Hello all! My name is Victoria Messina and I’m a rising senior studying Journalism at the usually sunny, sometimes rainy, but always beautiful University of Florida. This summer marks my fourth semester of being a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista, and I’m stoked to continue this fashionable adventure.
My journey with CollegeFashionista began last summer when I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain, where I fell in love with European fashion. Despite a few semi-awkward conversations in broken Spanish, I met some pretty cool Fashionistas/os there and loved hearing what they had to say about their own fashion inspiration. That’s been my favorite part of interning for CollegeFashionista—being forced to approach complete strangers and talk to them about whatever they’re wearing. Being a Style Guru has taught me to step outside my comfort zone, and I have gained some pretty cool acquaintances over this past year because of it.
This summer, I’m beyond excited to document the fabulous fashions of New York City while interning in the Big Apple. I’m hoping to come across more high fashion looks than I’m accustomed to in my college town of Gainesville, where jeans and shorts are the norm. Now that I actually have to be an adult and wear “big girl” clothes for this internship, I have a newfound love for business casual clothes. I had lots of negative preconceived notions about office attire and thought it only entailed grandma-esque kitten heels, boring button-downs and constricting pencil skirts. But those notions were put to rest when I went on an internship shopping spree, where I scored killer nude pumps, fun dresses and versatile skirts; now I’m actually looking forward to dressing like an adult, whereas I used to be too scared to wade into the depths of grown-up life.
No introduction is complete without some fun facts that I have to share about myself. I can flare my nostrils awkwardly fast, and my last name is the name of a small city in Sicily (that little island at the tip of the Italian mainland), hence my love for pasta and all carbs for that matter. My favorite method of transportation is my longboard and I have a certifiable addiction to quirky patterned socks. Seriously…my collection now includes about 13 pairs, and it grows with every trip to PacSun. My fashion staples include flannel shirts (usually from the men’s section), high-waisted shorts, Vans shoes, boho statement necklaces and anything gray.
It’s been so inspiring to see the CollegeFashionista community expand over these past semesters, and I’m psyched to see it continue to grow this summer. Here’s to another rad semester of photographing and writing about strangers all in the name of fashion!
