Giraffes: a good luck charm

I have several animal good luck charms. I think animals symbolize some pretty amazing things, and keeping my animal charms around me reminds me of the qualities that I want in my life.

The giraffe is a beautiful symbol of grace and wisdom and ambition.

Giraffes, because of their height, possess a unique ability to see farther than the other animals... she can see danger approaching and she can plot a course accurately because she can see over the small obstacles in her way.

The giraffe's neck is quite flexible, reminding me that while I hold my head up high, I also need to keep an easy-going attitude.

The giraffe has a lean, lanky body that looks fragile, but can exhibit tremendous power when necessary. While not built for speed, she can outrun most predators. And while she is not a brute strength animal, when threatened, she can throw a kick that can smash the skull of a lion on the prowl.

Giraffes are at the same time a creature that stands out and blends in. It's coat is a camouflage that allows it to hide from predators, but it also stands tall and prominent in its native landscape.

Even the word 'giraffe' comes to us from the French, who got it from an Arabic word meaning 'charming' or 'lovely one.'

The giraffe is the animal symbol I think of when I'm feeling vulnerable or when I feel frightened of the future. Her incredible grace, her hidden strength and her ability to see beyond the surface are attributes I admire and seek to apply to my own life.

What is your animal good luck charm? What animals possess the attributes that you identify with or are drawn to? Let me know!

Up next: elephants, owls, snakes, and more. Stay tuned.

Rings and things

I'm a big fan of over-sized cocktail rings. These three rings represent how you can make a bold statement on your right hand in three very different price ranges. The red cabachon ring is from JCrew, and while I don't think it's available anymore, I'm guessing it retailed for around $60-$70. I've always loved red, and I think wearing a red stone on your finger makes a sophisticated remark about your personality.

The snake ring is from Roberto Cavalli, and it'll run you around $340. And while I personally would never dream of paying that much for an article of adornment, I am quite crazy about the way the snakes coil around your finger and over the stone here. Clever, charming, and just a touch crafty. Maybe that makes a statement about you?

The flower ring is from Forever 21 and it goes for a little less than $5. No, it's not an investment piece... it's a spur-of-the-moment, retail therapy kind of piece that will get good use for a couple years at most, until you find something else fabulous to obsess over. I just bought a ring very similar to this today, for around the same price, and I'm looking forward to adding it's element of fun to several of my more sophisticated (read: work-appropriate) outfits.

Basically, I'm all about finding fantastic pieces to add to your wardrobe, no matter what your price range is. I have an affinity for bargains, so you'll see cost-effective finds all over my blog. I generally hate the idea of high-end designer fashion, but for the sake of clarity, sometimes I'll show off designer pieces along with the more inexpensive knock-offs that will still make you feel like a million bucks.

Check out more of my finds on my Stylefeed.

Welcome to Unique

This is a blog. Just another page in the multi-billion page neo-book that we call the internet.

My name is Grace, but this blog isn't about me. It's about what is important to me... being unique.

Uniqueness is about being the only one in your class. It's about knowing who you are and embracing that. It's about quirks, nuances, the past, the present, your dreams of the future, the little things that have combined to make you the person you are right now.

This is a fashion blog... a place for me to show off my unique sense of style and hopefully encourage yours. It's a place where we can come together as women and choose to be ourselves, inside and out. And it's a place where we can stand out against a fashion world full of copycats and drones and cultivate a new trend... one that will last... a trend for women who can think for themselves, who refuse to blindly follow, who choose to accept themselves and others for who they are, and who always strive to be the best version of themselves that they can be. Or maybe it's not a trend. Maybe it's a fashion revolution.

Join me.

See my recent fashion obsessions and show me yours at Stylefeeder.com.