Personal Bests in 2011
I don’t know about you, but to me, 2011 just flew by. And here we are on the brink of 2012! Around this time of year, it seems like everyone is doing some sort of retrospective of the past 365 days—ranging from wistful reminiscing to clear-eyed analysis. There are a bevy of “Year in Review” slideshows and endless lists proclaiming “The Best Movies/Restaurants/Hair Trends/[insert other plural noun] of 2011.” (Two of my favorite year-end round-ups are Business of Fashion’s Top Articles of 2011 and The Moment’s Best in Design. The former takes a look back at how fashion continues to be shaped by digital innovation and globalization, and the latter offers indelible visual inspiration.)
It was in this spirit that I decided to reflect on my own body of work since starting this blog back in June. Reading through my archives, I liked seeing the evolution of my writing and remembering what ideas led me to create certain posts. And I ended up curating this list of My Favorite Posts of 2011. These best capture my style and point of view. Hope you enjoy…
The inspiration for this post hit me as soon as I saw that crew team practicing on the Potomac.
An essay in support of curvy-calved women (including yours truly).
This post took me a long time to put together as I was trying to align the photos. Selecting the images, however, was fast and simple.
I have to admit that I think the entire series of photos from NYC comprise some of my best work. Perhaps I’m biased because that vacation was so much fun.
I enjoyed researching the 1920s and constructing this post.
My previous employer always said, “Great ideas can come from anywhere.” This post is an example of that mantra in action.
By the way, this is my 100th post! Thank you for reading and for your support!
More to come in 2012…Happy New Year!
P.S. Maybe you’re wondering what’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned since becoming a blogger. By far, it’s staying true to your vision and not compromising (yes, I sound like Tim Gunn). I’m pretty exacting at what content I want to share with the world and how I want to present that content. But in the beginning, I struggled with the fact that my blog could be anything I wanted it to be. Having total creative freedom was almost paralyzing. Ironic, right? Then again, if you watch two of my favorite reality shows Project Runway and Top Chef, you know that some contestants thrive at the challenges where there are no rules (e.g. “create an outfit that best represents your point of view as a designer”) while others falter. Even then though, there’s usually a defined budget and always a time constraint.
It took a little while, but I can now more easily pour my heart, soul and intellect into my blog, which has become my main outlet for self-expression (dare I say even more so than fashion). And I am very grateful for the free rein.
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