THE INTELLIGISTA FASHIONISTA: Who says you can't be fashionably cerebral?: The Art of Confidence

I am either addressed as Pat Benatar when sporting my Citizens of Humanity leggings or referred to as Fiona Apple when wearing my trusty electric blue Dior Show mascara. Although these comments may derive from my fashionably clueless, jocular older brother, the comments make me wonder, what do men really think about fashion? Our boyfriend shorts, boyfriend blazers, and peep-toe booties? And furthermore, should we even care? I say no, emphatically. There are those girls that dress for men by sporting barely-there-clothing and then there are the women who dress for other women in order to maintain a competitive edge. However, not to sound like an after school special, but the best kind of dressing is the kind you do for yourself. I have found that some of my best outfits have been the ones that no one has seen yet. It is when you are standing near your full-length mirror, staring into the fashion abyss known as your closet, that you have the liberty to choose whatever clothing you wish. Without anyone’s judgments or preconceived notions about the latest trends, you can pick and choose freely among your high-waisted or skinny jeans, and fanciful cardigans or edgier fitted jackets.

Although how you dress may heavily depend on where you are located geographically, a sentiment I live by each day is you can wear whatever you want as long as you have the confidence to do so. In high school the Florida weather permitted girls in high school to sport denim shorts and skirts year round. Thus, when attempting to wear things outside the realm of Floridian thinking like gasp, ballet flats, I was asked by my fellow peers what the round shiny things were covering my feet (I kid not). A shoe so ingrained in my quotidian life now, was during those years something new and foreign to those around me. I realize now that I did not have the aplomb to sport cutting edge trends during those high school years the way I can now. When leggings and skinny jeans generated their comeback in 2006, I was already placed in a university where dressing freely and well was not only accepted but came to be ubiquitous. I had endured my first year away from home and developed that confidence that enhances within everyone, as they grow older.

After a stint in Buenos Aires, Argentina where every woman dresses like they are from Vogue yet with a blithe attitude towards fashion, I came to mirror these same sentiments; Dress as you please, and well if you wish, but have fun with it. My latest stay in Florida had my equally flippant younger brother greet me as “Dad” when I sported my DaftBird white woven button down shirt (displayed below). However, I welcomed this remark with grace and pleasure as I am now a seasoned shopper who wears her clothing with poise and conviction. After a recent move to New York City, I am now in a neighborhood surrounded by fashionable women who wear large bows in their hair or different colored tights on each leg if their mood suits them. These women are truly dressing for the best kind of audience, themselves. Such a seemingly simple recommendation, but one that engenders fashionable results: wear whatever the hell you want, with confidence.