This amazing outfit was posted on Facebook as a style challenge. The inspiration is a web series from Ghana called "An African City". I've never seen it, but apparently the fashion alone makes it worth watching. We were challenged to create a look using thrift store finds, which pays homage to this one. Well aware that entries were due on the 21st, I was still super surprised to learn this morning that today was the day. It sounded like everyone was in a similar predicament, and had nothing to show. Not wanting to be a quitter, I took a quick look in my closet, which was all I needed to tell me that I had NOTHING. Plan B--my daughter's closet. I asked her where "that Stevie Nicks top" was that I bought from a thrift store back in the winter. Although she said at the time that she would "probably" wear it, it remained unworn until today. I figured that at least I'd have something flowy to mimic the attitude of the shirt in the picture. We dug it out and I was happy to see that it was still as awesome as I remembered. Alas, no pencil skirts in her wardrobe, so now what? Amazing, at least to me, that I'd picked up this Express maxi skirt at the Free Store. She really had no plans of wearing it, but we both agreed that this outfit was going to be a winner. I was thinking that this shirt was navy blue, but you may remember that navy and black are pretty much the same to me. This midnight blue skirt with the black lace overlay made it very clear that the shirt was indeed black. Since the resemblance to the outfit above was still quite a "stretch", she put her hair up so at least that was a match. I also wasn't happy that our version wasn't really summery, so we pushed up the long sleeves which added some drape to the arms as well as made it more appropriate for summer. The long sides are super dramatic and gave the top a similar look and feel. We added silver sandals and bright vintage bangles to bring even more summer into the look. We went outside to try a few shots, and I decided to grab a pair of shades. I figured I'd get a pair of vintage tortoiseshells, but found this vintage blue pair with a slight cat-eye and super dark lenses. The blue and black theme was solidified. The purse pulled the whole thing together with black, silver, and bling. It was amazingly simple and so much fun to find all of this right in our own closets and in about ten minutes. This was one of those days that validated my whole obsession with collecting fashion that I either can't or rarely wear:
That this top has a cropped "feel" was a bonus. The show of skin brought it even closer to the vibe of the original, but is covered enough for my very conservative daughter to feel comfortable in.
It was such a fickle day weather-wise that every time the sun and clouds switched places, the color of the skirt changed, which was another pleasant surprise. What I had originally conceived as a darker, more serious version of the style inspiration, turned out to be it's sophisticated and sexy cousin. I always surprise myself by being more of a fashionista than I'd ever considered, but I guess if you're creative, it just spills over into everything. For that gift, I am extremely grateful.
I see more style challenges in my future!
No comments:
Post a Comment