Hello to all my fellow, RAD Fashionistas/os! I’m JoJo Osterhaus. I am a 20-year-old from Iowa, chasing my dreams in this crazy, beautiful life of mine! I am currently a sophomore at Iowa State University, studying Apparel Merchandising and Design with a focus in Product Development.
I have always had a passion for all things beautiful and unique—letting people, art, nature and even past time periods inspire me. You can often find me drawing fashion illustrations, painting canvases, walking through the aisles of the local thrift stores or curled up in my favorite coffee shop while continuously updating Instagram. Since expressing my creativity is such a passion of mine, I realized I wanted to combine my love of art and design with my love of fashion. I decided ISU was the perfect place for me, as its fashion program ranks in the top 10 in the US and top 20 in the world.
With so much influence around me, and the world constantly changing and evolving, both my artistic and personal style change and evolve, as well. 16-year-old JoJo had a love for the romantic pieces—lacey, flowy, pastel dresses and tops; however, my current style has taken on a bit more of an edgier, laid-back feel. I love classic pieces that I can wear forever; an example being this oversized, denim jacket I am wearing here. One of my favorite places to pick up those classic pieces are my favorite thrift shops. It gives me such a feeling of excitement when I find the perfect sweater or old Levi Brand Jeans, especially because they are normally never over five bucks; such a steal!
As a broke college student, I do tend to hit up Goodwill or the local thrift shops around me quite often. Another way I give my closet a refresher is by updating the pieces I already have! The black jeans I am wearing here are actually about four years old; I wanted to give them an edgier look by following the trend of ripped jeans, which is big right now. I simply took a pair of scissors and cut slits right in the knee (such an easy DIY!) and I find myself wearing them all the time now! Pairing them with my thrifted denim jacket, striped T-shirt, my favorite black booties from TJ Maxx and my black Steve Madden purse. Topping the look off with a dark lip is the perfect casual outfit for class, or even a lunch date with friends.
Being involved with the student-run magazine on campus and The Fashion Show that ISU puts on every year allows me to be opened up to a wide variety of people and their wide variety of styles that I can showcase during my time as a Style Guru! I am so excited and honored to be apart of CollegeFashionista, and I can’t wait to share all the diverse looks and trends from Iowa State University with you all!
