Hello fellow Fashionista/os! My name is Gilary, and get this, it’s pronounced HILL-ah-ree. I bet that one threw you for a loop. Don’t ask me; ask my eccentric parents who raised a daughter with an eccentric eye for fashion. I am so unbelievably excited to be a part of the Style Guru team for spring semester. There are so many opportunities to play around with different colors during this season, and since I live in the suburbs of Chicago, I get to guess whether I should throw on a pair of rain boots or strappy sandals on any given day. Spring is not only the season of my birth (shoutout to my fellow Aries), but it is the season of new beginnings, and I am thrilled for this new beginning with CollegeFashionista!
I am currently a sophomore at College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and am pursuing a degree in sociology. My academic history is similar to my wardrobe: erratic and largely unpredictable. I studied music therapy for one semester, but after finding that my love for music was no more than a hobby, I decided to switch to social work the following semester. I have since then decided on sociology as my field of study because I have a passion for social change and a fascination with the structures that humans create.
I first fell in love with fashion the summer before my freshman year of high school. Most Fashionistas can probably relate to being that odd one in high school that showed up to school dressed to impress. Impress who? Ourselves, of course! Let’s face it, sometimes we Fashionistas walk into our 8:00 a.m. classes ready for a photo-op simply because skinny jeans and a bold lip are what make us the most comfortable!
I have always been experimental with my clothing choices, and going so far as to raiding both of my parents’ closets, where I have actually found some of my favorite wardrobe staples. You can also probably guess that my retailer of choice is the local Goodwill. I can never turn down a hand-me-down. Ranging from quirky to urban to chic, my wardrobe is far from cohesive, but that allows me to make more creative decisions when it comes to finding the perfect outfit to express myself.
This ensemble includes a long-sleeve T-shirt that fits like a dress (my rule of thumb is to always go a few sizes up) paired with over-the-knee socks and black work boots. This outfit has an edginess to it, so I decided to soften it up with a velvet scrunchie—and you can never go wrong with velvet.
