As I sit here in anticipation for the midnight screening of The Hunger Games, I can’t help thinking
about how movies and TV have influenced fashion. For me, I have always gone to the extreme in inspiration.
When I was obsessed with the movie, The
Three Amigos, my brother drove down to Tijuana and got me an authentic Three Amigos outfit complete with a
matching sombrero. You can bet I wore that thing out and about. When the movie Clueless came out, I went shopping with
my sister and she decked me out in mini skirts, knee high socks, and matching
tops, of course this was totally inappropriate for elementary school.
Even today, I notice how I’ve been inspired by the movies
and shows I’m watching. My latest inspiration…ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars. I know this sounds like a silly teen girl
soap, but it’s actually really good. You’d have to start from the beginning to
know what’s going on, but there’s a reason this show is such a hit. There was
even a blog about it on the Huffington Post about how Pretty Little Liars is a
great feminist show that empowers young women. So in honor of my latest
obsession, I’m wearing pure lacquer nail apps (instant nail polish with designs
printed on them). I even started wearing more Aria type dresses. For those of
you who don’t watch the show, Aria is the creative, artsy, funky type, who will
mix prints, colors, and styles on any given day depending on her mood. In my fiancé’s
words he describes her style as fun, youthful, and sometimes jailbait gothic.
If you follow the show you’d see that each girl has a very
distinct style and personality. While I’m probably more of a “Hanna” girl, who
obsesses about fashion and can tell you what designer everyone is wearing or where
they got their clothes, I wish I were a little more artsy, creative, and bold
like Aria. I also find it interesting that like Hanna, I always tried to fit
in. I wore designers and clothes that were fashionable and popular, to be
popular. While Aria, who marches to the beat of her own drum and isn’t afraid
to take risks, always knows who she is and isn’t afraid to show it. I know that
I have both girls in me. I started being an Aria, as
a kid, with my costumes and dressing how I felt. In my teens, I became a
Hanna, somewhere along the way, I turned into a little bit of the over-achieving,
preppy Spencer, and now I’m trying to find my way back to Aria.
So, instead of the conservative burgundy or light pink nails
I normally get, I opted for lace printed black nails. While I normally admire
others with bold choices, I rarely make any myself. Usually I tend to stick to
things I know that works on me. So even though I only changed my nails, which
are completely temporary, it made me feel a little bolder, a little fearless.
It’s funny how such a small thing can change your whole attitude about yourself
and how you feel. This small gesture for myself even allowed me to explore my
wardrobe a bit more. I had this red knitted tank dress that I never wore
because it was completely see through. Well I found a black slip in the back of
my closet and wore it under, then I found a cream woven belt and some matching
thigh-high socks to go with my knee high biker boots. I made it work and it was
completely appropriate and actually really fun to wear.
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| photo from ABC Family |
So if a manicure can do this for me, what can it do for you
this week?
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