Lexington: Screw trends and whatever is on sale at the mall.
You won't find the real you there.
Give yourself credit - you're better than that cookie cutter, faded jean, Abercrombie and Fitch propaganda that passes as a cool look.
To dress uniquely you without looking like everyone else, you must reinvent yourself in your new environment.
Last year, an India-inspired spring collection transformed French luxury house Hermes models into turban-clad silk goddesses sporting the brand's signature white boots. Gucci reinvigorated its rock star sexy look this fall by incorporating a Russian theme in its intricate beaded jackets and folkloristic prints and designs.
You need not travel the world to reinvent yourselves, but it wouldn't hurt to return to your past for inspiration.
Spending most of the summer in the small town where I grew up has allowed me to reconnect with my past.
I realized my distaste for jeans dates back to my high school years, where people's overdependence on them moved me to wear corduroy and Dickies cotton work pants.
My eclectic taste in multicolored shoes and obsession for Chuck Taylors also was manifested during my pre-college years.
While some old habits, such as wearing colored shoes, are a thing of the past, I plan on incorporating others into my style, such as avoiding jeans for other pant varieties and buying more Chuck Taylors.
During my four month study abroad stint in Monterrey, Mexico, I was shamed into buying clothes that fit by sand-skinned Mexicans wearing tight Diesel jeans and Armani sunglasses.
Some things from Mexico - the Diesel jeans and wearing more cologne - stuck with me, while others -- excess American Eagle and Armani Exchange T-shirts - I refused to incorporate.
After a year of self-discovery and growing obsession with fashion, I've discovered that I'm neither here nor there, neither a preppy dresser nor a grungy one, but a little bit of everything.
Inspiration from new places and an understanding of my past dress preferences helped me find a new me.
So the next time you're staring at your closet, wondering what to wear, think about a poor French girl named Gabrielle and an Italian hotel laborer named Guccio.
Gabrielle started as a poor seamstress sewing hats, and Guccio as a hotel worker admiring English aristocrats' fancy luggage.
Gabrielle went on to pioneer the little black dress and found her namesake fashion house, Chanel, while Guccio started his own luggage company, Gucci.
Kevin Zelaya is a junior news-editorial major at UNL. You can reach him at kevinzelaya@dailynebraskan.com.
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