Greatness

I'm definitely still riding on an ambitious high after meeting with Wake's own Dr. Ian Taplin, sociology professor by day, North American editor of the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management by night. (Baller? Check.) So there exists an entire professional academic work dedicated to the field I love. Call me a "fashion dork" as I was already titled in the fourth grade (precocious, no?), but after spending the majority of my afternoon writing a strategic management plan for a company selling sensors (it actually pains me), I was beyond excited to engross myself in research papers like "The relationships of fashion leadership, fashion magazine content and loyalty tendency" and "Indian consumers' brand equity toward US and local apparel brand".

Yes, I'm serious. Stuff like this is real and I could not be happier. Sure, there's the creative aspect of fashion which is perhaps the first to come to mind, but there also exists this entire psychological/operational side that the majority of those who claim to "love clothing" tends to overlook. That's the difference between fashion esoterics and the non. Or maybe, just the difference between business majors and the non. Basically, I love my life.

This being said, it's rare to find individuals that so truly personify fashion itself. You can dress up and paint a man or woman however you'd like, but if that individual doesn't exude fashion, chances are, he or she never will. The aura of conveying personal style and sophistication is something that simply can't be forced-- the more nonchalant, the better. One of these It Girls is the always-lovely Camilla Belle. I've pretty much had a girl crush on her ever since she played adorable Sydney in Rip Girls, and it is now possible that she's one of the most gorgeous women alive. Belle is the perfect spokesmodel for Vera Wang's Princess, and I love how literally everything she wears plays up her distinct dark features and adds to her sultry mystique. Taking a cue from Zoolander, the question is, does she know how really, really ridiculously good-looking she is? There's one thing I know for sure-- if I were Camilla Belle, I would never get tired of looking in the mirror. Like ever.

 

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.