Check out Real College Girls Do Real Style Part I with Lauren from Columbia University.
Sonya, a rising senior at Tulane University, is the perfect example of a girl with incredible, fearless personal style. I recently interviewed Sonya since I love everything about her style. Not because it is necessarily what’s “in” or what the celebrities are wearing, but because she has a certain swagger that some cookie-cutter “fashionistas” don’t always possess. Sonya is creative, she knows what she likes, and she owns her look – at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Kk: How would you describe your personal style?
Sz: Honestly, I don’t know. My boyfriend likes to describe it as “clashy”, which is a blend of classy and trashy. In the past year or so I’ve definitely gravitated more towards a slightly trashy and dirtier look, almost punk. You always need a really strong shoe to tie down the whole outfit. I really like big tops, which are usually shirts I’ve stolen from my dad and boyfriend, combined with little shorts…I like jewelry that makes it apparent that if I got in a fight, my artillery would pull me through for the win – brass knuckle types and huge heavy silvers, like this awesome silver skull ring that opens up to display a watch instead. As far as jackets go I like bomber silhouettes, and in the winter a faux fur collar. For pants I like leggings that have leather or mesh infused into them, and I love knee-high socks with tiny shorts. I can’t do dresses because I always sit cross-legged on the floor, but I do wear my oversized t-shirt tanks as dresses with bike shorts underneath.
Kk: What inspires your style choices?
Sz: There are a few key elements that I’m really drawn to – unconventional and sharply geometric silhouettes, extremely tall heavy shoes, leopard print, and cut-outs or weird hemlines. Those are the things that I pursue when I make my own clothes, and then I just throw all the things I make into everyday outfits.
Kk: Are you always on top of the recent trends?
Sz: I don’t really follow trends at all. I think I’m sort of mentally stuck in a time warp. In fact, in the past six months or so I’ve really only bought new shoes, because I can’t make those myself. The rest are random articles of clothing that I just cut and paste. Most of my favorite tank tops are t-shirts that I steal from my dad. There’s this one that has an epic-looking bald eagle on it and it says FOREVER FREE. It’s very amusingly patriotic. I just take the shirts and cut out big armpit holes, wear a corset bra underneath (or a tank top if I’m going to class), and tuck one side of the shirt into a shorts pocket to give it that unconventional silhouette that I talked about before.
Kk: Do you have any style icons or a favorite designer that you look to for inspiration?
Sz: No style icons, because I really dislike the act of following celebrity lives – or anybody else’s life but your own, for that matter. You have your own life to focus on! But I have to say that haute couture wise, Alexander Wang kills it on a regular basis. There’s a British brand, All Saints, that also really knows what they’re doing. As for shoes, Jeffrey Campbell is the only way to consistently buy killer shoes at a mostly affordable price. And my jewelry is all over the place, but I can’t live without rings. …None of my favorite jewelry designer names are coming to my head except for Surface to Air and Han Cholo (please do yourself a favor and check out the awesome website, hancholo.com). The earrings I wear everyday are silver YKK zippers that I got for $5 from a local artists showcase.
Kk: What’s in your wardrobe (clothes, shoes, accessories) that you couldn’t live without?
Sz: This headband I made last week is definitely a new staple. I just ordered two different sizes of pointed studs from ebay and got a wide black headband from Target and made this studded headband. It’s like a badass version of the Statue of Liberty’s headpiece. Three years ago I made these denim shorts that I absolutely couldn’t live without – they’re high waisted, and I cut them into a jogging short shape so that they’re shorter on the sides than in the front and back, and they’re super fringed up now…There’s a few oversized tanktops that I’ve made that I love and a black zip-up hoodie where I cut out a skull face in the back, so that whatever shirt you are wearing underneath is exposed through the skull cutouts. Also, my family loves shooting guns so I have a long bullet necklace that I wear with everything. As for shoes that I couldn’t live without…honestly the list goes on and on for shoes. I have a real shoe problem.
Kk: What are your favorite/most-frequented stores?
Sz: I truly hate shopping in person – there’s always a better selection and a better deal online. If you know your body well enough you’ll know what looks good and what doesn’t, and customer reviews always tell you if you should size up or down for shoes. Some websites that I usually visit are solestruck.com, shopnastygal.com, shopsmv.com, bonadrag.com (always have great jewelry inspiration), needsupply.com, oaknyc.com (way too expensive, I mostly visit for inspiration), allsaints.com, topshop.com, asos.com, yesstyle.com (huge selection, it’s like Forever21 on steroids), and always eBay. And before you buy ANYTHING online check for a coupon code at retailmenot.com.
Kk: Any recommendations for college girls trying to enhance their personal style on a college budget?
Sz: Just make it yourself and drop the big bucks on shoes. I actually did a class presentation once with photos of designer clothing and how I made it myself instead. A few years ago I got these red jeans for $10 from a thrift store, and I never ever wore them because they were so boring. Then one day in that summer I sat in front of Spongebob Squarepants all day with a seam ripper and just tore like 10 slits in each leg, and thrashed and fringed them out like crazy. People always ask me who made my pants when I wear those, and they’re always surprised to find out how easy it is to just do stuff yourself. I’ve sold clothing that I made on Etsy before for like a 500% profit. You just have to shut yourself in your room with a seam ripper, scissors, fabric glue, astronaut glue, different materials (lace, studs, and faux fur are my favorites), fabric pen, and of course needle and thread, and transform all your clothes that you never wear into closet staples. Obviously don’t forget to turn on the right jams or else you’ll get discouraged really soon.
There you have it…Look to Sonya for inspiration and use this summer to develop your own personal style. Collecting some unique additions for your wardrobe (or re-creating items you already own) that you are comfortable wearing and that also speak to your personality is key to enhancing your look. Being fashionable is one thing, but carrying your outfits with confidence is what turns heads, so trust your instincts and wear what you like!
Happy Summer : )