Style Like U, a fashion website created by mother and daughter Elisa and Lily, is like none you've ever seen.
Elisa spent years working as a stylist and fashion editor for magazines like Vanity Fair and Glamour, but grew increasingly frustrated with the movement towards cookie-cutter fashion. All the models began to resemble each other, and every magazine was pushing the same look. Lily, who grew up surrounded by the fashion culture, found that she gravitated towards the personalities and styles behind the camera, and not the wispy models in their impractical clothing. So together, they began Style Like U to celebrate authenticity and personal style. The most moving part of their blog is the
What's Underneath project.
The clothes we wear are our shields from the world- not just from the elements, but from judging eyes. What's Underneath deconstructs the idea of beauty and style by celebrating the person behind the fashion. Models slowly removes their garments while simultaneously talking about some of their most vulnerable times.
Indeed, Melanie Gaydos is visually striking. Both ectodermal dysplasia and a cleft palate make her stand out among a group of fashion models. While she already has supporters who celebrate her unique look, this interview forces you to look even further, past her condition. With every layer she removes, you see more of her inner strength. By the time she is bare, we see that she truly is beautiful, but not, perhaps, for the reasons we first thought.
What's Underneath features men and women of various body types and backgrounds, including one woman with a double mastectomy. We are elated to see the growing movement away from traditional sensibilities of beauty. Style Like U does not attempt to say that fashion and style do not matter, but rather that it should come from within, and not from the pages of a magazine.
What do you think of Melanie? Let us know by commenting below.
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