Hello, all! My name is Hannah Ziccardi and I am a sophomore Fashion Merchandising major at Mercyhurst University. Mercyhurst is located in the lovely but dreary Erie, Pennsylvania. I am in a dual program, which allows me to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City during my senior year. Since I am such a city freak, attending Mercyhurst was a no-brainer.
When I was little, I never really would pay attention to what I was wearing. I have an older sister, so my mom would always give me her hand-me-downs. You could have considered me a messy child as well, always spilling my food on my clothes. My mom would refuse to buy me cute outfits because she knew I would destroy them. Growing up in a small town and around my grandfather’s farm, I had more of a tomboy personality. My favorite outfit would have been my little overalls with a random shirt under them.
My style started to really change in middle school. Yes, I hit that awkward middle school stage that no one likes to talk about. I owned every color skinny jean from Hot Topic, the studded belts and you definitely can’t forget the braces. When I finally outgrew the colorful graphic T-shirt phase, I wanted to shop at stores that had a target market that was a bit too old for me. Since my sister was two years older, I would catch her shopping at Express, Pacsun and Charlotte Russe. This was when I really expanded my style.
Throughout high school, I would try to put together outfits that would best represent me. I think it is most important to be yourself no matter what. Fashion is an easy way to express who you are without using any words. I think that is why I fell in love with it so much. I would search through fashion magazines trying to find cool trends that are a little bit different than the “mainstream” ones. I was never attracted to the basic trends, but I would study them and personalize them a little bit to make them more me.
My style has shifted to more of a chic, grunge look. I tend to wear mostly solid neutral colors such as black and white. If I stray from that color scheme, it is mainly jewel or earth tones. In this outfit, I am wearing a simple turtleneck from H&M, a longline vest from Forever 21, booties from H&M and I added a fedora from Forever 21 to accessorize. As you can tell, I really like H&M and Forever 21, but I also shop at stores like Urban Outfitters, Pacsun and Topshop.
To everyone reading this, I would like to tell you not to worry what other people are thinking about what you wear. It is important to find self-love and that includes what you decide to put on your body. As long as you are confident with yourself, you can rock anything!
I am so excited to be a part of CollegeFashionista and I hope you enjoy viewing my posts each month.
