For a long time, predominantly in high school, I was very concerned about dressing to fit in. I thought fashion was an important part of one’s appearance. I realize now that instead of focusing on fashion and fitting in I should have been focusing on my personal style. As a college student, I still could not answer that annoying question I have been confronted with many times before: describe your style in one word. I would say that’s impossible for most people. Some days I will be in head to toe J.Crew with a button down shirt and perfectly tailored jeans. Other days I will wear a soft, flowy top and lace-up sandals. My favorite outfits though are ones that make me hesitant to wear them, like this one. I would not define myself as an edgy person when it comes to my style, however, this color palette, distressed denim and buckle boots would say otherwise.
Living in an all girls hall is great, especially when there is a fashion crisis. The long jean jacket featured in this article was a recent impulse purchase which I bought on Thanksgiving at my local mall while deal hunting. The morning I wore this outfit I stopped into a few rooms and asked, “Is the jacket too much?” Many of my Fashionista friends confidently responded, “Yes, but it’s different.” Not exactly reassuring, however, the fact that I was inclined to ask others for their opinion on my outfit made me stop and think. I decided to wear the outfit to my two classes that day and I felt awesome about my choice. Fashion is more fun when it makes you challenge yourself and the more I challenge myself with my fashion choices, the more confident I feel in trying news trends or unusual pieces.
One of my favorite fashion quotes comes from Lady Gaga which she said in a carpool karaoke segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden. She said, “I just never really worry about, you know, who likes it or doesn’t. Kind of the point is to be unfashionable.” I understand that some people may look at this outfit and think that I took this jacket from a dumpster but I like to remind myself of Gaga’s wisdom and that somehow, people once dissed her iconic meat dress.
