FBFF for April 22: Inspiration

This week Katy of Modly Chic has asked FBFF members about inspiration.  I think it’s an important topic for anyone who gets dressed in the morning – what inspires you to wear what you do.  My answers are below, but if you’d like to see more, Modly Chic has a whole list of participants.

Which celebrity (celebrities) do you look to for fashion inspiration?

This was sort of hard for me because I don’t find a lot of celebrities inspirational.  Many of them don’t even select their own clothes, instead depending on a stylist to dress them.  However, I do have a couple celebrities that I do find pretty inspirational. 

The first is Cate Blanchette.  In my eyes, she can do no wrong.  She is absolutely fearless in what she wears – Givenchy Oscar gown anyone?  I don’t know if they are her choices or her stylists, but either way, I have a great appreciation for her style. 

The second would be Helen Mirren.  She always, always, always looks amazing.  And not amazing-for-a-woman-in-her-60s either; just flat out amazing for a woman of any age.  She seems so classy and poised – when I grow up I’d like to look classy and poised too.

When it comes to your own personal style, what inspires you?

Color, definitely.  I look at the different colors present in art, in nature, in magazines, movies and on other blogs.  I like to see how they’re put together and a lot of times I’m inspired to try combinations that I know I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.

How do you hope to inspire your readers?

Hopefully I inspire my readers to try different things no matter what their size or shape.  There are so many ‘rules’ to fashion that if I listened to them I wouldn’t bother to get out of bed.  And they’re very definitive rules too, telling you to “always” do something or “never” do something else.  Some of the rules are helpful, but I think a lot of them are unnecessarily prohibitive. 

I personally like to try different silhouettes or color combinations or looks even if they’re something that society has maybe dictated I shouldn’t.  And, to be honest, they don’t always work.  But, at least I tried and hopefully I’ll inspire my readers to try something new too.

Outside the realm of fashion who/what inspires you?

I am very inspired by my family – especially all my nieces and nephews, who I adore.  I don’t have kids of my own and at this age am not sure that I will, so I treat them like they are mine.  Spending time with them is the absolute best – I love hearing them talk incessantly about Pokemon and volcanoes and whatever else they have on their minds that day.

And since Idol is ending… Which songs inspire you?

Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine.  That song somehow manages to fill me with joy and melancholy at the same time.  But, the good kind of melancholy.  Really, the whole album (Lungs) is amazing – I listen to it almost constantly.

I’m also completely enamored of Rolling in the Deep by Adele.  She has the most amazing voice and that song is so strong.  I think that’s why I like Florence and the Machine too – they’re good, strong songs.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey