I’ve started to work out in the city three times a week, more to keep myself sane on an entrepreneur’s schedule than anything else. Every other morning, I catch a bus and head to a killer exercise class*, before walking into a coffee shop with my laptop to tackle the day’s work.

This, as you might imagine, presents a tricky style situation.

After all, how do you work out and still look street chic? Especially when you don’t really want to be toting clothes to your next engagement? Do you have to just grin and bear it looking like a street bum?

Enter the coffee + yoga ensemble!

…Just a teensy glimpse into how I’m able to make the one-bag closet work. I’ve also combined sweats with cardigans, glitter and tshirts, dresses over shorts… you name it!

Obviously, this doesn’t work if you’re doing crazy cardio and dripping with sweat after, but hopefully you’re heading to a shower in that case. This is more for those of us who like to multitask + hop from one thing to another, in which case dragging around extra clothes all day is, well, a drag!

It also works for any 2-in-1 scenarios where you want to be comfortable, but still look presentable. Hot date where you might be doing a couple miles of romantic strolling? Grabbing drinks at that fancy bar right after work? Got a business meeting on Skype but fighting a cold? A little creativity goes a long way.

Because it’s not about having the right clothes for the occasion. It’s about making the clothes right. If you don’t believe me, just replace ‘clothing’ with ‘attitude’

*I’m currently addicted to the Bar Method. A bit less calm than yoga, perhaps, but it’s a nice complement to the mental masochism of entrepreneur-ing! Plus, it does wonders for getting my energy up for the day.

-

A note on the recent lack of posts: I’ve been positively STUFFED with ideas lately, but digesting slowly behind the scenes. So instead of my usual crazy 6-meal-course philosophizing, I’ve decided to just post a taste! OK no more of this metaphor. We’re talking style here, not food. (Though this does remind me of a certain fashion internship where no one ate more than espresso for lunch, but that’s a different story…)

Anyway, rest assured I haven’t forgotten about you! Good things are on their way. You may even have noticed the tagline for this site has changed. It’s a sign of things to come.

Hint: Personal style + a desire for creative leadership in life/work/the world = what might be one of the easiest paths to innovation, ever. Want to discover more? Stake a lookout here.

“The definition of

a crazy person is

someone who does the same thing over and over again

while expecting new results.”

-Regina Spektor quoting Albert Einstein (only I love the way Regina sang it so there.)

You know what?

What you wear isn’t that big of a deal.

So what if you play it safe? The jeans you know looks good with everything. Your favorite sundress with flip flops. Black on black (again.)

I mean, it works, right?

And so what if someone decides to live behind a white picket fence for fifty years? If we repeat the industrial model in our classrooms year after year? If we date someone totally wrong for us (again?)

I mean, it works, right?

Niiiiiiiiiiiiirru.

(In case you were wondering, I’m referring to the approximate sound little kids make when they pretend to crash toy airplanes to the ground. Because that’s what I heard in my mind just now.)

Look, I’m not posting in judgment or asking you to judge yourself. Heck, even I’ve had days where I sit around in my pajamas. The only difference between you + me (perhaps) is that I wrote a post about it (to be posted in near future.)

We’re human. It’s only natural that we cling to the familiar + comfortable. Sometimes we cut ourselves some slack because we’re tired and spent Friday night working on our business instead of going out (hey, Portland has really strict underage codes!) and, well, it works.

But tread carefully.

Because no, what you wear isn’t that big of a deal.

But style decisions come from the same brain as everything else.

And no, we can’t get away with ‘what works’ in the long run.

Keep defaulting, and it might become one of those debilitating habits you can’t kick. One that undermines the other enlightened decisions you’ve fought hard to make in your brilliant life, whispering hypocrisy into your psyche. And maybe even hinders your abilities to change the world…

To me, that seems totally unfair.

What think you?

*

Ready for new results (forreal)?

How about instant DIY w/ the new Restyle It! TV?

Or surprise yourself with the Style Challenge?

Or dig up the 5 words to change the way you think about clothes forever?

I dare ya to stop old habits in their tracks + try something new!

Introducing Restyle It! A sparkly new series of tutorials + experiments for brilliant people who want to look the part.

AKA stuff you can try right now.

AKA#2 little magical secrets from my personal arsenal that I’ve never shared before. Discoveries I make along the way as I live stylishly out of a single carryon.

Oh and?

I hope you know this terrifies me.

I don’t do public speaking. Not as in it’s not my career. As in, I spent high school theatre hiding in pit orchestras and costume crew. And the only times I ever actually blush involve microphones and crowds.

So…Video? TV? What?

