Hey guys! My name is Gaby Tabachnik, and I’m a freshman at the University of Michigan. I’m currently majoring in the very popular field of undecided, but I’m leaning towards a career in technology. I’m known by many to be somewhat of a pessimist, except for my mom, who the other day actually said “Gaby never complains” at our family dinner, to which I laughed at but accepted the compliment. I guess you’ll never know if you weren’t on that five day camping trip I went on at summer camp a couple of years ago. I think someone counted 112 complaints over the five day period. I can’t really say I’m proud of this.
Despite the fact that I kind of hate everything, I don’t hate clothes. Actually, I really like clothes. Too much probably. I’m not exactly sure what got me into fashion, since a passion for fashion was not something I was born with—I wasn’t lucky enough to skip walking-billboard phase of middle school, and flaunted labels across my chest. Another thing I’m not proud of.
Let me try and explain how I got into fashion: one day in high school, I decided I wanted to start a fashion blog. I begged my parents to buy me a DSLR camera and a Photoshop subscription and I got right to it. I marched straight to Barnes & Noble and poured through numerous photography books, created an Instagram handle, and posted my first photo. I stayed committed for about a year. Blogging looks effortless, but there’s a ton of work required behind the scenes. Schoolwork, college apps, and extracurriculars caught up to me.
Even though I stopped blogging, I continued photography. I took senior photos for some friends and planned photo shoots, forcing friends to join me in buggy forests and abandoned barns. Not the most luxurious places, but they made cool backgrounds. Also, the lighting was better there. And as photographers and Instagram-crazed teenagers know, lighting makes the photo.
The fashion industry in itself interests me—how designers borrow designs from each other, the birth of a trend, how fast fashion companies like Zara go from the drawing board to production in just a week. Another aspect of fashion that we tend not to focus on is it’s environmental impact. It’s one of the most polluting industries in the world. I hope to someday participate in reducing fashion’s carbon footprint.
As for my own style, I can’t really say I’m married to one particular look. I don’t rock boho-chic on the daily, or flaunt feminine silhouettes like it’s my job. I wear whatever I’m feeling. One of my favorite items in my closet is my leather jacket, as it’s a staple that goes with almost everything. I’m also a big fan of caps, as they instantly add some edge to any outfit. Another trending item for 2017 is patchwork jeans, which look great in all fits ranging from boyfriend to super skinny.
