,

STYLE GURU BIO: Mackenzie Gardner

September 1st, 2016 at 2:00am

I’m a junior pursuing a degree in media arts and design with a concentration in journalism and a minor in communications. My absolute dream would be to end up working at a major fashion publication when I graduate and living in New York City, hopefully in an apartment larger than a shoe box.

James Madison University has introduced me to wide array of styles because our students come from all around the world. I have also been lucky enough to be apart of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Joining Greek life has introduced me to many different types of people. I can be very shy when I first meet you, but once I get to know someone you can’t get me to stop talking. However, Greek life has helped pull me out of my shell.

Fashion has been a major part of my life since my mom started buying me fashion magazines. I started cutting out different pictures that I loved and found inspiration from and gluing them into notebooks. I have ten or more notebooks filled with magazine cutouts—it was my absolute favorite thing to do at night. I really started being interested in fashion when I was in middle school, but I was never able to fully express myself because I had a school uniform. I was still able to get “best dressed” in high school, since we had a few out-of-dress-code days. Fashion also helped give me another way of expressing myself, even if I didn’t have the courage to speak my mind.

One thing I love about fashion is you can gain inspiration from anything. I firmly believe that fashion is a form of self-expression. Therefore, you should wear what makes you most comfortable and confident. If you enjoy your clothing, then it won’t matter what other people think of it. I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from a fashion editor, “If you look back in history of the women who are most memorable and most stylish, they were never the followers of fashion. They were the ones who were unique in their style, breakers of the rules. They were authentic, genuine and original. They were not following the trends.”

 

Author