An essay

"Essay" doesn't even do it justice. I'd call this a piece. A piece crafted by my gifted writer of a sister Chloe (I've posted her style before so you've at met her virtually), who wrote this for a college application. It's an inspiring way to view fashion and explains why it truly is the most exciting, accessible and creative platform.

ESSAY #2: In an essay of 300 words or less, tell us something about yourself that isn't covered elsewhere in this application, some interest or experience of yours that you think the University of Illinois should know about as part of the admissions review. 

I am a champion thrifter. I love eccentric jewelry, a stranger’s platform shoes, unisex sweaters, and baggy jeans that I can cut into shorts. I love enormous second-hand coats and someone’s grandmother’s hand-knit scarves. I have found vintage Coach purses that are worth $300 and bought them for nine dollars. On a meager babysitter’s salary, I can burn 15 dollars on 14 items in 13 minutes.

But what I love about fashion isn’t only the infinite possibility, or even the immortality of it. I don’t only love it because I can put any shirt with any skirt and call it “chic,” or even that high-waisted jeans are back-- again. I love that fashion is breathable. It is dynamic and it is fleeting. My love for fashion can be paralleled with my love of modern culture; they grow together, flourish together. Culture changes with the passing seconds, opinions alter by the hour. We are forever trying to keep up, and that excites me.

While I’m an avid follower of my older sister’s street-style blog The Wearist and I scrapbook my favorites from my monthly issue of Vogue, I am not just keeping up-- I am a creator. Fashion icon Coco Chanel once said: “Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future.” This elegance she speaks of is timeless, but at the same time, emphasizes an urgency. Instead of watching the future rush at us, we must attack it-- or take “possession” of it. It is this that motivates me, my ability to create my own unique culture. I have taken vintage shoes and worn them with colored socks. I have layered old button-downs with men’s sweaters. I have found used jeans and dip-dyed them with bleach. So although my clothes are inexpensive and old (I only babysit), I have redefined them and made them priceless and new. I, Chloe Bayhack, am a creator.