The last couple days all I have been seeing on social media platforms and the broad realms of the word wide web have been Black Friday sales, bloggers sharing codes and affiliate links and websites trying their best to manipulate their customers into buying things most people probably don’t even need on second thought. Consumerism has become dangerously accepted in our society and has turned people into easily impressionable buyers who have forgotten to make conscious purchasing decisions. 

Black Friday Tricks.

I am not against Black Friday sales per se, as it is an amazing opportunity to buy gifts for upcoming Christmas or splurge on new items one REALLY needs like new shoes for winter when the old ones are about to fall apart. I do love bargains myself as we all need new items every once in a while but what I highly disagree with is the ways of companies and their marketing strategists trying to convince the general public into thinking that it is essential for people to spend their money just because everything’s on sale. Especially because those apparent low prices often trick people into spending more money than they usually would and they end up regretting their purchases later on when realising that they don’t actually need what they bought. 

I think it is highly important to use inventions such as Black Friday sales to really consciously think about what we truly need and make responsible decisions when purchasing new goods. There is nothing wrong to make use of sales and maybe land a great deal as we all love to spend money every once in a while to treat ourselves or those we love. But it is essential to prioritise and inform ourselves beforehand and restrict ourselves to the items we really need. 

The Power of Combination. 

What we need to realise as well is that key and staple pieces in our wardrobe can be combined with all sorts of statement pieces such as faux fur coats or leo print jackets. One outfit can turn into three by changing up only one piece. Not long ago I figured that it doesn’t really take much to have a put together wardrobe with lots of options to choose from, simply by combining individual items. The amount of money I spend on clothes has drastically decreased ever since I came to that conclusion. 

Sustainable and Second Hand.

What I have always loved is high quality second hand fashion as well. Thrift shops and vintage stores offer sustainable fashion with a story and find a new home for pieces that have been worn before but haven’t lost their quality. 

Shopping is fun and I love doing it myself but it is important to do it with every option in mind because that’s what’s saving us time and patience and most importantly - money.

The following outfits are entirely put together by things I bought second hand, have had for a while and have spent a lot of time thinking if they were worth buying.

JACKET 1. - Tom Tailor Leo Coat

 Dress, Bag & Jacket: Zara, Shoes: Vagabond

Outfit 3: 

 

Outfit 4:

Skirt: Zara, Jumper: River Island

Being able to live ones dream is a feeling that cannot really be described with words. It’s surreal, mind-blowing, overwhelming and intoxicating and it fills your heart and mind with so much pure and genuine joy it feels as if it was close to bursting. 

As a lover of fashion and all things style, fashion week has always fascinated me and left me in awe multiple times a year, when the new trends for the upcoming year were presented on the runways of the world. I have had my blog for four years and originally started it as a platform to improve my writing and to share my thoughts and opinions on all things life. 

I do believe that all of us have this secret bucket list inside our heads that we try to work off throughout our lives, some points rather manageable, others more difficult to achieve. Sitting front row at a fashion show at Fashion Week always seemed to be unreachable and more of a dream than reachable reality and if someone had told me a couple years ago I’d end up not only sitting front row at Berlin Fashion Week but being introduced to multiple highly influential members of the fashion community, I would have probably laughed at their face. 

But… admittedly, the last two years have left me in constant disbelief on what amazing story my life has become and I never get tired of emphasising just how grateful I am. I would have never believed that such a small, irrelevant person like me could achieve all the things she’s always dreamed of doing as a kid and teenager and my life has really only just started. While writing these lines I can already feel myself tearing up again because I just cannot comprehend how lucky I am to get to be living this kind of life.

A Form of Art.

Attending fashion week was an amazing opportunity given to me by work and I knew that it was a chance I had to take to show how much passion the subject of fashion is to me. Before leaving I was determined to create quality content not only our readers and my colleagues would like, I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. 

The level of anxiety this whole project gave me when I realised that I was really going to Fashion Week is indescribable and I was profoundly terrified of maybe, eventually messing up. But all of the fear was unfounded. I might even go as far as saying that I had the best time of my life. Obviously, it was work and stressful and tiring and exhausting, but it still was the best time of my life. 

I was surrounded by people who are just as passionate about fashion as I am, who consider fashion an incredibly diverse form of art and who have a unique appreciation for the matters of how much you can define yourself as a person with the items you choose to wear. I met young, aspiring people with a vision and strength and willpower to fulfil their dreams and I was allowed to speak to numerous inspirational members of the fashion industry that still haven’t fallen for the dangers of mainstream. 

Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that a very large area of the fashion industry is ruled and defined by superficiality, jealousy and arrogance that I truly cannot support in any way. For me fashion is a beautiful way of creating a new You every single day and showing your inner self to the outside world. Money doesn’t define if a person has style or not, all it takes is the ability to create new looks no matter the price. But the majority of those who have grown into the fashion business and have shaped it with their opinions and their actions are those who still live for what fashion really is. 

