Fashionista: New year, new column, new look

Kara Nesvig, The Daily's Fashionista.

Hello darlings, the fashionista is in and at your service! Following in the footsteps of Mr. Aaron Leth, who brought the runway to reality with his column “Where Life Meets Style” last year, I present to you the newest addition to the Daily Column Family, “The Fashionista is in.” I like to think of it as a girl-about-town Holly Golightly from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” meets Carrie Bradshaw. So, let’s take a minute to forget about whatever lecture you’re sitting in and focus on what’s really important: How we’re going to look in 2009!
So, I’ve got big plans for you. With “The Fashionista is in,” I hope to spark an interest in design, style and beauty in as many of you as I can, and for those of you who take extra care in the morning to look totally gorgeous for class. I’m going to discuss trends, recreate favorite celebrity and/or runway looks for about $100, and I am definitely not going to ignore the dudes, because there’s nothing sexier than a well-dressed guy. I happen to adore menswear.
Watch out for a blonde with a camera, because this column will often feature fashionable ‘U’ students I catch on the street between classes. I’ll be like the Sartorialist, just sans the coveted book deal.
With the advent of this new year, I’m sure there are some of you who considered making some sort of change in your appearance, whether it be losing a few pounds or stepping up your sartorial game. Let’s all make a resolution to quit wearing our Ugg boots in the springtime, OK? I promise I won’t hate on the winter footwear since I own a pair myself, but they are definitely not appropriate when the temperature starts to rise.
Whether you admit it readily or not, the way you look has a huge impact on your life, and even though “planning for the future” is one of the most-hated phrases spouted by a university, in this case, it’s totally valid. That doesn’t mean you’ve got to be turned out top-to-toe every single minute of every single day, because as any fashion insider knows, overkill ruins an outfit. But a little careful consideration never hurt anyone, and even something as small as tucking your jeans into a sleek pair of leather riding boots instead of sloppy sweats into Uggs can change your whole day.
I understand that the business of looking good is a learning experience, and my whole purpose behind this column, besides enriching your life with what’ll hopefully be fun and witty, as well as inspiring, is to help. Plus, I get that we’re all poor college students, and that dirtiest of words — recession — is freaking us all out. So while I love Current/Elliott jeans, I know it isn’t realistic to be pushing $200 pants on the general populace. However, it’s so easy to make a stop at the Mall of America and channel your obsessions, like the color coral pink (that’s mine right now), at H&M or Forever 21 . I might’ve hated Forever 21 in the past because it’s impossible to find anything in that chaos of cheap jersey material, but there are tons of gems underneath those tacky sequined tank tops if you’ve got four hours to sort through them.
We’re lucky, because Minneapolis is an excellent example of an up-and-coming “fashionably conscious” city. We might not be New York or Milan, and there’s some difficulty in dressing when it’s so cold your eyeballs freeze, but if you look around you’re bound to notice that things have been changing. There are cute boutiques popping up on every corner filled with both respected labels and edgier newcomers. A bevy of ridiculously talented designers like Calpurnia Peach (its two designers are still students!) and Laura Fulk are making their names as homegrown talents. Stop into Cliché , my favorite boutique on Lyndale, and get yourself familiar with them!
Since this is the maiden voyage of the S.S. Fashionista, I’ve got to ask a favor. I’m here to serve you, the populace of this bundled-up campus. So please, send me e-mails with any stylistic conundrum you may find yourself confronted with. Thumbing through your closet in search of an ensemble for, say, a night out or a job interview? It’s my job to assist you in concocting the perfect outfit for such an occasion. Shopping is my favorite activity on the planet, and I’ve worked my time in retail. Since Nordstrom is my “happy place,” I’ve got some experience. Get on your computer and send away. I’m waiting not-so-patiently.