style veteran

Tavi Gevinson has always had the privilege of occupying her very own Safari bookmark on my laptop and now she even has her own little folder that includes RookieMag of which she is editor-in-chief.

The Style Rookie, as she goes by, has this whole teenage angst with a hint of optimism thing down to a tee. I wish I had been cool enough when I was her age to embrace all the weird things I liked and not be afraid to be different.
It has also been nice, at the risk of sounding a wee bit odd, to watch someone grow up and develop their style over a few years. I started obsessing with following Tavi back in 2008 after I had just rediscovered The Breakfast Club and after hours of scrolling through blog after blog detailing the outfit choices of the cast, I found this post. I do admit that straight off, I was not particularly overwhelmed by her blog. I was impressed though by the fact that she was only 11, the same age as my brother at the time.
About a year later though I saw her mentioned in an article about blogging and I looked her up again. Her blog had changed so much (in a good way of course) and had made the transition from dodgy photographing the mirror poses to proper photographs of outfits that I wish I had the balls to wear.
I did in fact email her once expressing my adoration (because I really am just that much of a dork) which I of course saved in a little folder of its own (I repeat: that much of a dork). So here is our lovely little correspondence:

On Tue, Jun 1, 2009 at 5:18 PM, Jane Quigley <ejayinc@hotmail.com> wrote:

Hi Tavi,

You probably get emails like this all of the time but I just thought I'd email anyway. I've always been a fan of fashion and art and I find you to be quite an inspiration. When I was your age (okay I'm eighteen now so it's not like a huge difference but it's still important to what I'm saying), I read books about art and fashion, I quoted everyone from Oscar Wilde to Andy Warhol and the only movies I wanted to watch were black and white. Now that I'm eighteen I don't feel bad about just being myself and expressing myself. I now take pride in what makes me different to some people. However a few years ago, I was shy and felt that being different to some of my friends was weird. Basically I just wanted to say that you are inspirational. Truly inspirational. I really hope that other girls read and read and read your blog and realise that they can wear what they want, read what they want, listen to whatever music they want, and express themselves in whatever way they want. I would have loved to have had a girl like yourself to look up to when I ws a bit younger. I know you're just expressing yourself in the nicest way you feel possible but I think you deserve to know what a difference you could be inadvertently making because undoubtly there are girls and boys out there who feel exactly the way I felt and it's people like you that inspire them to feel comfortable in their own skin. And seeing you on the Style.com podcast with Tim Banks?? Wow, jealous much?!
Sorry.
I'm rambling.

I've said it all now. Phew. I've been meaning to write you for quite some time now.

Yours most sincerely,
Best wishes and kindest regards,

Jane Q. 

On Wed, Jun 2, 2009 at 12.14 PM, Tavi G <stylerookie@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Jane,
(and Quigley! What a terrific name, if it is indeed real and not an email pseudonym.)
Thanks so much for the sweet email. I am constantly questioning whether or not I'm just being terribly self-indulgent. And while I definitely am (what reason to people have to listen to me?) it's nice to know that others enjoy indulging in my self-indulgences and get something out of it.
Thanks again for the sweet email,Tavi xo

I was beyond delighted with that. Yes I realise that my email made me sound like I worship at the alter of Tavi but I don't care. Maybe I do.

http://www.thestylerookie.com/2011/11/organizing-everything-by-weather-is.html

The bottom line is Tavi Gevinson is class and I am not ashamed to admit that my idol is the fifteen year old girl who introduced me to My So-Called Life.

Click HERE if you don't love her already and I promise that you soon will.

Cheers for reading,

Jane