I love fashion and like many women I've fallen into "the comparison trap" at times in my life. My house is filled with fashion magazines. I've always loved fashion and purchased my first VOGUE when I was a young teen. Because of this, it was hard not to compare myself to the women in these photo shoots. It's a trap many of us fall into at some point.
One day, before Real Girl Runway was born, I was thinking about my life and the women that I know and love. Fashion shoots and runway shows are beautiful but they aren't reality. The models, although beautiful, have a team of professionals styling their hair, doing their makeup and fixing even the tiniest flaw before and during the shoot. Stylists and photographers use all sorts of behind the scenes tricks to make an outfit look perfect and to get the right lighting. They take thousands of shots during a shoot and the model has her makeup and clothing adjusted between shots. If all those things fail, there is always Photoshop.
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| Yes, those are binder clips. |
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photo credit: Final Cut Pro
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During these shoots the stylists have racks of clothes and tons of shoes and accessories, pulled just for the shoot. The items are borrowed from designers and stores. Since these items aren't purchased, price is never an issue.
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photo credit: skinny latte strikes back
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Here is where the reality comes in. I don't know a single woman who has a team of hair stylists, makeup artists and fashion stylists helping them get ready every morning. Even celebrities and models don't have these professionals with them every day. If you don't believe me all you have to do is check one of the millions of paparazzi photos that invade the internet daily. We all have budgets and can't purchase any and every piece of designer clothing we desire. I'm sure we'd get stares and strange looks if we walked down the street with binder clips tighening our clothing to get the best look. We'd look great from the front but UGH from the back, not to mention it would be uncomfortable.
I named my blog Real Girl Runway because as much as some of us would like the runway, fashion show treatment every day, it's not real life. We get dressed early in the morning before dashing off to work or scrambling to get our kids ready for school. There are schedules to keep and errands to run. We need to pay bills and to save for homes, cars, and college educations and can't shop everytime we wish. We have challenges with our clothing and our bodies. All of us, no matter what our size (xs - xxxl), struggle with clothes that don't fit. The street, the sidewalk, the office building, the grocery store, those places are our runway. We do the best we can with our bodies, money, and person style. It's not always easy but we try hard to look and feel great about ourselves.
Hard as I try, I definitely don't have all of the answers. It's my hope that I can pass on the things I've learned and tips for great style at any size or budget. If you have a question or a topic you'd like me to address, please leave a comment or send me an email.
We are all Real Girls and we have to stick together and help each other.
