If Copying is Wrong, I Don't Want to Be Right

"One cannot be stylish if she copies another." I recently read this somewhere (and have heard this type of sentiment from many people in general) and thought we should discuss. My opinion might be clear - after all, one of the main premises of my blog is to re-create celebrity looks on a budget - but I have never shared why. 

For starters, I think we are all talented at different things - some of us can cook, some of us are good at decorating, some of us are good at fashion. I think there is absolutely no shame in not being good at any of them, and that includes dressing ourselves. I think it's crazy to expect women to be amazing dressers, along with the millions of other things we are required to be good at everyday  - like our jobs, keeping the house clean, having good relationships. We should all give ourselves a little room to breathe, and love ourselves just the way we are, fashion forward or not. In fact, I think it's perfectly acceptable for a woman to NOT be good at fashion, and if that's case, then using the ideas we see in magazines, on blogs, and on other people are one of the best ways we can learn and figure out our own person style, as well as save tons of time getting dressed everyday.

My favorite metaphor for this is using recipes to cook. No one would ever judge you (or at least, I hope not) for using a recipe to make dinner. If you can pull off a complicated recipe and make an amazing meal, you are still very talented cook. You are not without style just because you followed a recipe. Are you a master chef? Maybe not. Chefs create recipes, but not many of us expect to ever be chefs (aka "stylists" as they call in them in the fashion world). I am personally happy with being a really good cook. I take recipes, I add my own twist to them, and I think I create some pretty amazing meals (aka outfits) and that there is absolutely no shame in that. I also encourage you guys to copy my outfits all the time because through this blog I am volunteering to save you some time and do the recipe-creating for you. :-) I'm curious to hear what you guys think. Do you believe that you can you re-create an outfit and still be stylish?

About today's outfit: I loved the idea of wearing a bright color underneath a lace shirt (as seen in Lucky magazine, left) so I decided to give it a try. I used my pink silk Banana Republic shirt (you can see more clearly in this post) to get a similar effect and I have to say I'm digging it! Have you worn bright colors under lace to achieve this look?

Inspiration photo: Lucky magazine
Shirt: Charlotte Russe, $18
Under shirt: Banana Republic, $15
Skirt: LOFT, $55
Belt: American Eagle, $15
Shoes: Bandolino via TJ Maxx, $22
Necklace: Charlotte Russe, $8
Watch: Michael Kors, family gift
Bracelets: Forever 21, $8

Lace shirt options

1. Karen Kane top via Zappos, $88.20
2. Delia's top, $34.50
3. Banana Republic top, $49.50