Style Resemblance Has Led to a Discovery

Blair Waldorf and Bee (Shaffer, of course)

Continuing my daily routine of perusing the online pages of Fashionologie.com I - like usual- found myself dazed and in a trance as I view photos of Bee Shaffer, Vogue's editor-at-large Anna Wintour's daughter. After sorting through the hundreds of pictures from galas, runways shows and fashion events I began forming a mental category in which to place the style of Bee, "Simple and classic with a reoccuring theme of prints". It seemed to come to me right after placing a category on Bee, that not all that she wears fits into this mold- then two things came to me: Bee Shaffer is very comparable to the always fashionable Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl and both of them fit into this category, however they both exhibit fashion from other areas!

Now, I am carfeul to compare the style of any two individuals because I believe that style is influenced by personality and I agree completely with Lagerfeld when he says, "Personality begins where comparison ends". Therefore, comparing doesn't always lead to the discovery of one's true personality and often limits one from truly understanding or accepting one's style. However, I love Blair and Bee individually so my comparison of them does not infringe on their individualism.

Both of these stunning brunettes exhibit classy style with tradition pieces- blazers, detailed, ruffled blouses and tailored skirts and dresses- but add flavor with tasteful, bright hues and textures for dimension and flair. Maybe I am so drawn to the trends these women set because my style and fashion taste parallels their structure! I have recently been on a mission to 'define' my style, to place it into a category for my own sake, but I have come to realize that style doesn't necessarily need to be defined- and if it must for a particular reason then loosely defined is probably best. Why would you want to place yourself in too solid of a mold that leaves you know room to wiggle, explore and delve into various niches that exist within diverse styles and designers? So much of fashion is trying new things, mixing and matching and learning to love avant-garde and dramatic Parisen fashion as well as simple, preppy Nantucket styled pieces.

In my, what seemed to be simple and innocent, 'ooh-ing' and 'ah-ing' over Bee Shaffer and Blair Waldorf's styles has led me to discover that fashin shouldn't be placed in boundaries. Comparing people and desingers of different backgrounds and with various goals is part of exploring and learning about trends. Blair and Bee have shown me that categories are not always necessary!