By By Kaitlin Andorfer
If you’re reading this column looking for the latest fads to buy, you can stop reading, because this week you won’t find them. Instead of spotting the trends, I am challenging you to stop them. For those who try to blend into the crowd, step outside of your comfort zone and try on something different.
The last few weeks of summer took me home to Ohio, where my thrift store fix of cool vintage was satisfied. Scouring every inch of antique stores, Goodwill and the Salvation Army, like a pirate looking for lost treasure, I uncovered beautiful silk scarves for only $2.00, antique nightgowns and a pair of white vintage peep toe heels for $3.00. Adding to the gorgeous clutter in my closet, these new finds were all part of my ever changing plan to revolutionize my daily game of dress up for the upcoming school year.
On one recent morning, I, put on a pair of floral patterned ’80s jogging shorts paired with a white A-shirt or to be politically incorrect, a “wife beater,” a blue scarf, topped off with some bright blue pumps and a hot pink beaded necklace.
As I came downstairs, my roommates burst into laughter. As I walked with my friends to class, they made a game out of pointing out who was staring at my outfit. I didn’t care; I walked tall and never missed a beat in my catwalk strut, because I thought it looked cute.
“I can’t wait for you to come to class, because I can’t wait to see what you’re going to be wearing everyday,” a friend in psychology class, said.
It is that very same idea that has kept getting dressed everyday a fun game.
The key to successfully becoming a fashion icon is to gather up enough cool junk in your wardrobe to reinvent yourself stylistically. Wardrobes should say something about who you are and where you have been.
Here’s a little hint, if you put all your clothes together and there aren’t some pieces that stick out and look fun, try adding a little clutter to your closet, and I mean clutter in the best way.
Make people excited to see what you’ll be wearing each day. Try classic beauty–a gorgeous strand of pearls, clean lines, very Jackie O. – timeless chic, then bam! Shock em’ by looking completely opposite the next day, with an eclectic boho hippy chic or even colorful punk. The idea is that just when people think they have your style figured out, you pull out something they would never expect.
Don’t be afraid to get inspiration from celebrities, movies and people on the street. Be inspired by these people; don’t try to copy them. Put your own twist and personality into it. After all, if it weren’t for a little bit of copying, even the most daring of the trendsetters wouldn’t ever evolve, and all of us would probably still be stuck wearing loin cloths.
So here’s to you for no longer being fashion chameleons, but choosing to stand out by being different. Stop taking the easy way out by buying the entire outfit on the mannequin; try to pair things you never thought would go together and see how colorful we can make the campus this year. The invisible catwalk in the Student Center has officially been installed. Let the outfits begin.