My name is Shanda, and I am a girl from a small town in Canada who landed in a very cosmopolitain small town in Scotland! I study English and Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews and, though my degree doesn’t specifically call focus on fashion, I hope to one day use the skills I pick up to work in fashion journalism.
My style journey began a long time ago, but only really took off when I moved to Europe and began to see that a sense of personal style is a good thing—not everyone has to look the same. My years in Canada were spent straddling the line between bohemian and hipster, a very West Coast attitude that involved a mixture of thrift shops and Urban Outfitters. I often found myself wishing I could break free of that mold, but could never seem to figure out which way I wanted to go with my style.
It took moving to the small, but very fashion-conscious and international town of St Andrews to realize that there are many different senses of fashion, and there was no reason that I had to stick to one when I could easily incorporate them all. I became enamored with the clean, refined style that permeated Scandinavia and the elegant simplicity of the French. Europe completely took over my wardrobe, and it’s only been in the past little while that I’ve allowed a little bit of Canada back in. Now, I would describe my style as a mixture of everything. I stick to the rule that less is more, but I make sure to make room for statement pieces and bohemian flare, too.
This look is comfortable and chic. The leather jacket adds an edge to the super soft plain black T-shirt. It also helps to increase the illusion of a small waist. As for my bottom half, I essentially live in jeans, and these ripped ones from Topshop are the perfect jeans for a Scottish spring. There is the added fact that they are potentially the stretchiest jeans I have ever owned without sacrificing their shape and hold. As for accessories, I’m wearing my favorite ring and some fantastic aviators, as well as a gorgeous cream backpack and floral scarf. The shoes? Well, you can never go wrong with a great black boot.
Over the summer I’ll be doing my best to bring you the most wonderfully put together and fantastically eclectic street style from both St Andrews and Mexico, where I’ll be spending eight weeks working. After all, what’s better than a little multicultural madness?
