The Overlooked Style Icon

What I am about to explain to you needs no justification in my mind. I still feel the need to elaborate so that you might understand where I am coming from when I say what I am about to. I grew up on rock n’ roll. Although my family was more of the Jimmy Buffet and Randy Newman type, I hung around kids that were watching Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Rolling Stones’ Rock n’ Roll circus. Although I never outwardly dressed like my friends, in their tattered band shirts, ripped jeans, and scuffed shoes, I aesthetically enjoyed the style of all of my Joey Ramone doppelganger friends.

Flash forward several years and here I am. Still listening to much of the same music and knowing the words to every song because I’ve listened to them so many times and it never got old. The only main difference now is that I know more-so who I am. I’m not gritty or rough on the inside; I’m simply a feminine girl who happens to like all things gritty and rough looking. Some of the glamorized aspects of rock n’ roll are a little too much. The debauchery involved in the lifestyle is too much for me to appreciate, or even handle. I choose to admire from afar.

So what is all of this about? This is all about finding inspiration in the places where you would often overlook it. And by overlook, I mean Mick Jagger. When you mention the name, many millennials would simply respond with “who?”, everyone else is too busy either mocking his age or looking at what he is physically doing, not what he’s wearing.

Jagger’s style over the years has remained admirable. He’s been consistently consistent with what he wears, tight black jeans, a button up shirt, and the most important element of any one of his outfits, a killer blazer. Below, as on ode to none other than Mr. Jagger, I’ve compiled exactly what I would wear if I happened to be him.

 

Jagger worthy blazers:

 

Where to get them:

1.  Balmain Striped Cropped Blazer

2. Roberto Cavalli One Button Silk Blazer

3. Balmain Woven Tailored Blazer – My FAVORITE!

4. Femme De Rose- Womens Tailored Blazer

5. Just Cavalli Printed Cotton-Twill Jacket

6. River Island White Contrast Collar Scuba Tux Blazer

Who’s your overlooked style icon?

Cheers,

Jillian Ouellette

 

Funny Feelings: Vintage Swimsuits

1950’s Swimsuit

1950’s Bikini

1970’s Bikini

Inside of 1950’s Swimsuit

I know that the majority of men in my life will disagree with what I’m about to talk to you about. The scantily clad bathing suits that the line the beaches, swimming pools, and wherever the hell else you wear one are not doing women justice. *Gasp*. Of course, modern swimsuits are now made with as little fabric as possible and sold, in many cases, for the highest profit possible. For such a minimal functioning clothing item, we sure do spend a lot of time and money on them, when in the majority of cases, they are not very flattering and we only spend 3 or 4 months a year wearing them (that depends on where you live… I guess). Anyways, here’s a few reasons I think that vintage swimsuits are the jam.

1. Fabric- Modern bikinis are composed of spandex and Lycra. Know, I find these fabrics to be incredibly useful at times, but I do have some qualms with them. They are meant to stretch in large proportions, this means that the garments made with them have a lot of leeway when it comes to structure. Sizing is no longer taken into great account because of the freedom given by the fabric. A majority of vintage swimwear is made out of cotton, taking sizing into greater account. Like in picture one, 1950’s Swimsuit, holy moly.

2. Structure- Anyone who purchase, wears, or admires vintage clothes understands that clothes from different time periods are made to fit women in those time periods.  The baggy silouhette of the 1920’s and the nipped waist of the 50’s are all indicative to this gesture. A large portion of vintage swimwear is sewn like an exoskeleton, it keeps everything in place and emphasizes all the good stuff. This is seen in the last photo on Inside of 1950’s Swimsuit on Etsy.

3. Design- I feel that I don’t need to explain myself. The glamour that comes from these suits is enough to make anyone feel about themselves when wearing one of these.

These are some of the things I try to take into account when I sew for myself and I sew for Showboat Clothing.

Feel free to comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers,

Jillian Ouellette

Wishing & Dreaming

Mother of Pearl @ Moda Operandi

Mother of Peal @ Moda Operandi

Mother of Pearl @ Moda Operandi

There are many things I love and sincerely enjoy doing: making my dog sneeze, cracking jokes with my family, and wearing a mustache drawn with a highlighter when there is a black light around, just to name a few.

Also on the list? Wearing an abundance of stripes, florals, and brights- ALL AT ONCE. That’s where the Mother of Pearl Resort 2014 collection comes into play. Feel free to admire this with me, and pout, because it’s just so damn good, but so damn far away. Everything about this is just oh-so-cool, from the pant suits to the skirts, there’s a whole-lot going on and at the same time, it’s practical and wearable. I feel that mixing prints is one of the most risky and bold (in the best way possible) thing someone can do when they get dressed in the morning. Color, proportion, and shape all need to taken into consideration and for the most part, it’s all a matter of personal perception. That’s what makes this collection so magical- a girl can dream, can’t she?

Would you be willing to mix prints?

Best wishes,

Jillian Ouellette

Funny Feelings: Silk Kimonos

PrettyLittleWorldVtg

 

PrettyLittleWorldVtg

 

Noir Ohio Vintage

There are many things on my ever-growing “Want List.” I have to be real with myself though: I’m a broke a** college student (wah! Poor me, right?) and will not be obtaining half of the things I really want, any time in the near future. But a girl can dream, right?

Because of this intense lust for the, slightly obtainable but still oh-so-far-away, objects of my desire, I put together a list of the ten million things on my wish list, within specific categories. This weeks- none other than vintage silk kimonos! Exactly what every girl wants, right? Right. I imagine myself twirling around in a circle in all of these bad boys- just like a real housewife of ATL – Gone with the Wind Fabulous.

But on a serious note, these garments are truly beautiful and the craftsmanship used to make such garments is unmatched to anything that can be store-bought now-a-days.  The material, one can assume, is top of the line, and even after years of wear, the colors are still vibrant and rich.

 

Would you rock one of these?