The Day I Fell In Love With Fashion

I was 9 years old with a deep love for DJ Tanner (WWDJTD) and all things lanyard related. I liked to have my mom braid my hair in tiny braids at night so the next morning I could wake up to "crimped" hair. Also, I did a really fantastic Steve Urkel impression. My days were filled with "ice skating" in my socks to Mariah Carey classics and creating New Kids on the Block dance routines. Up until this point I didn't have much of an interest in fashion past how beautiful Belle looked in Beauty and The Beast. Then one day, I was asked to be a part of a Gap fashion show in our local mall.

*** Disclaimer. This entire story is only based off of how I remember it. Neither of my parents or sister remember details. So some things may be hazy. Just buy into it and don't ask questions like "Why was the Gap having a fashion show in a mall?" or "How did they find you to ask you to be a part of it?" or even "Why is there no documentation of said fashion show." The answers to all those questions would be "Stop trying to pop my 9 year old bubble. It happened and it was glorious."

For some reason, there is also no documentation of this jacket. But, since I'm in the sharing spirit I thought I'd share this absolute gem of a photo. Here's me, rocking a puffy paint swatch watch sweatshirt. My bangs are too short, I'm missing a lot of teeth and my glasses are half the size of my face (and not in that cool Warby Parker way). But I am thrilled to be in school and I'm adorable. So the pros outweigh the cons.

So on the day of the fashion show (which I naturally was VERY excited about being a part of I showed up for my fitting. There it was. Gleaming next to a few pairs of white jeans and pink tops. The most incredible jean jacket I had ever seen. It was a fashionable light wash with a gorgeous rose colored lining. This wasn't just any lining. It was a really fancy floral print. Gosh was it fantastic. From the moment I put it on I felt like a rockstar. I strutted down that runway like I was Nikki Taylor in her prime. When I reached the end I was told to pose. I stopped, popped my hip and put my hand in my pocket. You know, to be casual and cool. That was the day I learned about self confidence. About how clothes really do impact not only your mood, but how people perceive you. I'm so grateful to have had this lesson at such a young age. When we are that impressionable those kind of moments stick with us.

This story also happens to have an even happier ending! They let me keep the jacket! Now, this is another moment in the story where things seem fuzzy. I swear that they gave me the jacket because I did such a great job modeling. Unfortunately, my family seems to think that my dad just bought it for me. I'm going to go with my story that I was a brilliant prodigy of a model and they were compelled to let me keep it.

I wore this jacket for years and years. It was my "self confidence" jacket. I knew I could throw it on and instantly feel great and be reminded of the amazing memories I had in it. The reason I'm telling you this story is to remind you that your clothes should make you feel the way I did in that denim jacket. You should feel like a 9 year old doing her best Kelly Kapowski impression. Just kidding. You should however, feel like you could take on the world. That if you ran into someone important on the street, you would be happy for them to see you. Your clothes should empower you and make you feel like the best version of yourself.

In the comments on the blog I'd love to hear about your favorite item of clothing. Whether it's something you just got, or a piece from your past. I want to hear about it all! The next time you go into your closet I challenge you to say "Would I rock this walking down the runway feeling like a million dollars?" I guarantee it will make your whole day better. Promise.

xoxo,

Melanie