Salutations, fellow Fashionistas/os! My name is Hana Hong and I will be going into my second year at the University of Illinois. I’ve both written and edited for CollegeFashionista in the past, and I couldn’t be more excited to rejoin the delightful fashion fam.
While my first semester as a Style Guru fortified my fashion sagacity and social nerve, it has also given me the aptitude and stimulus to further expand the scope of my fashion influence. I have discovered a newfound confidence in my style radar, bolstered my writing skills and renovated my attitude towards social media. Using this morale, I have been exposed to unbelievable opportunities: attending Teen Vogue Fashion University, meeting some of the most rousing designers in the industry and even being able to help produce a fashion show. I currently work as a jewelry stylist for Rocksbox, along with my editor positions at various magazine platforms. I hope my articles can trigger further inspiration to all, whether you are already a professed fashion addict to someone just trying to expand from a bashful dresser to a fierce sartorialist.
As a News-Editorial Journalism Major, the safety of words always brought me solace and sanctuary. While other kids lived out their childhoods through porcelain dolls and blipping game cubes, I found comfort hiding behind a computer monitor and submerging myself into a blinking cursor on Microsoft Word. Stepping out of this reclusive shell took just one elegant dress, a classy pair of heels and a swab of lipstick. Although writing is my mantra, fashion became my voice. It lets me articulate who I am when words often cannot, and lets me convey my persona without uttering one sentence. Now that is the most powerful statement of all.
I have quite a rational sense of aesthetic that has influenced my personal interest in fashion; it’s an admirable skill to be able to take singular fashion pieces and turn them into a harmonious equilibrium that integrates originality, practicality and style. While my love for the clean patterns and athletic silhouettes of Michael Kors knows no end, kate spade’s quirky designs and bright colors never fail to capture my heart. I wholeheartedly believe that fashion, whether it be extravagant couture designs made from the most exclusive designers or fast ensembles thrown together in a Forever 21 fitting room, is the most paramount and expressive art form in existence. Viewing life through an unobstructed artistic lens gives you a sense of reverence for the magnificence of the world around you; style itself is a means of social expression and artisanship. Fashion shouldn’t be utilized as a way to acceptance; it should be taken as a platform to individuality.
I’m ecstatic to give you a peek inside the world of fashion from my vantage point, and although my rural surroundings may be more idyllic than those of most universities, that will not damper my commentary nor hinder me from bringing you the realm of style and college fashion as seen through my eyes.
