First of all, I would like to say how honored I am to be writing for CollegeFashionista for this session of internships. I have watched many of my friends and peers work the campus delivering some amazing fashion advice and showing great trends around DePaul’s campus. Now as the crown passes down to me, I am both excited and little bit nervous to reveal my style tips and give my fashion do’s and dont’s.
Let’s start with a little background on me because you never can truly know the author without knowing his journey. I grew up in the Detroit metropolitan area and have attended prep schools all of my life. So yes, that means uniforms upon uniforms and very few clothing options for the weekend. However, where most saw this as a nuisance, I made lemonade out of the lemons.
Around high school, I realized the button-down shirts and the polos could be paired with some non-traditional pants and some shorts that showed just a little of my thighs (yes, Chubbies) or some very fancy jeans. Thus a prep was born. I was a prep down to the T. Actually, during most of my high school time, I basically thought I was Kiel James Patrick (by the way, check out his website…it’s fantastic) or a model out of a Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren advertisement.
My fashion style has definitely derived from about four family members and one or two celebrities. First, my mother raised me to never the leave the house without my very best on. Both of my grandmothers taught me that style is how you feel when you wear your clothes and fashion is just the clothes. Next, my cousin who works for Ralph Lauren influenced me because without him, I would not have many of the products from their catalog.
My celebrity crushes who have also inspired me are both Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass because they truly embody the “prepster” both casually and through business formal.
Although I’ve given you a peek into my fashion style, I should warn you that the fashion I look for in others is not the same. I am definitely a fan of certain staples in the closet such as the Little Black Dress (LBD), the go-to jeans, the dress up sweater and the goes-with-everything shoe. However, that is just as far as my prepster style tends to show itself when looking at others’ fashions.
I am extremely into eclectic stylings as well as ensemble pieces. I usually notice an outfit rather than a piece and how articles of clothing go well together rather than how one piece may stand out by itself. As far as stylings for women, I am into boho, DIY, modern and minimalism just to name a few.
I cannot wait to start, so make sure to check in and see if you agree with me or want to try something new.
