I have a confession to make—I am haunted by an outfit I wore in fifth grade for a class picture. Some bad, yellow and terrycloth Bermuda shorts with a magenta-pink T-shirt that said, no kidding, “Fashionista” across the front in silver, metallic writing. This terrible look was topped off with a two inch, red, patent leather headband. I literally do not know what I was thinking.
But then again, maybe I did. What I was wearing made me happy at the time, unfortunately, and that is why fashion is important. If you can throw on an outfit that exudes confidence or whatever traits you want to personify and makes you feel good about the way you look, then go for it. Create your own image piece by piece, shoe by shoe, dress by dress, bag by bag, lipstick by lipstick. And yes, I did just hyperlink you to my go-to outfit for a night out. Side note—my style cannot be defined to a single classification. I like a little bit of everything and I like to mix them. However, fun prints are always a must for young Fashionistas/os.
Anyways, do not underestimate the value of fashion. It is the most outward and public form of self-expression there is, so never shy away from it. Some days you feel like dressing like a prim and proper southern belle, sometimes you feel like dressing like “don’t mess with me” in leather and metal details and sometimes you feel like dressing like Queen Beyoncé strutting down the red carpet. Of course, there are those times you feel like dressing like you tumbled out of bed in the morning and accidentally rolled into the class (however I do not encourage this look). Firstly, be you. Secondly, dress like it and rock it.
My name is Eileen and I am going to be a member of USC’s class of 2019, majoring in Retailing with a concentration in Fashion Merchandising. I am here to pursue a career in the fashion industry as I have always dreamed of, according to my elementary style choices. I refuse to leave the house in sweatpants, I believe that girls should own a pair of heels in every color and I put my full faith into the nuances, details, trends and rules of fashion. But rules were made to be broken, right?
I am super excited to be a Style Guru this summer from here in Boston! I am eager to meet new people and learn about some new trends while I’m at it. I think that approaching someone in the street and photographing them for their interesting style will be an amazing experience to interact with humans from all walks of life. And I solemnly swear to never, ever wear another red, patent leather headband again. Check in with me every Friday and don’t forget to follow me on social media!
