Hello, friends and admirers. I’m Jaime and I wrote a lovely bio for College Fashionista four months ago in which I detailed my entire life’s history. It was a bit like a resume only significantly more flamboyant and perhaps more (wildly) optimistic. This time around, as a now-seasoned Style Guru, I’m going to switch it up and wax philosophical for a little moment. Bon appetit!
So, what is fashion? To me, it’s something that drives my existence and frees me. It’s the easiest way to play dress-up on a daily basis and extend the whimsy and boundless possibility of childhood fantasy into a somewhat adult present and future. For those of us with overactive imaginations and a love of the fantastical, fashion is a seductive form of time travel. One can embody the aura of Labyrinth-era, crystal ball-caressing David Bowie one day and then baby-blue clad pig-tailed circa-1999 Gwen Stefani the next. You can blend epochs of style or define your own. Nothing about how you present your body has to be formulaic or regimented: it’s a spiritual pursuit; an outward—and liberatingly vulnerable—expression of your soul.
So, what am I wearing? Here, I sport a pair of light-wash vintage IKEDA Classic Canadian Overalls from my local Goodwill and one of my favourite bikini tops from my mom’s wardrobe. I also don a kid’s waterproof sports watch from American Apparel and my favorite summer sneakers: a pair of beat-up fire engine red Keds I’ve worn since the eleventh grade. I feel happiest and most comfortable in clothes like these because they connect me to my history—recalling family beach photos from the late ’90s where my mother sports the same swimsuit—and also to an exciting collective culture of shared resources and stories, many of which I will never be aware of. Furthermore, piggybacking on my mom’s unique ’80s and ’90s aesthetic allows me to embody the amazing qualities that she has, as an independent Canadian fashion designer and creative firestorm. My love of scavenging for and repurposing neglected objects into wearable art also has the positive side-effect of denouncing excessive consumption of fast-fashion in a fun and creative way. This summer, I plan to promote inclusivity, self-expression and social awareness through sharing great fashion on campus at U of T. Catch ya on the flip side!
