My name is Samantha Holender, and I was a summer fashion victim. My days of admittance, acceptance, apologies (still working on getting that one to Anna Wintour) and grief are long gone. It’s time for this Style Guru to implement the change.
Now, not to get all defensive, but, my summer fashion faux pas weren’t really all my fault. You see, for nine years of my life, my parents shipped me off to sleep away camp every summer for seven-week intervals. Needless to say, those were always my favorite seven weeks of the year, but I digress…
Basically, I never got to experience the world of summer fashion because mommy dearest only packed me with the essentials to get through the gross, hot, sweaty, humid and muggy (it’s an honest miracle I actually enjoyed camp) days.
Of course, when I was eight-years-old all I needed was a bedazzled ice cream cone on a ribbed tank top and little, mesh Sophie shorts to look absolutely adorable. But, then came the sad, dog days when rhinestones and sewn on heart patches, courtesy of JunkFood, were no longer age appropriate. Don’t worry, I all ready cried about it and built the bridge. I’m still working on getting over it…#nevergonnahappen.
Next hit the horrendous summers when my options consisted of which-is-the-lucky white- V-neck-Hanes-shirt-of-the-day coupled with black, gray or the occasional pink athletic shorts and adidas sneakers (not the cool, trendy Stan Smith types, I might add). Can you say ew?
But, I am no longer at camp with a painfully limited wardrobe, giving my overflowing closet and me a chance to explore summer style this season. My winter flair is definitely more on the classic side in terms of style, so in the next few weeks I plan to stray from my black and polished beaten path in pursuance of a more bohemian vibe—we’re talking a Nicole Richie, Rachel Zoe, Vanessa Hudgens, Blake Lively-esque aura.
I will always be a fan of earth tones over bright colors—and that’s never going to change. I’m a self-proclaimed simplistic stylist with firm beliefs in solids, staples and versatile pieces. My favorite articles of clothing are those that can effortlessly take me from day to night, making my ensemble look like a completely different outfit with just a change in a pair of shoes.
This is the summer prior to my sophomore year at The George Washington University as a journalism and mass communications major and my fourth semester as a devout Style Guru for CollegeFashionista. You guys, these next four months are going to be a good run, so tie up those sneakers, preferably not the type I wore circa 2009 (no need for PTSD), and let’s see what this season has in store.
