School & Class: Barnard College, 2018
Major: Art History, concentration in Visual Arts
Hometown: Berwyn, PA— it’s just outside of Philly
1. Tell me a little about yourself. What are you favorite hobbies and interests?
My initials spell “art” so I think I was predetermined to enter a creative field. Other than that, I watch too much TV, took a gap year after high school, draw people on the subway, know the lyrics to most Aretha Franklin hits, and impulsively dyed my hair bright red last week.
2. What did you do this summer?
I spent the summer working for issuu.com, the largest platform for online publishing. It was definitely out of my art history/ fashion/ editorial comfort zone but when else would an art history major get the chance to work in Silicon Valley? While I was there, I did content creation work— writing for their blog, making posts for issuu social channels, and producing a three-part video series to highlight some of issuu’s outstanding publishers.
3. Besides Hoot Magazine, what else are you involved in on campus?
Hoot is basically my life but somehow, I also manage to be the Director of Wellness for DG, a Senior Tour Guide for Meet Me at the Museum, and the president of the Baha’i Club.
4. Tell me a little more about Hoot Magazine and your position as Editor-in-Chief.
In short, Hoot is Columbia’s fashion magazine but I like to think of it as something bigger. There aren’t a lot of spaces for visual artists on campus so Hoot is an opportunity for photographers, stylists, painters, sculptors, designers, writers, and more to collaborate on something beautiful. We also try to be an inclusive publication that represents as wide-as-possible range of majors, races, aesthetics, identities, etc.
As the Editor-in-Chief, I have a hand in everything that goes into the magazine. From finances and printing to fashion and beauty shoots, I work with all of the editors and contributors to ensure that everything we publish, both online and in print, is in line with our message.
5. How did you get involved in Hoot Magazine? Why?
My sister, who graduated from Barnard in 2015, actually introduced me to the magazine before I got to campus! She thought I might be interested in joining because I’ve always been interested in art, beauty, and fashion. During my first semester, I contributed to Hoot’s blog, putting together makeup photo tutorials and was promoted to Beauty Director after that. One year later, I was in charge of the whole thing! It was a very quick rise but I got to see the magazine from every angle.
6. I heard that issuu.com recently recognized Hoot Magazine as one of the top millenial-produced magazines on their site, congrats! How do you feel about this?
Thank you! issuu has been so supportive of Hoot and through them, we’ve been able to receive a lot more traction on our online issues. Getting recognized by them amongst other incredible, innovative magazines has really motivated the Hoot team to continue expanding and reimagining our capacity as a student-run publication.
7. What are your plans and goals for Hoot Magazine this year?
I can’t reveal too much but we’re looking to grow to accommodate the demand of people wanting to contribute and collaborate with more NYC-based brands and designers. And if you have connections to brands that might give us money, clothes, or products, email me at hootmag@barnard.edu.
8. Do you have any fashion inspirations?
For the magazine, I’ve started using issuu to get inspiration for styling and layout. If you go to Hoot’s issuu page (issuu.com/hootmag) you can take a look at the stack I’ve created of magazines that we love.
Instagram is also a major source of inspiration, for Hoot and for my own style. I follow a lot of stylists, photographers, designers, editors, magazines, etc. because I like to look at beautiful things.
9. What are your favorite fashion magazines? Do they influence your work at Hoot?
Atlas, ONE, Kneon, Nu-Mode, Bricks, Oyster, Beauty Papers, Bullett, Teeth, Office, W, V, Dazed, and more! I follow a ton of magazines, both big and small, on Instagram and I love seeing the creativity of these publishers from all around the world.
10. How would you define your style?
My personal style is fairly simple. I wear jeans and a t-shirt in the spring and summer and jeans and a turtleneck in the fall and winter. I’m a fan of uniform dressing because it takes my mental energy off of what I wear everyday. Of course, there are days when I dress up more or try out new trends or styling techniques but I’m just as content and comfortable in something basic.
11. Who are your favorite stylists/designers?
I wear a lot of Zara and vintage because prefer to not spend a ton of money on clothes. I think fashion should be accessible so I’m not into glorifying clothing based on its price tag. That being said, I’m obsessed with Rosie Assoulin, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Lisa Folawiyo, Creatures of Comfort, and Sandy Liang, to name a few.
12. Are there any trends this season that you are particularly excited about?
I love that comfort and “weird” is cool. Beige track pants, dad jeans, and oversized botton-downs are all things you’ll see me in this semester.
13. What is the biggest fashion advice you have ever received?
In accordance with my answer to the previous question, the best advice I’ve received is to keep an open mind and not to dress for anyone else. This mostly brings to mind a dress I refused to wear when I was in kindergarten until I finally tried it on for the first time and it became a favorite. That dress, a floral corduroy number, was dubbed my “train dress” because I wore it for the first time on a train and I actually think about it pretty often when I resist going outside my comfort zone.
14. Do you follow any fashion rules? (No white after labor day, no jean on jean, ect.)
Nope – (fashion) rules are dumb and meant to be broken.
15. If you had the opportunity to sit front row at one of the New York Fashion Week shows this season, which show would you choose and why?
That is a difficult question. I almost feel like I can’t be trusted in the front row at anything major because I don’t like to take NYFW too seriously. I was very close to playing Pokemon Go during a show this season to get a photo of a pokemon on the runway. But I would still accept an invite to Altuzarra, DNKY, or VFiles. *wink*