On the Subject of Fashion

 To me, fashion is a deeply personal subject.  I believe that fashion is in the eye of the beholder.  And like most bloggers, I would go so far as to say that often personal fashion is a direct expression of someone's personality.  (Or at least the personality they want people to perceive!)  As a child, I was pretty fashionable.  Mostly because my mom was in charge of my clothes, so everything I had was very cute and appropriate for a kid.  Once I hit my tweens, though, and she didn't have any more say in my clothing choices, it all started to fall apart.  This is where I confess my sad, sad lack of fashion skills between the ages of ...say, 10 and 17.  Oh, I thought I was fashionable.  I thought I was the coolest looking girl out there.  And I know, it should work out that if you think you're cool, you are.  But no.  I wasn't even a hot mess.  I was more of a tepid mess.  The eyes that beheld me were often pretty disgusted.  There were shirts I clung to, that I cringe at the thought of, my hair that went poorly brushed most mornings, the fact that most of my clothes I picked out were too big, until the latter half of high school when the tops at least went the other direction.  To be fair, I don't think most kids have a great sense of fashion.  I think it's something we have to grow into to, because our fashion is as personal, and most people don't have any clue who they really are until after puberty.   I certainly don't think it helped that I went through puberty early, and was wearing an actual bra, not a training bra, in the fourth grade.  And then in high school, puberty smacked me around again as I went up multiple cup sizes, and through a lot of new bras.  I had just started to develop a vaguely artistic, slightly hippie, occasionally dangerous looking style of my own when I went off to college.  And then.  I went to a private university, where anorexia and bulimia ruled the women's dorms, with preppy style close behind.  I stayed my true size (a curvy hourglass), but the preppy style slowly crept in over the next four years.  It stayed there in the edges while I moved to Kansas and went to graduate school, working full-time.  Then I moved back to Virginia, and as I kept applying for jobs and not getting them, I gained some weight.  I finally got a job, and as I went through all my clothes to find stuff that fit, I was dismayed at what I saw.  This wasn't me!  I wasn't really this boring, oxford shirt-wearing, plain black pants sort of person!  Last year, my sister showed me some fashion blogs online, I got interested in this concept of finding my own personal style, and maybe even making a outfit blog of my own.  I rummaged through my closet, and set huge piles of stuff on the spare bed.  It turned out that, despite my lifelong snarking about "girly girls", I prefer wearing skirts to pants or jeans.  It just looks better on my figure, and feels more comfortable.  I still like those hippie shirts like I did in high school, but I also love embellished t-shits made of slub cotton, and buttonless cardigans.  I wear flats, not heels, but that doesn't mean they aren't adorable.  I wear leggings under most skirts and under dresses, and I have a deep love of arm warmers and leg warmers.  So now, my sense of fashion has regrown to the point where I like what I wear and I have written proof that others do too!

Basse Mode's Lauren answers some questions

This is an emailed interview that I did with Lauren Cooke, one of the creators of the work-in-progress magazine Basse Mode. Yes, I have been plugging the mag a bit, and when you finish the interview and look at the site, you'll see why! Lauren's own blog is "A Typical Atypical", a smashing good read.



Hey Lauren!
I have several questions for you. Feel free to answer/not answer the ones you like. First of all, get comfy. Squash on down in your chair. Get a snack, or a beverage. Turn on some fun music. Now, have a nice little virtual talk with my blog self, LibraryGirl. (Why, yes, I do work in a library! I am so very original.)

1. A Typical Atypical? Explain to the nice confuzzled girl please?

I am a little bit odd, and more than a little bit aware of it. However, I have come to the conclusion that most of us are barmy in on way, making my Atypicality totally typical! Hence I am a typical atypical!

2. Tell us some more about yourself...dreams, hopes, age, shoe size...you know, the basics.

Well, I used to be a size 8 foot, but then they shrank to a 7 (UK)!! Other than that I am a 23yr old girl working in eMarketing and social media. I am starting to make my way in the world, heading into the realm of blogging and writing more and more - and one day I hope to have a career to do with this which lets me work from home - as long as home is a beautifully restored and decorated house!

3. Basse Mode - It means Low Fashion. I read your post (http://tinyurl.com/ydffu9x) about the concept and it spoke to me right away. I understand the desire to read a low fashion magazine (hell, I have it!) but how did you and the other girls decide to actually go for it and create it? And who came up with the title?

It was an accident really, as many of the best things are! I was throwing the idea for such a magazine out there, and Fi and Emma picked up on the idea and loved it! We got chatting, and now just a couple of weeks later we have a blog set up and loads of wonderfully talented girls willing to help! The title came from us already fixing on the idea of low fashion - and it just sounded better in French!

4. You, Emma, and Fi are all Brits. Are you excited about creating a magazine working with fashion bloggers/other creative types from around the world? Do you think that there are significant differences in what's perceived as "low fashion" depending on where you're from, your age, etc., and is this something that you look forward to showcasing in the magazine?

Low fashion really just means clothes and style that aren't purely from the catwalk or expensive designers. When you think about the fact that within one country you can have so many different styles and trends, it suddenly seems less relevant to worry about cross-cultural differences. I think the variety is the real winner here - Basse Mode isn't aiming to dictate fashion, but merely to inspire people with examples of real women from all walks of life. Each individual's take on low fashion will be different, and that is what makes it special - and that difference is what we are celebrating.


5. Obviously, this one is a issue near and dear to my own heart. Please, please, please, tell me that when Basse Mode comes out it will be available in/shipped to America. And I suppose other countries like...um, Canada as well, too.

We honestly don't know. That may seem a bit of a cop out, but currently we don't have a business plan as we have no funders, sponsors or backers - and they would be the ones with the influence over this. This is why we are trying to raise attention, so that we have proof people want this when the time comes. I would imagine, in an ideal world, that it will probably be a UK produced magazine, but that shipping out to other countries will be a major part. I am speculating until we know it is actually going to become a reality, however!

6. Do you (personally) tend to follow more Brit bloggers than non-Brits or is it all a big mish-mash? (This is probably the part where I should confess that I am a huge Anglophile, yet I haven't been following anyone who doesn't live in America. Sigh, the complexity of the LibraryGirl.)

Interesting question, and one I haven't ever thought about before. I think I follow a massive mix up from mainly Australia, America and the UK. However, despite the expected writing style differences and the real spelling differences, I often don't notice the country of origin - the internet makes it seem like we are all writing from the same place!

7. Random question: Do you read Tavi Gevinson's blog, Style Rookie? (http://tinyurl.com/5qucxy) It's so depressing that a tweenager is lightyears ahead of me on the cool train.

She is very cool indeed :) I don't read her, personally, but I do read a few of the blogs that have really been catapulted into fame and fortune.

8. Ultimate future wishes: both for you personally and for the magazine?

For me? To have fun, do stuff that I wil be proud to remember, and constantly push my boundaries!

For the magazine? To actually get it printed, even if just for one issue. Even to make some sort of annual or one off publication would mean I have something physical to save of the wonderful world of fashion blogging, something that I can show to my grandchildren!


9. And finally, finish us off with an e-bay/etsy/favorite item of the moment pic.

I am totally in love with this vintage Laura Ashley dress - I think it is sexy!