The end of the year is a time to acknowledge accomplishments and to set new goals for the year ahead. This process can be done in a way that is either liberating or oppressive. The project I started in 2014, and have been sharing with you, was to re-invent the way I “work” and to express myself in a new and different way through blogging about fashion. Being a researcher I studied and read for an entire year before I actually took the leap. It was worth it, I am pleased with where I am at the end of three months of blogging.
My blog is about personal style and style is really about the construction of a self. You are telling a story about yourself through the clothes, the haircut, the accessories that you wear, the objects you surround yourself with, the places you go to, the time you live in and the geography of where you live. The most fun has been developing the persona of the Accidental Icon. She is me and not me. Therein lies the joy and potential of being her.
Similarly I love fashion because it has many both/and aspects. It can show your desire to fit in at the same time expressing your uniqueness. For me, because I live a “real” life, not the idealized lives we see in fashion glossies, styling myself often entails balancing freedom and constraint, masculinity and femininity, future and past, couture and street style, young and old, perfect and imperfect. These contradictions are the essence of fashion and to my mind the most interesting and beautiful clothes (and women) have the capacity to contain such ambivalence.
Each post and each day I find out more about Accidental Icon and consequently myself. Readers’ comments, Instagram likes and all my social media friends are in conversation with me and are actively part of the process of Accidental Icon becoming. The generosity of other bloggers is lovely and encouraging and reminds me to always be kind. These are the liberating aspects of reflecting on the past three months.
Challenging aspects are the realization that it is a great deal of work at a time when I am still managing a pre-existing career. It is important to me to make thoughtful decisions about issues like quantity over quality, staying authentic about my message and brand and who I would like to collaborate with. I want to focus equally on good photos and good writing and it is easy to sacrifice one for the other when pressed for time. That is why comments and feedback are so important to me, they let me know about how to stay genuine.
Looking ahead, Spring/Summer 2015 is inspired by the 70’s. This calls up memories of a rebellious, rule breaking time and consequently some of the headiness and “badness” of that era is rising up in me again. I have been listening to music from that time incessantly so look for some risky business in upcoming posts.
The photo I am sharing today is a “reflection” and the moment when I actually became the Accidental Icon. It was the haircut that pulled my look together; that was the missing ingredient. Being so enamored with the aesthetic of Japanese fashion design, I decided to go to a Japanese beauty salon. It was my good fortune to meet Jun who very deliberately cut my hair to “be more in balance” with the shape of my head and who I am. The essence of a true collaboration, we are mutually delighted with our creation. I hope dear readers you are too.
Thank you for these reflections! I am so impressed and inspired by what you have been creating as the Accidental Icon. Happy New Year to you!
Thanks Linda! Happy New Year and stay tuned for new adventures.
Lyn
Following your process and journey with great interest.
And I yours, looking forward to the next gown.
Happy New year!
Lyn
Following your process and journey with great interest.
And I yours, looking forward to the next gown.
Happy New year!
Lyn
Following your process and journey with great interest.
And I yours, looking forward to the next gown.
Happy New year!
Lyn
I only just discovered your blog a month ago, and it is now my favorite. This particular entry is fantastic. You have written such a beautiful description about what fashion really means and why it is an important element in self-expression — especially as we age. I am a branding expert in my "real" life counseling companies about the need to define, maintain and respect their brand. I believe we all need to do the same for our "selves." At its core, branding is about the deepest, truest aspects of who and what we are — whether an organization or an individual — it is about "telling your story." Fashion and beauty help us express our personal stories.
I will look forward to sharing this journey with you and your readers through 2015.
I only just discovered your blog a month ago, and it is now my favorite. This particular entry is fantastic. You have written such a beautiful description about what fashion really means and why it is an important element in self-expression — especially as we age. I am a branding expert in my "real" life counseling companies about the need to define, maintain and respect their brand. I believe we all need to do the same for our "selves." At its core, branding is about the deepest, truest aspects of who and what we are — whether an organization or an individual — it is about "telling your story." Fashion and beauty help us express our personal stories.
