This summer was an interesting one for me, sartorially speaking. Sometime earlier, I became rather obsessed with Ralph Lauren, a designer that had never really been at the forefront of my fashion interests before. It took me a while to figure out why his work started to resonate with me all of a sudden; it wasn’t until I was perusing Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion that the answer came to me. Lauren is not an innovative designer the likes of Issey Miyake, for example. Rather, his genius lies in his ability to tell stories using clothes (and to design clothes that can vividly tell stories). As it happens, within the last few years, I have come to understand and view clothes as tools for story-telling in my own life. My use of the style avatars (which started in around 2018) was a first step down this path; with time, my approach has evolved, but the core practice remains the same. So I admire Lauren because he creates clothes for the same purpose that I wear them.

I also enjoy many of his aesthetic choices.

Over the last couple of years, the Adventurer avatar morphed into the Historian, with its witchy academia influences (thanks, A Discovery of Witches!) and, more recently – as I have been watching a lot of TV shows set in or featuring English countryside – a tweedy, country estate sort of vibe. Lauren’s runway collections offer a lot of inspiration in that respect, no surprise there.

His southwestern-inspired collections, on the other hand, were something of a slow burn. Initially, I thought I wasn’t interested because anything remotely cowboy-adjacent has never really been my bag. But then I had a closer look at the clothes and realized that there were many elements that spoke to me. The quilted/patchwork pieces. Prairie-style maxi dresses. Southwestern textiles and jewelry. [Ever since my trips to California and Arizona back in 2017 and 2018, I’ve wanted to see more and learn more about the American Southwest. For now, through books, but some day hopefully a big road trip.]

Anyway, as will have become obvious by now if you’re been following my recent posts, it was this aspect of Lauren’s aesthetic that became my main style influence this summer. For one thing, once the weather warmed up, a lot of the Historian outfits that I had been wearing became rather impractical. But this sort  southwesten-cottagecore-ish take on the Bohemian – which I’ve also called my “Jo-March-on-the-prairie” aesthetic – seemed well suited to the weather.

And that is what I have stuck with, by and large, all summer. Here and there, I sprinkled in some colour (reminiscent of the old colourful maximalist version of the Bohemian).

It’s probably the first time in a long time that my outfits have been so cohesive. That was not my goal or intent, by the way. It just happened that way; instead of feeling drawn to exploring different themes with my clothes, I experimented with the one. And I enjoyed it very much – much more than I might have expected given how close to a “uniform” this came to be. But I have to say that, coming to the end of August, I am very much looking forward to a change. I am excited to get back to the Historian, and all my lovely wools and plaids. A few of my summer pieces may end up being transitioned to fall, but I think most of them will be laid aside until next year.

Which makes me think that it might be time for my avatars to evolve into a seasonal pattern. Fall and spring are definitely Historian territory. Summer is Bohemian time (whether the old Colourful Maximalist version, or the recent Southwestern Cottagecore version). Which leaves me to wonder: what is winter going to be? Time will tell.

The Historian (formerly Adventurer) style avatar was a sleeper for a long time. At first, the shift to WFH moved me away from my more “formal” avatars, the Prince (now High Priestess) and the Artist, towards the fun and quirky Bohemian. In the last few months, though, it’s the Historian that calls to my imagination. Don’t get me wrong; I still wear and will continue to wear a lot of Bohemian outfits because I adore colour and patterns, and summer is coming. But the Historian is where a lot of my creative energies are being drawn.

I was looking back at some of the recent Historian outfits I’ve loved the most, and it struck me that they had a definite Ralph Lauren flavour. The fact that two of my most beloved pieces of clothing are vintage RL helped the realization along. I started digging into online archives, looking for 80s and 90s Ralph Lauren images. I quickly realized that I’d hit a rich vein of inspo. Finding lots of pictures from 30+ year old runway collections or magazine ads isn’t easy, but the thing about Ralph Lauren is that their collections self-reference a lot. That’s why it’s really easy to spot a Ralph Lauren look.

I have never considered myself a fan of Americana in fashion, so the cowboy end of the RL spectrum isn’t really my bag. And as a non-WASPy immigrant, I have complicated feelings about preppy style. But! I do love the tweeds and the plaids, the wools and leathers and linens. Especially anything with a more “dark romance” edge to it.

As in all things style-related, I struggle to explain in words the ideas and moods I want my clothes to evoke, but basically: I know what it is when I see it.

Here are a few of the images I’ve bookmarked for inspiration:

I also took a deep dive into the brand’s history, and came across some interesting articles including this one on its influence on 90s hip hop culture. It expanded my view of the brand and what I had perceived as its WASPy connotations. I should also add that my current obsession with all things 90s (from pop culture to fashion) is going strong. It feels re-energizing to find new sources of inspiration, and there is a nostalgic element to revisiting an era from one’s own living memory.

As mentioned in a previous post, I decided to have a closer look at the Spring 2022 runway collections to glean new inspiration for my style avatars. On the whole, I didn’t find a lot of designs that spoke loudly to my personal aesthetic. This is okay. Fashion and trends are not meant to be synonymous with personal style. My own goal is two-fold. On one hand, I want to remain open to change and new ideas in design/style (and all things, tbh) because it is how we grow and evolve, and to the extent that style is an extension of who we are, it should also evolve. On the other hand, I want to be able to maintain my own perspective on style, rather than merely wearing whatever trends are popular at a given time simply because they are popular. It’s a fine balancing act, but I find it gets easier with age. Yes, even the openness to change. I have never been more curious and excited to learn new things.

Anyway, here are some of the images that spoke to me in relation to my avatars.

In truth, these outfits fit an older iteration of the High Priestess/Crone avatar. I’m finding myself look towards a slightly modified aesthetic here — more Byzantine and ornate and colourful. But the silhouettes are fantastic.

The Artist is definitely all about soft, fluid lines, but with additional volume. Lots and lots of volume. And more colour than before, especially soft colours and pastels. And pink and green! My inspiration continues to be an amalgam of Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau art — long hair, fancy nap dresses.

There were slim pickings for the Historian/Luxe Academic/Diana Bishop avatar on the spring 2022 runways, but that’s okay. I have my own ideas and have been experimenting more with this avatar again. But I’m intrigued by the images above – those high waisted pants (drool!), the luxe menswear inspired suiting, the creative layering.

The Bohemian always garners lots of inspo, and this year was no exception. I am especially loving the patchwork/colourful knits moment that is happening right now.

What is inspiring your 2022 style journey?