Rock the Boat: A Reflection on Small-Town Fashion

   Lately, I've been thinking a bit about where I live, and how it's influenced me. I must confess, even though I run a small fashion blog, I myself don't have much style to speak of. Most people, if asked, "Who do you think is the most stylish person you know?", they wouldn't think of me. I guess that comes down to two reasons: one, I don't invest much time at all in shopping. In fact, if I do go out (about once a month), I rarely buy anything. The second reason? I guess I'm afraid to rock the boat too much.

 

The norm in shoes.

   Let me explain. I live in a small town, with people who don't travel nearly enough. Here, you're considered stylish if you can put jeans and a t shirt together. Who's heard of color-blocking? What in the world is Neiman Marcus? I myself probably wouldn't have known if I had not discovered the world of fashion blogs. Most people here are stuck in a rut. Flip flops, jeans, and a graphic t-shirt is the basic uniform. The Buckle is the most popular store for teens; Chico's is a good place for adult women. But what about the other options out there?

"What the heck are those? Are they shoes?"

   For instance, one day, I wore a lace crop top paired with a skirt. And people glared, askance, at me. It's not that I exposed too much skin; I wore a solid tank underneath, and the skirt reached to my knees. It was just the fact that I broke the unspoken rules of what to wear. And people judged me for it. A crop top, with a skirt?? I laugh to think of what would happen if somebody daring like Tavi moved here. Her clothes break boundaries normally, but to wear them here? A riot would probably ensue.

   I'm not suggesting that there aren't daring people here.There are people who dress in beautiful clothes. However, most people, including me sometimes, are too afraid to rock the boat to wear what they want to. If they want to. I haven't seen anything high-waisted, nothing long and flowing, no flatforms, pretty much nothing currently trendy except for jean leggings and moccasin flats. Both of those are slowly going out of style elsewhere, but they're still going strong here. I know people know about those other styles. Magazines mention them constantly, and the people here love reading magazines. But they're just too afraid to embrace the trend.

   This reflection made me really think about small towns. There are thousands of them everywhere. Are they all like mine? Street style photographers focus on large cities for a reason, it seems; the small ones have little to tempt them with. Stores like Zara, Mango, even Forever 21 avoid us. Our shops have little variety, because they don't want to try to sell trendy items only to have nobody buy them. It seems the only way to get anything high-fashion is to buy online, where you can't try it on. Are small towns destined to forever be in their rut?

   Now, hear me out. I really don't want to see that happen. If you live in a small town, I would love for you to try rocking the boat. Start small. Maybe insert a fruit-patterned shirt into your outfit, or get a pair of wide-legged trousers. Then, build from there! Wear what you want, where you want, when you want. Get out of that rut, and rock the boat! I promise that I will, to the best of my ability, attempt this too. Let's go show those townspeople what style really is! (:

Photos from here, here, The Style Rookie, and The Man Repeller. Thanks!