I have kept every single issue of People StyleWatch magazine since December of 2006 . I don’t know why I’ve done this, but I have.

This was the first magazine that I gravitated towards when I started taking style seriously. I can’t say I was taking fashion seriously yet, because I didn’t really care about designers, pushing the boundaries of fashion aesthetics, and craftsmanship (this all came later), but I did begin to truly care about style.

This magazine afforded me the opportunity to look at the clothing that celebrities were wearing and to then try and recreate the look for myself. It was certainly a cheaters way to build my own taste, but there’s no need for shame. I had no clue who I was in terms of style six years ago. I had to start somewhere, and you may as well start by finding out that you love how Jessica Biel dresses and then attempting to replicate her looks. It’s a way to initiate and to shop with intention, to begin looking for specific pieces on your shopping trips as opposed to just mindlessly heading for the mall and hoping you run into some random garment that you like. From that point I began to branch off. I began to choose pieces that I felt Jessica Biel may perhaps wear, but that I would definitely wear. And from that point, things have just continued to evolve. I can tell you with all certainty that People StyleWatch magazine changed my life. It may sound cheesy, but it is, without a doubt, true.

Even today, I continue to purchase every issue of this magazine. Admittedly, it’s kind of the junk food of fashion publications, but I don’t care. It’s fun. And it sure does balance out my hefty Harper’s Bazaar reading. The September issue will be on stands at Wal-Mart this Wednesday! Woop! xo, MR