Top, A. Byer; skirt, Forever 21; shoes, Alba; necklace, Forever 21; “happy” necklace, Forever 21; bracelet, a gift from my grandmother Sylvia; vintage watch; black flower ring, Folk Art Gallery; lips ring, Claire’s; heart ring, street fair on Broadway; headband, Anna Belen; belt, Forever 21; handbag, H&M.
It’s been a month and a half since I graduated from NYU, and I am left with so many wonderful memories. One great experience was doing a photo shoot with a fellow student for his class project. The prompt was to create a “portrait” of a person, that is, to capture her or his everyday life. I had met Jordan in 2012, when we both lived in the same freshman residence hall. In Fall 2013, when we were sophomores, he approached me about the project and asked me to come up with a few outfits and make a list of places I go to on a typical day. The first places that came to mind were the NYU library, Washington Square Park, and Forever 21. We shot at and around the Forever 21 store in Soho.
Ages 19 and 20 were a fun, carefree, and experimental time for me stylewise. I was inspired to look girlier than ever before, hunting down bow and flower headbands specifically and trying both blush and white eyeliner for the first time. The shoes were of the “heel-less wedge” variety, inspired by Noritaka Tatehana. It’s rare for me to wear more than one necklace at a time, but I decided to add my “Happy” necklace to express how happy I was with my new life in New York.
I generally wear two or three main colors in an outfit, and I love to blend from one shade to another in the same color family. I snapped a skinny belt at the waistband to differentiate between the top and the skirt, and because I love bows.
Browsing in Forever 21. I actually didn’t buy anything. There was a pair of black skinny jeans with small words in white cursive scrawled up and down the legs, that I was thinking about getting but didn’t get. Since I can still visualize them perfectly three years later, I probably should have gotten them.
Of course as I have gotten older, I have been wearing work-appropriate outfits more often than not. I don’t think there is a single part of this outfit that I would wear to work! Okay…maybe the bracelet, watch, and handbag…but not at the same time. The professional world is exciting and fulfilling, but one’s life outside the office is important too. So when I’m not at work, I like having the nerve to wear whatever I want.
Photos by Jordan Star