What is J's Everyday Fashion?

Dear Reader,

Please don’t glance at my blog and assume it’s just another personal style blog. Because, in so many ways, it’s not! The main differences?

1. The purpose behind it is to help women find their own personal style.
2. It is written by an everyday woman (not a fashion expert).
3. It's experimental in nature, and seeks to answer the question "does this work in real life?"

I (J) am not a celebrity stylist or a fashion expert, and this blog is full of fashion experiments (or mistakes, depending on how you look at it), because I think that is the best way to learn. I am a girl like you, trying to navigate my way through the fashion world. I have a job, hobbies, friends, family and a full life, and I often wonder how one of my loves - fashion - fits into all of that? I would see beautiful things in magazines and blogs and wonder “how can I actually wear this?” and decided to share my journey with you so that we can all learn together.

Why this approach? Well, the best I can explain it is that fashion advice from people who are living vastly different lives than me can be frustrating. Fashion editors who create magazines in NYC and blogger-models with fancy cameras who wear Prada can only tell me so much about what I should wear in the suburbs, when I only have a $100 budget, zero time to get to a mall, and need comfortable shoes. I am writing from a place that’s on the same side of the fence as you guys. Sometimes those are the best teachers. I’m not a fancy chef who creates recipes and uses jargon no one understands, I am the “Rachael Ray of fashion,” a nickname I came up with because she embodies my hopes and dreams for this website. Rachael Ray breaks cooking down, encourages us to try new things and is ultimately a good teacher because she is like us. I hope to be the same kind of helper for you with fashion!

So let’s learn something new together, find a passion for being stylish, and eventually… become better dressers! I know you can do it, and I’m with you every step of the way.

Hugs,
J.

J’s 10 Fashion Commandments:

1. Style and creativity can be learned. Exercise it like you would any other muscle. 
2. You don’t need tons of money to be stylish. 
3. You don’t need tons of time to be stylish. 
4. Following outfit recipes is a great time-saver and creativity exerciser, it’s not “copying.” (This is why I use inspiration photos, and also because I want to share the whole process I use for getting dressed.) More here.
5. There are two halves to being more stylish: your shopping strategy and your styling skills. My blog aims to help you with both. 
6. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding your own personal style. Dressing like someone else is not a great idea, but trying a look you saw on someone else can actually help you define your own style better. (So feel free to try out the looks I post.) 
7. It’s not about how much new stuff you can cram into one closet, it’s about how many ways can you wear the same item over and over again? 
8. Fashion mistakes are half the fun. Don’t be afraid to make them! Finding your personal style takes plenty of trial and error, so I will always encourage you to try new things along with me. More here.
9. Magazines have a way of making crazy outfits look normal. So I don’t use that kind of fantasy photography on this blog. I always want the focus to be as realistic as possible, so real is what you are going to get. 
10. At the end of the day, if you love it, then wear it! I think we are too concerned with telling other women what they are wearing is not “right.’ (Exceptions: church and work dress codes, and nudity.) Confidence is everything. If you like it, go for it no matter what anybody says. I know I do. :-) 

Updated 1/23/12.