Imagine New York Fashion Week: the white tents, bright lights, big name designers, beautiful models, New York socialites, journalists and critics analyzing every seam; this is the epitome of the fashion world. However, this world holds so much more to me. There are so many things that go into a single collection even single outfit. Fist, there is the outfit itself. Then, there are the accessories: the shoes, the jewelery, the bags, the hair and so much more. It is all in the details: to realize that a single necklace can transform an outfit. It is the details go the fashion world that have me mesmerized. I am saddened when I hear people say that fashion has no point and it's just the media feeding us with lies of what is "in." Those same people do not realize that they help create fashion. Personal style is what fuels the fashion industry. We as a society hold the true power of what is considered "stylish" and what isn't. We create our own style, and more often then not, those styles become

My violin teacher recently read to me a welcome address by Karl Paulnack, music director at Boston Conservatory. In his address, he discussed how "art is one of the ways in which we say, 'I am alive, and my life has meaning.'" He is absolutely, positively correct. Whether or not society agrees with me on this fact, I believe that fashion is walking art. It is influenced by surroundings, feelings, emotions, and so much more. Fashion has given me meaning. Without it, my life would be dull. As cliche as that sounds, it's true. Years ago my idea of fashion was based off popularity; however, I was gravely wrong. Fashion was and is about self-expression; it is about freedom to express my emotions, my point of view, and my passion. It was at this moment when my life began to revolve around fashion. Now, my days are driven by this industry, when I wake up, When I go to bed, when I watch television, it all relates to this technicolor world. In Paulnacks greeting, he said that "music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for is to understand things with our hearts when we can't with our minds." With the exception of one word, this sentence describes what i have experienced with the fashion industry. For so long, all my feelings of hate, anger, happiness joy, etc have been channeled into the clothing i wore or the shoes that supported (or didn't support) my feet. I realized that fashion was how I expressed every fiber in my beings. I may not be a painter, or a musician, or a sculptor, but I am an artist.

My art, my craft, is fashion. In a way fashion is a painting, a sculpture, and a piece of music. Every time a collection is created, the designer is painting an image . They are going back to a certain place, to a certain moment; they make themselves vulnerable, so they can bring this experience to a greater audience. they are painting their image of what they feel. When an outfit is crafted, it is like a sculptor creating a statue. Every detail affects the whole image. One mess up, and the whole experience is lost. When everything is put together, the outfits, the accessories, the music on the runway the lights in the tent, it is like a completed orchestra. Everything just comes together, every piece just aiding the other. Much like any other piece of art, the details can transform the atmosphere.

So readers, I ask you to search deep inside and find who you are and who you want express. Don't worry what the "in" silhouette is or what color is "hot" this spring. Pick what speaks to you (but in a flattering way) because i found that it is those pieces that last forever.