It’s again that time of the year where every fashion blogger’s feed/blog/twitter is flooded with the badass street style looks and whimsical creations surrounding the iconic Fashion Weeks all over the world.

New York, London, Milan… very much like myself, they all have their eyes set on next year’s Spring months, and once again strive to inspire us with their garments, materials and accessories.

Year after year, I see how the girls and boys that live in those cities, as well as the popular fashion set that flies in to attend the shows, adding a familiar face & a ton of glamour to the events, manage to embed themselves in the city vibe while standing out from the crowds.

During these weeks, everyone talks about fashion and fashion is everywhere.

Its limits once again become fluid as people walk on the street donning the brightest colours or the weirdest layers without anyone batting an eye. A parade where all the peacocks seem equally beautiful and where one element seems to have the utmost importance: originality.

In recent years I have heard people criticising the current state of fashion, both the designed collections and the high street wear, for the lack of originality in the pieces showcased and how people style them. Now, I don’t wanna walk on muddy waters here, but I think originality in fashion nowadays is a bit of a relative concept.

In a global world where designers and fashionistas draw inspiration from all the corners of the globe and decades long gone, both collections and trends tend to be a mix of things known to others, albeit others in faraway places and faraway times. And that’s fine. In my humble opinion, you cannot criticise fashion for not reinventing the wheel every single year. And you cannot consider every person who doesn’t toy with the limits of fashion a frumpy dresser.

Don’t get me wrong, I am fully aware that the world of fashion can only grow thanks to those visionaries that bring something new to the table, those that do create an impact. But even if I have always looooved street style looks and I am a firm advocate of making the most of your wardrobe, there is one thing that we have to remind ourselves of: not everyone dresses to make a statement.

And that’s cool as well. Some people just want to feel comfortable in their second skin. And for some people wearing a skirt when they hate their legs might feel more of a statement than all the bold prints in the world put together. Originality is not even in the mind of someone who is fighting a different battle.

Perhaps all these ideas are a bit confusing because I am trying to compare two different realities: the reality of the fashion world enthusiasts and the reality of regular fashion consumers. But I find myself caught in between these two realities quite often, so it’s only normal that I want to explore them while I try to reconcile them in my head…

As you would expect, I am forced to reflect on my own take on fashion, which much to no-one’s surprise, has changed over the last couple of years since She talks Glam came to be.

If when launching the blog I was very much inspired by those street style looks I was mentioning before, over the past few months before and after our trip, my personal style has shifted from bold & colourful feminine outfits to more understated and tomboyish ones, although never letting go of that sexy touch. I have narrowed down the colour palette sitting in my wardrobe and fell in love with everything French chic (like everyone else on Instagram, duh). Most importantly, over the past year, I have realised that I don’t have to make a statement every time I pick a piece out of my wardrobe –nor every time I shoot an outfit for the blog.

So I am not the most original fashionista ever… so what?

Believe it or not, this has been a huge revelation for me! Honing in on my style has not only made me more selective with my purchases but it has also helped me liberate headspace for other cool stuff, such as developing interesting post ideas, original photo editing techniques *wink-wink* and various side projects I have been working on recently.

Originality in fashion has simply gone down a few spots on my current priority list and I am fine with that!

The truth is that, no matter what you focus on when putting an outfit together, to me, fashion will always be like that comforting friend who pulls you together when you are not liking the image returned by the mirror. It’s that friend that boosts your confidence to go and chat a guy up in a bar, or to ask your boss for a raise. Fashion is Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. It’s a compliment to your best body features or a middle-finger to what people think you should wear. To me, fashion will always be whatever you want it to be.

The important thing about fashion is that it makes you feel good, that it makes you feel yourself or that it helps you become the person you long to be.

So even if originality in fashion seems to be so important these days and lack thereof something to worry about, I would like to stick up for us real-world models, trend-followers and serial outfit repeaters, and for all of you out there who don’t even give a f*ck about fashion. For whether you like it or not, fashion is everywhere and we are all finding our way through and with it.

Peace & Love

Saida

{ZARA mini dress} {Office sandals} {Handmade crochet bag} {CINCO gold coin necklace}