My name is Madeleine Gardere and I am currently a junior at Columbia College Chicago. I am a fashion business major with a minor in journalism and moved to the city of Chicago two years ago from my hometown of Dallas, Texas. The transition from living in a small community in the South to fast-paced city life in the Midwest has taken a positive effect on my life. Moving to a city where I knew no one was hard at first, but it helped me form a sense of independence as well as a strong drive to meet new people and explore the city as well as myself. I have always wanted to pursue fashion as a career and my family has been supportive of my decisions since the beginning.
Initially, I wanted to become a fashion designer, always bound with a sketchbook, a pack of colored pencils and the imagination of a dreamer. However sewing was not my greatest skill (I can say confidently), so I focused on the business side of the industry. So here I am today with a strong focus in fashion as well as writing. Sharing my work and reaching out to others through my writing has always been a major aspect of my life. I decided at the end of my freshman year of college that I could incorporate both my love of writing and fashion. It’s the best of both worlds!
If I had to describe my style in a few words, I would have to choose versatile, classic and quirky. I take inspiration from different aspects around me, and I think it’s amazing that we live in an age where street fashion is an art form in itself. My main sources of inspiration comes from fashion bloggers, celebrity street style, runways and the fashion community of Chicago as well.
My favorite stores include Lucky Brand Jeans, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Free People. I love each equally because they offer a wide variety of clothing and accessories that are staple pieces in any wardrobe. These brands do a great job in identifying their target customer and appealing to their taste through social media as well as in-store.
This is my first semester as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista and I’m very excited to see where this opportunity takes me. I love that I have the chance to work with fellow fashion writers across North America who are college students as well. This publication is an amazing opportunity to connect and collaborate with others that I could cross paths with in the near future.
I’m excited to share my writing through CollegeFashionista! I have a blog on both WordPress and Tumblr that have been an active part of my life for a year now called Localcitynative. Through the blog, I met my best friends and roommates who are major inspirations and role models in my life. That being said, I’m anxious to see who I meet through CollegeFashionista and can’t wait for the summer ahead of me.