I will look forward to sharing this journey with you and your readers through 2015.
I only just discovered your blog a month ago, and it is now my favorite. This particular entry is fantastic. You have written such a beautiful description about what fashion really means and why it is an important element in self-expression — especially as we age. I am a branding expert in my "real" life counseling companies about the need to define, maintain and respect their brand. I believe we all need to do the same for our "selves." At its core, branding is about the deepest, truest aspects of who and what we are — whether an organization or an individual — it is about "telling your story." Fashion and beauty help us express our personal stories.
I will look forward to sharing this journey with you and your readers through 2015.
Happy New Year to you. Looking forward to your creative endeavours , have so much enjoyed your take on fashion as an expression of yourself .
Thanks, I am hoping for new and exciting things to happen this year!
Lyn
Thanks, and a very Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you. Looking forward to your creative endeavours , have so much enjoyed your take on fashion as an expression of yourself .
Thanks, I am hoping for new and exciting things to happen this year!
Lyn
Thanks, and a very Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you. Looking forward to your creative endeavours , have so much enjoyed your take on fashion as an expression of yourself .
Thanks, I am hoping for new and exciting things to happen this year!
Lyn
Thanks, and a very Happy New Year.
Your writing is very much inspiring. I hope my blog lives up to your success. Happy New a year.
Thanks! What is the name of your blog so I can follow it?
Lyn
Thanks! What is the name of your blog so I can follow it?
Lyn
Thanks! What is the name of your blog so I can follow it?
Lyn
Wise words Lyn. I love your analysis on style and what you like to achieve. Your hairstyle is perfection and as you may know I’m still looking for that perfect hairstyle myself. Perhaps I should try a Japanese hairstylist too! I look forward to following your journey in 2015!
Wise words Lyn. I love your analysis on style and what you like to achieve. Your hairstyle is perfection and as you may know I’m still looking for that perfect hairstyle myself. Perhaps I should try a Japanese hairstylist too! I look forward to following your journey in 2015!
Wise words Lyn. I love your analysis on style and what you like to achieve. Your hairstyle is perfection and as you may know I’m still looking for that perfect hairstyle myself. Perhaps I should try a Japanese hairstylist too! I look forward to following your journey in 2015!
This is a fantastic fashion blog with style and grace, really love your writing! I’d like to invite you to join BlogsRelease and our other blogger influencers to get your latest industry news and engage with brands. Happy New Year!
Thank you madam!
Thank you madam!
This is a fantastic fashion blog with style and grace, really love your writing! I’d like to invite you to join BlogsRelease and our other blogger influencers to get your latest industry news and engage with brands. Happy New Year!
This is a fantastic fashion blog with style and grace, really love your writing! I’d like to invite you to join BlogsRelease and our other blogger influencers to get your latest industry news and engage with brands. Happy New Year!
Very enjoyable blog, well written by a very very stylish lady.
Angie
Thanks Linda! Happy New Year and stay tuned for new adventures.
Lyn
Thanks Linda! Happy New Year and stay tuned for new adventures.
Lyn
Thank you madam!
Hello Lady, I love your blog, it´s very thought-provoking and you are very stylish. There should be more blogs like this, who care more about offering quality content and reflection and not just outfit photos. I love your taste in fashion, those japanese pieces are indeed very inspirational . Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, I am going to really work on the writing this year too!
Hello Lady, I love your blog, it´s very thought-provoking and you are very stylish. There should be more blogs like this, who care more about offering quality content and reflection and not just outfit photos. I love your taste in fashion, those japanese pieces are indeed very inspirational . Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, I am going to really work on the writing this year too!
Hello Lady, I love your blog, it´s very thought-provoking and you are very stylish. There should be more blogs like this, who care more about offering quality content and reflection and not just outfit photos. I love your taste in fashion, those japanese pieces are indeed very inspirational . Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, I am going to really work on the writing this year too!