But style without visuals can be kind of lame. And I’ve found that videos aren’t too bad if you just make yourself march over to the screen and then (deep breath) post them with a flurry of clicks before you can change your mind! Speedy creations are something of a speciality…

…Which is why the first Restyle It! is ultra-easy and can be done ultra-fast.

From what I’ve heard from you guys, time and fuss seem to be big anti-style factors. And as a Sagittarius, I sympathize. Trust me. There’s a reason I’ve been whittling my closet down.

But you just can’t say no to the Insta-shirt. Made especially with the anti-fussy grab-and-go brilliant ones in mind…

There you go!

How am I going to keep this up? Glad you asked- with your help, of course. If you get inspired or make your own discoveries…

Yes, you can now post your own Restyle it! discoveries + experiments! I even started a Youtube Channel- that’s how serious I am, haha. The gorgeous Rhina was kind enough to share her glorious maxiskirt-to-turban restyle, and it’s the first one up on YOU Restyle It! for your viewing pleasure.

P.S. Don’t forget to grab your 5 Words + tell me what you’re ‘wearing’ on Facebook!

Until recently, I used to be the biggest overpacker. In fact, I bet I still have arm muscle leftover from that summer I lugged my entire wardrobe, stuffed into two towering suitcases, all over China.

The dilemma was potent. I wanted to be stylish + on the road all at once. So what’s a girl to do? How was I supposed to know ahead of time what dress I’d feel like wearing? What if I was halfway across the world and discovered that yellow cardigan was my favorite after all?

Just in case! was my packing mantra.

Sound familiar?

Or maybe you’ve experienced the opposite. My roommate Antonia confessed that on her last trip to South America, she lived most sensibly out of a single backpack for months on end.

The problem? By the end of the trip, she was bored out of her mind, style-wise. As she told me her story, she held up the pants that she’d worn on the trip 100000000 times and made the kind of face you made at your poor mom growing up, when she made the same thing for dinner AGAIN.

But when you’re on the road, you’ve just gotta suck it up, right?

If the answer is yes, I’d like to invite you to think again. And to keep reading.

Because it’s travel season, baby. And whether you normally aspire to live out of a bag or not, sometimes it’s absolutely necessary.

Until now, most of us have been choosing between two options. 1) Resign yourself to sensible basics that highlight your unwashed, exhausted, normally-gorgeous-but-no-one-would-guess-right-now self… or 2) Rack up the overweight luggage charges. THEY’re getting paid and YOU’re the one who has to stop every ten feet when it flips over in the middle of the sidewalk. Life can be so unfair.

But what if there’s a different way?

What if I told you that you could look awesome while carrying practically nothing?

Minimalist Inspiration

You’ve seen the blogs. Your average modern minimalist will proudly list all the 47 items to her name (multiple pairs of underwear not included) and wear the same black tshirt every day, consumerism be damned.

For a long time, me and my style penchant were not impressed. Where would I be without my overflowing closet? Sure, I didn’t wear ⅔ of what I did own… but you never knew when a piece would come in handy! Whittling it down, I was sure, would stifle my creativity.

But I couldn’t help but notice that these minimalists also got to breathe freely as they backpacked around the world.

So earlier this year, when I moved across the country, I took a deep breath and packed a single suitcase and carry-on. Then after Seattle, I got rid of the suitcase. Leaving myself with just the one shiny red bag you see here.

But do I wear the same black shirt every day? Certainly not.

Since reducing my wardrobe, I think I’ve become more stylish. In fact, these days, you’ll almost never see me wear the same outfit twice.

Yes, it’s possible.

So. How can YOU start reinventing your own style-on-the-go?

Remember my friend, Antonia? She just left on her next 3-month jaunt, this time through Central America (lucky girl, right?) And get this– she’s carrying the same backpack.

But this time, she had me on her side. Together, we whittled down the clothes she owned into a teensy-but-glorious wardrobe that she loved. With just a handful of pieces, we covered dressing for everything from hikes to salsa fiestas. She left with one joyously-packed bag and a bajillion creative possibilities that will apply long after her trip is over.

I know, you’re thinking: Why can’t you be my roommate, dammit?

It’s okay. You don’t have to stalk me on my next move or try to persuade me to crash on your couch (though if you live near a certain sparkly blue Mediterranean sea, I might say yes.) Because you’re in luck. I’m going to be offering 1:1 Travel Consults very soon, right on this site!

And what’s more- you can snag one for your own upcoming trip for FREE.

Want my zany, critical eye on your next travel wardrobe?

