Modern Day Marilyn

Vintage Wardrobe courtesy of Blonde.Roots (Ig: @blonde.roots), Photography by Arielle Bob-Willis (Ig: @relbw)

"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle" - Marilyn Monroe

     I really feel like a woman when I wear a red lip. It makes me feel my most confident on insecure days. We all have them. Some days I don't feel 100%. Those days it takes a little extra to bring the light out of me. As far back as I can remember, I've always felt so beautiful wearing red lipstick. Like a model or movie star. Most of us have physical features we wish we could change about ourselves (i.e. I wish I was taller, a little curvier, and had smaller feet). I'm sure no one else sees these as flaws, however, these are insecurities I often have. But I've learned that what I can not change, I must accept and adjust. Not all of us have the luxury of plastic surgery to cover up those psychological wombs we have. We need to find those few (or more) things we absolutely LOVE about ourselves. I think my legs are FABULOUS and I take pride in that. I think my lips are the perfect shape for my face. I love these features about myself and I take any opportunity to show them off. It brings me confidence and NOBODY can take that away from me. Wear things that accentuate your best assets. If you have a thicker build, wear something that flatters those curves. If you think you're too short, show off those sexy legs. Love yourself. Exterior beauty isn't everything by any means, but it's important to feel good inside and out. And if one is off, the other falls behind. I always strive for that kind of balance in my life.   

                                                                                                                -C.M.Hamilton

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One Year Strong

Blouse: Thrifted, Shorts: Material Girl, Ring & Shoes via Buffalo Exchange

Photo by : Dawn M. Jefferson (Instagram: @dawniemarie)
 

Happy Birthday CMHstyle.com!

One year ago today, I was nervous and scared out of my mind. "Will anyone like this? Will people even see this?" I spent months continuously asking myself this. There were many of times where I just wanted to quit because I wasn't getting the feedback that I wanted. A lot of hard work goes into blogging and I didn't realize that before. I thought I could just put some amazing photos on a page and people would just gravitate toward the awesomeness. Not quite that easy. It took some soul-searching (and many of talks with close friends) to realize that it's not about how many people see this or like this, or comment, or subscribe. But moreso about the journey; the process it takes to commit to something you're passionate about and share it with the world.

I won't pretend to be good at this. I'm not the best writer, I'm not the most stylish person, and I am certainly not tech-savvy. But I am passionate, I am determined, I am good at what I do, and am very proud of it. I may not be the best, but I'm damn good. The world may not see this, but a few may be inspired. After a year of doing this, I have not stopped and that says a lot. The amount of support I've received from starting this is bananas! I never thought what I did was a big deal until people started reaching out to me and expressing their appreciation for what I do. You guys have no idea how much that does for my heart. I have people counting on me, looking forward to my next look, excited to see what's next in my journey. I never thought I would come this far with CMHstyle.com. And there's still sooooo much that I want to do. I guess what I'm saying is, thank you. Thank you for following, thank you for your feedback, thank you for continuously challenging me.

A year into this and I can honestly say that I am pleased with my progress. Spoken from a critical perfectionist, that means ALOT.  

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A New Beginning

"...Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Every new year, we're likely to make a resolution that we pressure ourselves to follow, but end up losing the drive a few months in. I'm not big on resolutions. I just take the time to reflect on the previous year and decide what kind of personal changes I need to make. I was fortunate enough to have the Universe change make those changes for me. In 2014 I felt like I didn't know who I was or where I wanted to be in life. I'm naturally very hard on myself, so I would put so much pressure on achieving personal goals that I've set for myself. I started to realize, though, that my standards are extremely high (and in a lot of ways unrealistic). I expect myself to be the best at everything I do. To be perfect and not leave any room for error. Clearly unrealistic. The mistakes I've made lead me to where I am now. And the expectations I have for myself are far more impressive than the average person. I'm sitting here thinking what I'm doing isn't good enough, when what I'm doing is much better than I realize. I was blind to my own greatness. I couldn't see how amazing I already was because I was so stuck on being better.

This past year brought a lot of lessons to me in matters of friendships, family, love... The friends I've recently made have done so much for my spirit. You should always keep positive people around you; people who motivate and encourage you. They say the people you bring the new year in with are the ones that'll play a significant role in the upcoming year. I spent my New Year's Eve with two amazing young ladies who inspire me on so many levels. We danced, we drank, we did things you only see happening in movies. That night we were girls having fun. That night was EPIC. It set the tone for the rest of 2015. This year is going to be the bet yet. I'm going to continue making memories and creating epic nights. I will fall madly in love with myself and challenge anyone else to come in second. I will take risks, be spontaneous, do thins a type A personality like myself would never do. I don't care how cliche it sounds..but this is MY year!    

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À la mode

Necklace: TJ Maxx, Vegan Leather Blouse: Magpie, Suede Skirt: Goodwill, Faux Fur Jacket: Altuzarra for Target, Shoes: Talbots

Photography by : Blake Von D 

Every thing you do in life, do it "a la mode"; With style (in French). Be deliberate in your look. Let it represent who you are, not just who you want to be. Wear what speaks to you and let that speak to everyone else. Back in grade school, I was always told I dressed "different." "Christine why do you always dress in costume?" Words from my peers. I didn't understand how what I was wearing was so abnormal to everyone else. I just wore what I felt like wearing. One day I may want to be punk, the next preppy. I may want to be bohemian, or just combine all of those a create a whole new genre. No matter what, I'm always 100% ME. 

One thing about me then and now, is that I've never worn what was "in." I define my personal style as classic, because I'm consistent. I know what I like and I stay very true to that. I love textures, so I mixed leather, suede, & fur. I love blazers, so I find any excuse to wear one. I am inspired by all things art so I used my body as a canvas. Style as my media of choice. I don't do labels. I do pieces. As a thrifter, that's how I think. If it's a timeless piece, I'm wearing it today, tomorrow, next year, and maybe someday my kids will wear it too. I'm not about fashion "do's and don'ts." If I like something, I'm wearing it. Style is about you and the statement you want to make. Mine says "I'm a strong, passionate, & creative individual. Watch me live the hell out of this life."

*Click here for inquiries about personal shopping/styling rates.