Some women are eternally stylish, effortlessly fashionable, always chic no matter the setting. I have never really been one of those women. I was the girl in high school who found her prom dresses at the thrift store, and rocked caution tape for a sash at Winter Formal. I have never really understood the mystery that is seasonal fashion, or why certain fabrics work best in certain seasons, or why some things go together when others don’t.
Usually I don’t care. I’ve reached a point where I wear what I wear, and it’s mostly flattering (though I will occasionally get tagged in a photo and realize that NO that shirt is NOT FLATTERING at all, and promptly donate it), and I’m more or less comfortable with my style.
And yet, every once in a while I will get in the mood of reinvention, and start trying to be, well, more stylish than I typically am.
My last fashion frenzy coincided with my taking Facebook off my phone. I went a little nuts with Instagram, and started posting my daily outfits. I totally got into it.
I discovered that if used the timer feature on my camera app and propped up my phone on a stroller, or the swingset, I could really get a decent angle. This worked well as long as I wasn’t too anxious that any of my neighbors would see what I was doing. Because that would be mortifying. I mean, I don’t normally lean casually against the side of my garage while staring pensively off into the distance. And the more pictures I took, the more I tried to channel my inner fashionista, striking dramatic poses in my kitchen because I don’t have access to cool graffiti-sprayed alleyways.
After a couple weeks, though, I was no longer capable of taking myself seriously. How all the real fashionistas can post so many selfies (or pics of themselves taken by a real photographer) and not feel cripplingly self-conscious about it is a mystery to me. Kudos to them! I don’t have it in me. Plus, I ran out of interesting outfits to photograph.
My creative streak did take over, though, when I figured out I could make pictures like this:
Now that’s what I’m talking about. This is likely the adult expression of buying prom dresses at thrift stores.
I will continue to enjoy the Instagram accounts I follow that are by people who do actual fashion, because it’s pretty. But I will enjoy it in my maxi skirt/comfy shirt combo, sitting on the couch and possibly eating ice cream, until the next time I get into the mood of being a little fancy.
Rivki Silver ~ thoughts & music 
I really liked your Instagram selfies although I think I only saw some of them–I don’t have an Instagram account so I just follow links from Twitter or Facebook if I happen to see them. I think the ones that are the most fun are the more “natural” situations like just standing by a table or doing normal activities. I hope you’ll post more of them some time if you feel like it!
Thanks! I agree, I like the natural ones too. Like, here’s a Rivki in her natural environment. Watch as she tries to feed her children something remotely healthy.
Ha ha ha ha :)
You crack me up! This post is awesome!!!!!
I love the wacky pictures on the bottom. So much fun!
Your attitude is much better than mine. I’ve kinda decided that whatever I do, I won’t look hip, stylish, etc. Flattering is occasionally possible. I think I purposely where weird things just to prove I don’t care. But I do, I do care.
“I don’t normally lean casually against the side of my garage while staring pensively off into the distance.” LOL .. Really enjoyed your post and luv your outfit with the striped skirt!
>Some women are eternally stylish, effortlessly fashionable, always chic no matter the setting. < Isn't that annoying! And if you meet them on a rainy and stormy day, they still look like they've just walked out of a beauty salon and their clothes are freshly ironed. How do they do it? After five minutes in rain and wind, I look like – hm, some kind of scarecrow, maybe. And in 50° below zero, they wear silk stockings and elegant shoes. How on earth do they do it?
Seriously, I thnik you have a fabulous individual style. Caution tape as a sash! I love it! And I still like the scarf in the picture on the right, middle row, very much. ( And I also spend many delightful hours in thrift stores and on fleamarkets…)
You’re absolutely fantastic, Rivki. I enjoy the fashion pictures and blogs as well. The extent of my fashionable outfits are long Jean skirts and cute sweaters. Hi fashion for me is wearing heeled Mary Jane’s as opposed to flats.
So many grammatical errors. Please forgive. On a mobile.