Here’s to the #RAD 2015-2016 Style Gurus! I’m Tahimi Perez-Borroto and I can’t wait to be part of such an amazing, talented, and creative team at CollegeFashionista. Here’s the 411 on who I am, and what I hope to share about college fashion on campus this semester.
I’m a senior English major at Brenau University, who’s always had a passion for the stories each one of us hold inside. Whether it be through writing, photography, fashion or any other art form, I whole heartedly believe that each and everyone of us has the ability to tell a unique, and life changing story.
That’s where being a Style Guru comes in. I’ll be completely honest, fashion—well, trending fashion—hasn’t always been on my radar. Though I’ve always appreciated the insane creativity and brazen capabilities of designers, I haven’t always stood in line holding the newest edition of Vogue, excited to see this season’s latest trends. However, the way designers imagine a whole new creation from scratch, which then trickles down from couture runways to department stores, has been on my mind. Just like pivotal moments from The Devil Wears Prada pop up whenever someone mispronounces a famous designer—“it’s actually cerulean.”
But, there is one aspect of fashion that has always intrigued me, and that’s the way it’s been impacted by culture, society and history. Who knew that we’d be wearing Converse outside the basketball court? Or that boot cut jeans would be kicking skinny jeans to the curve (although personally, I still love my rolled up Levi Brand Jeans).
Fashion at its core, is not only an art form, but a way to display unique, personal stories. Garments and accessories from around the globe tend to lend certain cultures their identity—kimonos, kilts, hijabs, cowboy boots, little black dresses. And there’s where my passion for storytelling and fashion mold perfectly together like Alexander McQueen’s famous 1996 “Dante” collection.
As college students, we have the unflattering, albeit sometimes inevitable (finals week anybody?), habit of rolling out of bed and running to class. And it wasn’t until this year really, that I started to appreciate the power that dressing up has. I think that going to a women’s college has also helped. Being surrounded by a group of strong, independent women who dress up and show up for themselves and for the opportunities the proper outfit can bring, has definitely changed my wardrobe, and my appreciation for on campus fashion.
So here’s to a semester of bold choices, and looking at fashion for the art form it is. And, while you may almost always see me in the basic black and white (hey, it’s classy), you’ll also almost always see me catching up on the latest European trends, and the diverse fashion Brenau has to offer.
If you want to find out in detail what my aesthetics consists of, catch up with my on my blog. And remember, fashion is an outer expression of an inner story. Show off, and show up.
