For some reason, I never get tired of hearing things like this, especially from gods of the fashion industry.  But oddly enough, it's these heroic fashion figures that say things like this the most.  (Nina Garcia said something very similar in The Little Black Book of Style.  It was one of the first things I read when I opened the book, and she wrote two or three pages with this as her thesis statement.  It was the first thing that made me want to buy the book.)  Marc Jacobs is arguably one of the most important people in fashion right now, and if you've ever seen pictures of him, there's a good chance he's wearing something REALLY WEIRD.  But this is what separates designers and trendsetters worlds apart from the people that just follow fashion, without creating it.  I've personally noticed that in fashion magazines, the columnists, editors, and contributors are forever telling you what you shouldn't do (and there are some designers that do this, too) but there are hugely influential people in fashion that enjoy telling you what you *should* do, without any shouldn'ts.  Usually they're the most flamboyant or creative, but usually they make the biggest splash, and they do this by being unique.

(Of course, most people in our culture would much rather be given direction and structure by someone else.  Not everyone is a leader.)

I'll go on to support Nina Garcia's statement here.  Style is a mindset.  It's never about following trends, because if you're only following trends, all you're doing is spending money and looking like everyone else and changing your wardrobe every year or two.  But style isn't just about being unique, because a lot of people are unique and they're not fashionable or stylish in any way (or worse, they're a walking disaster).  Style is 

completely a mindset.  Style is wearing what you love and feeling confident and sexy doing it.  Style is about getting noticed.  It's about making other girls be like "God, that's so cute.  I was never brave enough to wear something like that but now I think I might have to try that out."  Anyone can keep up on fashion, but it takes a certain kind of person to make fashion.  That's why so many people get inspired and wear something unique but fail at it, maybe get a snicker or negative comment or weird stare and never try again.  Truly stylish people have incredible confidence, and usually only have positive things said to them because they're more confident than anyone that might have an opinion.

I should add, though, that style is also about being able to tell what flatters you and what doesn't, and going with the current.  If you're a really pale redhead that happens to really like fake tan stuff and gold jewelry, you're only gonna be able to pull that off in the most extreme cases, i.e. if you're really confident and you feel like you flow with it.  (Of course then, that makes you a sort of fashion avatar yourself.)  You can pack the greatest punch in style if you flow as much as possible with the natural currents of what makes you look good.

What makes me an authority?  Nothing...except I used to be one of those chicks...one of the ones that might occasionally get inspired to try something but fail at it.  Maybe I wore a disgustingly clunky and unflattering pair of shoes with an otherwise cute outfit...and I most certainly never had fashionista confidence.

And honestly?  It's an ongoing process.  Breaking free of fashion-follower consciousness and into fashionista consciousness is quite a leap - it's not unlike breaking free of having been raised indoctrinated into organized religion.  You have to KNOW you're sexy...you have to radiate "fashionista" from every cell in your body, even if you don't actually feel it or puff yourself up with arrogance.  But, to my understanding, that's the balance you have to strike.  You can't just tell yourself you're hot and sexy, because then you only broadcast arrogance and you're still mediocre.  You have to be it, and if you be it and you're still humble, you'll have nothing at all to hide and people can only admire you.

And admire they will.

* * * * *

Having said that, I think this fall and winter will be the White Winter for me.  From what Anna's saying, white is looking better on me all the time, and apparently it even looks better on me than my old earth tone staples.  Upon a visit to Express tonight, I've crossed the big off-the-shoulder sweater off my list...and added a cute, short white sweater dress with short sleeves.  I've wanted more white clothes for quite a while...and I suppose, being blonde, it does flatter me (and my personality) far better than, say....black.  I love black...black is sexy and sophisticated.  But apparently, I'm growing more........sweet.

Interesting, no?