Modification and Makeup as Fashion
The Fifth Installment of Fashion Advice Column for Busy College Students
By GRACE TWOREK
My mother always told me the most beautiful girls are the ones that are always smiling, and I have made this my mantra throughout life as I try to infect others with a contagious smile day after day. Fashion is much more than the shirt, pants, or dress you cover your body in, but rather how you can make your style individualistic to you. It is important to let your personality shine through when it comes to your style and rather than letting clothes wear you, you must not only wear them but make them your own.
Self-expression through fashion can be done in so many different ways other than the simple concept of wearing certain garments, and so many people fail to recognize this. Aside from simply rocking a smile like mom always says, there are many ways you can express your individuality. Whether it be the way you style your hair, the makeup you choose to wear or you choose not to wear, or completing your outfit with that special pair of earrings your grandmother passed down to you, the key to a completed look is all the tiny details and it is through these details that you can perfect your style and make it your own.
For me, changing my hair is my all-time favorite go-to when it comes to switching up my look. Although I know I am a blonde at heart and that will always be what I come back to, I am impulsive, so when the idea of being brunette pops into my head, I end up having a hair appointment later that week. The best part of hair is that it grows, so dye it pink, get a perm- you can always change it back. It can be very scary to change your hair, and I am in no way saying you ever have to, but hair is a great way to express yourself and like the clothes you put on your body, a certain hairstyle can tell a story of your feeling that day—even if that story is forgetting to set your alarm and rocking bedhead all day.
I can still remember the day my mom walked in on me putting on all her makeup. This age is different for everyone, and some may even go their whole lives without putting an ounce of makeup on. Makeup has the ability to complete a look as it can enhance your beauty with just a touch of mascara or lipstick. Similar to clothing, makeup is always changing and different trends are constantly emerging. Although we may be quick to jab at our mom’s blue eyeshadow from the ’80s, colored eye shadow is for sure making a comeback this season and it can really allow you to experiment with your look and take it to the next level. Although makeup can be fun to play with as it is meant to enhance your beauty, it is important to not rely on makeup to change your look entirely because what makes you so beautiful is YOU, not the winged eyeliner or false lashes.
As I said, it is the small details that make an outfit more than just fabric. It is through small details, like a piece of jewelry passed down from your grandmother, that brings meaning and memories into your look. For me, it is a pair of Chanel earrings my mother gifted me on Christmas that always take my look to the next level. They are so special to me as I know my mom went to great depths picking them out and they always bring me back to one of my favorite times- Christmas. It is through these types of pieces that you can connect with people. One might say, “I love your earrings! Where did you get them?” And next thing you know, you have made a friend on the T just by talking about your favorite pair of earrings. Fashion is more than the looks, it is about bringing people together through art- the art of fashion.
There are so many ways to express yourself through fashion- whether through clothes, hair, makeup, or your most special accessories, everything has a story and becomes individual to you. I encourage you to find these pieces that feel most special, get that haircut that makes you feel most confident, and allow yourself to be yourself because that is what is the most beautiful.
Grace Tworek (gtworek@college.harvard.edu) writes a weekly fashion column for the Indy.