When it comes to a college campus, the first things that probably pop into your head are Greek life, football games, tailgating and the ever-dreaded finals and term papers. However, another great aspect of a young person’s life on the co-ed frontier is fashion. That’s right, fashion.

Despite our lack of personal funds and still having to depend on mommy and daddy to furnish our dormitories and study life, many of us will find the time to drool over the latest fashions through the means of print and online media; it is from this constant gawking at style eye-candy where many young fashionistas and fashionistos receive inspiration to snazz up their own everyday wardrobe. If you’re like me, you’ll appreciate walking into a lecture and noticing the extra effort your classmates put into their look in the morning, whether it was five minutes on their hair or making sure that their shoes or accessories were appropriately matched with the day’s ensemble.  

Amy Levin, the head editor and founder of College Fashionista, was no stranger to this feeling during her time at Indiana University. It was during her senior year that she realized that many groundbreaking fashions were parading around the campus runway just waiting for someone to spot out and spotlight the latest up-and-coming trend. It was through this epiphany that the concept of College Fashionista was born: an online platform for other closet conscious students to see what their peers were sporting through the hallways or seek advice to pull off a different vogue than the norm.

Loyal readers of the site get their daily dose of fashion tips and advice Monday through Friday from various campus representatives known on College Fashionista as Style Gurus. These Style Gurus have been chosen personally by Levin based on their knowledge of fashion and what insights they may provide from their very own college campus. With representatives from over 50 different colleges and universities throughout the country and abroad, readers’ exposure to an assortment of unique style perspectives is guaranteed on the College Fashionista Web site.

The pieces that run each day of the week are titled so that they serve various purposes to the site’s fashion-thirsty audience. For each college campus featured on the site, Monday is when the post “Style Advice of the Week” runs in order to provide followers with a new tip they can practice with their outfits for that week. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are known as Trend Days when the Style Gurus post street-style photographs of trendsetting students they’ve run into on campus while writing about and glorifying the eye-catching craze that dazzled and made their way into the post. And on Friday another special post runs called “Boutique of the Week,” giving students the inside scoop on the latest shops located near their specific campus.

It was all these amazing resources that drew my eye to College Fashionista and inspired me to become part of this creation that is a true visionary in the revolution of college fashion. I remember discovering the Web site from endless time spent perusing fashion-centered groups and pages on Facebook. At the time I thought to myself, “Hey, I can totally write for this site.”

I’ve always been a strong follower of the world’s runways and felt confident that I could offer my own unique perspective on the fashions from USC and the surrounding Los Angeles area. After a phone interview, I was brought on as an additional Style Guru to my campus and began by writing “Tuesday Trend” posts.

As excited as I was to be part of the College Fashionista team, writing as a trend spotter challenged me. I carried my camera with me constantly so I was quick to photograph trend-setting students I ran into whether on my way to class or at a nighttime event.

At the beginning of this summer my position changed and I began writing the “Style Advice of the Week” for USC. Writing for this post allows me to manifest the styling skills that I express to my acquaintances at work and school. Each week I style and stage a “mini” photo shoot with my friends where I illustrate advice for my readers to practice in their week’s wardrobe, or I feature a stylish stranger I’ve run into because their ensemble showcases a style mantra that I already worship.

Taking part in College Fashionista is an experience that I’ve savored through every post I’ve written for the site so far. It’s nice to see that every day our exposure and number of followers has been growing steadily and that many out there continue to style on!



For more information, visit collegefashionista.com.