I’ve been debating whether or not being titled a CollegeFashionista Style Guru took away masculinity, and then I figured that an easy way of avoiding this question would be by dubbing myself as a Fashionisto. Even though the word is underlined in red, there’s always a necessity for self-definition and creation, especially in the world of fashion. The word has been thrown around already, but I think utilizing the openness of its definition is what makes this opportunity exciting. I believe in teams and I believe in cohesiveness but we are all here to showcase more than our commonality as Style Gurus. We are here to showcase who we are as individuals. I’m a 21-year-old, half Thai gymnast who digs the push for personal style and everything French. The University of Iowa has been my educational institution for the past three and a half years, but the campus and Iowa City have given me much more than an education in the classroom. There’s an opportunity for developing the self, and the best way to do that for me is to make a statement of self-discovery through style. I’ll be graduating in May with a double major in journalism and mass communications and French culture and literature studies.
One of my most inspirational experiences in college, thus far, has been my Parisian adventures of 2014. I watched Paris change seasonally from summer all through to winter, and as the style of beauty shifted, the atmosphere was preserved. Paris inspired me to write about a lost self, a lost soul that found a sanctuary in searching for and discovering a way to establish my personal statement as a foreigner. I loved the battle to adapt to French culture and the required attentiveness to the people, the family structures, the faces, the body language, but most of all, the style. That’s why the pictures of this post feature a Mutton jacket from the Kilo Shop for only 30 euros, boots from Andre, burgundy pants from the Zara in the 14th arrondissement and a brown Indiana Jones styled chapeau from Les Galeries Lafayette.
It wasn’t that I was so interested in Paris style alone, but rather the ample amount of style diversity that exists worldwide. We all feel foreign at some point in our lives, but why not fight to find comfort as an outsider? Diversity drives the world and accepting that makes us able to accept individuality. Style and fashion is an incredible medium through which we can all express individuality. I take pride in being a male who cares for fashion because being a college Fashionisto seems to just stir up some kind of passion. Hello CollegeFashionista, this is my STYLE GURU BIO.
