In general, I don’t bother following the blogs of designers. I find them to be a little too over-self-promotional, and I get tired of seeing magazine scans with their own products circles, and the never-ending line of “SALE TODAY IN MY SHOP!” posts.
Then… I found Saint & Libertine, a blog written by a designer at Dolce Vita. Ivy Kirzhner is not just a designer on her beautiful blog, she is herself. She is a fashion-loving, stunningly gorgeous, bold, experimental vision… And she is inspiring. If you ask her what she is, she’ll likely tell you “Shoe Designer, Music Artist, Performer, Photographer and a Style Savant.” That’s what blogs are for, right? I can only be so inspired by a sale in your Etsy shop – show me something new!
Does she wear her own designs in almost every post? Sure… But nothing is ever the same. Dolce Vita isn’t in size 72 bold print. Besides – look at the girl – do you really care? She is a caricature of fashion, a ballsy broad with a taste for the loud – and I have to appreciate that.
Another beautiful component of this blog – her thoughts. It’s not just photo, photo, photo, outfit details – all throughout her blog are pieces of her style manifesto – her aesthetic ideologies. One of the ones that really stood out to me:
Hardly ever a lady.
Femininity has several classifications. None of which I specifically belong to. Balancing femininity and masculinity to me is key: A juxtaposition of being aggressive in the most delicate and subtle manner. And it’s about never being too obvious.
I feel the most feminine when I can speak up, stand for my thoughts, and convince.
To me, that’s allure.
I love her ability to execute thoughts in almost prose-like fashion, accompanied by visually striking images of personal style. The perfect blog? Maybe.