Thoughts for Tuesday, v.4: Those Jeffrey Campbell shoes, that Topshop dress...

"Fashion fades, style is eternal." - Yves Saint Laurent

I have to admit, I was pretty stumped for a topic for today's edition of Thoughts for Tuesday. Most of my thoughts have been continuations of previous posts, without much variation, however. This is the first time I've sat down and read blogs since Sunday, and with nearly 200 posts, I thought it would take forever. Not so.

The amount seemed daunting, but paging through takes no time when there's several posts featuring those shoes and a wispy Topshop dress. Okay, perhaps I'm a little bitter - I only buy used leather/new synthetic materials, and no one gives up their JC shoes, so they're out of the question for me. Topshop has a nice selection but prices I cannot justify, thus they too are not very realistic for me to consider.

I get it - both brands produce more thoughtfully designed, contemporary goods than many super-commercial shops. Astronomically high shoes with a chunky wooden heel in a mall department store? Are you nuts? Peter pan collars constructed of real silk... in the woman's section?! Gasp.

Contrary to what the blogosphere may have you believe, not everyone is clad in a pretty Topshop dress nor do they stomp around in sky-high platforms. I do think that most of us bloggers - and blog readers - do this to go against the norm, to form a community with each other, etc. While one may stand out among a sea of Express-wearing-twenty-somethings, when thrown together, it can be difficult to distinguish an individual.

Within fashion, it's difficult to do something truly original. However, wearing a subtle mix of trendy wares barely constitutes anything groundbreaking, let alone style. Perhaps I'm guilty of this too - no, I know I am - but lusting over the same items and proceeding to purchase them produces monotony.

I can't say much about how personal style blogging used to be, or when exactly these brands stole the hearts of girls wishing to dress differently than their peers. I suppose some similarity is inevitable, but I'd hope to believe that bloggers would want to take pride in putting together unique outfits. But it seems that a fancy camera, a thrifted floral-print item, those shoes, and that bag form a stylish blogger.

I don't have a problem with any of the brands I mentioned in this post - as I said, I do admire quite a few of the designs they create. But there's only so much variation, so much remixing that one person - or a bundle of ladies with the same item - can handle with these brands alone.

xox Catherine