Hello there, my fellow Fashionista/Fashionisto fraaands. My name is Jesse! I am about to enter my final semester at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where I’ll be wrapping up my studies in Communications with a minor in Spanish. As sad, and not to mention scary, as it is that my college career is coming to a close in just a few short months, I can wholeheartedly say that I’ve had a very full and rewarding college experience thus far—and my time working with CollegeFashionista has been no exception! I am beyond psyched to continue to inspire and be inspired on my journey as a Style Guru for the spring semester!
Fashion has been a constant in my life for many years. As a child, my personal style was a direct testament to my boisterous personality. I used to prance around in my favorite frilly Pocahantas bathing suit and decorate my aunt’s hair with as many accessories as I could attach to her head—whether they were actually meant for hair or not. By the age of 10, I was the personal designer and stylist for about 20 Barbie dolls and had compiled a binder full of my “sketches,” appropriately titled “My Fashion Designs.” Over the years, my personality has been tamed a bit, as I evolved into the soft-spoken, laid back California girl I am today. However, my desire to take chances and be unapologetically bold with my style has always remained. In this way, fashion has provided a constant source of empowerment for me.
It’s hard to put a label on my personal style because it’s constantly growing and evolving with me! However, as a forever wannabe hippie, I’ve always had a strong inclination to the fashion of the ‘60s and ‘70s. There’s just something about bell-bottoms and fringe that get my heart pumping. As someone who strives to find a balance between keeping up with trends and staying true to myself, you can imagine the excitement I felt as the “gypsy-cade” began to reemerge in the past couple of years. This winter, I’m taking a lot of inspiration from the ‘70s queen herself, my ultimate style icon, Ms. Rachel Zoe.
This season, it’s pretty much guaranteed that if I’m wearing pants they’re going to be some variation of a bell-bottom, like these classic dark wash ones. There’s something so much more exciting about struttin’ around in a pair of wide leg pants! To pair with my bell-bottoms, of course, I had to go full on ‘70s vibes with this cream turtleneck. Then I added this cool-toned fur vest—something I could definitely see Rachel Zoe rocking. I think I could argue that I love a good vest just as much as she does. They add such a fun sophistication to an outfit. Lastly, being a fringe aficionado, I had to bring the whole look full circle with these suede fringe booties. If fringe boots don’t scream ’70s, I don’t know what does!
I’m excited to see what eras are inspiring my peers this spring season! Here’s to the beginning of one last RAD semester!
