STYLE GURU BIO: Karie Grace Duncan

May 26th, 2015 at 2:00am

Hey there Fashionista/os! I’m Karie Grace Duncan and I’m a second year Journalism major at the University of South Carolina in Columbia where I recently declared a minor in Fashion Merchandising. So, I’m excited to be spending the summer experiencing and sharing great fashions and styles with CollegeFashionista.

As a young, elementary student, I spent my recess cutting out pictures from my older sister’s Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan, pasting them onto construction paper. I called them fashion magazines and one day, I hoped I would create them for a living.

Now, I finally understand the process is much more lengthy and always evolving. I’m still in love with the world of print magazines and have at least three subscriptions yearly. But I frequent online magazines and style blogger websites multiple times a day!

I think that the fashion industry has always been attractive to me because it is a universal constant. Wherever you are in the world, you can find a fellow Fashionista/o. Although there are different styles and trends, the love for clothing transcends all barriers, land or language.

My own style is constantly changing with time and location, just as trends do. I love that a business casual ensemble can be transformed into a date night outfit with the change of a garment. To me, fashion should always be fluid. The fashion staples I cannot do without are: shift dresses, pearls and nude accessories.

Even with trends racing past us in all directions, a Fashionista can find solace in knowing her outdated boho bag will be right back in style before she knows it. Because of this cyclic pattern in trends, style lovers can always look back and appreciate the past. And of course, there will always be classic pieces of clothing and accessories that can fit in with any nation, era, or personality.

These great classics are of the utmost inspiration to me. As the great Yves Saint Laurent said, “Fashions fade. Style is eternal.” By that motto, I styled the outfit above and all of my outfits. I like to think that we, as current Fashionistas/os, are creating modern day classics.

A wardrobe staple for me, and a modern day classic is my pair of J.Crew Chinos. I wore them in this outfit with a feminine, mint blouse a lot like this one from Belk. To tie the two soft colors together, I used neutral accessories like my taupe, pointed flats. But of course, the Fashionista in me loves any twist on a classic, like the gold studs hiding on the heels of the shoe. You can buy a similar pair from Forever 21.

I hope that you will enjoy watching modern day Fashionistas clad in their modern day classics with me, and maybe even purchase a few for yourselves.

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