Chung & Tiffany's: My Style Inspirations

Because of my awkward hours at work, I seem to be suffering bouts of insomnia, or so it seems. I’m up until the weeee hours of the morning (4-4:30 to be exact… sorry if you read my tweets at this time of day). Since I can’t sleep, I took up reading, and reading has given me all kinds of new inspirations. I am currently finishing up my post at a little coffee shop in my town, and I must say I’m feeling perfectly inspired.

My first read was IT by Alexa Chung. I have adored her style and grace for the longest time, and I have been saving up for studying abroad, but I thought this was a necessary minor purchase, as a book purchase wouldn’t break me in the long run. And it was an incredible purchase. If you have been debating purchasing this book I say GO FOR IT. The book puts me in Alexa’s mind, giving me an insight as to why she wears what she wears/does what she does/what she gets inspo from/etc. Her style inspirations are fab, ranging from Wednesday Addams to Kate Moss. She shares her advice from boys to festivals, giving tips here and there for readers who, like me, want to channel their inner “Chung.”

Whilst reading reviews of the book, people complained it wasn’t much of what they were looking for. After reading it, I must add my two cents—what were you looking for? It gives us ace style tips and the photos are incredible, with tidbits of advice here and there. She gave tips to improving my Instagram photos (here is the link to my Insta if you would like to follow meee) and shared her love for dinosaurs. What more can a person want? One of my favorite quotes (among many, I might add): “Looking effortless takes a lot of effort.”

My best friend from college and I decided to start our own little book club which is honestly one of the greatest things I decided to do this summer. As English majors, it’s good to continue honing our inner lit analysts whilst reading some literary classics. (How educated did I sound right there?) In a writing class we took together, we watched the film Capote, giving us a taste about this intriguing author and his life. So, we had to pick up two of his greatest works, In Cold Blood, and the well-known Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a novella, and because it was only 87 pages long, we decided to start with this book. Audrey Hepburn brought Holly Golightly to life in the film, and her face stuck in my mind as I read the novel. Her character is complex, and, is a “real phony,” but she embodies the grace of a woman of her time. “Darling” has been on repeat in my head, and you can hear her voice as it describes the way she dresses. I embody the simplicity of Holly: “…she wore a slim cool black dress, black sandals, a pearl chocker…A pair of dark glasses blotted out her eyes.” The grace described through this one ensemble, and the twist and turns her character takes enthralls me throughout the entire novella. While I haven’t seen the film (I know, where have I been living?!), I would highly recommend the book. You can’t fully capture a literary genius on the screen.

These books both encompass styles and creativity that I absolutely adore. Literary figures and pop culture icons are perfect places to get style inspirations—where do you get your inspiration? What has been on your reading list for the summer? Please share in the comments below.

Much love,

Maggie D. xx