Young fashionistas that make us oldies jealous

Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by sheila in design

If you were like me in junior high and high school, you probably spent a lot of time trying to figure out your identity through your wardrobe. At the same time you played it safe so you didn’t cross the social suicide border. If I could do it all over again, I would be looking for inspiration from these incredible style prodigies who feel comfortable stepping outside of conventional trends.

Jane Aldridge Sea of Shoes:

Jane is a fantastically dressed 17-year-old girl from a small city in Texas who blogs about her obsession with edgy and luxurious shoes. Her outfits are avant-garde mixed with a touch of Victorian romanticism which are far more inspirational than many of the young Hollywood celebrity styles.

Jane also has an appreciation for art and a talent for photography which makes her site so eye-catching. She often features her equally stylish mother and together they model their high fashion and vintage finds.

So if Jane can wear her fashion-forward outfits in the middle of nowhere because she wants glamour in her life, then why am I often wearing t-shirts and jeans in a big city?

Arlo Weiner is 8-years-old, he wears ascots, he is inspired by old movies and talks about actors like Boris Karloff. I didn’t know what ascots were until a few years ago and who is Boris Karloff (don’t worry, I already googled it)? I suppose when your father is Matt Weiner, the creator of the television show Mad Men, then it’s probably just everyday conversation over the  dinner table.

He’s got the dapper look down and he sure knows how to mix his patterns. Arlo looks like a little gentleman with his suits and collection of hats that seem to be his everyday duds. I, on the other hand, often get self-conscious about being overdressed.

You would think a boy who wears this to school would be the target for the meanest playground insults ever, but Arlo carries himself with confidence and tells his pint-sized critics that he just wants to dress this way. Wow, is it really that easy? I suppose if Beck admired my look and then followed me down the street, I wouldn’t care what my classmates were saying either.

Tavi Gevinson Style Rookie

She’s a spunky little 13-year-old who takes impressive self-portraits of her outfits with her point-and-shoot digital camera. Her style is colorful with layers and layers of patterns which match her vibrant personality. Just like Jane Aldridge, Tavi knows her fashion and shares her style inspirations on her blog. She adds the most amusing comments that only an excited (and smart) teenager would write. She really makes me miss my teen years when everything felt so fun and new.

Tavi seems like the type of girl you would love to have a conversation with just to see what random quirky comment she would say. Or she might even make up a rap for you as she’s known to do. You can go to a thrift shop with her and look through magazines and it would feel like a fashion adventure. I could learn a lot from her energy and her I-don’t-care attitude. Like Tavi would say, “Whatevs!”

Images via Sea of Shoes and GQ magazine

Tags: blogs, fashion, style