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STYLE GURU BIO: Karen Nguyen

January 6th, 2016 at 2:00am

Hey there fellow Fashionistas/os! I’m Karen Nguyen, a second-year student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo who’s majoring in graphic communication. To me, fashion has always been innate.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family full of Fashionistas, so much that fashion was never looked down upon, but supported. Growing up in Orange County, California, I had malls accessible to me within a 10 mile radius. Ever since I was five-years-old, I looked forward to accompanying my older sisters to the mall every weekend. My earliest memory of my love for fashion goes back to when Juicy Couture was the hottest brand. I remember walking through the doors of Bloomingdale’s, doe-eyed as I passed by the pink and green Juicy Couture purse on display. Something about that purse made me feel differently than how I felt about Barbies and Easy-Bake machines.

It’s difficult to describe my style in such a general manner since it has been inconsistent throughout my life. But as of right now, I would say it is a mixture of preppy, Parisian chic and glam princess. It’s an interesting combination, but it fits my personality by being a little weird. Thus, my style icons are diverse, ranging from Alexa Chung and Blair Waldorf to Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. I really admire chambray shirts, tote bags and Chelsea boots on some days. Then, houndstooth-printed trousers, floral dresses and wide-brimmed hats on other days. For the days in-between, I like to wear killer heels, flashy matched sets and feather hairpieces.

So, where do I see myself with fashion in the future? I hope to combine my love of graphic design with my love for fashion and work my way to become a creative director of a prestigious fashion magazine or luxury brand. But that goal is still a whiles away, so my goal as a CollegeFashionista Style Guru is to bring prominence to fashion on my campus. I believe fashion is not just simply fashion: I know it can do so much more. It can help tell a story. It can help influence and change perspective. It can make you feel something you haven’t felt before, or haven’t felt in a very long time. This is the image I want to show Cal Poly. This is the image of what fashion truly is.

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