If somebody had told my 10-year-old self that I’d be writing about fashion for a popular blog in just 12 years, I’d have questioned his or her sanity. I was a lot of things back in elementary school, but I was definitely not into fashion.

In fact, my mission was to look as much like a boy as possible.

Yet fast forward ‘til today and here I am. I think the fact that my bed is invisible under a mountain of clothes is evidence enough that I’m (mildly) obsessed with fashion. I just love what a shape or a texture can do for a person, or how you can use your outfit to say something.  It’s kind of like art.

I love it.

Wanna know how I transitioned from that punky little tomboy to the fashion junkie I am now? Let’s take a (super embarrassing) journey back in time…

Elementary School          

 
Like a lot of baby girls, I spent my formative years in dresses and ruffles. When I got to elementary school, however, that all changed. I remember the distinct point at which I became a tomboy: I saw this boy (who I thought was real cute) wearing an oversized t-shirt. I thought he just looked so cool, and I guess because I liked him I wanted to look like him. Thus began the era of my big T-shirts. I developed a strict anti-pink and anti-dress code, as well as a bitterness for what I deemed “girly-girls.” It was bad. I even went through a whole “I’m gonna burn my barbies!” phase…


(these pictures are never leaving this site, right?!)


Middle School

It wasn’t until halfway through Middle School that I realized all the boys I had crushes on weren’t feelin’ my angsty, drabby boy’s wardrobe. So I got a pair of vans, some light-wash flares, and a bunch of collared shirts (as homage to my tomboy roots). I thought I was looking so good. I even started wearing makeup, which consisted purely of black eyeliner smeared all over my eyes. I also got really experimental with my hair—goofy bangs at one point, a short flippy style another time. Looking back, it’s no wonder I never had a boyfriend until college.


(This look is SO good! Shiny purple fake fur shirt? Super-wide plaid pants? Weird bangs? Get it, girl!)


High School

I still couldn’t figure it out in High School. I developed a taste for the “indie” scene—indie music, indie movies, and most of all, indie fashion. I knew what I wanted to look like (think Anna from the OC, the girl Seth liked before Summer came along) but I wasn’t brave enough to depart from the mainstream just yet. High school was the age of playing it safe and trying to stay under the radar (hence, lots of plain T-shirts). I got my first pair of skinny jeans in senior year, as well as my first pair of flats. I had a skater boy backpack. I was all over the place style-wise. I sort of looked like a knock-off popular girl. Ugh. But I did finally perfect the art of simple makeup, and I managed to have somewhat normal hair throughout my four years.


College (and now!)


I remember being so excited to start college because I knew I could start my style over anew. Seeing so many different types of people and such a wide spectrum of styles really helped put an end to my lazy college uniform of leggings and Uggs. And then I moved into my first apartment, and I could only really afford to shop at used clothes stores and the sale rack at the Urban Outfitters up the street. This actually ended up broadening my sense of style because I had to get creative with the little amount of clothes I had.



I still feel myself evolving in terms of my fashion preferences. I’ve tucked my moto-boots and grungy flannels away in favor of high necklines and bright colors. And now I get ready for my new big girl job, I’m finding myself gravitating to plaid trousers and all sorts of heels.

That’s what’s great about fashion—if you allow it, it can become a great medium through which you can make a statement about yourself.

And if somebody had explained that to my 10-year-old self, I could’ve avoided a whole lifetime of awkward fashion fumbles.

Do you Lovelies have drastic style evolutions too? I wanna hear about them!