It's interesting how one's personal style can change so quickly and how it is influenced by the movies we watch, celebrities we love and even the books we read. It's a rare occasion when style is completely original. Although we all like to think that we dance to the beat of our own drummers and such, fashion certainly does repeat itself and we're all copy cats to a degree.....except for Lady Gaga's meat dress but that's a different story!

What makes up your personal style is how you take those influences, do a little copying and mix things up to make it your own and figure out what works for you. When you feel comfortable and confident with what you wear and don't feel like you're in a costume or wearing someone else's idea of what you should wear, I think you've successfully found your personal style.


I had a lot of people influence my style to get it where it is today. Even at age 27, it's still evolving, and I think it always will! Here are some of my style influencers from way back in the day....




Embed from Getty Images  Maybe unexpected since she isn't really renowned for being a style icon but I always thought she was classically beautiful. I love her berry-colored lipstick, natural, well-shaped brows and I always wanted Maryanne's curly hair! Even on the red carpet and in real life, she dresses with simple elegance. Just love her! I thank Kate Winslet for reminding teenage Brittany that she didn't need to pile on mass amounts of eye shadow either.

 





 My mom had a job coloring comics so we always had loads of comic books in the house as a kid. I always really loved Death and the above picture of her was in our kitchen. She's so cute and puts a sarcastic but truthful twist on life. The black pants, boots and tank top was kind of a uniform for me as a 13-14 year old and I even had the prettiest little ankh necklace. Strange as it is, Death was also a good influence on a young girl's outlook on life. After hanging around depressed teenagers  who whine all the time about how terrible life is, Death reminds us that life is beautiful and precious and not to be taken for granted. Because of her, I laughed a lot.






Embed from Getty Images Oh how I adored Gwen Stefani when I was 14- but really, what girl didn't? I absolutely did glue bindi to my forehead and twist my hair into wild little buns and wear saris in public for no reason except that they were pretty. I really feel that every teenage girl needs some insane style icon to look up to and emulate. When kids can express themselves through style, they're probably less likely to do anything too crazy. Gwen never really categorized her style. One minute she'd be kind of punk rock awesome and the next, very girly and pretty. I loved that about her. Gwen also inspired my first experiments with red lipstick.



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Way back before my love of vintage fashion, Ann Margret had a big impact on my personal style. At 13 or 14, I decided to dye my hair red and mom and grandma agreed, "She looks just like Ann Margret!" Wondering who on Earth was this woman that I resemble, I looked her up and fell in love! A spunky red headed bombshell- again, with perfect eyebrows and that fabulous cat eyeliner. I immediately ran out and bought some liquid liner and perfected the art of application. Puberty hit me so hard that girls in the locker room gossiped about weather or not I stuffed my bra but while the rest of the girls were anxious and nervous about themselves, Ann Margret and her ample curves taught me to be comfortable with my body.


Who influenced your personal style?