Style to Admire: Cici Marie

For this month's style crush I spoke with Cici Marie of Cici-Marie.com I love her style and gorgeous photos.  Cici currently lives in Cambridge, in the UK, and blogs about vintage style around a full-time job in publishing. She mostly blogs about her outfits and how she incorporates vintage - particularly 50s - style into her daily wardrobe. She also posts product reviews, guides and tutorials to help others embrace vintage style too.

Bleu Avenue:  Cici Marie, I am so excited to talk with you about your style.   How did you first become interested in fashion?

Cici Marie: To be honest, I don't really remember a time I wasn't obsessed with what I was wearing, but I think it was initially triggered by being forced to wear matching outfits to my younger sisters when I was a child!! There's nothing like having your clothing identity restricted in that cringeworthy way for making you want to create your own the moment you could! I think I've always looked to clothes to be a bit different and help create the image of who I want to be in the world ever since - as a teen this manifested as running around as a little goth and as I've matured I've adopted the flattering styles and shapes of the mid century. I want to look like a confident, attractive woman and I feel like what I wear now is the best way for me to do this, while still keeping a streak of individuality.

 B:  That is so true.  Whenever I've helped friends with their style, I always remind them that what you wear is a visual statement about how you feel about yourself.  Sometimes people don't realize that what you wear is sending a message about who you are and who you want to be.  It's ok to take some time to put thought into that, and sometimes we look to those we admire for a little inspiration.  Who are your style icons past or present?

CM: Past, I think it's the obvious answer: Marilyn Monroe. I'm sorry I can't be more original than that, but it was Marilyn's style and whole look that got me interested about vintage style in the first place, so she deserves all the kudos. I went through a bit of a phase of watching all of her movies and obsessively Google image searching for photos of her! Present, I'm completely influenced by other bloggers. I read other blogs voraciously and am so inspired by how women like me are playing with style and looking fabulous. Reading other blogs has probably had the biggest impact on my style of everything.

B:  How has your style or your views on fashion changed over time?

CM:  My style and attitude towards fashion, in a nutshell, has hugely expanded over the last decade or so. I used to be very narrowly focused on a handful of styles I thought suited me and was a bit scared/reluctant to try anything else. That's totally changed now and I'm actively trying out more things I never would have worn before. For example, big 50s-style swing skirts I was sure would look horrible on me because I'm so petite - but in fact, with the right length and a good pair of heels they can look great. Once I'd realised that, it made me aware there was probably so much more out there that I should be trying out. On a more aesthetic level, I'm not running around like a mini goth like I was when I was in my teens, so I'd say that's been a pretty big shift too ;

B:  That is too funny, I think everyone's been through a goth phase.  I certainly have and I'm very thankful there are no photos of it, only memories.  And, I agree with being open to lots of different styles.  It's very freeing.  Even so, I think we all have those certain things we cannot do without.  What are your closet necessities?

CM:  Red accessories! It's such an easy way to add some fun and diversity to otherwise dull outfits, and has the bonus of making them look instantly more finished. I love red shoes, belts and hats. And while I'm on hats, berets are my closet necessity for winter - they're warm, stylish and suit most people because of how they can be worn in different placements on the head.

B:  As a stylish fashionista, what is the best style or personal advice you've been given that you'd like to share with others?

CM:  I'm not sure anyone's ever dared try to give me style advice as I'm pretty stubborn! So I'll mention instead a piece of constructive criticism that came through my blog: it's possible to have too much going on in an outfit! I have a tendency to want to wear lots of colours and match everything (somehow!), but my favourite outfits, I gradually realised, tend to feature three main colours. I'm sure not everyone will find this works for them but I quite often use this 'rule of 3' as a starting point now and it's working for me, as my outfits feel much more co-ordinated and 'put together'.

  

B:  That's fantastic, I'm going to have to keep that in mind for the next time I'm pulling an outfit together.  Thank you so much for talking with me.

Keep up with Cici Marie at www.cici-marie.com