Hello Fashionista/os! This is my first semester working with the CollegeFashionista team and I am so excited to formally introduce myself. I am a communication and design student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, born and bred in Boca Raton, Florida, and looking to dive head first into Midwestern fashion.
The streets of Florida have a thriving boom of inspiration for new trends in the world of fashion to erupt. Whether you adapt to the bohemian beachwear of Atlantic Avenue or the infamous street style of Miami, the modish residents can vividly express themselves through the love of art and culture south Florida provides. The depths of south Florida are where the cities never sleep, with magnificent downtown restaurants and a never-ending nightlife. Leaving Boca Raton for the cornfields of central Illinois created a challenge to find that fashion niche I once had at the foot of my doorstep. CollegeFashionista has now given me a new outlet to find fashion, even in the places where you would least expect it.
Consumed with the models seen in Vogue America and Harper’s Bazaar as a child, I became fascinated with sketching the works of the famous designers that filled the pages. It is safe to say that these magazines became my bible. I would buy a magazine and flip through every page, marking the ones I thought best exhibited the model’s or designer’s retail. What went from separate art projects in secondary school escalated to a major and minor at a University, with aspiring career intentions of continuing to sketch and design in the future.
As the legendary Oscar de la Renta once said, “Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.” Style makes one unique to their personality, true to their character and own their sense of fashion. I know that I will practice what I preach through my articles about the latest trends on the University of Illinois’ campus. Look out for my posts every Thursday this semester. The cornfields won’t leave you disappointed.
