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I have been interested in the unique styles of my peers and how they use that style to express themselves. Whether that style is a reflection of their personality, their upbringing or their hometown, I have found that their are many differnt influences on everyones style. Personally I feel like my style changes with the seasons and I have a habbit of wearing the same ten pieces every week. Those pieces usually consist of black leggings a white shirt and a black shirt and I'm set lol. As for the people featured in this issue their style is a bit more complex than mine. I am especially excited about our cover feature of Babetown Streetwear. The ladies behind this clothing line have worked extremely hard to be as sucessfull as they are. I am forever grateful to them for showing me arround their city of Los Angeles while I photographed their line of graphic tees and sunglasses. Working on this issue has been crazy busy, but so much fun at the same time. Getting to meet so many new people and traveling across the country has kept me motivated to keep doing what I love and shown me that the late nights and busy days are well worth it. I hope that all of you reading this enjoy every page of this magazine, that as always would not be possible without all of you and the amazing people on these pages. So thank you all for believing in each other and helping me acomplish my goal of connecting artists in my home town and beyond!
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founder_editor-in-chief ig_tweet_snap @carolinejapal
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_Issue 002_CONTENTS
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T H E _ B R A I N S 2
EDITORS_LETTER
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THE_FEED
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CONCEPT_TEAM
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MOODBOARD
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EATS
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CREATIVE_JUICES
T H E _ H E A R T 14
VOICES_HEARD
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ABOUTSOELEE
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EARTHBOUND
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DOOBLAVEY
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BABETOWN_STREETWEAR
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JOHN_BLANDING
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KATIE_REESE
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DIANNA_XING
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THE_SKELETON
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_Issue 002_SUMMER 2017 _SPECIAL_THANKS katiereese diannaxing johnblanding micaellabamsch sydneybickel leannwheeler zoelee dooblavey chanelleleonard linnetkabachia vivianjapal erinjapal labrandonshead johncraft
@katiieroxx @divnnvx @joblanding @babetownstreetwear @sydneyymariee @juslikelee @aboutzoelee @dooblavey @chanelleleo @linnet.k @vivianjapal @erincjapal @labrandonshead @_johncraft
_HELLO_LETS_COLLABORATE
_CONNECT
artconceptma@gmail.com
carolinejapal.wixsite.com/artconceptmagazine ig_twitter_snap
_THE_CONCEPT_TEAM
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founder_editor-in-chief caroline japal copyeditor vivian japal 6 ACM
_READ_ONLINE issuu.com/artconceptmag
"Design is like gravity the force that holds it all together." - E A Whitney 7 ACM
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REVELATOR COFFEE Photographed by John Craft Words by Caroline Japal
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Birmingham has recently been doing a lot of work to improve the presence of young people in the downtown area. Whether this be with modern new living spaces or lush parks, one of the main places that draws us 20 somethings in is a good coffee shop. Lately I've seen so many new spaces being bought in downtown and being renovated to be these fresh and modern cafes where you can relax but also get some pretty amazing craft coffee. Located in the heart of Birmingham's theater district, Revelator Coffee opened their first flagship store in October 2014. With locations in Birmingham AL, Charleston SC, Nashville TN, Chattanooga TN, New Orleans LA, and Atlanta GA they are bringing a welcoming atmosphere to every city they plant their roots. Each shop features food and goods from local purveyors that complement their coffee selection. Revelator Coffee specializes in craft coffee while also serving seasonal eats. If you happen to be in any of the above cities we highly recommend you check them out. 11 ACM
"Colour is fun, colour is just plain gorgeous, a gourmet meal for the eye, the window of the soul." - Rachel Wolf. "In order to be irreplace"Design is like gravity able one must always be the force that holds it all different." - Coco Chanel. together." - E A Whitney
_CREATIVE "Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their days off that are the mostin- "I like being a woman, even triguing." - Alexander Wang. in a man's world. After all, men can't wear dresses, but we can wear the pants." - Whitney Houston.
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"If you didn't have fantasies you wouldn't have problems because you'd take whatever was there. But then you wouldn't have romance, because romance is finding your fantasy in people who don't have it." - Andy Warhol, 1970
"Fashions fade, style is eternal." - Yves Saint Laurent "The difference between style and fashion is quality." - Giorgio Armani.
E_JUICES_ "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." - Coco Chanel.
"Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live." - Gianni Versace.
