My First Confession

I became interested in fashion when I started college. I grew up in the rural south but went to college in a northeastern city. Needless to say, there were all kinds of changes. Academically, I went from a poor southern high school to a northern university. Politically I went from a primarily conservative state to a primarily liberal one. Socially I went from being around people I had known most of my life to being around an entirely new group of people who didn't know me from Eve. I expected most of those changes when I moved, but one thing I did not anticipate was the sartorial difference between my hometown in Kentucky and my college in Connecticut.

The most obvious difference is that I never needed a truly winter weight coat until I moved to New Haven. I do not mean to suggest that it never gets cold during a Kentucky winter, but it certainly never gets cold the way it does in the northeast. On top of that, college students do far more walking than your average individual, cold or not. When the weather turns cold in Kentucky most folks don't linger outdoors any longer than it takes to get from the car to the door. Unfortunately, I did not have that luxury in college so I had to adapt my wardrobe to the demands of the weather. I started by purchasing winter coats of various materials and weights. It was a practical investment.

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After I discovered winter coats I found myself truly paying attention to what people wore for the first time. In my high school most of the kids wore t-shirts and jeans and for the most part I favored that low key style too. College was a whole different ballgame. Suddenly I was around people who used their clothes to make statements and I wanted my style to say something other than "small town" or "fresh off the proverbial farm."

Although I made an effort to find my personal style in college I'm not sure that I was entirely successful. I was heavier at the time and I still hadn't learned how to choose well-made pieces that flatter my curves. That's not to say that I always got it wrong. It's just that I didn't always get it right.

After I graduated from college in 2009 I decided to take some time off to work before starting law school. It has been nice to have a break from the constant stress of studying, essay writing, and exams, but it was also a great opportunity for me to make some changes in my personal style.

I start law school in August and I don't want to commit the same style sins as a 1L that I did as a college freshman. I would like to dedicate this blog to the new me. It is 2011 and I intend to feel sassy, look cute, and be fabulous. It is going to be a great journey and I hope that you will come along for the ride.

My Fashion Confession by Ashley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.