All you have to do is take on the easy peasy, but mind-bending Style Challenge, & post your results on Facebook by Tuesday, August 2nd. This is no typical contest entry that we’re talking about. It’s what I call a gateway drug into the style revolution.

In under 5 minutes, you can start rocking your closet in a whole new way. Rock extra-hard, and you might just win a free 1:1 with me. Either way, it’s a win-win!

You can also get a head start by subscribing to the Dress Smarter! list & getting the 5-Word secret guaranteed to change the way you think about clothes, forever. Seriously.

Everyday minimalism, move aside. There’s a radical new approach to style that skimps on neither practicality NOR looks.

Next week, I’ll be talking about how I kickstarted my own radical style journey with one simple monthlong experiment. And how if you’re yearning for a simpler, more stylish lifestyle infused with badass creativity to boot, you can absolutely do the same.

In the meantime, you can start right now. Spark your mind and closet with the ultra-simple, no-bullshit Style Challenge. And if you’re taking a trip anytime soon + want a co-conspirator for your stylish adventures, you’ll definitely want to gets hands-on before next Tuesday.

The results posted so far have been incredibly rad. Can’t wait to see what YOU come up with!

Good luck!

I’m relaunching this site. Because style matters, dammit!

Exactly a year ago (happy bday, blog!), Rethinking Style was born in a shower of pink + blue + beige. Aren’t you glad the design changed? Me too. I hadn’t a clue what I was doing what I was doing at the time, but a writer I admired wrote something to the effect of ‘if you have something to say, the best way to get it out there is to start a blog.’ So I did.

Of course, I didn’t know that come November, I would be sitting in my dorm with my final project in my lap, ripping squiggly black caterpillars of thread onto my bedspread while reading Ash Ambirge’s You Don’t Need A Job, You Need Guts and plotting entrepreneurial world takeover.

Granted, school wasn’t exactly a job, but I still needed guts to quit.

Three months later, walking around rural 13×8 mile Vashon Island (just imagine how annoying it was to be asked ‘wait, FASHION island?” by all my smirking friends), shocking grandmothers with my neon stockings, I thought about how you need guts for just about everything worth doing in this world. Like starting a business. And moving across the country. And wearing hot pink tights.

The interesting thing is that there are lots of blogs about how to start a business, and how to become location independent, but…

In a world where concepts and strategy rule, we rarely bring genius out onto the streets. Or into our own closets.

The #1 thing missing from the blogging world is action. Tangible, philosophically-driven action that actually changes minds and opens eyes. Brilliance on the outside as well as on the inside.

The only thing you need from clothes is what you want from everything else in your life- freedom to think + live on your own brilliant terms.

& that’s exactly what I’m going to challenge you to do.

If you haven’t already, watch this video to find out how fashion has been brainwashing every single one of us (yes, even you), and what you can do about it. Starting with the shirt you’re wearing.

Then take the Style Challenge yourself! To celebrate the relaunch – if you post your results on the Facebook page before August 2nd, you’ll be entered to win a copy of my upcoming book, Double Your Wardrobe (which will help you do exactly that with the clothes you already own), as well as a 1:1 Travel Consult with me!

Also: Did you know that 5 Words can change the way you look at clothes, forever?

Yes, really. (It has to do with the consumer -> designer shift I talked about in the video, in a big way.)

Get ‘5 Words to Rock Your Closet’ sent to your inbox, as well as rad tips + challenges in the coming weeks.

5 words. Really. It’ll give you a leg up on the Style Challenge, too, in case you’re struggling!

Did I mention that there’s an early-bird deadline (Aug. 2nd) if you want to win stuff?

Go forth + be brilliant!

Yours in mind-body revolution,
TZ

Did you know that fashion has been brainwashing us since the beginning of time? And that no one’s been talking about it?

Watch this video below to find out how, and what you can do about it. {Also, special early-bird opportunity to anyone who takes on the style challenge by August 14th – new extension date! Get on it!}

All it takes:

• Go to your closet and pull out the first thing you see.
• Restyle it in some way, shape, or form that you haven’t before.

& Post your results on the sparkly new Facebook page!

Limited time mojo:

This will be an ongoing challenge, but anyone who restyles + posts pics by August 14th will get a chance to win one of two prizes:

* A free copy of my next rad stylextravaganza, Double Your Wardrobe (A book chock-full of ways to do exactly that + develop a whole new set of outfits without shopping for a thing. Yes, really. You’ll want this.)

* A free, 1:1 travel consult with me, tailored to your next trip!

Points for both innovation AND wearability!

Best restyles will ALSO be showcased on the website, w/ your permission.

Remember- you’re brilliant! I dare you to start dressing like it.

