I am so excited to begin my second semester as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista! I must admit that it has been unforeseeably hard to return to dining hall food and freezing Ohio winters after having spent my fall term studying art history in Rome. While abroad, I visited several European countries, all for the first time, but before I left for Rome in August all I could think about was Paris. In high school, I became exposed to fashion “It Girls” like Jane Birkin, Anna Karina, and Brigitte Bardot, which is what sparked my interest in clothes, culture, and art history. In tenth grade, I read Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife and soon afterward started wearing black wool berets to school and eating rose petal macarons. I listened to Melody’s Echo Chamber and reblogged pictures on Tumblr of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg kissing on French beaches. Even though I had never been to France prior to this semester, Paris has always had a special place in my heart.
Ever since my European travels I’ve been wearing copious amounts of black—a color that did not exist in my closet until I moved to Rome. The dark skirt in this particular look is also one of the most sentimental items of clothing I own: who can say that they’ve worn the same skirt to both their college interviews and various Italian clubs? Although the skirt is leather, it’s modest length and classic trim make the piece equal parts appropriate and edgy. Here I’ve paired the pleated bottoms with a backless, pink bodysuit in order to juxtapose the harsh leather against a soft velvet. Oh, and the “chic Parisian scarf” I’m wearing in these photos is actually a thin section of an old figure skating skirt that I cut with nail scissors and tied around my neck; why buy new when you can #DIY?
Recently I have been most interested in combining my favorite staples of American fashion with influences from abroad, and I hope that my experiences in Rome, Paris, and other European metropolises this past semester can be reflected in the development of my personal style.
