Hello, fellow Fashionistas and Fashionistos! My name is Jessi Cialdella and I’m currently a sassy sophomore studying Apparel Merchandising at the wonderful Indiana University.
If you asked me five years ago what I would want to be doing during college, the last thing I would have answered is that I would be attending a culinary school. However, the tides have turned and I jumped head first for my passion for style. My interest in fashion was sparked in the age-old pursuit of self-discovery in my freshman year of college. I loved how you could experiment with self-expression simply through your outfit. Every trip to the mall brought a new opportunity to try on a new version of me. By throwing on a leather biker jacket, I saw myself channeling my long-time idol, P!nk. However, pearl earrings and pleated skirts gave me a bit more wiggle room to be the girly-girl I had sought to be.
Freshman year also taught me the importance of minimalism and simplicity in one’s life, a life-lesson that will follow me through the rest of my life. With every material item I gave up, I gained more joy and worried less. I’m guessing you can see how this could conflict with a passion for fashion. This summer, I created a goal of finding compromise between fashion and simplicity, by finding satisfaction in a wardrobe led by the age-old motto, “Less is more.” By this, I mean that I have been filling my closet with basic T-shirts and interchangeable accessories, like my favorite gladiator sandals, perfect for any summer occasion. While it might not be everyone’s ideal style advice, it is an important change for me to make, to achieve my higher goal of living a more simplistic life.
A little bit of minimalism will go a long way, and I’m so excited to share some ways to translate some simplification into style for CollegeFashionista! Summer is a much simpler time for many of us college students, so I see it to be the perfect opportunity to clear our closets and clear our minds!
