On the fifth of August, at 10:32 a.m. precisely, I drowsily stumbled out of bed and, in seeking emotional backup throughout the day as I oft do by choosing a cute outfit to wear, came to the horrifying realization that I had absolutely nothing to put on. It was a scene straight out of Clueless—“Lucy! Where’s my white collarless shirt from Fred Segaaaal!”—, only minus the ’70s style mansion and high-tech closet organizer and, sadly, Paul Rudd.
Luckily, as a Style Guru for the past semester now, I’ve come to learn a thing or two about overcoming the old fashion breakdown. Whenever this moment arrives, as it often does to my perpetually style-exasperated self, I find that there’s really only one thing to do: look to the experts at Vogue for guidance. Lo and behold, Parsons MFA’s spring 2016 ready-to-wear collection heard my prayer and came to the rescue!
For those of you who don’t know, the Parsons School of Design is an elite fashion institute dedicated to fostering bright, young designers. The MFA talent, in particular, go through rigorous training and, at the end of it, submit clothes they’ve worked on and built from scratch for the annual runway show in New York. Success on the show guarantees buyers, markets ready to sign them on, and instant fame for the Parsons grads.
I was immediately inspired—not just by the sheer brilliancy of the runway costumes themselves (though that, of course, didn’t hurt either) but by the synthesis of the entire show. While each piece was individually crafted by one of the 11 designers on hand, the collection as a whole flowed seamlessly from one outfit to the other, making it a portfolio project unlike any other. It was eclectic to the max, and it definitely worked.
Modifying this style choice to fit with my wardrobe staples, I chose to ignore my first instincts and disregard commonplace style rules (e.g., two-pattern maximum, less is more mentality) in favor of visually appealing items of clothing. This time, when my eye gravitated towards several attention-grabbing pieces in the back of the closet, I brought them all out—with the resolution of wearing as much as I could.
Intent on tying everything in with a universal theme (bright, daring and kind of retro), I paired vintage, high-rise jeans with an equally dramatic crop top from H&M. Then, picking accessorizes like a magpie would, I settled on the shiniest of the bunch, tying in a collection of gold and cherry-colored rings with a ’60s flower child headband and thrift store purse earrings. All I had left was to slip on my loveliest pair of shoes—brown, perforated wedges with a handy gold zipper—and I was all set for takeoff.
Checking myself in the mirror before I left, I smiled at my groovy fashion setup. Yup, just another day in the life of a CollegeFashionista Style Guru.
Get My Look: 1. A totally funky crop top. 2. A pair of jazzy jeans. 3. A set of super zany earrings.
