By: Indigo Baloch

On average, I would say I am “that girl” who tries to look her best—and by best I certainly don’t mean wearing ball gowns to class. That’s just impractical. What I mean is that I like to pull together outfits I can truly enjoy. It could even be a “Great Gatsby” sweatshirt from Out of Print, paired with black leggings and TUK Creepers. If it looks good and feels good, you’re on the right track.

In this column, Little Red Riding Vogue, I hope to keep you up to date on the latest in fashion—as well as share tips and favorite stores. Most importantly, I plan to showcase someone on campus every issue, that I believe has great style and deserves a little praise. We could all enjoy a little praise every now and then.

The most important thing you need to know about fashion is that it is all subjective. It is all personal. Wear what you love. Even if you’re wearing yoga pants, if you own it and feel confident in it, that can be a runway-worthy outfit. Also, fashion is not simply about clothes. Think of all the wild runway makeup and hair you see at Fashion Week—they are designed to complement and enhance.

Everything about how you present yourself, from confidence to attitude, says a lot about your style. Modeling agencies and designers don’t just hire a model because they think she’s attractive. They hire her if they think she can walk the way they need her to and display the attitude that works for their collection.

Where you pull your outfit inspiration from is entirely individual. Most recently, I designed an outfit around the premiere of American Horror Story: Coven, basing the outfit off of teaser trailers featuring witches in ivory blouses, black skirts and kitten heels and flat black hats. The cherry on top was a pair of earrings: one a black cross, the other a black pentagram.

The same goes for makeup. What makeup gurus do best is replicate makeups. It’s what they’re known for. Say you particularly love Babydoll’s makeup in “Sucker Punch” and decide you want to try it for yourself. All you really need is some pale foundation, blush, false eyelashes, and possibly a quick swipe of Maybelline’s Baby Lips in Peach Kiss.

It might seem silly, but think about where you draw your inspiration from. Is it a pop culture icon like Florence Welch, a specific designer like Alberta Ferretti, or maybe even your family or friends. Who you are and who you are inspired by defines your style. Never change your style to fit into someone else’s mold. Never force yourself to follow a trend because someone else says you should. Wear what you love and feel comfortable in. That is style.

In the words of Blair Waldorf, “Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It’s movement, design, and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we’d like to be.”

For more frequent updates on my own outfits, you can also check out my fashion blog, Little Red Riding Vogue, on Tumblr.