Maybe you’ve seen her around campus with her signature long blonde hair and cowboy boots, or maybe you’ve even been lucky enough to be photographed by her for College Fashionista, but no matter what this Style Guru always has as smile! Read on to get to know this Texas native.
1. What is your position and what does it entail?
I am a Style Guru for Barnard/Columbia and was assigned by College Fashionista to write Monday’s column, “Style Advice of the Week,” for our campus. In these posts, I feature one Fashionista that I have come across during the week. When I find one, I take a picture of their entire outfit, sometimes with detail shots, then dig for some information on their style influences and favorite shops. After I have all of this, I write a brief post on what other Fashionistas should garner from their outfit, what trends they exhibit etc. To spread the word about the posts, I share the College Fashionista link on my social media handles. Be sure to check out my tumblr blog because not all of the eye-catching outfits I see make it to the official College Fashionista site!
2. What’s your favorite part about the job? Least?
My favorite part about the job is how it has taught me to be more aware of the everyday fashion surrounding me, and it also gives me a reason to document all of the trends on campus. Another favorite part of the job is how it forces me to take a break from the formal college writing style, and allows me to be analytical, but in a casual, lighthearted way. As for my least favorite part, in the beginning of the internship, it was difficult staying on top of all of the social media and learning how to use it to my advantage, but at this point I feel that I have got the hang of it and it no longer seems like a chore.
3. What else are you involved in here at Barnard?
The only extracurricular activity that I participate in at Barnard is ballet class. Although I don’t want to major or minor in dance, I enjoy taking class because I have been taking ballet since third grade, and it seems unnatural to go without it. I transferred to Barnard last year, and one of the reasons I did so was to take advantage of the internship possibilities that New York offers. This is another reason why College Fashionista has been so great, because it is internship experience, yet within my own community. This semester I am also interning at Christie’s in the European Furniture Department, so I haven’t really had the time to join campus clubs and whatnot.
4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
There are many things that I want to do in the next five years but I am not exactly sure what order they will come in. I’d like to travel abroad to Africa, Australia and India and hypothetically work with children or animals. On the flip side, I eventually want to put my art history education to work in a museum either here in New York or possibly LA. I have really enjoyed interning at Christie’s the last month and would be interested in a position as a specialist in one of their many departments. Some of the areas that interest me are Fashion and Textiles, Baroque art, and Rococo art.
5. What’s your power outfit?
Honestly it depends on my mood, though things I find myself returning to regardless are stripes, sequins and anything pink or gray. In general I am interested in extreme lengths, either short or long, and the intersection of formal and casual, such as a billowy pleated maxi skirt with a favorite pullover, or timeless cotton pajama pants with sparkly smoking loafers. Also, I believe that rhinestone studded 1950’s jewelry will enliven any outfit.
6. What do you miss most from home?
Above all I miss my family and my French Bulldogs. It is easy to contact my 16-year-old brother, but my sister is only 10 so even though we miss each other like crazy, it’s hard to get her on the phone, much less to hold her attention for longer than five minutes! As for my pets, I have always lived with animals, so not having one in my dorm room is always unsettling. When I am away from Dallas, I also miss Tex-Mex food, there is hardly anything comparable here in the city that claims to have it all!
7. If you could change one thing about New York City, what would it be?
Even though I clearly understand the allure of New York City, I wish there were fewer tourists – there never seems to be a quiet season without them! Also, I’d change the proximity of the city to Dallas. It would be great if I could take a quick two-hour train to visit home for the weekend like so many northeastern natives here can do.