Sun Devils Wear Prada: A Style Story: Divya Raghani

It's getting closer... THREE more days until one of the biggest fashion events on campus! Be sure to buy your tickets here and bring your girlfriends for a stylish girl's night out on February 6th!! Check out this video about our event- we can't wait to see you here!

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We love our motto. Club SDWP inspires ASU women to reveal their self worth through personal style! We are a club that wants to empower women to utilize their own unique styles to show their self worth! How do you do that? Well, for one- Style Stories!!! There are millions of women all over the world with their own sense of style- and the stories that got them there are awesome to hear.

Meet Divya Raghani, one of the models in our upcoming fashion show. She's a senior studying Architecture and Civil Engineering and she is one inspirational woman! We're so excited for you to read her style story and hear what she has to say about how her personal style came about.

1.How do you describe your current personal style? Who has influenced you the most in your clothing choices?

I would describe my style as creative and comfortable, with a surprise TWIST. I love to pick and choose from my sister’s more preppy/business casual closet and match it with something bold from my own. I guess you could say I’m also quite tom-boyish at times, for a lack of a better term. There’s something to be said about a sleeve that’s rolled up on the left arm and coupled with a copper metallic watch, especially the way it emphasizes a certain strength and working quality about you, yet still highlights the delicate architecture of the wrist bone. I am constantly inspired by the simple ways Victoria Beckham pulls off sophisticated, grunge-chic tom-boy, and grandpa sweaters! Those three are definitely my go-to styles, and I love occasionally overlapping each and every one of them.

2.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 remember going through a style shift when I cut all of my hair off in my senior year of high school. Once my locks of hair were gone, I realized how conspicuously I had been hiding behind my hair all of these years. I felt really vulnerable at first, because it’s not like I could just throw my hair in a ponytail, like everyone else. My hair was so short that all I could do was finger-comb it out of the shower and hope my outfit went with my exposed neck and elf ears (my lack of ear lobes plagued me for years!). It sounds kind of weird now, when I hear myself talking about it, but I remember feeling completely raw and watched, even though I knew everyone else had better things to do! I think that is when I focused more on defining myself in my style, rather than my style defining me. I starting wearing baggier "boyfriend" jeans and adopted a more grunge or casual chic look. As my hair grew longer, I began exploring more sophisticated or formal outfits, but still pairing them with my always present high tops and a heavy watch. I don’t think I ever shook off the grunge/ tomboy style, and I think that is because I love expressing the contradiction of casual strength, of intention and lack of intention, if that makes sense. I’m small in physical size, but in my head, I’m a Bengal tiger!

3.What is your favorite personal feature and how do you ‘play it up’ in expressing your personal style?

My favorite personal feature is my sense of humor. I love playing it up by adding detail, humor, or envisioning a characteristic I like to play up, like how to I’d make today's outfit of black leggings, blue, trouser material short shorts and white t-shirt feel like a mail delivery person’s uniform! Maybe I’ll add a heavy gold necklace, instead of a badge, some chunky bracelets instead of a signature pad, and I'll tie my hair in a top knot that is mock-professional. Add on my ever present watch and high tops, and voila! Every outfit has a comical story and it makes for great conversation and an enjoyable day. It's a bit of me and my way to tell the world how I am feeling, another way to tell my story through the choices I make with my outfit.

4. Talk about your experiences shopping in boutiques, Malls or on-line clothing ordering.

Shopping can be a pain at times because items look so different in photos and on the hanger, than they do on my small frame of a body. I guess it works out since I love grungy shirts or baggy sweaters, but I’ll always experience that moment when I’m just drowning in a gorgeous sweater, thinking WHYYYYY. This is why I both love and hate shopping. I try to make the experience as efficient as possible, kind of like ripping off a band-aid. I prefer choosing colors and styles that are more deep toned or neutral and being adventurous with styles I might never actually wear, even if they look "meh" on the hanger. I find that things that look "meh" end up fitting my body type amazingly, especially with the right color or tone that brings out a certain quality in my skin or eyes. It's about falling in love immediately. If I love it at first glance, then I know I'll love it forever, because it shows me how I actually feel about myself, and the qualities I love about myself. If I'm debating with myself about it, then I throw it back on the rack, because I know I'll be debating with myself every time I pull it out of my closet. You really only love an item if you think it shows the qualities you love about yourself and qualities you want to proudly show the world.

