How to be a Fashionista

Fashion is a trend,

Style is within a person

–Oscar De La Renta

So I’ve always been into fashion, everything about it attracts me. Well, the price tag sometimes holds me back. As a full-time student and barely making ends meet sometimes, shopping isn’t a priority but it makes me happy. I have always loved fashion, I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was in high school. I think clothing allow for expression, it can be wacky, simple, or exciting. It never disappoints. I’ll follow trends or do my own thing,  it’s always fun to do that.

Here are some helpful tips on how to be a fashionista:

1. Buy what you want— Who cares about what the pictures in magazines say, trends are trends. Buy what appeals to you on the racks.

2. Be comfortable & confident–So what I mean is dress the way you want and flaunt. These days everyone is body shaming, saying girls are too skinny, too fat, too tall, too short. I think people need to shut up. We all come in different shapes and sizes, they are all beautiful. Dress in what makes you happy, what YOU think represents you, what makes you smile. Every thing else is just an opinion. Don’t dress to impress anyone but yourself, that will radiate outwards. Don’t listen to negative comments. I had an ex boyfriend who “stopped” me from dressing up saying he didn’t like it when I did that, when I wore make up because I was going to get attention from other people, when he took that away from me, I was so unhappy. Don’t let someone change you because of their insecurities. When people judge you for what you wear, it’s their insecurities that are speaking.

3. Spend what you want–I can’t tell you how to live your life. Spend as little, a lot. It doesn’t matter. I usually set a budget for myself on how much I want to spend. The last shopping spree was a max of $500 dollars. I went through my closet first, made sure what I needed and what I didn’t. You can buy high street fashion or find the same pieces for much cheaper from a different store. I usually do a mix and match of both. I like saving in certain areas and just take really good care of my clothes.

4. Make it your own–I usually get inspired by a pin on Pinterest, or a photo from Instagram. My fashion icons are a fictional character (Blair Waldorf) and a licensed optician from Vancouver (Sue Randhawa). They are both different and they have their signature pieces and that’s what I like to do too! I may not put ribbons in my hair or wear extremely stylish glasses but I’ll find a cute pair of tights or accessories to make that inspiration my own. Don’t be afraid to try different things. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t match or “work”, if it makes you feel good then you rock those mismatched patterns, those funky coloured socks or the bold lip colour.

5. Smile–the biggest key I think of being a fashionista is smiling. It is the best accessory anyone can wear.

6. Don’t Judge— style is about being who you want to be, so the rules are you can’t judge others for what they wear. You wouldn’t want someone to judge you for what you wear. Fashion is about empowering one another through the expression of clothes.

These are the only ones I could think of right now but I’m sure you can come up with so many more points on how to be a fashionista. Fashion is such a great thing. It’s a work of art that takes on a beautiful interactive form. I think it’s magical seeing a model walk down the cat walk and the lights hit them in the perfect places and the clothes take a life on their own. You ask yourself why the designer chose that colour, those patterns, that fabric. It’s all a mystery to me and I love it.

Just remember the rule: there are no rules about being who you want to be.

Love,

Beingmaarthaa