Fashion Sins I Committed In College

America was a different place in 2004. The second President Bush was in the White House; Lindsay Lohan had a career, and Paris Hilton was parading around in flimsy, thousand-dollar halter dresses that would’ve looked more at home on a Contempo Casuals sales rack. 

Clearly, the world had gone mad — myself included. For the majority of college, I was the living embodiment of a Fashion Don’t. I don’t blame myself — or anyone who dressed like me — because we were living under some very toxic pop culture influences. (I mean, in the early 2000s, Beyoncé was forced to dress like a denim- and fur-clad triplet on the red carpet. BEYONCÉ.) So it is with tenderness that I recount the fashion sins I committed in college.

The Never-Been-to-California Beach Look
This look was a hangover from my high school days. I'm pretty sure I wore hemp and puka shells to low-key announce that I liked weed, Dave Matthews Band, and guys on skateboards.

There were several cultural influences at the time that reinforced my commitment to nature’s jewelry, though: The O.C. was in the middle of its run, and Hollister was threatening to destroy Abercrombie’s stronghold over East Coast youth. But on a personal level, I was very into beach vibes in the early 2000s. I listened to a ton of Sublime knock-off bands and vacationed "down the shore," returning to New York determined to keep that sandy, freedom feel alive at my Westchester college.

But I couldn’t quite fight off the influence of the East Coast — hence my pairing of the preppy Tiffany’s dog tag bracelet with a very chill California graphic tee, purchased at (you guessed it) Hollister. In the intervening years, teens have begun to reject logo tees (rightfully so), and Hollister has moved away from its ode-to-surf-culture style, as have I.

As for the unflattering sunglasses and the oversized watch, those belonged to a guy friend. I knew women could successfully rock traditionally male clothing and accessories, but in practice I often ended up looking more clueless than the collegiate men who let me raid their closets (hard to pull off, but I managed).

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