My Passion for Fashion: Fighting the Daily Feat of Getting Dressed

(Photo: Sophia Ritz, Shanghai, PRC)

I think it comes with no question that getting dressed each day can be a major feat for just about anyone, male or female, especially in image conscious industries such as television news. Each morning when I wake up, aside from thinking of what stories I’m going to do, I’m just like any other twenty-something year old gal…

“OMIGOSHHHHH!!!! WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!”

After all… there’s that age-old rule many of our moms and girl friends preach: a woman can’t wear the same outfit within a two-week rotation, and who wants to break the female-code on television? I know I don’t! That said… neither does my mother ;). Many people I know say, “It feels like my mom is always watching me.” I’ll tell you this much… mine does! I love her to death; she’s my best friend and watches our weekend newscasts religiously on Big Country Homepage from my family’s home in Saigon, Vietnam. Trust me… if I look bad or repeat an outfit before its time, I’ll get a LONG lecture!

(And… a big phone bill to boot, those long distance minutes are killer…)

Through tough times, I know for many women in the working world, it’s not always easy to “get creative” with the basic staples like a black suit. There are PLENTY of days where I clutch on to my “safety outfits” tighter than an infant clutches their security blanket, but on the better days… my passion for fashion kicks in, and I actually have a lot of fun getting dressed-up, not just for work… but for the folks who watch us on KTAB at home!

Fashion is something I’ve loved my whole life. Like many little girls I meet through the education stories I do on KTAB, my favorite childhood pastime was playing dress up. Since my mom and grandma did a lot of sewing when I was a little girl, I learned about textiles and took sewing classes at a young age. There was a point in my life when I wanted to become a fashion designer, but I never had the patience to create any of the beautiful dresses and traditional Vietnamese dresses (known as ao dai) Mom and Grandma made.

However, the lessons they taught me never went to waste, it taught me what to look for when investing in a good garment, and gave me a better perspective of the consumer aspect in fashion. As for the fun aspect? I think fashion and style speaks beyond clothes, and that’s what I hope to bring to you here on the “Style File.”

We’ll talk “shop talk” of course, but like I said in my “Recessionistas” piece earlier in October… every girl (and the guys that love them) has the right to remain fabulous. She has the right to live in style, regardless of her budget.

Keep rocking those kicks and stilettos! Hope to see y’all soon.

- PL