For as long as I have thought about what I wanted to do with my life, I have always wanted to have a career in fashion. I grew up in the small suburb, Bay Village, Ohio, about 20 minutes from Cleveland. Bay Village has always been known for the classic “suburban rich white kids,” and when your family doesn’t have a lot of money, they always end up making fun of you because you’re “different.” I wasn’t allowed to shop at stores like Hollister Co. or Abercrombie & Fitch because they were way outside of my families tiny budget. So instead, my family would take us to Goodwill and resale stores whenever we wanted new clothes. It was hard at first walking into school and being the only kid that wasn’t in $50 Hollister Co. jeans and a matching graphic T-shirt, but I think that is what started my love for fashion. I would create my own outfits out of clothes that no one else had and it allowed me to set myself apart from everyone else.
I take inspiration from everywhere, some days it can be random people on the street that have killer style, and some days I will be so inspired by neon fanny packs from the ’80s. Needless to say I have a wide range of what I will wear on a daily basis. I think my go-to look for a normal day would be a rad pair of jeans and T-shirt (usually oversized) and to finish off the outfit, I will usually add a oversized denim jacket or a flannel (always from Goodwill or Salvation Army). Through the course of a week, my outfits will range from a girly pink dress with cute sandals to my Goodwill overalls paired with a cropped top, my neon pink Crocs (yes, yes I know, I have pink Crocs and yes they are amazing) and a colorful fanny pack or bucket hat to match. Whether I go girly or grunge, I always have at least one item that is from a thrift store on me at all times.
I wanted people to be able to see me and see my style and realize that just because you don’t have a lot of money doesn’t mean that you can express your own sense of style, and to me, rocking your cool finds from a thrift store and making them your own is way better then trying to look like everyone else in their expensive basic clothes. I am so excited to be able to write for CollegeFashionista and all the exciting opportunities that are to come!
