“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Having grown up in Arizona and moving to New York City almost two years ago, I have noticed how a huge difference in dress. New Yorkers have a more unique, individual sense of fashion as there are so many cultures to influence one's personal style. The thing I like about New York is that you can take risks in your daily wardrobe, and people are less judgmental. It doesn't hurt either that NYC is the fashion capital of the country. Arizona, on the other hand, seems to play it more safe when it comes to fashion, which I found very boring. It takes Arizonian's a long time to finally catch on to the trends that have already passed seasons ago and when they do catch on, it is watered down from the New Yorkers that were working it long before.
I think another huge influence on personal style is your family. I am very fortunate to have a mother who has never lost her sense of style. Growing up in Japan, she had a tailor that made her beautiful clothes that she took out of the pages of Vogue, which gave her the title of 'Best Dressed' in her high school class. The one thing she truly loves is accessories. Both my mom and I share a love of black clothing, but we both see it as a blank canvas that we can brighten up with the right accessories. We are always sending each other pieces that we know each other will love, and we are always trading off; mine from flea markets in Chelsea and sample sales in the city; hers from the Antique Trove in Scottsdale and funky pieces from Betsey Johnson. She can pick out costume jewelry that is inexpensive and make it look like a million bucks.
Some of the most fashionable people have passed on their good style genes to their daughters. There was an article in the July 2009 issue of British Vogue that made me think of my mother immediately. Lady Amanda Harlech, a muse to some of the greatest designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano is styled by her 20 year old daughter Tallulah Ormsby-Gore. Her daughter took influence from her mother's amazing sense of style, and added some of her edginess that created an avant-garde look:
American Vogue's Anna Wintour has had a strong influence on her daughter Bee Shaffer. She has inherited her mother's amazing journalism skills, writing for The Daily Telegraph's style pages on top of her mother's fashion sense. Both have a style that is clean, elegant, polished and timeless.
The most amazing mother and daughter team is French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld and daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. They were rocking Balmain before most people caught on to the trend and who can say their mom looks good in Christopher Decarnin's sultry gowns? I'm drawn the most to their look because it is edgy, sexy, dark and mysterious.
Thank you mom, for being such a huge inspiration to me. Without you, I would have never built up the strength to move out to New York to follow the path that I've chosen in fashion. It is hard on both of us to be so far away from each other, but everyday when I am picking out my favorite accessories, I can feel you close to my heart and thank my lucky stars to be blessed with the greatest mother and best friend a girl can have.
-Ashley
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