5 QUESTIONS WITH ALISON ANNA

Hi, Hey, Hello. I’m Ally.  

I’m a 24 year old teacher who is finding her way through adult life. I started my Instagram when I was about to graduate university; I felt a bit scared stepping into the world of work and responsibility and I lost myself somewhere along the way. I decided to change my perspective and started living true to myself and so @allyannalise was born!  

 

On Instagram I like to show my everyday life, the reality of being a young girl, in full time work, trying to live my best life - all while staying fashionable!  

My goal is to inspire others - whether I give you some outfit inspo, some words of wisdom or just inspire you to live like your true self too! 

 

 

1. What’s a trend in the fashion industry that you absolutely hate? 

 

I am not a fan of the 90’s/00’s trends - things like low rise jeans, silvery makeup and kitten heels (eek). Some people really can pull it off but I know for sure I couldn’t. I think these trends were brought back too soon, they still look a bit dated to me. 

 

2. What’s your biggest tip on mixing and matching clothes? 

 

My big tip about mixing and matching is having a wardrobe with lots of staple pieces - what’s known as a capsule wardrobe. It’s important to have pieces that go with everything; a good pair of jeans, a leather jacket, camel coat, black boots, a beige jumper – all these things can be mixed and matched with anything you wear!  

Another big tip is to buy neutral clothes. Sticking to black, white, beige, greys and so on makes it easier to put outfits together. Don’t get me wrong, I still purchase bright coloured tops and dresses but these pieces are few and far between. I like to bring colour into my look through my makeup or accessories. An all-black outfit with a pair of red heels looks amazing! 

3. Do you consider yourself a fashion icon in your own way? Why or why not? 

 

I do consider myself to be a fashion icon - I am my own fashion icon! I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with my style. I’ve discovered how to dress for my shape, what colours suit me and what vibe I want to go for in how I dress. When buying clothes and styling them, I often think – what would the best version of myself wear? I don’t always think about trends or what others are wearing, more about whether something fits in my current vibe. 

4. Have you experienced being torn down by your fashion choices? If yes, how did you handle it? 

 

I would say everyone has experienced this, whether it was purposeful or not. Often, people close to me pass comment that I get too dressed up for some activities. This brings up the age-old question of - would you rather be underdressed or overdressed? My answer - always overdressed. How I look is often a reflection of how I feel and that’s why I like to dress up. If someone passes comment on a fashion choice, I try to not take it on and don’t dwell on it (this is easier said than done sometimes). I remind myself that I’m dressing to make myself feel good – if I feel good and feel confident and like my fashion choice then nothing else matters!

5. How much do you value other people’s opinions? Do you alter your decisions for them? Why or why not? 

 

I don’t want to come across a certain way, but I don’t worry much about what other people think about me or my style or what I do. I have learned to prioritise caring about what I think about myself and then valuing the opinions and feelings of those close to me. Especially when it comes to fashion, everyone’s opinion will be different. I think it is so important to dress for yourself, so if you start valuing people’s opinions on your looks too much, you start dressing for them and not for yourself.  

 

When I was younger, I used to care a lot about other people’s opinions and alter what I did or how I dressed to please them. I quickly learned that this was the easiest way to make me unhappy, because I was no longer doing things for myself, but for others. I started to lose myself and become a shell of who I am. At the end of the day, your fashion is a big part of showing the world who you are so don’t let anybody try to influence you!  

I read a good quote that said, “don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t go to for advice” which perfectly sums up what I think!