ALL IN THE DETAILS: Check, Mate!

At the end of my three hour journey on a blazing day in Cleveland, I saw this Fashionista walking straight toward me. With the sun right behind, she seemed to radiate — which I tried to duplicate in the picture. She was most gracious when she said that she was also a journalist and understood exactly what I was going through.

The reason why I took so much time looking for a Fashionista this time around was because I was looking for something different. My ideals in fashion are comprised mostly of elegance that stems from simplicity. While Cleveland surely contains many Fashionistas/os, none of them quite matched my expectations that day. Then this Fashionista came along!

Besides the bags she was carrying, she was void of superfluous accessories. The black lines on her A-line skirt and wrist were enough. Furthermore, the skirt matched the colors of her hair and complexion of a more pinkish hue.

Without the bags (smartly of totally different colors than her outfit), the Fashionista essentially sports two colors in total: her skin tone and the ultimate statement color —black.

The simple elegance finishes at her feet, laying leather black checkers from the sandals directly on her flesh. And I still can’t get over how she must’ve deliberately chosen her bags to be completely discrete colors from the main color theme of her outfit. That adds dimension to the outfit when she’s moving about.

During winter in Cleveland, we don’t get the luxury of revealing our skin. Cleveland summer fashion is at its finest when people appear elegant and light simultaneously; incorporating their natural self is crucial.

How To: Make your accessories count! Carry or wear pieces that distinctly show off a completely different color than the rest of your outfit.

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