The Difference Between Fashion and Style

photo | michael collins design

Brand names are my kryptonite. Designers are my drug. I can't deny either of those statements because they are simply the truth. If I could replace all of the sweaters in my closet for ones made by Acne Studios I would. If all of my jeans could read "J Brand" on the tag, that'd be great. 

"We all have our vices, mine just happen to be designer."

Alas, I am not entirely made of money. I POUNCE on the opportunity to buy designer pieces whenever I can because they are made of the highest quality materials and they make me happy, okay? They make me so happy I can't even explain it! We all have our vices. Mine just happen to be designer. 

With that being said, it is important that I reveal how to balance Chanel taste on a Topshop budget. It's quite simple. Fashion costs money, style does not. Fashion is an industry - a 1.2 trillion dollar global industry. It grows and grooms designers and those designers produce fabulous clothes and purses and shoes that cost more than an Upper East Side apartment complex. That's fashion.

Style, however, is different.

Style is what a person exudes when they enter a room. It's what they smell like, what their hair looks like, what shoes they're wearing and how their shirts are hemmed. Style is intangible. It cannot be bought or sold. It can be learned, although I believe those with the greatest sense of style are 100% born with it. They don't have to try, for it is ingrained in their genetic makeup the same way the color of their hair is. It's natural.

"Style is intangible."

You probably know already if style is something you possess naturally. If you're confident that style is something you have on *lock* then you realize that you can put together a KILLER outfit with very little money. Some of my favorite sweaters are from Goodwill (!!!!!) and some of my brand name items are from places like thredUP or The Real Real, both consignment websites. 

I will be sharing my favorite STYLE steals on the blog more regularly to show you how you can be inspired by fashion without breaking your bank account. 

Stay tuned and email me with outfits you'd like to see styled in future blog posts ashley.fashionspeak@gmail.com