cite your sources

anyone remember that post on fashionista about wearing something a friend already owns? when i first read it, i assumed that i definitely wasn't the type of girl who cared about that sort of thing. but then a series of events occurred that have since convinced me that maybe i do care.. a lot.
take for instance the post i wrote - and later deleted - about one of my roommates buying the same marc jacobs umbrella as me (while constantly calling attention to the fact, mistreating hers, and then attempting to steal mine), and the intense frustration i experienced as a result.
still, i felt that this was not unreasonable anger on my part. i mean, we live in the same room.. her cramping my style was bound to piss me off, right?

but then there was the girl i saw walking around my boyfriend's dining hall wearing the black latex-look aa leggings that i caught so much criticism for when i first wore them on campus. i didn't know this girl, but i got a little upset nonetheless.
"would i sound like a bitch if i said i look better in them than she does?" i asked.
my boyfriend's affirmative response signified the potential need for a self-assessment.

it gets worse. apparently, now if a publication touts something i own, it's unforgivable, too.
there's a new student publication on campus, current events, lifestyle, arts, fashion, all that jazz. they proclaimed that white oxford sneakers were a great piece for spring fashion. i considered not wearing my white oxford sneakers anymore, the ones i bought last week, for fear that people might think i was mindlessly following the trend.
my boyfriend's disapproving looks confirmed that maybe i was getting a little out of control.
(note: also, why was this even an issue? i pledge allegiance daily to the trends dictated by the runways every season.)

and now, as i settle into the role of a blogger, i'm noticing how the fashion blogosphere creates a big fashion-centric high school environment for us all, where can marvel, envy, and take notes on exactly what stylish women are wearing all over the world. i, for one, envy those lucky enough to live in california or similar climates, the ones lucky enough to already be wearing those shoes, the ones that have been all over blogs lately. when i buy those shoes and if i post about them, i won't be able to help but feel a tad passe, and yes, it will irritate me a bit (though not nearly as much as the umbrella debacle).

am i getting overly self-conscious, self-righteous and out of control? yes. do i need to scale it back? yes.
and now that i've self-diagnosed, it's time to self-medicate.
the next time my roommate asks if i'd be "offended" if she buys something i own - and she always does - i'll tell her yes, terribly offended, and our relationship will never be the same if she does, and leave it at that.
pertaining to the things that she already has that are in my wardrobe as well, i'll try to be flattered.
outside of that, i need to relax.
there is an undeniably wide, wide world of fashion, but at the same time, there are only so many pairs of shoes, pants, dresses, tops, and skirts to go around. and even less truly good-looking ones at that.
so if someone has the same shoes as me, or vice versa, i will remember that style is in the details, the nuances, and the je ne sais quoi that i know everyone has.
and when i'm feeling a little insecure, i'll buy vintage.