“Why are you always so dressed up?” is a question Olivia Muenter says people constantly ask her.
If she hasn’t already planned an outfit of the day before she goes to sleep, she might spend up to an hour in the morning getting ready.
“I try to always dress well for class because the better I dress, the better I feel,” she said.
Playing up wardrobe pieces has always been a favorite pastime of hers, but for this stylish student, fashion is more than a passion – it’s her future career.
The 20-year-old Tampa native said she has always been innately interested in fashion, but what started as a fun form of expression evolved into a desire to work in the industry.
Working in retail a couple of years ago inspired Muenter to start reading fashion blogs. Later, as she continued to peruse through the archives of “The Blonde Salad,” “Cupcakes and Cashmere,” “Tuula,” and others, she realized her leisurely hobby had grown into an obsession.
“It got to the point where I was reading too many, and I had to cut back,” she said.
But even as she limited her time spent on others’ websites, she was only getting started on her own.
“I read so many other blogs, and I thought, ‘I could do this. It could be fun,’” she said.
Since then, in May 2012, near the end of her freshman year of college, she took the name of her Tumblr account and created “Wanderlust And Such” on Blogger.com.
She said she showcases her “classic, yet trendy” style one to four times a month, and she tries to incorporate a little humor and tidbits about her life on it.
Recently, her posts have reflected her travels.
In the past couple of months, Muenter has made two visits to New York City to participate in New York Fashion Week and Teen Vogue’s Fashion University.
In between assisting designers and models behind the catwalk, snagging a new pair of Jeffrey Campbell Everly booties, and absorbing Alexa Chung’s infinite wisdom, she managed to stay up to date with her social media forums and blog.
Her last post from the Concrete Jungle, which featured her favorite leather skirt, was the first time she said she “felt like a legitimate fashion blogger.”
Her wanderlust-and-such.blogspot.com page has matured over the years, but that’s not her only creative outlet. During her sophomore year, she spent the year abroad in Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands, writing for College Fashionista, a website that highlights trends seen on college campuses around the country and, in Muenter’s case, the world.
Writing and photographing street-style posts of the chic style of Holland’s diverse inhabitants motivated her to continue this type of work. Studying abroad was the deciding factor in her career path, she said.
She continued writing for College Fashionista, then she began editing for it, and now she is the Head Style Guru for the University of Florida’s branch.
But she said she didn’t start at the top. Before studying abroad, Muenter admitted she wasn’t originally chosen for the College Fashionista internship. However, she didn’t let that discourage her. She reapplied and has since been writing for the publication for four semesters. She was even chosen by the website’s founders to participate in collaborative campaigns with Shopbop, American Eagle, Refinery29, and more.
Muenter said she is still learning and wasn’t always sure about what she wanted to do, but her college experiences have taught her that fashion is her forte.
At first, the high-energy, hectic atmosphere of Fashion Week intimidated her, but now she is confident and eager for more. And after attending Fashion University, she said she is especially excited for a future in fashion.
“I ended up feeling like this is my thing,” she said. “This is what I’m good at.”