A Fashionista Is Born

Since the day I was born, fashion has been in my blood. My mother was the thrifty shopper, never spending too much on anything. Instead, she would accessorize her “cheap” outfit to the best of her abilities and it would turn out as if it came straight out of a page from a fashion magazine. This is how I was raised. I was thought from a very young age that it doesn’t matter what you pay for it, what matters is how you accessorize it and wear it. This was my mantra until I got my first job at 16 working as a receptionist at a hip, trendy salon in the mall. I figured, “Hey, I was making the money, so I could spend it anyway possible.” Instead of buying no-name brand shoes, I started to shop at Steve Madden (I’m now hooked) and started shopping at stores like BEBE and Planet Funk rather than the usual Forever 21 (which I still shop at). That was my first introduction to what I thought at the moment as upscale fashion.

From there, I’ve become obsessed with all things designer (even if I can’t afford them, yet). My first introduction with actual designer brands was in college when I (or really my boyfriend at the time) bought me my first Coach purse. Then, I became interested in Louis Vuitton and Dior purses. Although, I only have a few, they are my most cherished pieces of my closet. For me, they represent my future goals of becoming a fashion editor at a publication like Vogue or Elle because I know I’ll be able to afford more of those when I do finally make it.

On another note, I would classify my style and hip and trendy. I love how I can sense a trend before it actually happens and wear it months before anyone else does (which generates many compliments when I’m out and about). I’m that type of person who has to dress up for EVERYTHING. I never leave the house without a cute outfit, no matter where I’m going. However, I haven’t been doing this for work (I work with nothing but guys who come in to work in jeans and ratty old T-shirts everyday). But I make sure to compensate for this by dressing up everywhere else I go.