I am Jellyn Anne Echon, but I prefer JAE. I’m a student at Montclair State University majoring in Business Administration with a concentration of Finance. Growing up in Hackensack, a small “city” in New Jersey, I was surrounded with people that didn’t share the same taste as me. I remember in high school, the majority of the crowd liked wearing leggings, a hoodie and UGGs while I walked around with a dress, blazer, heeled booties and a designer bag—and that was on my lazy days. Whispers echoed through hallways as I felt the weird looks beaming at me, but I totally didn’t mind and none of it stopped me from expressing myself through my wardrobe. Everybody has their own individual taste, and I’ve embraced that fact. Regardless, I knew my style and I belonged in the city, and by city, I mean New York City.
When I’m not in my room rummaging through my closet full of clothes trying to style outfits together, I’m usually writing songs, singing to karaoke videos or watching Netflix. Yes, I also sing. Singing sits on top two of my passions, next to fashion, of course. I’ve been performing since the young age of two and have done so much with my career since then, from touring with the broadway production of The King and I to winning several singing championship titles. My days aren’t complete without my daily dose of Netflix. I find myself constantly re-watching CW shows such as Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and 90210. Some of my fashion inspirations actually come from the characters of those shows—mainly Blair Waldorf and Naomi Clark.
My goal is to one day be able to strut along New York City streets to my job at the corporate financial offices of a successful company within the fashion industry, like Christian Louboutin or Chanel, in my definition of business attire where chic meets professional. On top of that, I hope to pursue a career in music as a recording artist alongside with building my Café, Only1Place, of Bergenfield, New Jersey to be as successful as Starbucks. Seems like a handful, but a girl can dream, right? Anything is possible.
Being a girl who’s wanted to live in a world where fashion was your voice, I’m ecstatic to have found exactly that with CollegeFashionista. As a Style Guru, I hope to inspire others as well as highlight the fashion statements my colleagues express when I report monthly on the trends I’ve spotted at Montclair State University.
In this post, I am introducing a “back to school” look that slowly transitions you into fall from summer with a BCBGMAXAZRIA top, twill cropped fashion pants and Christian Louboutin booties accessorized with my school essential, a Prada backpack.
