Humble Vanity

this is going to be so fun 🕯️🧹🔮🖤

See you Friday October 9 @ 6pm down at White Eagle Polish Hall for the second edition of the Practical Magic Market

Dawn + Eve

Fashion as a Cultural Conversation: Cultural Appreciation vs. Cultural Appropriation in Fashion 🌏

The Qipao is far more than a garment; it is a powerful expression of Chinese heritage, craftsmanship, femininity and cultural pride. Its distinctive silhouette celebrates the female form while conveying confidence, strength and poise. Traditional Qipaos can reflect generations of artisanal knowledge through techniques such as intricate embroidery and hand-stitched frog buttons, or pankou. Symbolic motifs can also carry deeper cultural meanings, with imagery such as peonies and lotus flowers associated with ideas including prosperity, love, purity and good fortune.

But what happens when a garment so deeply rooted in cultural identity enters the global fashion conversation?

Fashion has always crossed borders, borrowed ideas and evolved through cultural exchange. That exchange can be beautiful, respectful and mutually inspiring — but it can also become complicated when cultural elements are separated from their history, meaning and the people to whom they belong.

This is where the conversation around cultural appreciation vs. cultural appropriation becomes important. And rather than approaching the subject with the intention of creating further division, I believe we need to be willing to ask questions, understand context and acknowledge the people, history and craftsmanship behind the clothes we wear.

The Qipao offers a particularly compelling example of how fashion can be both a celebration of culture and a point of cultural conversation. It also raises an important question for designers: How do we draw inspiration from another culture while respecting its origins, meaning and contribution?

That is the conversation explored in my latest piece on Substack — including a closer look at the designer’s vision and contribution, and where the line between influence, appreciation and appropriation becomes more nuanced.

Check out my latest conversation piece on Substack

https://inspiredaddict.substack.com/p/fashion-as-a-cultural-conversation?r=53hvsj&utm_medium=ios

runners for wherever you’re headed

all pieces available at the shop
*DM for details

Audacity, dressed well 💅

Black Knee High Boots + Crystal Drop Statement Earrings silverandsmithvintage | Upcycled Army Jacket + Black Sequin Midi Skirt + 80’s Gold Buckle Belt 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋•𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 | Orange Hang Up Tee Lola O Vintage

📸 silverandsmithvintage

all pieces available at the shop

sometimes, the finishing touch says it all 🧵🪡

in house tailoring available

A little bit wicked. A whole lot of Wylde.

An archival Thomas Wylde piece from the cult era of the late 2000s, when luxury fashion had a little more bite.

Crafted in buttery, distressed crinkle leather and covered head-to-toe in antiqued 3D skull studs, this spacious bowling bag is pure Paula Thomas: unapologetically gothic, unapologetically glamorous, and made to look even better with a little wear.

The kind of bag that doesn’t accessorize an outfit — it becomes the outfit.

An original-era archival piece, no longer in production and increasingly sought after by collectors of the brand’s iconic skull-studded designs.

Fashion with history. Style without performance.

🏷️ Ata Collections

Available HUMBLE ✦ VANITY

the art of being an intellect

Forest Green Knit Cardigan + Brown Crocodile Briefcase silverandsmithvintage | Cream Collard Mini Dress w/ Pleated Skirt + Rusted Orange Tie + Vintage Brown Suede Rubber Sole Wedges 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋•𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄

📸 Kimberly Allan + Ollie Shart

all pieces available at the shop

a dress for any occasion

long, short, bedazzled, textured…we’ve got options