From kindergarten to my senior year, school was never a place for me to get fashion inspiration. Everyday, we all wore the same bland polo shirts, sweatshirts and pants, and didn’t think twice about it. In some ways, these uniforms were great; when I woke up in the morning, all I had to do was reach for the unflattering pants, throw on a polo and walk out the door.
But now that I get to choose my outfits everyday, I’m starting to see clothes differently. Even though I was obviously exposed to fashion outside of school, now I get to see the personal styles of my classmates. It’s so much more interesting to look around the classroom and campus and see all the unique styles and trends that I wasn’t used to seeing at my old school.
Since being at college, I’ve become so inspired by how other people dress and continuously find myself asking people, “Where did you buy that?” and jotting down notes for things I want to buy (sorry, bank account!). Even though deciding what to wear takes a few extra minutes in the morning, I love having the freedom to pick out my clothes on a weekday and decide if I want to go casual or dressy, colorful or dark, cozy or more put together. It’s really nice to associate people with their personal style and have the ability to express myself with clothes in a way that I only got to do on the weekends before.
Many things changed in college, but I didn’t really think about the fact that for the first time in my life, I could dress however I wanted everyday during the school year. Next time I’m rummaging my closet, annoyed that I have “nothing” to wear, I’ll remember the days where the only things I was able to wear were uncomfortable khakis and hideously tucked-in polos, and it won’t seem so bad!