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_ V O I C E S My name is Evie Elkins people know me as @eviesummers on Instagram. I've always known that I had a creative talent because my mom is a graphic designer and when I was young my mom let me use her art supplies and make things and that was how we bonded. I also used to use my parents video camera and point and shoot camera to make videos, and take photos. There is not a time in my life that I remember me not creating anything. When i first downloaded Instagram that is when I first was inspired by many photographers to kick it up a notch, so my parents bought me my first camera for Christmas. I started taking photos of my sister all dressed up and posted them on Instagram. Then people started asking me to take photos of them because they liked the natural style of my photos! God works in amazing ways! If any of these events did not line up together I probably would not be where I am today. This is one of the many reasons why Romans 8:28 is my life verse! And We Know That For Those Who Love God All Things Work Together For Good, For Those Who Are Called According To His Purpose. I know that I am called to be creative and reach people using my gifts from the Lord.
Hipsta Sista. Me and my sister, Elise, sometimes go on spontaneous photoshoots and this photo is from one of those. We have so much fun exploring new places and creating together. Person in photo: Elise Elkins
@EVIESUMMERS
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Bham from the Redmont. There is a fun story behind this photo! Me and my friends were taking photos downtown, and we wanted to get onto a roof to get a shot of the city. So we went to the Redmont Hotel, usually they don't let people access the roof, but these maintenance people were nice enough to let us up! It turns out I got one of my favorite photos I've taken.
: Downtown Lovin' This photo was taken on the same shoot as the second photo. I love this photo because the wind was blowing her hair perfectly and her jacket is so cute with the little roses on the back! Person in photo: Lauren Murdock
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_ V O I C E S @SLIM.WOO I believe art is just like fashion, and stylist are the artists. I think there's a skill you must have to be able to put together into a complete outfit. I have blonde hair, and I chose to bleach my hair because I wanted to stand out and be memorable. People around Birmingham have come up to me and recognize me from school or showing up on their social media suggestions, and they remember me because of my distinctive hair. It is so different especially here in Alabama. I have always been complimented on my outfits, even my "lazy day outfits." Even if I am going to Target, I still like to look stylish, it's just embedded into my mind and personality. I have a few different styles, but my favorites are street and kind of a rock and roll style. I think one's style definitely has to relate to culture 16 ACM
_ H E A R D _ @SOYSAUCEKIM Art represents my style in a very rebellious, gritty, grungy & don't give a fuck about what anyone thinks way. My style is very unique & a lot of my influences are from the early 2000's & current era. I have many different hairstyles that express myself in different ways, people always look twice like that Asian dude got braids but really I've been braiding my hair since I was a young youngin. I grew up with hella Jamaicans so I would always have cornrows & shit. Art is a big influence on my style because I think art is the truest form of self-expression. From the music you listen to, to what you take pictures of, to what you draw & how you dress. It all sets the persona & vibe about a person
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@CHANELLELEO
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Shirt: Easter Sunday 1999 Hat: Alchemy 123 Pants: BDG Shoes: Vans 19 ACM
CHANELLE LEONARD Fashion hasn't always hasn't been something I've always tried to engross myself in, but as I've become more enthralled with music, politics, and art itself fashion has become a way of expressing myself. I often try to go for a more urban but hip look. Patterns on clothing particularly shirts are my go to. I feel patterns stick out and make your outfit pop, especially when the colors within the patterns are drastically different themselves. If I do wear a shirt without patterns or a particular color scheme, I like for there to be some sort of message to serve as an attention grabber along with being an expression of my beliefs. Layers are also a must especially in the fall as it provides complexity to my outfit. I prefer for my layers to be different colors so the outfit sticks out more. I feel being a lesbian gives me less pressure to perform gender in the more feminine aspect all the time, so I feel more free to wear more so masculine clothing, which I often do. Along with this, I often (always) opt for sneakers over heels, though with my particular style I don't heels particularly mashing with my outfits. Now being in a college for two years where most dress the same along with having largely conservative views, fashion has become a crucial part of my being, allowing me to express myself, my sexuality, and views.
