Hey there Fashionistas/os! My name is Abigail Whittington. I am a junior at the University of Mary Washington, majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in digital studies. I am also taking a cluster of journalism classes with the hope of being a fashion journalist for a magazine or online publication someday.
My love for fashion developed very slowly. When I was younger, I used to complain about going shopping, especially if it was clothes shopping. Through most of elementary school, I wore a uniform so I didn’t really get a chance to discover my personal style until I was in middle school. With middle school being the time of puberty and awkward phases, you can imagine how cringe-y that was.
Luckily, my mom and I started to watch What Not To Wear and that taught me what silhouettes work best with my body type. We also watched Project Runway which helped me see clothes as more than just fabric on our backs, but more as pieces of wearable art. Because of those shows, I began to actually enjoy shopping and putting outfits together.
One of my favorite places to shop when I was just getting into fashion was the thrift store. It wasn’t because we couldn’t afford clothes from the mall, but the thrill of finding a good deal on a clothing piece that no one else at school would have was undeniably satisfying. Throughout the years, my love for thrift stores grew and I learned to love consignment shops as well—so much so that I even work in one now, and over half of my closet comes from a second-hand store.
I don’t know if I could pin my personal style to one specific category. If I like it, I wear it. One day you might see me in basic denim with a classic, modern top and some pointy flats, but the next day I might be in a peasant dress with lace-up sandals like the outfit I am wearing in the photos. My lace-up sandals have been my go-to shoe lately because they go with both dressy and casual outfits. I also layered a couple of silver necklaces with this dress to make it a little more playful and fun. This outfit easily goes from class to a night out with the girls without making any changes at all.
