If you know me, you know I love to put a little twist on famous sayings to send a message. In this case, my travels to Detroit showed me how to change the phrase, “There are two sides to every story” to “There are two sides to every city.” Whenever you travel to a new, unfamiliar place, you know that you’re considered an outsider looking in. Although you have a sense of what the city has to offer, the people who live there truly know the ins and outs of their hometown. With that being said, this Detroit Fashionista helped me better understand the two sides of her city through her combination of an edgy and girly look.
To start off, let’s cover the edgy side that falls into what the visitors perceive the city to be. For me, I surely thought of Detroit as the place revolving around cars and factories. Yes, that is such a surface level assumption for me to make, but it’s not something people would disagree with. Detroit constantly creates things from scratch and that type of raw determination parallels with this Fashionista’s sharp leather jacket. Adding a thick choker and a pair of black booties just adds on to the boldness of the jacket and really speaks for the tough image that Detroit can give off.
Now, since the new saying goes, “There are two sides to every city” the serious and strong side of Detroit is met with more of a lighthearted and upbeat nature. This viewpoint of the city is associated with the Detroit natives because they see their hometown as more than the experts of the automobile industry. Like this Fashionista, the insiders know their city has an amazing nightlife, an awesome assortment of restaurants, and of course, fun sporting events to attend. I couldn’t think of a better way to portray that type of liveliness than with her floral romper. The vibrant red presents the Detroiter spirit and passion that the Fashionista described to me and I must say, her romper totally gets the job done.
So, how exactly did this Fashionista bring these two fashion worlds together? One word ladies and gentlemen: bracelets. Wrist wear is by far my favorite thing to experiment with and this Fashionista’s knotted and beaded bracelets really caught my eye. Not only are they so chic, but she told me that the beaded one is actually a friendship bracelet. This personal, yet effortless, touch brings the whole look full circle by acting as a bridge between the two different styles!
Looking back on this excursion, I honestly did not go into Detroit thinking fashion was going to be my ultimate teaching tool. Typically, a tourist’s guide would’ve come in handy, but to my surprise, a leather jacket and a romper gave me more than I could have asked for. Just as the saying goes, there’s always a way to complement one style with another, even if it’s by clashing (groundbreaking, I know).
