Why I Am Not a Fashionista, Part I

I love clothes and I have a sense of style, but I'm not a fashionista.  I realize that I'm a nerd: I have hair that tends to be frizzy or at least big; I am blind as a bat without my contacts or glasses; I read books for work and for fun; I have a GEEK shirt and an HOLA! shirt that I wear with pride; I get ridiculously happy when I use the OED.  Speaking of the OED, it defines the term fashionista as "a person employed in the creation or promotion of high fashion, as a designer, photographer, model, fashion writer, etc. Also: a devotee of the fashion industry; a wearer of high-fashion clothing." Even if I had the financial means to be a fashionista, I would not be one for a combination of political, personal, and environmental reasons. There's also the fact that most of the clothing made for the runway wouldn't fit my size 8/10 frame or my athletic calves.  Would I perhaps have one or two beautiful gowns and a few pairs of strappy sandals a la Carrie Bradshaw?  Sure.  But, as a general rule, I'd still buy clothes at the charity shops.
  
I love dresses and skirts, but I buy most of them at thrift stores, off of clearance racks, or from Filene's Basement or TJMaxx.  I wear clothes and shoes until they pill to pieces, fall apart, or don't fit anymore.  If I can in good conscience, I give away used items of clothing as hand-me-downs, through clothing swaps, or by donating to Goodwill.  Most of my jewelry comes from local boutiques, independent sellers on Etsy, or was given to me by loved ones.  I do own a few pairs of expensive Fluevogs and one pair of Christian Louboutins, but these were all rewards for accomplishing major career goals.

Since starting this fashion blog, I have experienced some serious covetousness.  Sometimes I see outfit posts on Fashion For Nerds, and it requires serious will power to not max out my credit card at All Saints and Tsubo.  Andrea of a cat of impossible colour sometimes makes me want to go on a vintage dress buying binge.  Occasionally, I do give into the uncontroble urge to buy a dress or a pair of tights at ModCloth.  But I'm well aware that I'm on the budget of a grad student.  I do make some extra money adjuncting right now, but I've been trying to pay off some debt.  And considering the dismal academic job market right now, my financial situation is unlikely to get better any time soon.  I have a budget for my wardrobe, and I stick to it.  Fortunately for me, another result of blogging and being part of such a wonderful community of amazing bloggers is that it has made me a lot more creative about the way I make use of my wardrobe.  I've learned new things about layering skirts (from Sal and Audi) and tights (from T.) and sweaters.  I've gotten more creative about combining colors (thanks to the lovely ladies of academichic and Franca).  I've learned to love belts and the color yellow.  I've learned how to make use of what I already have to emulate trends without having to go shopping.

That said, I don't love all trends, and I accept that some that I really do like simply don't suit my body type.   I can't imagine going into tremendous amounts of debt for clothing and purses a la Carrie Bradshaw.  I like clothes.  However, I realize that caring about accessories and shoes is only a part of my personality.  It's the part that people see first when they meet me, but, while I enjoy clothing and see attire as a way to perform and subvert a myriad of identities, and while I think I have a well-developed sense of style, I do not pretend to be a fashionista.  I simply want my choice to wear a floral skirt and sweater tights or two dresses at the same time to be as valid as the choice to wear tweed or tattered jeans into campus is.

What about you?  Are you a fashionista?