.  

One of the greatest decisions I ever made that furthered my growth was moving to Milwaukee with my boyfriend.  Yes, looking back now I probably should've insisted we move to, oh I don't know, California.. Arizona.. anywhere but the freezing arctic we are currently living in, but I'm trying to look at the bright side: layering, layering, layering.  Nothing furthers your style more than the chance to layer multiple textures, patters, and colors!  Anyway, when I moved to Milwaukee I knew no one.  It was the opportunity to be whoever I wanted with no expectations based on the past me.  I spent the first year trying to figure out who I wanted to be.  At first, I was looking towards other people, trying to become the things I admired about them.  I was constantly saying things like "Oh her hair is pretty, maybe I should do that" or "she looks cute in that outfit, I should dress more like that."  I drove my boyfriend absolutely crazy!  Thank goodness I had him to snap me out of the high school phase i was falling back into.  He showed me that I already have attributes I should love and that no one is perfect.  When I finally started accepting and loving myself, I was able to figure out what was important to me.  Here's what I discovered: I love fashion! Okay, okay, I've known for a very long time that I LOVE clothes, but I had never realized how much passion I had for style.  

I learned to love myself and I learned that I have a passion for fashion.  What's next? I wanted to create a style that would represent who I am to everyone I might meet.  And so it started...  Suddenly I cared a whole lot more each morning about what I was going to wear to school, work, the grocery store; it became a bit of an obsession.  Each morning I would try on several outfits and wake my boyfriend up to ask what he thought.. of every single one.  He began to not only hate my new sense of style very quickly, but also suddenly he liked absolutely anything I would put on, as long as he could go back to sleep.  

The problem was that although I had learned to accept myself, I was not necessarily confident in my ability to "pull something off."  Unfortunately, I think that is a saying we all use too much: "do you think I can pull this off?"  I mean really what is there to pull off.. if it fits, and you like the look, shouldn't that be all that matters?  I found myself constantly asking out loud.. or in my head, "is this me?" "is this too hipster for me to wear?" "do I look too preppy in this?"  Once again I became so focused on the labels society has created, as though they are something to live by, and not focussed enough on the label I've created.  My label is Erin, that's the only one I ever need.  There is no one like me and I'm proud to be the woman I'm becoming.  That is why I dress for myself each day, whether that be preppy, hipster, nerdy, or athletic.  We should be confident in who we are, imperfections and all.  We shouldn't care about what society might label us as, but only what your label really is: you.  Style is something we do to express ourselves, and it is crucial to express what is honestly you.  Wear what you love, ignore the labels, and express yourself through your own Flawed Fashion.

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All the outfits posted are examples of different styles I love that represent the real me.  When I pick out my clothes now, I'm no longer concerned with what label might be associated with what I wear, but instead what I like and what best shows off who I am.