Month: March 2017

Over the past few years I’ve enjoyed talking about my distaste for Los Angeles. But as graduation approaches, I’ve started seeing this city in a different light. I appreciate the laid back lifestyle with the equal amounts of inclusivity and exclusivity. LA is a place of acceptance and rebirth. As easy as it would be to continue on in this city, I want to pursue a legitimate career in fashion. So, I’m planning on moving to New York City this summer. The “fashion” in Los Angeles is beach and trend based: Revolve Clothing, Planet Blue, Free People…aka not real fashion.

Over spring break, I visited New York in the midst of Storm Stella. I was using this trip as a test to see if I could tolerate the city during winter (I’ve never lived anywhere cold). I asked the universe for a sign (cheesy AF, I am aware) if I should pull the trigger and move. On my last day in the city, I stepped into Creatures of Comfort in SoHo. I was donning my newly purchased Man Repeller hat and roaming around the store to kill some time before my flight. One of the girls that worked at the store asked me if I worked at Man Repeller. I chuckled and responded, “I wish.” She then said that Leandra Medine, the founder, just walked out of the store. I was like “holy shit” and ran out to track her down (For what exactly? I do not know. It was an knee-jerk reaction). I randomly chose to turn to the left and literally ran down the street until I spotted her navy coat, brown hair and cropped leggings. I stopped her and told her how much she’s inspired me in terms of giving up daily make up use and growing into my weird self. She was extremely kind and we took a selfie which I won’t post because I look like an eager puppy. That encounter made my day/trip/week/month and I couldn’t have even imagined such a clear sign that I should make the move across the country.

My friends and family have had mixed reactions to my decision to move though I haven’t even locked down a job yet. I’ve heard “friends” say stuff behind my back along the lines of “Sonum at a 9 to 5 job? HA” and “I don’t think you could handle New York.” (I’m pretty sure fashion jobs are like 7 am to 10 pm, not 9 to 5…but whatever LOL). But I’ve also had people tell me that they think I should do it in order to avoid regret and “what ifs.” I honestly have no ~fricken~ idea about what I want to accomplish in the fashion industry right outside of college. I do know that I want my own business one day but I’m not about to half-ass anything. I need to learn everything possible about the industry and businesses in general before I try to pull off something like that. My industry knowledge is limited to what I’ve experienced at two NYFWs and from The Devil Wears Prada. I’d honestly be happy working as an assistant to an assistant at a fashion house, magazine or publication as a first job after graduation. It will be difficult and I know I will be ridiculed about everything from my appearance to my abilities and creativity but honestly, what great accomplishment has been easy? To the people that have questioned my decision to enter this field I’ve asked, so what else should I do? They have no answer for me.

People like Leandra Medine and Iris Apfel are the reason I love fashion. In Iris’ documentary she said something along the lines of, “who am I to tell someone what to wear?” And: “There’s no road map to style, it’s all about self expression and, above all, attitude.” This type of mentality is what I see in manrepeller.com. This is the type of fashion I love. I’m so sick of the elitists that don’t experiment with style and look down upon everyone that does (e.g. the type that only wear structured pieces, neutral tones, leather jackets, and only shop at stores like COS and Acne). That’s not the type of environment I could thrive in which sucks because that describes the majority of the high fashion industry. They make a living off of judgment and criticism and are probably among the most unhappy people. I also think that the more famous you are on social media, the less creative you tend to be (LOL at when bloggers ask their followers to help them decide what to buy/wear). The creatives don’t resonate with the masses until someone takes their idea and waters it down for mass appeal. But anyway, I digress.

It’s incredibly important to make the most of your 20s. I recently read The Defining Decade by Meg Jay and it changed my mindset. People keep saying that the 30s are the new 20s when in reality we shouldn’t be acting like we have a ton of time. People pay for the mistakes they made or opportunities they didn’t take in their 20s when they’re in their 30s. We get comfortable in less than ideal situations. One of my friends recently went through a break up which made her realize she was settling for so many things in life. She took a 180 and is now pursuing medical school. These are the types of decisions we are terrified to make. We need to break up with less than ideal significant others (people you couldn’t see yourself marrying) and break ties with jobs that don’t provide any room for growth or valuable experience. We need to try new things even if that means dealing with the possibility of failure. This is something I struggle with—I mean, who likes failure?—but we can’t remain stagnant. I’ve heard that people regret things that they didn’t do, opportunities that they didn’t take, way more than mistakes they made. I only get one opportunity at being 20-something and relatively responsibility-free and I’m going to make the most of it. If New York City kicks my ass and sends me crying back to the more comfortable LA lifestyle—so be it. At least I tried.