Hello there Fashionistas and Fashionistos. My name is Hayley Verdeyen. I’m currently a freshman studying at James Madison University and what an exciting year it’s turning out to be. With my newbie status at both JMU and CollegeFashionista I have a lot to learn and even more to prove but I’m able and up to the task.
I’m so very excited to have the opportunity to be a Style Guru this semester for a plethora of reasons but I won’t bother to list all of the fascinating details for you. Essentially fashion is half of the duo I employ to convey my feelings, moods, and personality. The other being writing and what a miracle that I’ve found a place that I get to utilize my dynamic duo. I know that to some people clothes are just articles you wear to avoid police charges for public indecency but to me they are complete and total expressive pieces that can really inspire and boost confidence.
Around about my sophomore year of high school was when the fashion bug bit me wholly and had me discard all of my freshman year daily uniform which consisted of button-downs, ballet flats and colorful cardigans galore. Not to say that all these pieces aren’t wonderful in their own way but when paired together day after day, in a gaggle of colors, on a gangly preteen, it’s needless to say my epiphany a year later was perfectly timed. In the years since, my style has changed in all the right ways as I try out different looks and find what suits my body and my personality. It’s a long process for sure but I am a proponent of trial and error in one’s closet. Truly it’s all about evolution as you grow, and everything from my well-worn oversized cardigans and flannels all the way to my new cigarette trousers are testimonies of this.
Inspiration is also a huge factor in the style game and I have been blessed with a mom who also shares a love of clothing. But when it comes to bloggers and style icons I have become a huge fan of Danielle Bernstein (We Wore What) and Chiara Ferragni (The Blonde Salad). With casual styles consisting of pieces readily found in my closet to high fashion looks that serve as goals for the future, I am constantly inspired by these ladies and other fashion icons including Taylor Swift (fabulous crops and shoes), Harry Styles (big fan of the man scarves and rad ’90s button-ups) and Cara Delevingne. Classic and cultured and totally their own, these people are truly themselves in their sense of style and that’s what I hope to show through my posts on Mondays about the Fashionistas and Fashionistos that I see out and about.
Here’s to a lovely new year.