What I have noticed though is that the bigger the designer the bigger the show. I was thoroughly impressed by what Austrian designer Marina Hoermanseder created on the grounds of E-Werk in Berlin. On arrival, guests were welcomed with drinks and a small fun fair that had been built on the area, including a smaller version of a ferris wheel. Designers do have the pressure of offering extraordinary things to keep people talking about them and doing it in such a creative and fun way rather astounded me in a positive way. Also, bring on the drinks at 10:30AM. 

Fashion Week can be described as some sort of real life Wonderland, far away from reality but still so connected to the world outside of fashion business that designers aspire to impress. Dipping into this experience was incredible, fun and rather opened my mind, showing me that fashion is still about what I enjoy most about it, when you meet the right people. 

Ever since I started working full time, weekends have become a time I cherish. Meeting friends, going out for breakfast or lunch, strolling through the city centre, going on an adventure and just enjoying life has turned into something rather special because of the little spare time life offers you. For these special occasions I try to come up with not only comfortable but stylish ways of displaying my style and extraordinarily patterned trousers are a part of my personal fashion-go-to just as much as one of my various hats.

A large amount of my trouser collection consists of patterned items in all shapes and colours, simply because I think that mixing a good quality pair of trousers with a plain t-shirt or blouse immediately turns a simple outfit into an actual look. What I had been missing in my wardrobe were trousers with a gingham print and the perfect fit. Gingham has been on my radar for quite a while but I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. Stepping out of one's comfort zone is not only a challenge but also highly important and healthy for one's personal growth and becoming a stronger, more confident person already starts with small things such as daring to step up your style game a notch every once in a while. 

Courage and confidence that is won in a certain area can easily be used in every other part of daily life as well. Most people are too scared to take a step forward and give themselves the chance to outgrow themselves because their anxiety stops them or society makes them believe that they will never amount to anything. Trying something new shouldn't be about anyone but oneself. People still care too much about what their environment thinks of them but at the end of the day all that counts is how one felt within themselves.

Trousers

Shirt

Bag (similar)

Shoes (similar)

(pictures are ©TheStylePolaroid 2018, the brands are mentioned beneath the pictures, credits to the designers)

Trousers

Turtleneck

Blazer

(pictures are ©TheStylePolaroid 2018, the brands are mentioned beneath the pictures, credits to the designers)

The rest of the year always passes by within the seeming blink of an eye - but January always feels like a century of its own. Grey days on end with a sudden hint of sunshine every now and then are not only tearing on one’s motivation, that lack of vitamin D makes you feel all tired and generally exhausted as well. 

Let’s talk the real issues here: If we are being entirely honest with ourselves, we will soon realise that society treats women not only unequal but also with a ludicrously low level of respect. As long as I can remember, the male gender has always been associated with strength, confidence and perseverance. Attributes that are generally attached to women, however, reflect an image I consider rather questionable. Obviously, being kindhearted and loving are characteristics of a human being that are undeniably delightful and can only be wished for, but shouldn’t being kind be something everyone should be anyway? 

If not born into a family with the right mindset that teaches their daughters that they are just as strong, powerful and persistent as mentioned male gender, girls are much too often raised being taught that their mind is less important than their looks. Because looks apparently make girls and women into what they are. Unfortunately and sadly enough, it is not surprising that such a state of mind hasn’t vanished off the earth yet because one look at what is presented to us on a golden plate everyday via various media sources opens one’s eyes immediately. Human mankind is manipulated into believing that people have to look a certain way, otherwise they are not considered pretty. People with glasses or braces are bullied and ridiculed as being different or ugly or weird and on the other hand there’s models on social media being praised for wearing invisible braces they don’t need and fake glasses they don’t need either. Because it’s cool. Because it looks good when you’re popular and famous. Meanwhile, a fourteen year old teenager cries herself to sleep because she feels different and people avoid her because she looks like a nerd. Because she wears glasses and likes books more than she likes humans. And apparently liking the nerds isn’t cool. Being cool is important these days. 

No. It isn’t. What is really important, is ourselves, and everything we are, with all our weaknesses and flaws and chubby tummies and spots and noses that are too big or too pointy or too small. With all our moles and freckles and crooked teeth and bad eyes. 

What is being cool anyway? Being cool is to embrace not only yourself as a person but also the things you enjoy. It took me a long time to stop caring what other people thought about me and the things I like doing most and it made me a much happier person. Once you realise that the way you are is exactly the way you should be, your confidence will find its way to you all by itself. It’s a gradual process that can’t be reached overnight. It takes time and the realisation that the world out there isn’t always the way it’s presented. 

My Life Advice:

Make a list. Whenever someone or something makes you feel bad about yourself take that list and add one thing that you like about yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s something about your looks or a character trait, write it down. Even the tiniest things on the list are relevant because every time the list will grow longer and one day you’ll realise that everything about you is amazing, and beautiful. Humans aren’t required to be perfect in any way. As long as we do what makes us happy, it will reflect in our behaviour and suddenly the world’s opinion won’t matter anymore. You’ll find yourself needing the list less and less, I promise.

Because in the end, we’re all queens inside as long as we embrace them. 

Because fitting in isn’t important. BEING UNIQUE IS.