STYLE GURU BIO: Natalie Pettigrew

Hello, fashionable people! My name is Natalie Pettigrew and I am excited to introduce myself as a Style Guru to the CollegeFashionista world.

First of all, I want to give a shout out to Iowa State University for having a beautiful campus, a wonderful student body and most importantly, allowing me to have an amazing freshman year. At Iowa State, I am studying Business Marketing with a minor in Design Studies. Besides my academic life I enjoy dancing, iced coffee with my gals, pizza, shopping and getting more involved with my sorority.

So who am I to dictate what is fashionable and what is not? Why am I claiming to be a Style Guru? The answer is simple; I believe in self-expression and would like to capture the inspiration behind it.

Looking back at the way I dressed myself in my pre-teens to early teenager years, I noticed that I would always buy clothing that was going along with the most recent fads and/or trends. In the past I wasn’t letting my true self show through to my attire. As I get older (and wiser?), I realize that developing your own personal style and fashion groove is a learning experience that is constantly changing.

My style these days thrives on simplicity. I prefer to wear black colors and add pops of color through my lipstick choice or rad accessories. I decided that for my bio and first ever article, I wanted to show readers a glimpse of me on an average day. Due to the heat, I threw on some light wash jean shorts from Express and a solid white men’s crew-neck tee that I scored at my local Goodwill. Wearing plain T-shirts is a bad habit of mine; they’re so comfy and way too easy to dress up! I polished my look with a red lip stain by Revlon and some gold jewelry. My booties are a hand-me-down from my very cool aunt and are kind of boho. My outfit says I like to keep things casual but I also like to add a little fab, which is an everyday motto.

Expressing yourself through the clothes you wear is a beautiful thing. Every day on campus, I see different people with their own unique style. Having good “style” doesn’t necessarily mean buying the newest clothes on the racks or copying a celebrity’s look— it’s about being comfortable and confident that the clothing you are wearing is reflecting the person you want to be. I am so thrilled to get the opportunity to share the looks I see and explore upon the details and aspects that make a Fashionista/o. I enjoy seeing people’s personalities shine through in the clothes they wear.

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