My name is Lia Cernauskas and I am a freshman majoring in fashion design at Cornell University. The fashion world inspires me and endlessly occupies my thoughts. It even allows me to discuss important world issues. Next year, I intend to declare a climate change minor in order to address the fashion industry’s waste as well as the general environmental crisis.
I’ve been interested in sewing since the first grade, when my teacher required every student in her class to learn to sew by hand, where we learned how to attach big plastic buttons to small strips of felt. With these new skills, I began altering clothing that I no longer liked and made my American Girl dolls Halloween costumes out of fabric from T-shirts. Since then, my fashion has involved lots of experimentation, altering and reusing old items to fit my current styles.
This obsession seems to stem from my desire for uniqueness, by attempting to find things that others won’t necessarily have and wearing them in ways that aren’t necessarily conventional. I see the fashion world as a platform for discussing issues. My personal style is all about promoting confidence and individuality, which are two qualities that are often put down in mainstream media. An integral part of pulling off a look is confidence. If I think mixing and matching or wearing an interesting clothing item works, others will too.
For this look, I wore my mother’s cardigan and tied into a cropped sweater. Then, I paired my high-waisted mom jeans with sneakers. Overall, the outfit is very casual and gives off a ’90s vibe. Personally, minuscule details always tie an outfit together. For example, hoop earrings, a stacked ring, a layered necklace set, and orange floral socks make this one stand out.