To mind-body revolution,
TZ

Last night, I dreamed about Alexander McQueen.

He sat towards the back of a bus that I don’t remember getting on, but I do remember sitting down, forcefully, and trying to peer at him over the side of the seat. It was hard to make out his face. It seemed joyous and young. So young, in fact, that I try to comb through my dream memory, searching for visual validation that it was in fact him.

None of the other bus riders seemed perturbed, leaving me alone in my discovery. I felt a conspiratorial grin on my face, the kind that runs across your mouth when you know something that no one else knows- or probably would care if they did know- and yet is a great happening all the same.

The dream sequence cut to awhile later, when I’d gotten off the bus to stand with my friends. I watched him get off and walk away from a distance, and I pointed, saying- “Look! That’s Alexander McQueen!”

My friend Gina, dressed in vivid turquoise, craned her head to look. “Where? Where?” I watched him walk away.

I woke up feeling light. I sat up, and gazed calmly out the window, where there was a rare scattering of sun through the clouds. Then halfway through my morning meditation, I remembered the dream.

The sudden sadness, like a bad fall out of nowhere.

Strange, that at no point in the dream did I consider his death. His presence, even though I had never met the man, was so natural, like a relaxed tourist in the middle of my hometown. In my dream, he was safe from our sorrows and speculations, the Google searches of his name where the obituaries clouded his brilliant legacy.

Curiously, now that I think of it- when I found out he’d passed last year, it had been in bed, too. I’d woken up next to my friend, who had slept over, and felt the deepest contentment that you can feel on a lazy Saturday morning with someone you love. Then I had rolled over to check the time on my phone, and found the text message from @jessxchen: Omggg Tessa Alexander McQueen is dead!

It’s worth backtracking here: I’m not one of those always-been-fashion-obsessed girls. Only halfway through high school did I begin to gulp down Style.com shows and industry news with a ceaseless thirst. But from the very beginning, McQueen’s mad sensibilities dove into my inexperienced bones. I idolized his tartan and lace extravagances, tainting my impressionable aesthetic forever with his irony, his dramatic interpretation of beauty. I, who tended to love all dresses diplomatically, democratically- coveted his double-peacock gown with a vengeance.

From a collage I made in mourning and tribute.

From my journal entry that day: “Indescribable, to wake up to the news of Alexander McQueen’s death on the first day of fashion week. On a beautiful morning bright with sun and dreams…What has the ability to counter that [brilliance] is something I don’t even want to venture into, philosophically.”

I went through probably four stages of grief in a single day, and dug my heels into the last- depression- for weeks. It was a mix of my unsatisfying fashion program, where I felt alone and misguided, and the knowledge that someone whose work for me glimmered with hope in that deteriorating industry had removed himself from it altogether.

Why am I telling you all this?

I think today’s McQueen dream woke me up. And brought me back here.

When I was studying at RISD, my professors used to tell me to stop thinking so much. I remember sitting at my drafting table with my lips pressed tight against the fury that threatened to spill out. I got into fights with my roommates because I spent all my free time despairing over sketches rather than hanging out with them, then I’d bring in the designs to class and my struggles would feel so irrelevant in context of the bland critiques. I can hardly describe how disconnected I felt, trying to fight people who simply didn’t share my values.

It’s hard to speculate, of course, but I don’t think the fashion world did McQueen any mental favors, either. I was also angry at the time that he chose out. That he didn’t fight more- how irresponsible, to simply leave a world that doesn’t serve you? It made me hate the world for being able to be a good enough reason for suicide, that someone like him could grasp it as a last resort.

Yet life goes on. In surprising ways.

Less than a year later, I, too, found myself leaving the industry.

This is a crazy world to live in, you know. It’s permeated with industries and societies that dwarf our individual spirits and douse our brilliance. Such systems wring the creative spark right out of us, and then expect us to produce amazing work. In such darkness, even the brightest stars can extinguish.

Or- if at all possible- we can choose to light a different sky.

For the last three months, I’ve been wandering. Both physically, from one coast to another, and digitally, from one revolution to another. There’s a sort of playfulness at work here, actually. I feel a great tenderness towards our ability to choose.

Not our freedom to choose, mind you, but our ability. It’s quite different- less about attaining freedom and more about its exercise, nuanced with carelessness and curiosity. I believe that art can save us, and when it doesn’t- we must dive deeper, and expand with more breadth- until we reach the art of compassionate and deliberate living.

Something as simple as clothing can bring us there. For the heart of style decisions is independent thinking. And driving far down the road of independent thought is a bus on which you can meet anyone, going anywhere, giving you unexpected peace in passing.

