Dressing for Your Authentic Self

Here’s the thing: I like fashion. I think fashion, as both an industry and an individual means of expression, offers great things. While I wouldn’t necessarily kill someone for a couture dress, I enjoy looking at aesthetically pleasing things. I think clothing is an essential part of life.

For me, there are varying levels of fashion consciousness. I tend to look at it on a sliding scale. Some people prefer minimal effort and veer to the side of what’s comfortable, while others take immense pride in putting together an outfit and perfecting every last intricate detail. Both are okay, and I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. I’m not a fashion expert, but I’ve learned to embrace that the best outfits come together on a whim, in a moment of inspiration.

The allure of being seen as fashionable can be intimidating, compelling you (read: me) to spend an inordinate amount of cash on one sweater. I’m here to tell you that the way you choose to dress yourself is up to your own design. It’s okay to wear jeans and a hoodie or decide to take the business-casual pencil skirt and blazer route. There are no rules and that’s what’s so freeing about fashion. The industry as a whole is another story, but every day street clothes offer many interesting opportunities to showcase who you are.

I compiled a list of online shops and fashion related websites that make my heart happy. Whether it be  ‘dreaming impossible dreams’ by scrolling through a site or making more realistic purchases (bunny onesies anyone?), these are my go-to procrastination sites.

1. Refinery29: There’s fashion! Beauty! Health! Entertainment! It’s basically a Her Campus column writer’s dream hodgepodge of topics.
2. Ban.do: They have the most adorable accessories and their agenda section pleases my inner organization-crazy self.
3. Lazy Oafs: Their stuff is akin to a spontaneous road trip to the most magical of places. 
4. ModCloth: These girls know how to advertise to every demographic of women shoppers. Their clothes make you feel like a retro, diner lounging, milkshake sipping, daydream doodling girl who has her life in order. Their sale items are fan-freaking-tastic.
5. Man Repeller: It’s a new addition to the list. I’ve pursued it before but never took the time to head back over. It has everything you could want and more. While the site covers varying topics, their fashion section caters to every quirky, insightful inquiry and level of fashion trendiness we all hope to achieve.

I’m going to be honest with you: having a bi-weekly fashion column is a bit daunting. I have ideas to cultivate, opinions to express and fun projects in the works. Overall, I hope to provide you with a little dose of fashion-related humor and honesty when it comes to why we choose to wear what we wear. Sometimes I dress as fancy as it gets, but I’m also a big proponent of sweatpants and I think that’s totally fine to admit. They’re like warm hugs and cozy snuggles, and who doesn’t love that?

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