Our latest fashbo member profile hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Andrea, annieblythe22, is a talented University student with a passion for fashion design.
Andrea wrote a fabulous profile of fashbo.com on her blog, Obsessed. Andrea is an excellent writer and if you are interested in fashion, art, writing, or design we highly recommend you check out her blog. You can follow Andrea on twitter, @ablythe23
20's Inspired Dresses
1. Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Can you draw fashion inspiration from where you live.
I’m originally from Sacramento, CA – but currently live in Eugene, OR, because I am studying Public Relations and Business at the University of Oregon.
I definitely miss Sacramento because the fashion opportunities and inspiration were a lot more present than here in Eugene. I definitely utilize Facebook to stay in touch with Sacramento and see what trends and style they are interested in so I can gather my own perspective of inspiration to share with the Eugene community. It’s definitely fun to see how styles evolve based on location. My friends’ locations range from Southern California to the East Coast, and I can definitely tell how their city has influenced their trends.
For me, moving to Eugene required creating an entirely new wardrobe. From wearing flip flops every day to FINALLY investing into my first pair of rainbows, throwing on V-necks to layering with Rain Gear and scarves, it was fun to see and experience another perspective of fashion that I had never experienced. I definitely believe that my change in location has influenced my style. Ultimately, I feel like my style is a more polished version of the “Laid Back Southern California” style.
When I grew up in Sacramento, I was heavily influenced by my friends shopping locations. Not necessarily inspired by trends, we shopped more by stores. For example, I would shop only from Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Victorias Secret.
Now, since Eugene’s store selection is stuck in the 2000’s, I tend to shop online more, which definitely encourages me to check out multiple stores instead of a selective few.
I was also style guru for CollegeFashionista (www.collegefashionista.com) last summer, which basically features trends found on different college campuses. This internship required me to take a weekly photo of a fashionable student on campus and write about their outfit. (here is an example http://www.collegefashionista.com/school/view/trend_dressing_for_two_temperatures/)
Basically, the point of that story is now, although not writing for the site anymore, I still spot unique, inspirational outfits worn by students on the University of Oregon Campus and wish I could take a photo to remember! So, although our clothing store selection is insulting, I still find inspirational and individual style all around Eugene.
2. What is fashion to you?
Fashion is finding unique pieces that inspire you and flawlessly incorporating them into an everyday wardrobe that expresses personality and instills confidence. An even higher form of fashion is when a trendy item becomes a timeless piece.
3. How would you describe your personal style?
I would describe my style as urban, laid back, and simple, but every once in a while I love to splurge on something unique and crazy, to add detail to my wardrobe. LIke I said earlier, I believe my style is a more polished version of the typical “Southern California Laid Back” vibe. My go-to outfit is skinny jeans paired with a cardigan and a fun, trendy scarf. Although color is fun, I tend to stick to brown, grey, navy, black and white when shopping for pieces- Don’t worry, I’m desperately trying to steer out of this funk.
4. Describe your vision of a perfect outfit ensemble.
Just one?
Since I’m desperately waiting for Eugene’s weather to warm up (I mean, it IS May when writing this and we’re still barely breaking 60 degrees), I think my perfect outfit ensemble would be for a sunny day.
I’ve been obsessing over delicate white lace dresses/rompers lately, especially when paired with a skinny brown belt at the waste. To accessorize, I would add brown sandals, a gold headband, and simple gold jewelry. I’ve also begun a recent obsession with Tory Burch, so I would probably add a yellow Robinson Classic Mini Bag for blondes, or another turquoise messenger bag clutch for brunettes.
5. Name your favorite and least favorite past or present fashion trend/fad.
Favorite? Cross Body Bag/ Anything bohemian
Least Favorite: Menswear as Dresses. (2011 Met Gala trend) I also strongly dislike the string bow-tie trend, but that falls under menswear in general.
6. We can see from your fashbo’s you are a talented fashion designer. Your designs have proved popular and have received high scores on fashbo.com. What is your process in coming up with a new design? What inspires you?
Inspiration comes very sporadically and unexpectedly for me. I definitely cannot sit myself down, browse through a magazine and create ideas. Sometimes my ideas stem from a movie, a fashion item I see but want to alter to my taste, or my mind aimlessly wandering before falling asleep. When I hear about a trend, for example nude coloring, I create a piece that I would wear that falls in that category.
7. Your fashbo profile tells us you are a student at a University in the Northwest of the United States. Are you studying fashion design at the University?
Sadly the University of Oregon does not offer a fashion design program. Ultimately, I hope to enter the Public Relations division in Fashion. I have been lucky to have friendships with students at Parsons and FIDM, so when I hear about projects they must complete for school, sometimes I create my own version of the project to work on. I’ve always been artistic and creative, so designing the items I upload to fashbo is more of a hobby, but who knows, maybe another venture will begin from my aspirational designs!
8. What is your favorite fashbo you posted? Do you have a favorite fashbo
Gold Metallic and Beige Lace
that someone else posted?
I love all my fashbos, but my favorite fashbo would have to be my Gold Metallic and Beige Lace dress only because it was my first attempt in sketching a fashion design. I was bored one night and decided to draw a dress. With the feedback the fashbo community gave as well, it encouraged me to continue designing clothes.
It’s hard to choose one favorite fashbo because there is such a wide variety on the site! I think my favorite user would be amakin, because she introduced me to the fashbo
Amakin's fashbo - Draping Design
website. After seeing her fashbos, I became inspired to begin uploading my own.
9. Who is your favorite designer or designers?
I absolutely love Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Jason Wu, Free People, Burberry Prorsum, Alice + Olivia, Dior, Sam Edelmann, Michael Kors, Juicy Couture, Emilio Pucci, Paige Denim & Trinity
10. What is your favorite Online location to shop. What is your favorite retail place to shop?
Online: Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Bloomingdales, Victorias Secret, TopShop,
Store Shopping: Aritzia, Free People, Alternative Apparel, Nordstrom, Trellis, American Apparel
11. What would you consider to be your dream job?
Working as an Associate Director of Public Relations or a Public Relations Manager for a Fashion Magazine, Design Company or Fashion Related Firm
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