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Hat: FILA Shirt: Feminist Apparel Pants: Dickies Flannel: Drummer Boy Shoes: Vans
Jacket: North Face Sweater: American Eagle Pants: Gap Shoes: TOMS Watch: Casio 21 ACM
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writen by Zoe Lee Photographed by Rachel Barker
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""SSoom meetthhiinngg oouutt ooff oorrddiinnaarryy""
top: thrifted + DIY jeans: thridted + DIY shoes: thrifted b eACM lt : thrifted shoelace 24
Honestly I was not the most fashionable person when I was in high school, but I slowly learned how to be true to myself by stepping out of my comfort zone. Several years back when I started going through the clothing racks in thrift stores, trying to find the right clothes and right size, I was able to discover what my true personal style is. I came to love anything vintage, from 70s to 90s fashion. In thirst for more, I began searching for inspirations from many different sources, from Instagram posts, fashion Youtube videos (my current favorites are IAMKARENO, TOTHE9s), magazines, to 80s - 90s movies. I especially enjoy watching movies from 80s to 90s. At one point, I found myself binge watching all of the movies that I had on my list of mustwatch movies from that era. They gave me inspiration for my next #ootd and ideas for a next DIY project.
"Something out of ordinary" - this would be a perfect description of my personal fashion style. I love mixing any kind of fashion ideas into mine, and the excitement I have when I finally find a way to match all the pieces together is incredible. Even with the latest trends coming up, I would only follow them if I am genuinely intrigued. I do love a wide range of fashion styles, so I would wear anything from casual retro streetwear to fancy dresses, from neutral to vibrant bold colors. If I am in love with a piece of clothing, I would be carefree about what others might think and wear it with full confidence. My current obsession is 90s streetwear, from belt chokers, fish-net tight, to simple white sneakers; I just love the funky 90s vibe and I feel like it is a perfect way to express myself. 25 ACM
glasses: ebay denim jacket: thrifted + DIY shirt: thrifted bottom: thrifted shoes: thrifted 26 ACM
Figuring out what to wear, how to match colors, and thinking about the details of an outfit were so fascinating to me. It was like working on a small daily project on how to wear the same clothes in several different ways. I was always on a budget, and shopping frequently for new clothes was not an option for me. While making up my own ways to recycle old clothes, DIY-ing them into whole different style, I began to realize that I need to find some ways to fuel my creativity. I had been admiring all the Youtubers I've been watching, and in the back of my mind, I wanted to start one for myself. It took me 3 more years to actually start a channel of my own. I remember purchasing a camera for the first time and not even unboxing it for few days, just in case I change my mind and crawl back into my cave. I had pouring ideas of how my channel would look like, but I needed a small push. Thankfully, my husband and friends were supportive enough and pushed me harder to "start now", rather than "regret later". Since then, it's been quite a journey. Sharing my tips and ideas on fashion and beauty, making "How-to" DIY videos, and uploading daily or traveling vlogs have been an amazing experience. I love how I can connect with my viewers through sharing my creativity. I would like to focus more on fashion in the future, and express my constant drive to turn my ideas and vision into something tangible. I am looking forward to what might cross my path and many different opportunities I may have in the future.
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jacket: thrifted shirt: thrifted fishnet tights: ebay shoes: h&m glasses: zerouv
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BOUND model_Linnet Kabachia P h o t o g r a p h e r _ C a r o l i n e31JACM apal
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"...some kind of cozy-street-chic"
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"I never want to feel constricted in what I am wearing. Comfort is truly the most important key."
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Logo & Branding // Cynthia Yeung Photographer // 楊宗堡 Model // Kris Wang Styling // Yu Mei Huang
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With so many clothing brands and so many trends going in and out of style it can be hard to find brands that you trust and can feel good about purchasing their garments. Recently I have been interested in ethical clothing brands. While doing some searching through social media i came accross one that really caught my eye. The simplicuity, yet dual functionality of the dress that I saw really made me interested about the brand as a whole. Which later promted me to contact the founder to find out more about their brand and design. This is DOOBLAVEY, a Chicago based ethical clothing company that is looking to simplify the closets and lives of all women, while also making a positive impact on textile waste. I had the privlige to get to interview the founder and designer of DOOBLAVEY, Jiayin Zheny.
