"You can’t do personal style without getting personal!" - Sun Devil Stylist
We are so very excited to begin our Sun Devils Wear Prada 'Style Stories!'
We want to earn your trust before we dish out fashion and style advice to you! We want to tell you our personal 'style stories' of why we love style and fashion and what we have learned about ourselves along the way!
Meet Soyoung!!
She is a senior here at ASU and she studies Microbiology with a minor in Sustainability.
Soyoung's dominant color characteristic (DCC)places her beautifully in the DEEP category. This is why she looks amazing in black. Her body type in the BODX System has her as an 'X', which means she is very balanced from shoulders to hips. Her style personality is a Creative Original with a touch of Classic Modern.(Audrey Hepburn influence) Yes, Soyoung is a 'Glamor Girl' (petite), so for proportions she uses medium to small sized accessories and prints and patterns in her clothing. Isn't she amazingly beautiful, smart and fabulous?!!
While styling Soyoung at Francesca's, I learned that yes, petites do have problems being tiny! Where most women would say it is so easy to shop for clothing when you are a small size...this is not always the case. For Soyoung, the day we were working on this photo shoot, we actually had quite a time finding items in the right proportions for her petite frame! So the styling lessoned learned was, we ALL have to work at finding the pieces that fit us best!! No woman is immune to the hard work of style!!
How do you describe your current personal style? Who has influenced you the most in your clothing choices?
Currently- minimalist. I love pairing a simple shirt with some high waisted shorts and putting on some simple earrings and along necklace. I think that keeping it simple really lets your natural beauty shine through. In high school and the start of college, I was more experimental with my style and loved going to thrift stores, mixing and matching whatever I had. I think my style has become more refined as I’ve gotten older, and I prefer simple and clean outfits that help make me look age-appropriate, but at heart I’m an eclectic.
Hands down, Audrey Hepburn has been and always will be a huge influence for style and overall attitude. She was such a classic beauty-she never showed too much skin, and she was always demure and influential through her character. I aim to meet those qualities. "Be beautiful without revealing too much, and let your value shine through your presentation and character."
When did your ‘style story’ begin? What was your age and circumstances when you began to shop for yourself and choose ‘styles for yourself? How did you personally feel about who you were at that stage of life?
I think it really started in high school- I had to wear uniforms up until then. I definitely treated every day in high school like I was on the runway. I’d like to think I got voted best dressed for a reason! I followed a lot of fashion blogs and magazines in high school. I even had my own fashion blog! I have to say that the magazines did me in, though. I remember being overcritical of my physical features- I was way too short, I hated my flat profile, my nose wasn't prominent enough, my eyebrows were too wispy, the list goes on and on and on. I kept comparing myself to the models and actresses on the cover of the magazines. I tried my best to stay confident in myself- but it was just hard. It didn't help either when I voiced my opinion about my imperfections and I was instantly told to stop complaining because I was ‘skinny’ and ‘tiny’. I had my own obstacles to overcome,too!
I felt like an adult- buying my own clothes and developing my own sense of style. Overall I felt pretty good about myself through fashion, the outward presentation of the clothes I wore. However I was really, really bad at accepting compliments. I felt like I dressed for myself, and whenever someone took note of it I wanted to run and hide, especially if someone complimented my physical features! It was a really interesting conundrum. Looking back, it was because I had no confidence in my own personal beauty. I didn't recognize that I had it.
What is your favorite personal feature and how do you ‘play it up’ in expressing your personal style?
I like playing up my small waist- I have slightly bigger hips than most girls my height, so I love wearing things with defined waists. I also really like my cheekbones. I used to be really self-conscious about my face because I thought I looked like a boy (strangers on the street thought I was a boy when I was a baby). But I started receiving compliments and I realized that my prominent cheekbones are part of what make me unique- I have a beauty that’s my own, and I love it. So I've been learning to apply bronzer to make my face even more defined and glowy! I also love my short hair. I find that a lot of girls my age are too attached to their hair, literally! I shave bits and pieces here and there, and I love to use pomade to give it some texture. It’s so freeing to just chop it all off and go for a brand new look.
Talk about your experiences shopping in boutiques, Malls or on-line clothing ordering.
I never really shop in boutiques. It’s just too expensive for me, and I also have an eye for knockoffs. Some boutiques have items I can find at Target or somewhere cheaper. I’d only go to boutiques for a very unique item. Whenever I shop in malls I have a list of things I need to get. I NEVER go to the mall without a game plan!!! I set up a budget, and make a list of things I’d like in my wardrobe. If I think I'm going to wear it often, I can spend a little more money on it and make sure it’s good quality. If it’s something I’d wear once or twice, I don’t spend as much on it. I find that online shopping is such a gamble for me- I check the size chart constantly to make sure it’ll fit properly, Also I make SURE that they have free returns- It’s not worth the purchase if you can’t return it. I’ve come up with these tips from years of past failures.
What are one or two items that are hardest for you to shop for, and why do you think that?
Jeans- It’s almost impossible to find jeans that fit my hips, thighs, and height!! The inseam is just impossible for me. I am so grateful that I know how to sew, or my jeans would be dragging on the floor. Maxi dresses and skirts are also impossible. The material that they’re usually made out of is too thin for me to hem myself, so I only have two maxi skirts that I have to wear around my waist!
What do you LOVE to shop for? Name a few of your favorite items?
I love to shop for long necklaces and simple earrings- They’re usually really cheap, and I like to mismatch my earrings, so the more the better. Also, I don’t have to worry about the fit on me! I also really love shoe shopping. I honestly think I have a shoe shopping problem! I love it because you can be having a bad hair day, or feel down in the dumps, but shoes are always guaranteed to look good.
What do you DISLIKE the most to shop for? Name a few of your least liked items?
Bathing suits, obvi. Everyone always compliments me on my petite body, but I always disliked looking at myself in the mirror when I was trying on bathing suits. I don’t know why, but I felt ashamed when the XS or S bathing suit bottoms were a little too tight on my thighs, or I didn't fit into the bathing suit tops. It seemed like trying on bathing suits just let loose all of the insecurities I had with my body at once.
When you shop for clothing, how do you feel about your body? What do you think is the most challenging part of your body to dress and why?
Whenever I shop I make a conscious effort to stick with things that I know look good on me. If I can’t envision it, I try it on! I firmly believe that if you don’t try it on you’ll never really know! It can be fun sometimes. However, when things don’t fit me I don’t feel too good about myself. I feel like I don’t have the body of the normal woman when small shorts are too tight on me, or when my butt doesn't fit into shorts that fit my waist. It makes me jealous of girls that can fit into certain things easily. I think it’s hard to find clothing that fits my height.
When you have to buy jeans at retail price and then hem it on your own money and time, it feels like I’m being ripped off or something. A lot of the stores that I shop at don’t have petite sizes so it’s kind of a challenge. The most challenging part of my body to dress is my waist to hip ratio combined with my height. I am slightly pear-shaped, but not a lot of people can tell because I’m so petite. Whenever I get high-waisted jeans I have to make sure the hem is perfect or I risk looking even shorter. Hems are essential when you’re petite.
Sun Devils Wear Prada would like to THANK Francesca's for clothing and The Beauty Spot for hair and make up. Both stores are located in Dana Park in Mesa, AZ and THANK YOU! www.MattLePhotography for producing these amazing photos of Soyoung!!
We would Love to hear from you!! Post your comments!!
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