You don't learn style from watching people on a runway. Fashion

Hear the voice of Shalom Harlow, who spoke not merely as a model upon the stage, but as a seeker of truth: “You don’t learn style from watching people on a runway. Fashion happens every morning when you wake up.” In these words lies not the vanity of garments, but the philosophy of life itself. She reminds us that what the world often parades as greatness is but a shadow, while the true essence of style is born in the private ritual of choosing how one presents themselves to the day.

When she says, “You don’t learn style from the runway,” she casts aside the illusion that wisdom is only found in spectacle. The runway, though dazzling, is a theater of ideals crafted by others. But true style is not imitation. It is not memorized from a parade of silk and light. It is discovered within, shaped by authenticity, expressed in choices that belong to the self. For the ancients too believed this: that virtue and presence are not learned by watching, but by living.

Her words turn then to the morning, that sacred threshold where every soul awakens to face the world anew. “Fashion happens every morning when you wake up.” It is not merely the donning of clothing, but the shaping of identity. Each dawn, the body is clothed, and with it the spirit is declared. The shirt, the dress, the shoes—these are not ornaments but statements: “This is who I am. This is how I will face the world today.” Thus, the morning becomes a silent battlefield where intention meets expression.

History shows us this truth. Consider Mahatma Gandhi, who cast aside the trappings of Western suits and chose instead the simple homespun cloth of his people. By that act, each morning he declared a philosophy of simplicity, of self-reliance, of unity with the poor. His fashion was not dictated by a runway, but by his heart, and in his garments was carried the spirit of a nation’s struggle. So too with Joan of Arc, who donned the armor of men, declaring through her dress that she would fight as one chosen by God. Their style was not performance but truth.

The deeper meaning of Harlow’s words is that fashion is life itself. It is not limited to fabric and form, but to the daily decision of how we will stand, how we will act, how we will carry ourselves before others. Just as the clothing of the body reflects the inner world, so too does the posture of the soul reveal its dignity or its defeat. Each day, in small choices, we either bow to imitation or rise to authenticity.

The lesson for us is clear: do not seek yourself in the parades of others. Do not imagine that style can be borrowed whole from magazines or stages. Instead, awaken each morning with courage, and let your choices be guided by who you are, not by who others tell you to be. For your true fashion is not what rests on your shoulders, but what radiates from your spirit.

The practical action is this: when you rise, dress not only your body but also your heart. Ask yourself, “What am I declaring to the world today?” Let your garments, your posture, your presence, reflect your truth. Honor the small ritual of the morning, for in it lies the seed of your destiny. In doing so, you will carry a style that is not fleeting like a runway, but eternal, for it is the style of authenticity, of courage, of soul.

Thus, Harlow’s words endure as wisdom: that fashion is not the spectacle of others, but the daily act of becoming yourself. And the true runway is not lit with lamps or filled with applause—it is the path you walk each day beneath the light of the rising sun.