Seeing as we college students are always in pursuit of knowledge, I shall start this article with a brief lesson about a bad chick by the name of Queen Victoria. Reigning for 63 years as Queen of England in the 1800s, Queen Victoria was iconic. The era of which she reigned became known as the Victorian Era. Queen Victoria embodied affluence and elegance; and although she is long gone, her influence in fashion still remains. Almost 150 years later, Victorian-inspired collections still wander down runways in Paris or New York. Valentino’s autumn 2015-2016 collection was no exception.
Beginning with garments drenched in art deco designs, the collection quickly moved into a dark fairytale with wispy black lace dresses and delicate tulle gowns. Described by fashion bloggers as “neo-Victorian,” the collection was intense and dramatic. Vogue described it as “a wardrobe that belonged to a contemporary nymph.” While, I, a usually fatigued and slightly neurotic college student, am no nymph, I certainly channeled Valentino’s collection into my look.
The keys to a good wardrobe are a lot of simple pieces that all can function together. I paired a simple white blouse with a high collar with a button-down corduroy mini skirt. For edge, I added my over-the-knee black boots and paired them with lace trimmed stockings. But, by far, my favorite piece of this look is the overcoat I thrifted from a tiny shop in Cleveland called Whiskey Grade.
While I am far from royalty, seeing as I eat mac-and-cheese out of the pan and can usually be found on my couch in an oversized sweatshirt watching Californication at one in the morning; with the help of a few pieces I felt like a queen.
Get My Look: 1. A high collared white blouse. 2. A textured mini skirt. 3. An overcoat.
