S'habiller (Getting Dressed)

I will never forget how I felt while packing for my first trip to Paris. I was 15 years old, fresh out of my sophomore year of high school and had spent years begging my parents to let me go on this trip. I was anxious to use the two feeble years of French I had taken – although, in retrospect, I could barely order food, let alone be conversational. But I was ready to walk the streets of the City of Light with a crêpe in hand and my head held high.

This was the beginning of my fashion revolution, AKA just after I had an epiphany and stopped wearing Hollister t-shirts and Uggs like they were school-mandated uniforms. I wanted to be my most stylish, haute couture self for my France getaway. I packed my clothes with extreme caution, careful to heed the advice of my French teacher, Madame Hauser. She told our group of 20-or-so students to abide by only one fashion rule: do not wear shorts in Paris.

I, a major short-shorts enthusiast at the time, did not receive this well. But I heeded the advice, and thankfully sported dresses, skirts and jeans throughout the trip. I fit in well with the Parisian women. Madame Hauser was right; there was not a single pair of shorts spotted on the legs of a Parisian while we were there. Those who wore them (tourists, usually American) became recipients of many disapproving looks from French eyes on the métro.

Fast forward to my first year of college. Like my time in France, I will never forget my first day of class and the outfit I wore, so carefully planned out days in advance. I wanted to look my best as I stood in line to drink from the Old Well, meandered through The Pit, and reviewed syllabi in class all day. And I did pretty well! But in between my long trudges to and from Hinton James residence hall, I became extremely aware that I was not wearing norts (Nike athletic shorts) and an oversized T-shirt, unlike about 85 percent of my female peers. I had completely missed the apparent memo informing first-year students about the American college woman’s unofficial uniform.

For a brief second, I was embarrassed. But then my mind wandered to the college girls I had seen making their way across universités of Paris – some of the most fashionable people I’ve ever seen. They dressed up everywhere they went, in the most effortless-yet-chic styles. With beautiful Doc Martins and spotless Adidas sneakers, they walked the line between plain Jane and owning an artsy/vintage style perfectly. They wore very little make-up and their hair was natural and windswept. Even after just a fleeting glance, I wanted to be them.

Thinking about those women and how confident they were made me fall in love with fashion. There’s nothing wrong with wearing athleisure. If that’s what gives you authenticity and poise, rock it. The most important thing about fashion is wearing clothing that empowers you. Whether you’re dressing for the career you want to have or you’re dressing to express your personality, what you wear should make you confident. Clothes without confidence are just a cluster of fabric, buttons and zippers, anyway.

"Beauty begins at the moment when you decide to be yourself." -Coco Chanel