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| ClipArt Courtesy: ClipArtBest |
Living on the Gulf Coast, the area is known for many things including an ever-growing fashion scene. I am highlighting two of my fellow local fashion bloggers Jessica Shelter of Life Fashion Styling and Sarah Israel Levey of The Southern Atelier. We initially met while serving as official bloggers for Mobile Fashion Week back in October. Find out what they had to say about the local fashion scene as fashion bloggers and stylists as well.
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| Image Credit: Jessica Shelter for Life Fashion Styling |
Jessica Shelter is the Fashion Stylist and Blogger behind the blog Life Fashion Styling. Shelter showcases a fresh and unique brand of styling along the Gulf Coast. Here is what she had to say about the local fashion scene.
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| Image Credit: Jessica Shelter for Life Fashion Styling |
“What I like the most about fashion on the Gulf Coast is the fact that it seems to be revolved around comfort. Anyone who knows me knows that if it’s not comfortable then I’m not buying it! Also, the Gulf Coast is constantly evolving! It seems like not too long ago, everyone seemed to be pursuing the same southern style but now you can tell that different styles are starting to emerge from the area and more people are starting express themselves through fashion.”
You can find out more about Life Fashion Styling at their website, Instagram, and Facebook.
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| Photo Credit: Pure 7 Studios |
Sarah Israel Levey is the Editorial Stylist and Blogger behind The Southern Atelier. The Southern Atelier specializes in highlighting modern Southern style and lifestyle. Levey is a Birmingham transplant who now calls Fairhope home. The following is her perspective on fashion on the Gulf Coast and what readers can expect from The Southern Atelier.
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| Photo Credit: Pure 7 Studios |
“As a stylist, I love the freedom that comes with fashion in general living on the Gulf Coast – you can look equally as stylish dressed down in a boho-style maxi skirt and casual tank paired with flats as you would have dressed up in an edgier, more fashion-forward outfit in a larger city. There is something about proximity to the water that makes one want to shed the structured, buttoned-up, high-fashion pieces in favor of embracing the easy elegance of Coastal lifestyle. The no muss, no fuss — yet perfectly pulled together — approach to dressing is utterly contagious, to say the least.
One of my favorite things I have found living on the Gulf Coast is that everything goes; you are free to express yourself through your fashion choices in any manner that pleases you. The fashion scene here shows less restraint, leaning towards chic comfort and casual pieces paired with artisan hand-made jewelry, creating one-of-a-kind looks that embrace individuality and creativity. This laid-back luxe approach to styling really gives the area that eclectic and artistic vibe that I have come to know and love since moving here a little over one year ago.”
“An atelier is a workshop of creativity; a studio of artistic individuality for the likes of artisans, designers and all other forms of creatives. The Southern Atelier’s blog is meant to be the digital age’s response to a magazine, featuring articles with an exchange of creative information that focus on both modern Southern style and lifestyle.
In a culture that is becoming increasingly obsessed with fast-fashion, disposable fads and what is and is not currently ‘trending,’ I aim for The Southern Atelier to provide more of a calm, classic approach to personal style and dressing. Yves Saint Laurent said it best: “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”
I hope that by focusing on classic wardrobe staples that will stand the test of time rather than what is ‘in’ this week but ‘out’ the next, my readers will embrace their individual sense of style and not feel the pressures of the fast-fashion marketing machine that has become so prevalent in today’s society. This is not to say I do not love a good trend – I just believe that “trendy” is best used in moderation. I believe that this approach to fashion aligns with the core of Southern style – with a focus on all things timeless, elegant and classic.”
Great fashion can happen no matter where you live. You just have to keep an eye out for it. Special thanks again to Jessica and Sarah for sharing their thoughts. Be sure to find them online.
How is your local fashion scene? What stands out or what would like to see improved? Let us know in the comments below.
All opinions expressed on the blog appear courtesy of Tamarah Brown for My Own Sense of Fashion © unless otherwise stated (i.e. interviews). No use or reproduction may occur without the written consent of the author. This blog uses affiliate links & generates a small commission from purchases.
Great blog and I loved the interviews! The Coast certainly does have an easy elegance that the rest of us admire. Sarah Levey summed it up so well. I look forward to more posts!