CJ: What do you as a brand find the most pressing issue in today's fashion industry? JZ: We believe the most pressing issue in today's fashion industry is overconsumption. There are 13 million tons of clothes sitting in landfills and if trends continue, that number will drastically increase. CJ: What is DOOBLAVEY doing to combat this? JZ: To combat this, we are creating high quality, timeless and multifunctional clothing. We hope this will help minimize wardrobes and decrease the turnover of consumer's clothing. is the how did it
story come to
CJ: Has ethical clothing/living always been a concern of yours? JZ: As a young designer, ethical clothing was engrained into my head from classes and my own research of designers at the forefront, such as Eileen Fisher, Study NY, State the Label, and other indie brands. Overtime, my ideas of clothing naturally carried over to my personal life. CJ: Please describe the W dress and it's different functions. JZ: The W Dress is the first piece we are launching so we wanted to make a statement with its transformation. It converts into a skirt, can be worn 14 different ways and styled with endless possibilities. The dress has 2 side pockets for added functionality and it's adjustable between sizes
Caroline Japal: First please describe your brand to our readers. Jiayin Zheny: DOOBLAVEY is an independent clothing brand that focuses on creating multifunctional clothing to reduce consumption. Our intention is to create versatile clothing for everyday wear in addition to making minimal modern pieces that can transform with your style
CJ: What DOOBLAVEY,
JZ: Today's women are extremely dynamic, especially our schedules. We have work, lunch, happy hour, friend time, hobbies, side businesses, travels, family time, date night, me time, etc. On many occasions, we have to make 3 outfit changes in one day for different events. This challenge plus the textile waste in landfills led to the founding of DOOBLAVEY.
CJ: When creating the W dress, how many designs did you go through before you found the right one? JZ: Before launching the W Dress, we had a 5-piece collection designed with a fully functional wardrobe in mind. Then we thought deeper about our mission and decided to focus on one item at a time. The W Dress was refined from the original collection. We went through many prototypes before getting the right fit and design with all the desired functionality.
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CJ: I read on your website that DOOBLAVEY is "made by women, for women..." can you elaborate on the role you hope your company to play in the women's fashion industry and in the lives of everyday women? JZ: The first "fashion designer" was Charles Frederick Worth in Paris. Women trusted him to dress them because back then they predominately dressed to impress men. But today women have a voice and our own views, which can be visually expressed through fashion. Did you know that historically pockets were left out of women's clothing so they had to carry a purse or depend on a man to carry their things? Surprisingly much of what you'd find in stores today is still designed without pockets. These kinds of details & historical context guides us to design more purposefully for today's women. Our products are also made by women that receive fair wages, good working conditions and skills training. Ultimately we hope our multifunctional clothing will help simplify and empower women in their daily lives. 48 ACM
CJ: What does DOOBLAVEY see itself doing next in the future? JZ: DOOBLAVEY will continue to design multifunctional and purposeful clothing to move consumers toward a minimal, longer lasting wardrobe. We hope this will encourage everyone to think deeper about the problematic fashion cycle and how they can contribute to the change that our environment needs. CJ: Finally is there anything else you would like our readers to know about your brand? JZ: A fun fact behind our name: DOOBLAVEY (W) translates to double "V" in French, which reflects the multiple iterations that our clothing can be worn
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T O W N a brand inspired by the streets of Los Angeles. A brand made for Downtown Girls and Bad Ass Babes.
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JJ O OH HN N B B LL A AN N D D II N NG G styled by John Blanding photographed by Caroline Japal
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Jacket: Zara Shirt: J. Crew Shorts: diy Glasses: Forever21 Shoes: ASOS 72 ACM
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Jacket: Forever21 Shirt: J. Crew Jeans: H&M Shoes: ASOS 77 ACM
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Overalls: ASOS Shirt: Old Navy Shoes: New Balance 80 ACM
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Twosie: H&M Shoes: Zara 87 ACM
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a look into the shoe collection of a southern girl turned new yorker
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photographed by Caroline Japal styled by Dianna Xing Earlier this year I was able to sit down with Dianna Xing, a, at the time, soon to be college graduate who was planning to move back home to Birmingham from Ohio to pursue her master's degree for biomedical sciences. Since then Dianna has graduated and is taking the next steps to pursue her goals to one day become Dr. Xing. Here is a short interview where she touches on her personal goals, her style inspiration and her own personal style. Caroline Japal: In what, or where do you find inspiration? Dianna Xing: "i think now, because we're in the age of social media I feel like a lot of my, definitely like fashion, lifestyle that sort of inspiration, comes from Instagram. I follow a lot of Instagram beauty bloggers, style bloggers. Other than that I think I draw from people I know, so I definitely look up to a lot of my advisors and mentors at school...even just some of my friends. I really admire their work ethic or I really admire qualities about them. I try to draw inspiration from people around me and it is also easier to talk to them, they're a little bit more relatable than just following someone on Instagram." CJ: Do you consider youreself and influencer? DX: "Not a social media influencer, but I have a younger sister and so definitely, I think, even though she doesn't want me to influence her, it's sort of like the typical sibling thing where we're totally opposites. If I do one thing she's like I'm not going to do that, you know? So we're totally like that. But now that we're older she'll ask me for advice and sometimes I'll ask her for advice too. So it's sort of like back and forth."
