How This LA It Girl Learned To Unlock Her Unique Style
Raquelle Stevens1/7Raquelle Stevens will be documenting her experience as she navigates our fashion education program in partnership with Parsons. Follow along for the next 10 weeks as she learns the ins and outs of the fashion industry — and enroll in the course to earn your own coveted certificate.
Is it really possible to learn so much in two weeks? Yes! My insight into the fashion industry has already grown. Throughout these first two weeks, I was reminded how important creativity in fashion is to tell my own personal story. I learned how certain trends like “the white dress,” “sportswear,” “Hollywood glam” (just to name a few) have evolved over the years. I also learned the importance of my own look and how it reflects a story.
One of my favorite parts of the course so far has been getting advice and insight from Teen Vogue professionals because, let’s be honest, who knows more about fashion than Vogue! To elaborate some more on what I have learned so far, I wrote out a few important lessons that stood out to me the most.
Raquelle Stevens2/7I've always loved stripes but never knew the immense history behind one of fashion's greatest trends. Through this course, I learned that the birth of stripes in fashion can be traced all the way back to the end of the 18th century. Since then, stripes have continued to be re-born over and over again in different ways. The program showed me the way Yves Saint Laurent incorporated stripes into one of his collections in the 80’s and how the story of stripes has continued to evolve with today's modern designers. While I typically throw on a striped shirt with jeans when I am running late to get somewhere, I now have all of this extensive knowledge on the pattern's history that will influence my future styling decisions. I'm now including stripes into a much broader range of my wardrobe, whether it be with a skirt or a cute pair of shorts, anything is possible. A striped clothing item can give your outfit that extra piece of fun that it needs!
Raquelle Stevens3/7Whenever I take the time to look around in my every day life, whether it’s grabbing coffee in the morning or grabbing dinner after work with a friend, I almost always spot a pair of Adidas shoes or a bomber jacket. Today's "athleisure" trend clearly accommodates our active lifestyles. As our lives continue to get busier and busier, for me, the easiest fashion choice is to throw on some sneakers, a graphic tee, a bomber jacket and be out the door. This course taught me how designers today are shifting their collections to adapt to society's fast paced way of living. Alexander Wang is a great example of a modern designer who has incorporated sportswear into his collections in an effort to adapt to the times. He even made his athleisure attire affordable through collaborating with H&M. The course showed me just how impactful sportswear has been on top designers.
Raquelle Stevens4/7Hollywood glamour can be first traced back to the 1930’s - a time when film offered an escape to a world of fantasy and luxury. Names like Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe instantly come to mind when thinking about this era of fashion. Their influence on Hollywood, and top Hollywood designers, continues to evolve today. Living & working in the heart of Hollywood, I am able to experience this type of fashion right at home. It wasn't until I look this course that I realized how fascinating it is to live in one of the major cities that influences fashion worldwide. I especially loved reading about how some of the most well-known designers have grown their careers through styling some of Hollywood’s most glamorous.
Raquelle Stevens5/7Ever heard of a style called “a la turque”? rewind back to the beginning of the 19th century and this is where we first start to see pants in women’s European fashion. Now fast forward to the 1850’s when a women's rights activist named Amelia Bloomer brought the women in pants trend into American culture. This trend has grown immensely as our lifestyles have evolved to days that offer little time for outfit changes. Designer collections now fully cater to this way of living by providing women with an assortment of convenient style staples they can wear anywhere. Most of my days start early in the morning and go until late at night with little to no time between work and play, so it’s important for me to find outfit pieces that can merge between the two. In the course, we discussed how simple it is to throw on a blazer jacket with a pair of pants or a cute bootie - a look that can easily go from day to night and still look chic.
Raquelle Stevens6/7Whoever you are, whether you are in the fashion industry or not, the way you dress effects the way you see yourself and the way others see you. Whether I’m meeting someone new or attending an important event, what I choose to wear can create such a powerful statement about how I want to be seen. I was reminded that I can get creative with whatever I have and that it is important to figure out the story I want to tell through how I dress. There are no rules in fashion. Only what you limit yourself to.
Now when I get ready in the morning, I challenge myself to think about why I’m choosing a certain outfit and what statement I’m making through fashion. I’m excited to learning so much more in the next few weeks; you can follow my journey here, on my Instagram, and Snapchat- RaquelleStevens. If you want to go beyond that and experience all the great things I’m learning first hand, you can sign up for the course here!
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