The space between

I live in Indianapolis, a city that's clearly not known as a hub of high fashion. Indiana leans towards not just conservative, but extremely conservative. (On a scale from 1 to 10 - 10 being very conservative, 1 being very liberal - Indiana, as a whole, is an 8.) Because of this, most people who live in Indianapolis don't spend a lot of money on high end clothes. We have a Nordstrom, which really is nice. They carry Burberry, Zac Posen, Donna Karen, Ports, and a few other labels that I can't think of at the moment.

I knew all of this before I popped my fashion show cherry last night (I don't remember what the show's title was, but fashion design students from the Art Institute of Indianapolis were the designers), so I wasn't expecting sophistication or CRAZY-done-in-a-unique-and-good-way.

I was not let down. I'll let the clothes speak for themselves.

WARNING FOR YOUR EYES: I am not a photographer.

The last designer constructed a wedding dress right before our eyes! It was very boring, so I didn't bother snapping a picture. I'm not going to go on and on about what's horrible about these clothes, because I think we can all tell. 

One thing I did notice — and I should have realized this when I went to a photoshoot for a local magazine last weekend — that my eyes are accustomed to designer goods. I was 16 when I took an interest in fashion, and I went straight for the expensive, extremely well designed clothes. It's what I like and what I prefer.

The designers who "make it" in the fashion industry, for the most part, don't try to be daring or whatever adjective they're using for a particular season. They just are. They are daring. They are chic. They are sophisticated. They are beautiful. The above designers are only trying to do what the greats have done. (And, I must say this, fashion has its geniuses just like literature, science, music, and classical art.)

This type of thinking translates to real life. In a perfect world, if I want to do something, I don't try to do it, I do it.

On a whiny note, if I see another pair of Jeffrey Campbell shoes, I think I'm going to vomit. Don't get me wrong, I actually like them, but EVERYONE in the blogosphere has at least one pair. I am just plain sick of seeing them. /rant over

See, they're really cute! But I vow now to never buy a pair! Never! I will save my money and buy these Alexander Wang fall 2011 shoes. Right...? Right.

(style.com)