not really going to change anyone's mind by just arguing with them and it's really hard to avoid that temptation. So I think a big thing I want to improve on is just not taking things personally, so if somebody says something negative towards you it's probably not about you, it might be about them. You know maybe their feeling bad so they want to lash out. Or if they say something and that's really sexist, or racist, you know, try to understand where they are coming from. You don't have to accept it, it doesn't have to be right, but your initial reaction should be like, "okay, maybe they're coming from a place where they're not in a good place right now" and instead of lashing out and becoming angry at them, start a dialog." CJ: What do you do in your sare time? DX: "At school I teach a dance/fittness easy basic dance class. And I also choregraph for two other student dance groups. So I do a lot of dance. It's a lot of hip-hop, but I like more feminine hip-hop. I used to paint a lot in my spare time, but I don't have as much time any more, but I wish I could get back into it. At home, I like to work out and spend some time outside since the weather is nice. Other than that at school I'm usually in the dance studio practicing or rehearsing with my groups and stuff."
CJ: Do you have any specific goals for the rest of this year? DX: "Graduate! [laughes] hopefully, yes its really, like senioritis is hitting me so hard [laughes]. So its really hard for me to like try, so I'm like you still have like two classes you have to pass[laughes] you know, so that's like definitely, just graduate. Try not to fail. Let's see what else? Maybe, I want to save up money for like a senior trip so that's another thing I'm working on, budgeting and saving money. And I have to move into an apartment soon so I have to learn how to like pay taxes, CJ: How do you wan to improve yourself in the next year? pay rent, cook food, [lauges] like basic survival skills." DX: "I was actually thinking about this a couple days ago, and I think as far as improving myself...I think CJ: What are three words that describe your style? I want to try to be more politically active, especially DX: "My style changes a lot, so I think I kind of right now. I think because of the political climate right go between like basics and also street fashion. now, you have to be active, you have to educate your- So I guess...I don't know. I like to mix textures self you have to advocate for others and advocate for and different patterns, so I guess like fun, colorful, yourself. And then on that, I think a lot of people feel but also I like a lot of monochromatic looks, like I really angry or frustrated right now and so there's a own a lot of black, a lot of grey, a lot of white." lot of negativity, people are kind of calling each other out and they're getting in fights all the time. And that's 101 ACM both good and bad, to confront problems, but you're
CJ: Describe how you first got into fashion/developed your style? DX: " I guess like growing up my mom, she's from china, she used to take business trips to china like all the time. She would bring back clothes from overseas and they were always like really different, they were never like American fashion. So, growing up my clothes were always different, so instead of feeling like I was alienated by it I embraced it. So I was always trying out different quirky things. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. I think at a young age, I always was more drawn to things that are different. And then as I got older I just started noticing trends more so then I started following all these beauty bloggers, so like IAMKARENO, I like love her clothes. And so like I found her and she has like a really different quirky style and she like pairs a lot of things together that you wouldn't think would work but they do, and then I was like wow this is really cool so I was sort of like drawn more to like youtubers and Instagram models and people like that, influencers who are kind of more different."
But a lot of my clothes I just thrift them so I get a lot of inspiration from like IAMKAREN or Ellen V Lora. Like all these big influencers and I sort of like oh I like how they matched that so I try to thrift something or see what I have already. I try not to buy as many new clothes because I have so many clothes and a lot of times when we get rid of our old clothes they end up in landfills...so I try to like either revamp something that I already have or just thrift something"
CJ: What would you say is the biggest challenge about fashion/styling clothes? DX: " I guess it might be, maybe following trends. So, I think sometimes people just follow trends because everybody else is doing it and so it's hard to find your own personal style when you're following all these different people. It's like oh, well thigh-high boots are really in I want a pair, but maybe next season they're not going to be and so then when you follow all these big hot trends you spend a lot of money and you might not really like the clothes that you're wearing and there's no point in buying a piece that you can only match with one outfit. I CJ: What would be your ideal style? think that it's really hard to balance, being super DX: " I like a lot of clothes from Lazy Oaf, but they're trendy/fashionable and your budget as well as your so expensive, so if I could I would probably be like own personal style, like what you're comfortable with." 102 ACM Lazy Oaf. Or like UNIF, I like UNIF a lot. head-to-toe
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CJ: What is your closet like? is it organized a certain way? DX: " I try to organize it like every couple of months, I'll be like ok I'm going to organize my closet, like I'll do pants together, shirts together, but then I do laundry and it's like done.
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