holloway... this way

It's interesting, looking back and seeing how certain fashion icons have influenced my own choices in the morning when I'm getting dressed for the day, or perhaps the evening, when I'm going out for drinks with my friends.  I've been through a few fashion phases in my short life. They've included an obsession with looking like a porcelain doll (cue the lacy collars, abhorrent ruffles and socks-with-heels) and the "hideous vintage" phase that revolved around wearing blouses with unflattering shoulder pads and too-long skirts that doubled as floor-sweeping devices. None of these obsessions have stuck around fortunately (you're welcome to see for yourself... start with the 2013 archives...). There were some icons however that I look back on with fondness as I remember how much I wanted to dress like them when I was "older" and "more mature" and "had curves". 

The first time I saw a picture of Joan Holloway, I fell in love with everything about her style. THEN, I watched Mad Men, and realized that not only does she dress beautifully, but she's a pretty incredible and complex character too. To me, women are women, no matter what shape and size they are, but when I saw Joan, it helped me picture an older version of my younger self at the time. Joan's confidence radiated from her outer beauty through the way she held herself in difficult situations and her constant assertion when confronted with idiots. Joan is an important character in Mad Men for me because she is such an independent woman. She respects herself, therefore other's respect her. That's the type of woman I want to be. Confident, self-assured and perfectly content with who I am. Sure, she has her flaws, but her positive attributes and triumphs were what left me with something to think about when the screen went blank after the end of an episode. 

"Well, Marilyn's really a Joan, not the other way around"

This outfit reminds me of Joan. Replace the denim jacket with a camel-coloured coat and I feel like it's something she would've worn on a Monday morning to the office... making important phone calls, firing people who can't do their job properly and well, being a boss-woman who deserves all the success possible!

WEARING: H&M top, Dotti skirt, Target jacket, Rayban specs

LISTENING TO: This Night by Billy Joel