Hi friends! My name is Nicole Druzhinsky and I am currently a sophomore at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City studying Fashion Merchandising Management. To associate me with the word fashion or fashionable in the same sentence would have been oxymoron growing up, especially since I assumed a gray pullover with neon skulls printed on it, purple pants and black sneakers was a fairly decent outfit choice (come on, we all made mistakes in seventh grade). But, over the years, especially since starting school at FIT, I’ve cultivated my own innate sense of fashion.
One of the best parts about going to FIT is that I get to experiment with my style on a daily basis, as opposed to high-school where I would’ve felt embarrassed or nervous to wear a certain piece. It’s such an immensely freeing feeling (say that three times fast) to be yourself and I think it’s so important to feel comfortable in your style as it is an outward representation of yourself. Writing for CollegeFashionista this semester is going to be a blast, as it incorporates my love for writing and journalism, along with my love for taking street style photography—at least, I like to think I’m good at it.
My own personal style is constantly changing and I can’t ever really pick a word like boho, goth, feminine, urban, etc. to describe it. For me, fashion is about comfort as well and if I am wearing something that is cute AND comfortable, then I’ll feel confident. I tend to like wearing all-black (who doesn’t?) in the fall because it gives off an effortlessly cool, simplistic and chic vibe. Moreover, adding a little bit of flare to an outfit is always fun and I tend to do that by wearing lots of rings, an interesting pair of shoes or a cheeky graphic top. In this particular outfit, I added flare with cute buttons and pins decked out on my oversized denim jacket and a small daisy choker.
Inspiration-wise, I’m a huge fan of Halsey and Melanie Martinez who are so uniquely and unashamedly themselves and rock their fashion choices; they remind me that I don’t have to be so serious with life and I should wear whatever I want and rock it! Similarly, I tend to draw my inspiration from my favorite bands such as, The Neighbourhood, Fall Out Boy, Arctic Monkeys and my favorite singers such as Marina and the Diamonds and Banks, and the moods their songs set and reflect that in my outfits.
It’s fun to dress differently and just be yourself. I’m not going to lie, when I have a good outfit on, sometimes I like to walk down the street with my headphones in and pretend I’m in some cool music video; and, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only who does that.
Let’s have a great semester together (*cue High School Musical’s “We’re All In This Together”)!
