Inspired Reading: Fashionistas

I would like to start out by saying I don’t consider myself to be very fashion forward.  I was never the best dressed in high school. Then, I lived in jeans and a t-shirt when studying computer science.  Soon after graduation, I moved to a small blue collar town and have been pregnant and/or nursing ever since  When I started out in my garment sewing adventure last January, I was pretty close to clueless.

After a year of thinking about and researching clothing, fashion, and fit, I feel like I am finally honing in on a personal “Style”. I still wouldn’t consider myself very fashion forward but at least now I have more informed opinions.  The following five blogs are ones that have given me inspiration in my fashion adventures.

Ain’t No Mom Jeans – Fashion advice for the truely clueless. 🙂 I don’t always like their picks, nor do I have the kind of money to spend that they seem to have, but they did convince me to step away from bootcut and purchase a pair of straight-leg jeans. I don’t like going to malls or reading fashion magazines so I find their trend advice to be incredibly informative. I really enjoyed their pregnancy styling tips for each trimester and have tried to work them into my current wardrobe.

Already Pretty – Sal has an amazing “Love Your Body” attitude, and you can see the care she puts in dressing hers.  Before reading her blog, I had no idea people thought about their clothing this way.  It is an artform and I am a fan of her art. Because I don’t work outside the home, I enjoy her “Casual Outfit Roundups” the best.  Do you want to be as confident in having your photo taken as Sal? Check out How to Look Awesome in a Photo – Part I, II, and III.

Fashion for Nerds – This is the newest fashion blog in my reader. Audi had me at her confident smirk of a smile. It’s the kind of attitude that doesn’t apologize for the outfit, but makes it great.  Check out her series on “How to Break Out of  Fashion Rut” or “Wearing Jeans and  T-Shirt“.

Green Apples -I discovered StitchyWitch when I was researching Vogue 8577 for my Eyelet Shirtwaist. She is a talented seamstress with a love of dresses and a taste for vintage styling.  Despite our differences in body type, I still find that a lot of her picks would work on me. (Remember my Cozy Cardi? Inspired by her.)  I’m loving her picks from Vogue’s 2011 Spring Line.  I hope she makes them all because I doubt I’ll be sewing much for myself this summer and I hope to live vicariously through her.

Erica B’s DIY Style – It is often asked of sewists if sewing your own clothes is a cost savings.  The answer is “it depends“.  In the case of Erica’s wardrobe, you know she is getting a bargain. She copies runway and designer looks and tailors them perfectly to her body. The result is stunning.  She looks like a million bucks.  I wish I could look as fabulous at 27 as she does at 40.  But then, she does have almost 30 years of sewing experience helping her out. Learn more about her sewing background in this interview (which includes links to some of her favorite sewing tutorials!)

So those are my Top 5! Who are yours?
Do you follow any fashion blogs or find fashion inspiration online somewhere?