The world of fashion is an integral part of how people express themselves and who they are to the world. It is a form of self-identity one can use to reflect how they are feeling, who they are to themselves, or what they want to represent to others. It can often be associated with one’s “aesthetic” which is defined as relating to the enjoyment or study of beauty or showing great beauty. I view fashion from the perspective of expressional freedom. I believe that fashion is boundless and however one decides to use it, is not always necessarily meant to be understood by others. I grew to learn more about this concept as I began to flourish my own fashion sense to reflect things I love most in this life. When I think of fashion, I relate it to art, considering the process of putting together outfits as a form of craftsmanship. Thrifting has been a vital tool I use to explore my fashion sense. It has allowed me to appreciate sustainable fashion by finding joy in upcycling pieces that have been passed down from person to person. I would describe my fashion sense as boho chic with a mixture of 90s inspiration. When I shop, I look for pieces that are vintage antique or antiques in which I can incorporate into a more tasteful vibrant vibe. My love for fashion has been a result of the person I am constantly evolving into. I took the time to reflect on how my fashion sense has changed over the course of my life, and found that it was often reflective of my environment/ the people around me. This was of course before I had a solidified understanding of how I can truly use my fashion sense to express who I am. When I understood this, it made me think about trends and how it can be so easy to follow a trend in an attempt to conform to society’s perspectives while negating our own. The evolution of fashion is perhaps the greatest example of how people follow trends for validations rather than tapping into their own niche or style. 

Differentiating style versus following trends is undoubtedly a large topic to grasp while you are a teenager simply trying to “fit in.” Moreover it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing to follow trends or want to be inspired by those around you when it comes to fashion. However throughout my own journey of finding my style, I grew to learn that in the past, my fashion reflected what I thought was considered cute or stylist to others and not myself. Fashion loses its authenticity when it becomes something that should be sought to be understood. The beauty in fashion is the fact that it’s so complex, and can be used to represent so many different parts of who we are. An attempt to fit fashion into one box is simply doing it a disservice. So finding my own style, and understanding what fashion means to me translated into understanding more about myself and my self-expression. When it comes to picking outfits for myself, I think of what are the best parts of myself that I love that I hope to show the world. I love exploring how I can put completely opposite pieces together, I enjoy rocking statement pieces that will tell a story behind my fit. Fashion became less of a task that I was worried about achieving according to society’s standards, but instead a craft I am grateful to explore each and every day.