Greetings, fellow style lovers! In honor of my love for quotes and partly because of the fact that I am currently reading a biography of Coco Chanel, here is one of my favorite maxims that I believe describes my style: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” My name is Paige Hardman, and this is my second semester as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista. I am a sophomore studying Management Consulting at the University of Notre Dame, but this was not always the case.
For a decade I believed that the science life was the life for me. Upon merely surviving my first semester, I quickly adopted Coco Chanel’s advice when she said: “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” While at that point I may or may not have preferred a made up major in something I love like the history of couture, I decided instead to pursue what will hopefully lead to, in the words of my parents, a “real job.” Just kidding, I love my major, and my heart will forever belong to the business of fashion. I agree wholeheartedly with Coco Chanel when she espoused: “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants,” and I enjoy working towards a profession that synthesizes business and fashion, two of my great loves.
But enough of describing myself in the words of others; let me tell you about my style in words of my own. First and foremost, I love black. There is something about the simultaneous absence and presence of all of the colors that manifests itself in the deep dark depths of the color black. It is mysterious, the opposite of boring, and I love wearing it. It’s my go-to. My love of black aside, I indulge street style spying and allow myself to follow trends. However, despite my passion for changing fashions, I maintain a consistent underlying devotion to timeless classics. The aesthetics of Chanel, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent will never cease to be beautiful and drool-worthy, and I will never not admire them.
For the basis of this look, I choose a versatile black dress. After all, Coco Chanel did say: “Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute,” and who am I to doubt Mademoiselle Chanel? I then paired it with my favorite stars and moons tights to create visual interest with an unusual pattern. A classic faux fur coat and red lip complete my look.
If, like me, you entertain a love for both current trends and timeless classics, we will get along swimmingly. Here’s to a great semester with CollegeFashionista!
