Hey there, Fashionistas/os! My name’s Elle Chen, and I am currently a sophomore at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey where I am pursuing a double major in Computer Science and English.
Outside of my classes, I can usually be found behind my camera. A couple of publications I am involved with include TRIM Magazine, our fashion magazine, and an arts and culture magazine, The Rutgers Review. However, most of my work is dedicated to covering concerts of all genres and sizes, from local basement punk bands to festival stage acts like alt-J. My passion for music and my passion for fashion are very similar as from the street to the runway, they tend to be the most mass-consumed types of art. It’s amazing to see the ways in which they influence and mirror each other and mass-culture as a whole.
I first became interested in fashion early in high school during which I spent many hours after school lost in the depths of my mom’s closet, tearing through her old clothes from the ’80s and attempting to work them into my wardrobe. Those years were full of DIY projects that ended in varying degrees of completion, from bitter failure to raging success. My experiments ranged from lace-trimming shorts to making my first dress to dying my hair three times in one week (which, although fun, I would not recommend trying). I was a pretty shy kid, but the more interested I became in developing my style, the more confident I became in who I am. When you literally wear your personality, it’s hard for people to not notice it.
When it comes to my personal style, I am 100 percent a back-to-basics girl. I love reworking classic staples into fresh new looks by using accessories and beauty tricks to bring an outfit from day-to-night or from work-to-weekend. I firmly believe that you can never go wrong with a good white T-shirt, some black jeans, a classic pump and the perfect red lip.
I’m so excited to start my first semester as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista, especially on a campus that is as large and diverse as Rutgers. At a school like this, it can be difficult and intimidating to get out and talk to people even if you’re quite outgoing. Even more generally, it’s easy to get lost in your own head in college, and forget to notice all of the life around you. As a Style Guru, I’ll be more motivated to pay attention to the people around me on campus and listen to the stories they’re telling with their style. I can’t wait to meet you all.
