How to Invest in Fashion

When I first fell in love with fashion I was in middle school. I was living with my father while my mother was in the hospital. My father is a very practical Jamaican man. He was also in charge of the money I spent on clothes, and I'll tell you right now. I was distraught, but also very grateful to have clothes on my back. In middle school however, and maybe even younger young children begin to compare themselves to others, and a lot with what you wear, how you style your hair etc. I was very resourceful, and had a passion for turning my dads old clothing into things. I had no knack for sewing , but I tried my best with what I had.

Old windbreakers, button ups, oversized shirts. You name it I had it on. I had the millennium thrift shop drip before it became fashion. I'm joking, but not entirely. While my peers were shopping at forever twenty one, and Nike, and Justice *gag* . I was rocking my dad's shirts. Now at the time I was angry because I wanted to dress like my peers too. There's nothing wrong with being resourceful or having enough money to buy the things that you want. I will admit I was bitter though.

Fast forward a few years, and I am now a young adult in a world that is so broad and enriched with different fashion trends such as: Fast Fashion, High Fashion, Minimalist Fashion, Maximalist, Y2k. Now I know these styles always existed, but now I am exposed to and have access to creative expression through my own style.

I respect my dad's frugalness, and I want to honor that all while investing into fashion pieces that I love, and make me look put together. The first piece advice I have when it comes to investing in fashion is doing your research. Be on the look out of amazing designers, and companies that are on the come up. I remember when the internet was blown away by Hanifa's Virtual Fashion Show in that took place just last year. The visuals were hauntingly beautiful, and you can tell it took a lot of work. It's Designers like this that you should keep your eyes out for. They are talented, passionate, and are making a name for themselves. The quicker you are able to spot out these talents, The quicker you are already grasping on what it means to invest in the fashion world.

Secondly, you need to focus on the basics. I am targeting more of my minimalists in this section because I am only going to give information on what I know. You want to get back to the basics, and staple fashion items, so that you don't re-purchase things you don't need and wont wear in the future. We all have those items that we swore up and down we were going to wear, but are sitting in our closet getting no love.

I like starting with coats first, a really good quality denim jacket, black leather jacket, and trench coat are amazing for dressing up or down an outfit, and are so versatile. They go with so many neutral colors which brings me to my next point.

Blacks, neutrals, and then mix it up. I love having neutrals in my closets those are versatile and will go with one another. I then like to look at the color wheel and mix it up. Complementary colors which are opposite to each other on the color wheel are nice to incorporate into an outfit when I want a more bold playful look. They tend to draw attention. analogous colors are my favorite because they sit right next to one another and create a more relaxed look. I love blues, and greens together. They're so beautiful and calming. I definitely suggest playing with the color wheel to create you own personal style.

Light was jeans are timeless for me and make an outfit look so crisp. I like dark wash for a slimming affect, and medium was for casual attire. You also should own a few dress pants so that you can dress up an outfit, or keep it business casual. Might I add they accentuate your shape as well. I'll let you in on a little secret- I used to despise bell bottom anything, but as my style matures I actually recommend them. They add so much flare and chicness to your outfit. I recently ordered leggings that are flared at the bottom, and I styled it with a crew neck for a cute, but fashionable lounge wear.

when it comes to accessories I take the advice form the late Audrey Hepburn that you don't need jewelry to look beautiful, but there are also times I can't help but wear cute gold, or silver hoops for my cooler undertone angels. I also invested into a elegant bracelet from Swarovski . It was so dainty and when it comes to jewelry I love to make it very minimal. Instead of buying ab bunch of pieces get staple ones based on you personal style and liking. Invest in your friends small business, pay full price. Do whatever you want, but the importance of treating your friends business like you would Dior, or Chanel is crucial. They all started out a name, and grew into something bigger because people valued it, which is key when investing in someone let alone yourself.

I'll also admit I am not a sneakerhead, but I have an appreciation and agree that it can pull an outfit together. I usually just have three types of shoes in my closet. One for formal attire, one for casual, and another for leisure or working out. I'll also have a pair of boots for winter.

In other words this is just a basic sketch of what I believe investing in fashion is. It can be fun, and exciting especially if you have an appreciation for fashion, but want to be more practical.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope this was helpful, and fun to read.