5. What are one or two items that are hardest for you to shop for, and why do you think that?

Hmm this is a tough one. I would have to say leggings and shoes. And you're probably thinking, leggings?! Those are super stretchy, one-size fits all! How is that hard? Lemme tell ya, it's hard. See, first the material has got to make you feel like a million bucks. I like the texture to be stretchy, but substantial and not super thin, so I can actually wear them as pants, and when the print is bold, even better! They should feel like pants, and not pantyhose, if you get my drift? The second reason leggings are so difficult is because I have this thing about my small ankles. I’m all about that casual strength, but one look at my ankles, and I think of teetering on two tiny twigs. I try to opt for leggings that get a little loose around the lower calf, so it emphasizes the muscle tone there, but doesn’t follow through to the ankle. Pairing this with an ankle length shoe, and BOOM, my ankles are the least of my worries.

Shoes are the love of my life, especially high-tops or well fitted, supportive flats. But choosing high tops that feel light-weight, fit well, and a pair that can go with multiple outfits is the key. If they feel good and I can walk 10 hours a day going to class or out for the evening, and I can rock them with leggings or a dress (yep, I'm that kind of girl), then they are the perfect pair and a wardrobe staple.

6. What do you LOVE to shop for? Name a few of your favorite items?

SHOES. Did I mention I love shoes? I love shopping for shoes, just because the health of your feet is so important in your overall well-being, which then is so important in how you feel about yourself. See, finding a comfortable and supportive pair of shoes, that are also stylish and multi-use are the ultimate shopping challenge and provide the most satisfaction after a day at the mall. I think shoes actually tell the most about a person, the cut, the style, and how someone might tuck their pants in a high top or flats versus leaving the pant hem to hang over the tongue with the laces peeking out. I always do a single knot with the lace, tucking the rest of the lace in, and leave the tongue and collar of the shoe exposed. I'm an open book and I like my shoes to speak for themselves.

I am also obsessed with watches, particularly the thicker, metallic textures that you can pair with a variety of bangles and bracelets! With a double major, I am always on a timed schedule, but who says you can’t be both timely and chic?

7. What do you DISLIKE the most to shop for? Name a few of your least liked items?

I really dislike shopping for jeans. I think jeans are great, occasionally, but to me they feel like a trap. They can be restrictive at times, or at least very particular in their expression. I think it is hard to find a pair of jeans that completely embody all of your amazing qualities, especially since the stiff material restricts movement and self-expression. I use my body a lot to tell stories and I like to be comfortable when I interact with people. I don't want my body to feel restricted or like it should have to act a certain way. So, when I shop for jeans, it is a real challenge because I can rarely find a pattern that makes me feel amazing, and I can't settle for anything less than that, now can I?

8. 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?

I think my ankles are the most difficult to dress for. WHO EVER SAYS THAT, RIGHT? But it is totally an issue at times! When the seasons warm up and there is a need for lighter clothing, my tiny ankles always throw off the look! Sometimes it’s easier to wear an ankle covering shoe, and call it a day.

Though, when I shop for clothing, I feel like I’m on a mission. I love trying bold things and I really do believe I am a straight-forward, open-book kind of person, but when I look for things on the rack, or on the streets of Mumbai, India (where I actually get most of my clothes from during my yearly visits to my grandmothers), I pick up some of the wildest things and think, what if this doesn’t look good on me? Is this choice completely ridiculous? And that moment is usually a personal moment for me, where I evaluate whether I should even try on the outfit. I know it sounds trivial, like just go and try on the outfit! But, I still prefer to rush through the process, hating that moment when I look at myself in the overly bright change room, from every possible angle at the EXACT same time (which is impossible for any person to actually do to you, in real life. That is my rationale, anyway). This is why I love shopping on the streets of Mumbai. There are rarely any change rooms, so it’s a go with your gut gamble, which is both exhilarating and calming at the same time. No need to check myself out from 360 degrees, thank you very much.