…

It’s good to be back. To my RS readers: love for your patience. To my new & ER curious cats, welcome to yet another experimental space!

RIP McQueen- your inspiration is felt deeply here.

]]> http://rethinkingstyle.com/dreaming-through-the-fashion-industry-which-is-a-kind-of-looking-glass-when-i-think-about-it/feed/ 4 http://rethinkingstyle.com/10-ways-rethinking-style-can-change-your-life-and-why-this-blog-is-going-on-hiatus/ http://rethinkingstyle.com/10-ways-rethinking-style-can-change-your-life-and-why-this-blog-is-going-on-hiatus/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:51:38 +0000 Tessa http://rethinkingstyle.com/?p=1113

I’ve never told you guys this before, and I hope you won’t feel decieved…

The truth is, once you really start to rethink style, it’s like a gateway drug to rethinking lots of other things.

How, you ask?

10 Ways Rethinking Style Can Change Your Life

1. If a shirt is not a shirt… then what about the status quo?

2. If how you dress is who you are….then who are you?

3. You start wearing your own philosophy.

4. You connect with other radical thinkers who love your style philosophy.

5. Style stops looking so much like clothes and more like a medium for liberation.

6. What other people think starts becoming irrelevant.

7. Trends become irrelevant.

8. Most of the fashion industry kind of becomes irrelevant.

9) You start wondering what the hell IS relevant, and how can design, as well as any of our fields, really serve us anyway?

10) After a while, it might just inspire you to do something REALLY dangerous and unconventional, like leave school and start a whole new movement for creative empowerment.

*

…and that, my friends, is where I’m headed.

Never fear, Rethinking Style will continue (I still have about a MILLION unhatched posts), but I will be taking a hiatus for a few weeks as I prepare to launch my new website, pack up my things, and *fingers crossed* move across the country to work full-time on my revolution!

Thanks to the generosity of The Donating Drummer, the new site will be up by the end of this month! You can read more about it on Mark’s website, and check out his awesome project while you’re at it!

Dear readers, fellow mavens, friends:

Last July, I thought I was just starting a fashion blog. Now I realize how much I underestimated the power of writing out your dreams on the internet and sharing them with others. Thank you for being part of my inspiration. Go out there and rock it- unabashedly, completely follow your heart and don’t let anyone stop you. Your style will naturally follow who you are.

Love,
Tessa

P.S. If the above list hasn’t scared you off- let’s stay in touch! Follow me on Twitter for updates!

Tackle 2011 with Aplomb. Not just to the NYE party, silly. | Flickr AnnaGay

Take a moment to ask yourself:

Who do I want to be in 2011? Where am I going, what do I want to feel, and how do I intend for this year to play out?

Sound familiar? Too resolution-y? Okay, how about this one:

Will my clothes facilitate my life and the changes I want to make this year??

If my theories hold and what you wear reflects how you think, then the strategy of personal style must be part of your 2011 gameplan.

Need a nudge? Skeptical that your wardrobe can change without massive $$$? Fortunately, I haven’t been writing at Rethinking Style for 5 months for nothing! Let’s get to your style re-invention, pronto.

The Challenges:

• What’s Draining Your Style Vitality?
• 10 Questions – Your Style Habits
• Should We Go Naked?

The Advice:

• Ten Ways to Rethink Style Right Now
• When Your Personal Style Isn’t Unicorn Vomit
• Wear It ‘Till You Feel It
• A Shirt Is Not A Shirt
• Style Anxiety? Interviews on wearing confidence, magic, and self-love.

What else have you got?

• Try rearranging your closet/drawers in a meaningful way. Maybe you put the daring stuff at the top, so you’ll be more likely to go for it in the morning! Or arrange by textures if you’re a tactile person. What about drawers arranged by feelings?!
• Repeat to yourself: I think, therefore I dress for myself. Anyone want to translate this into Latin?
• Instead of buying a new wardrobe, why not go the opposite route and limit your old one altogether? Challenge yourself to a temporary shopping ban and get creative! This can only help your $-related resolutions. Yay two birds and one…arrow (you’ve got to admit a stone would never work.)

You could even kick off the year with your very own 30-for-30! Now THAT would be badass.

If you’ve been eyeballing my personal consults, or think I’m funny but wait till I hear about YOUR style dilemma or story, then shoot me an email! Working with me 1:1 will be an option when the decade ends…And I love a good challenge

Cheers to your strategic success,
Tessa

P.S. Thanks for being patient and excited to see my new design breakthroughs, guys! My good friend Andreas is finishing up the video edits & it will be up on the 1st of January!