Hello fellow Style Gurus! My name is Katie Cartwright and I am a sophomore fashion merchandising major at Kent State University. Fashion has always been an important part of my life. Looking back, I’ve been taping fashion images on my walls, donning over-the-top outfits to school, and sketching outfits in my journals and notebooks since middle school. What’s funny is that until I took a fashion class in high school, all my fashion doodles and outfits just seemed like a hobby. My fashion class changed my mindset from fashion as a hobby to a passion that I could one day turn into a career. I could see myself writing articles about upcoming fashion trends, marketing to potential customers on social media platforms, or styling outfits for a photoshoot. Whichever route I end up going, I am excited to begin this internship with CollegeFashionista to gain experience in journalism, social media, and photography!
When I’m not busy with fashion projects or other schoolwork, I love scouring Pinterest and YouTube for new projects to try out. I’ve very DIY-oriented, so I love making my dorm room decorations and up-cycling thrift store finds into unique and current pieces. I’m a nerd at heart, so I love puns and have an inexplicable attraction to fun facts (especially if they’re Disney or history-related).
Describing my style for this article proved to be more difficult than I originally thought because I realized my style is very chameleon-like. I enjoy adopting current trends into my wardrobe and tweaking them to suit my taste. For me, fashion is about going outside of your comfort zone and trying out one, two, or twenty of the fashion trends that emerge each season. I love how fashion allows me to infuse my own voice into a trend that has been worn by inspirational Fashionistas all over the globe. For each outfit I put together, I like to mix on-trend pieces with pieces from my wardrobe that can range from quirky to sentimental.
The outfit I’m wearing incorporates one of my favorite on-trend pieces for the winter: the poncho sweater—as close to wearing a blanket outside of the house as you can get! I was drawn to this poncho sweater because of its unique lace detailing on the bottom and ribbed mock turtleneck. I layered this sweater with a striped long-sleeve top and a colorful patterned scarf. To balance the busyness on top, I kept the bottom half of my outfit simple with black leggings, gray boot socks, and black riding boots. My black and navy structured purse and assortment of bracelets add a touch of polish to this otherwise quirky outfit!
