Unique Vintage #iamunique Campaign!

In honor of Unique Vintage's #iamunique campaign, today's post is going to be about my personal style and how it has evolved over the years. A few years ago I probably would have had trouble answering the question, "what makes you unique?". That's because I realize how much my style today contributes to who I am. Before I got more invested in fashion, I’d always had a "hidden" knack for vintage-inspired style (hidden because I didn't know what the style I liked was called). During college I was way too focused on school to worry about what I was wearing. Jeans and a t-shirt were perfectly fine most days. What’s kind of funny is that my college roommate was a model; she had a lot of clothes and was very invested in fashion. I didn’t care much for it back then but maybe her morning outfit rituals subconsciously influenced my eventual interest in fashion!

My going-out outfits weren’t clothes I necessarily loved but bought anyway because they were currently trending. On one occasion 5 years ago, I saw what I thought was the cutest polka dot dress at H&M. I fell in love with it immediately and bought it even though it was different from mainstream style. At the time I didn’t know it was called a swing dress or that it was vintage style, I just loved the fact that the skirt would twirl when I spun. I wore it once to a daytime birthday and put it away for years. Now I realize that the dress is the only piece of clothing from my former wardrobe that falls in line with my current style. So, I feel like I have always loved vintage-inspired clothing but never fully embraced it until recently. Below is a picture of me wearing it back in 2009!

Three years ago I discovered stores and online boutiques that specialize in or carry vintage-inspired clothing, which was also around the time I graduated and started working (to you know, fund my new fashion hobby...). Slowly over time my wardrobe transformed with fit-and-flare dresses, novelty print tops and skirts, and vintage style shoes. Today, the way I dress has become a part of my identity. I feel like how I dress isn't "the norm" and I like that it's different. I love any occasion to dress up; whether it’s a casual outing with friends, a fancy date night, or just to run errands. My interest in fashion has helped me to embrace the style I really love and made me more confident in how I look and present myself to other people. It doesn't matter who you are and what your style is, as long as how you dress makes you feel good about yourself. And I think this is what makes us all unique in our own way :).

UV is one of the stores I discovered in my fashion-makeover journey and it has quickly become one of my favorite places to buy vintage-inspired clothing. I own a few things from them that I treasure dearly. I'm lucky to live driving-distance to their Burbank Boutique so I've been able to drop into the actual store a few times, too! Also, I was so excited a few weeks ago when I got chosen as one of the lucky winners on their Instagram contest (and I never win contests, haha...thanks UV<3)! I got to pick an Erstwilder brooch to keep, and being the owner of a maltipoo, I went with Paige the Prancing Poodle. I love how all of their brooches come with a little story in the packaging! Below are a few recent pictures of the H&M dress styled differently (many years later) and also a picture of me wearing the Poodle brooch on my doggy's 5th birthday :).