Last summer, I was working in Hong Kong and loving it. There was something about the atmosphere of the city that allowed me to thrive almost immediately. I met up with a few friends from Amherst while I was there and, on one occasion, a good friend commented on my outfit. It was a blue collared shirt with silver buttons that I kept rolled up to my elbows. I wore a long black skirt and mary janes, making the outfit fit my company’s summer business casual dress code. She loved the outfit and asked me if I ever wore it Amherst. I hadn’t. I actually bought the skirt before coming to Hong Kong. However, it was one of my favorite outfits after purchasing the skirt. It was carefree and comfortable with a hint of girly flare. I was excited to wear the outfit on campus.
For the first month of school, I wore the skirt and the shirt separately. I paired the skirt with a red crop top and I wore the collared shirt with black skinny jeans. Today, I tried to wear the Hong Kong outfit, but it didn’t look the same. I wore it for my morning classes, but I ended up changing the skirt into a pair of black leggings and putting a black cardigan over the blue collared shirt. When I looked in the mirror, I felt more comfortable. I slipped on my short winter boots, flipped my hair and suddenly I looked like me.
I realized that the person who wore the long black skirt and blue collared shirt was someone that existed in Hong Kong. There are many other outfits, foods, and conversation topics that can be associated with my Hong Kong personality. But not everything that happened in Hong Kong, stayed in Hong Kong. I will say that my experience abroad helped me to develop at Amherst as well. Not only with my fashion choices, but how I see myself and how I want others to see me.
On Instagram, I saw photo of a woman wearing a dress stating “You Are What You Wear.”
While it inspired this article, I’m not quite sure what it means for me. Perhaps this sparked an idea or two for you and you can decide the truth of that statement.