When I was thinking of what to write for my article, my immediate thought was to compose something a little more personal than what I usually do. I thought to myself, “Hey, do you know what would be a great idea? You’re a fashion blogger: write an embarrassing memoir about your fashion style through the years! And don’t forget to attach pictures so people won’t think you’re making this up!” I know for a fact that when my long-time friends and I reminisce about the past, we never forget to bring up the dreaded “middle school fashion” phase that everyone remembers so fondly. However, my journey begins a little further back … in elementary school.
This picture just screams “fashion icon.” I think it was one of the first times my mom let me dress myself. Those ruby-red slippers were definitely a homage to Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz.”
This is a little further back than 10 years ago, but I wanted to show this picture because it starts to show where I transitioned from “My mom picks out my outfits” to “I’m a big girl and obviously I know fashion.” The cute factor of not knowing how to pair clothes only lasts so long, and by fourth grade my time ran out.
Gotta love that middle part. I cringe a little every time I see this photo and remember the memories associated with my wardrobe back then.
What most people don’t know about my fashion style is that when I was in elementary school, I never stepped foot in a Limited Too store. I have no recollection of buying something for myself at Justice either, except when I went clothing shopping for my younger sister. At the time, I hated the color pink. I wanted to stand out from the other girls for whatever reason, and what better way to stand out from the pastel colors of Limited Too than to go to Hot Topic? Yes, that Hot Topic.
When I felt lazy, I would occasionally wear the popular outfit choice of gauchos and platform sandals, but other than that, I restricted my wardrobe exclusively to black clothing items and tops purchased at either Hot Topic or Ross (even back then, I liked to shop smart and on a budget). In addition to buying cringe-worthy T-shirts and baggy jeans that had fully functional pockets on the sides, I wore cat ears. No, not the cute type nowadays that celebrities such as Ariana Grande occasionally sport. I’m talking about actual Halloween costume cat ears. I even drew myself with cat ears in pictures most of the time. I definitely aimed for a certain aesthetic, but looking back at my pictures now, I executed the idea quite poorly. I can’t really blame myself, though: I had just turned 10!
What … are … those???
You could say I had my edgy phase quite early. Now, whenever I try to talk to my mom about why she let me go out wearing something like a camo skirt over flare-legged jeans, she tells me it’s because she wanted me to find my own sense of style. (And also because she figured it would be a great conversation topic when I grew up.)
I have no idea why I put my hair in pigtails. I guess I was trying to look cute?
After a few hours of my first day at middle school, it became apparent to me that I missed out on something. Why did everyone have “Hollister” and “Abercrombie” plastered across their shirt? I had no clue, but I ultimately learned the harsh way. Immediately following gym class one day, I remember walking out of the changing room and having two older girls come up to my face and mock me for my choice of clothing. I had on a cute white and pink striped babydoll shirt that my sister let me borrow, and for the rest of the day I felt devastated. I vowed to never be made fun of for my clothing style again.
I got a little better with my fashion choices, but I’m still puzzled over why I liked belting my shirts so much.
That same weekend, I went to Abercrombie for the first time with my dad and spent over $300 on new clothes for the sake of fitting in. I definitely cried after making my dad spend that much money on me, but he told me not to worry and that he was glad I was becoming more interested in fashion. Little did he know that I bought a majority of my clothes for peer approval (then again, who didn’t back in middle school?).
I’m still proud of how put together I look in this photo. Shoutout to my mom for taking this photo of me before my senior homecoming dance.
If anything, I should be grateful for my middle school fashion experience: it got me tired of fitting in all the time. I broke out of my Hollister, Abercrombie and American Eagle bubble and started shopping at stores like Forever 21. Before long, I entered high school and was eager to test out my clothing choices without feeling tied down to a certain look. However, old habits die hard, and I still found myself “just looking” at the stores I used to frequent.
As I eventually grew out of my middle school days, I really blossomed during the time when I was figuring out and experimenting with my personal style. I grew to love pastel colors, flowy dresses and elegant jewelry. Some of my friends even enlisted me in helping me shop for clothes with them, and it felt like such an honor that some of my closest pals trusted me with their appearance. Over time, I learned that brand names didn’t necessarily matter as much, and it was how you accessorized and styled your clothing that really made you stand out.
Fast forward to where I am right now, a junior at the University of Florida, and I think that I finally have a pretty good grasp on the concept of “fashion.” I recently started designing and sewing my own clothes, which is really cool and actually very practical. I’ve even modeled for a few university-sponsored runway shows, and I have two brand ambassador positions under my belt. One of the biggest steps in my fashion career is, of course, being selected as a Gator Glam Blogger and having the chance to write articles such as these. In the meantime, I plan to continue cultivating my own personal style while setting fashion-related resolutions for the future.
Photo credits:
All photos are provided by the author, Elena Kallergis.