If you had met me about a year or two ago I would probably be wearing a maxi dress with a statement necklace, high heels and whatever else was "in season" at the time. I could educate you on the trends of the season, I could recite articles from ELLE and Harper's Bazaar and I could explain to you how excited I was to graduate high school and finally move to New York.
If you meet me today, it's a completely different story. I still might be wearing a maxi dress, just minus all of the other things. I still look presentable, I still match and accessorize, I just don't try so hard to look like I stepped out of Vogue. This transition from ultra-chic glamazon to typical stylish girl began when I graduated high school and started preparing for college. I realized that I needed money for other things besides clothes, shocker! I couldn't spend all of my Christmas cash on outfits, shoes and handbags. I couldn't blow my birthday money on overpriced jewelry. I had a car payment, books to buy and college tuition to pay for. I guess in some ways becoming an adult made me less-fashionable.
Fashion began to slip from my identity before my very eyes. People used to call me the "fashionista" and I loved it. At first I felt really bad when noticing my disinterest in style. I felt like I was losing who I thought I was. After a little while I realized that I was just slipping out of a phase, and finally morphing into the woman I was meant to be with the style I was comfortable in.
Now, I feel I'm who I was always meant to become. I love a good pair of yoga pants, and I wear them to class almost every time. I don't change my bag to match my outfits every day anymore, but my go-to is still an authentic Louis Vuitton Speedy 35. I still buy way too much jewelry, but I usually only wear it on special occasions. I don't even remember the last time I wore heels. I haven't given up completely, and I don't think I ever will. I still care about what I wear and I still care about being presentable, but doesn't everyone? I have just simply changed from a fashion-forward girl to a put together young lady.
Sometimes I wish I was still that girl because when you're involved in it, fashion can make you feel so important. I was set on becoming a fashion editor for the last two years because I wanted the satisfaction of being important in the eyes of the public. I've realized once and for all that I don't want to be in an industry where I'm judged immediately on what I'm wearing. I've come to find that it's much more rewarding to be known for what is on the inside rather than what kind of jacket you're wearing and how much it cost. Fashion is a fun, exciting part of my life that I'll never forget. I'm proud to say that I'm partially stepping away from that, yet always keeping my sense of style.
