On the Ganges: Five Faves From 2011

Did you know that we're two weeks away from January 1st, 2012? How bizarre is that?

This blog hit the internet on March 20th -- nine months old! Any babies conceived in that month are being born around now; what a weird thought -- and shortly after, I came close to giving it up. I didn't anticipate it becoming my main hobby, but so many people through blogs and Lookbook/Chictopia never failed to constantly inspire me. I've grown a lot and have, for the most part, accomplished what my hope had been when jumping on the 'internet fashion' bandwagon: to find my physical identity, and see if it would help me find my inner identity. I thought I would move forward, away from my icons from childhood, my roots, and my memories. What happened instead? I did a complete 180: I went back to my childhood, drawing on the southwestern culture from my earliest memories, the grungy LA city life from my preteens, the occult and punk influences from my early teens, and the (sometimes glam) rock inspirations from my mid-teens.

I wanted to mature, feeling pressured by finally getting a job and being around more adults in person. Instead, I discovered that I'm not quite ready to let go of my youth and all of the things that shaped me into who I am. This is why fashion is so powerful; not only can a good outfit boost some confidence for you, but it helps you (and others) begin to figure out what you’re all about. Sure, ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover,’ but it gives others a glimpse of the story inside; it’s a first impression.

I’ve only been blogging for the better part of one year, and I am not by any means a blogger guru like so many others, but On the Ganges has still gone farther than what I had supposed (which tells you I had little to no hopes for this thing; I’m so pessimistic!) and I’ve gone through some major transformations because of it and everything I’ve been exposed to. Am I happier with myself now than nine months ago? Infinitely! I’ve also gotten in touch with my spiritual side, and yeah, it wouldn’t have happened unless I had directed such a strong focus on myself and who I want to be. A lot has happened in nine months.

This blog is a record of the life I keep through my style, and many of the outfits and posts I’ve created stand as landmarks in my memory. Looking back on the past nine months, I’ve become incredibly outlandish in my manner of dress compared to what I used to wear, and these are what I consider my favourites. (Click on photos to view their original posts!)

This is probably one of my favourite outfits, ever. This tank top is one of my most loved garments, and it worked wonderfully with my vest and shorts. I look like a freaking gypsy. This is how I want to dress almost every day. I also distinctly remember this being one of Kathryn's and my frequent trips down to the train to ride two towns outbound to Leominster to get decent coffee (unlike the stuff I sell; don't resort to Dunkin' Donuts, guys) and sometimes hit the mall. We went so often on the same train that we kept seeing the same cashier there, whom often looked at us every time we came through the front door as if thinking, "don't you two have better things to do?" Ahh, I miss those escapades!




 

Another absolute favourite of mine, and my most popular Lookbook look. (Woo!) This shirt is really see-through, but wearing a nude bra made it suddenly seamless. It was perfect to wear on a warm day with a denim jacket to beat the cool ocean breeze. And these shorts. Oh my god these shorts. ♥

This day was amazing. Waking up at half past four in the morning to drive from west-of-Boston all the way to Cape Cod, shell-hunting with Kathryn and Molly, riding over to Hyannis (where I bought my favourite pair of earrings ever), feeling constantly wired-yet-drained while walking back and forth from the cottage to the beach to get pastries, ice cream, Pepsi, and to visit the antique shop... I can NOT wait for summer to return.

First trip to Salem! It was so freaking cold! But I refused to wear anything else. I wanted to wear the shorts from the first look in this post, but that's the only thing I compromised on. I still loved it, and don't be surprised if I wear this same outfit with the aforementioned tie-dyed shorts next spring/summer. (Okay, maybe I'll try to wear a different top, too. Note to self: find a bustier to go with the ruana.) I already made an unnecessary ramble about why I love this outfit on its original post, featuring music tracks. I won't bore you any more than I need to!

Gah, Salem. Salem is amazing. I want to live there. Where else can the tourist information building be a one-stop oriental spices shop? Where else can I go into a convenience store and see magazines to the left, and occult apparel on the right? Also, they have a freaking Ben & Jerry's store. I think that alone is reason enough to move there. I also got two women who help run my favourite shop to research Jeffrey Campbell shoes, in which one of the women at her laptop exclaimed, "it's like shoe porn." We are apparently kindred spirits.

Seriously. If I can't live in Cambridge (near Boston), I may bug Kathryn to move there.

Snake skin print leggings. Why else would I love this outfit? Also my favourite boots, my recently favourite top, and my favourite fur vest. Added bonus: my own handmade SOULMATES jewelery. Mix them together, and bam, an outfit I want to live in. (And then I just really love my trashy looking hair. I hope you guys are okay with me looking like my hair is a result of shoving a butter knife into an electric outlet. I am quite fond of messy hair lately.)

I love this back alley behind the main downtown shops. I love brick, and look at the background of the photo. It's freaking covered in moss!

So much love for this ensemble. The jacket, the skirt, the slouchy knotted top, and my Docs. I was really hating how my hair was looking by this point (the pigmentation in the local water had been slowly staining it; eww) but with this look, it sort of tied together the 90s grunge vibe I had going. I bought the top and skirt in the same day at the Salvation Army, and I tried them on together as soon as I got home. I asked Kathryn and her sister Sarah what they thought, and they both immediately loved it. If I could appeal to those two, I knew it must look pretty rad. ♥



My hope for 2012: to finally get out there and wear the perfect Black Belles inspired outfit, at least once.

Also, to get married. Best outfit post ever, am I right? Stay tuned on those developments.



This post brought to you buy Independent Fashion Bloggers' IFB Project.

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