A Special Moment

Prepare yourself, I'm going to start being sentimental here. I am 17 years old and I will be graduating high school in less than a month. Senior year has by far been the most fast-paced, exhilarating years of my almost 18 years on this Earth. Transitioning from "that dorky girl that wears skirts and dresses everyday" into "that confident girl that wears what she wants because she's an adult".

I've never explained why I love fashion so much or why I feel the need to capture images of what I wear and show it to thousands of strangers around the world, so here I go: Looking back at all of the things I have worn over time, I see myself evolving. I have become much more confident in my own skin lately and I have the clothes that I wear to thank (as ridiculous as that sounds). By throwing on a leather mini skirt, I gain the confidence to go to random concerts and talk to fascinating new people that I would never think of approaching. I can't explain why, but wearing what you feel comfortable and powerful in can change how you perceive yourself and how you behave. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a judgmental snob that judges others based off of what they wear, I am simply an advocate of the 'feel-good' simplicity of throwing on a pair of heels.

This past year, I have been through a lovely journey of self-appreciation. I was awarded the Best Dressed superlative in a school of 4,300 kids. No matter how small that sounds, that meant so much to me (you should have seen the look on my face as I pranced across the stage wearing a green velvet mermaid costume). I have always held myself back from looking a certain way in fear of people judging me. Oh believe me, I was judged my first years of high school; I used to be such an insecure, quiet person that would never directly look at people in the eyes. After re-evaluating what I hold at highest importance in my life (friendship, family, love, adventure, etc.), I slowly began to stop caring about what others would say about me if I were to wear some hippie-dippy long sleeved dress. As I started going out more often, I learned that people actually appreciate the confidence of possibly looking like a complete fool.

I'm not quite sure if any of that even made any sense, but I hope that somebody out there found some sort of inspiration in my vague journey of discovering self-love through clothes.

So here are some lovely photos from a recent photo shoot I had for school by the oh-so talented Matthew Nguyen.

Top: Topshop

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Flannel: GAP

Jacket: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: Topshop