May 24, 20203 min read

A Seat At The Table (?)

As most of you may know, Solange Knowles' album, "A Seat At The Table" was released a few weeks ago. Knowles' records deal with the struggles of black womanhood, and touches upon the topics of anger, self-love, exclusion and healing. The title itself is what stood out to me because before even having a "listening party", I thought the album would be about breaking barriers and finding your spot at this so called table. To tie this to fashion and blogging, I named my post after the author's work.

Why, you may ask? Well, recently, I had a conversation with a very good friend of mine about the fashion industry and how hard it is to actually make a name for yourself. Look at it this way, the table is the industry and many are trying to make it to the top. However, how do you do that when the world of editors, bloggers, stylists and famous instagrammers is becoming increasingly saturated?

From my observations and experiences, I've realized comparing yourself to others in your field(whether it be professional or not) is one of the worst things you can do. Social media has a way of making us think that we should be as successful as the people whose posts we like or faces we see in publications. I think it's important to remind ourselves that everyone moves at difference paces, your path is not necessarily your friend's or celebrity/blogger you see.

Finally, I will say this: even if your craft is not recognized by thousands or millions of people, that doesn't mean it's not appreciated. If I take myself for example, blogging is something I do because it allows me to express myself creatively and provide content which I will ultimately be proud of. I'm grateful that people appreciate it, it's actually quite motivating. With that being said, I do hope that my work will one day get me my "seat" but I'm in no rush. It's important to take things step by step and once again, focus on yourself and what you can bring to the table(no pun intended).

Now, let's talk outfit of the day, haha! Apart from suede, I would have to say that fringes are one of the most popular trend in the fashion industry right now. I mean after all, why wouldn’t they be? This ornamental textile is the perfect way to polish your outfit and create an eye-catching look. Fringes have been around since the ‘70s. Admittedly, they were not as popular in the beginning of this decade but boy, are they making a comeback!

My piece on my outfit is actually a combination of suede and fringes. The jacket is open, no zip or buttons, just the fringed ends. I've had it for the longest time ever, I don't know why I don't wear it but that's definitely about to change. I also love the vest's color, as I've absolutely been loving brown/neutral tones lately.

I walked around in this outfit in a beautiful area - my school's campus! I love the sophisticated and clean feel it brings. I guess it makes walking to classes much nicer haha.

Like seriously, I can't get over this location *heart eye emoji*! On top of that, the building's colors somewhat matched my outfit's pieces, so that was cool too.