Hey guys! My name is Maria Stephens and this summer I’m back for my second semester with CollegeFashionista! Before I start to ramble on (something my friends and family can vouch for) about my obsession with fashion, my take on the chic little boutiques and the bloggers that showcase it and of course, the city it thrives in, New York City. I should probably give you a little background on me to at least cover the basics.
For starters, I’m originally from a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota and I happily claim spot number four in a family with five kids. According to my siblings, aside from being number four, I’m also the talkative one, the peppy one and the occasionally overdramatic one. During my sophomore year of high school, my family and I moved to a suburb of Chicago, Illinois (aka my current hometown). Being a city girl at heart, I loved the change along with the slightly faster pace and the big city to explore.
Being from the Midwest, I’d always felt a strong desire to make my way to New York City and immerse myself in the fashion world. Before I could make living in New York City (the fashion world) a reality, I turned to my closest connection—the internet. From spending hours on my favorite blogs to scrolling through an Instagram feed filled with outfit of the days and perfect flat lays, my free time was spent consuming fashion-related content. Really, that hasn’t changed all that much. Recently, I’ve been obsessing over Mimi Ikonn’s blog and YouTube channel along with a chic little boutique in Pittsburgh called No. 14.
Anyways, when it came to deciding on a major and picking a college, fashion and New York seemed like a natural fit. I’m currently a rising sophomore at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York studying fashion merchandising with a concentration in business and a minor in product development. Put simply, I’m loving every part of it.
Although I’ve been charmed by New York this past year, I’m giving it a break for the summer and I’m challenging myself to capture the very best that the Midwest has to offer. So Chicago, let’s not disappoint!
