Flipping through my fifth-grade yearbook, I was horrified to see little me smiling back with a bright pink floral Adidas bomber jacket. I have no idea how I decided to wear that outfit. But it really made me think — how has my fashion sense changed throughout the years?
I looked around the house at picture frames and old yearbooks, and dug through my mom’s old iPhone back-ups to find photos that showed my fashion journey.
The first pictures I could find featured me in the classic Asian bob. I was too young to style myself just yet, but I think Momma Cao did a pretty good job. I look like the cutest little child!
My mom continued to style me through elementary school. I had so many colorful pattern clothes that you would never catch me wearing these days. Like come on, cats on top of flamingos?
In case you want to get some for yourself, most of my clothes came from Justice or Gymboree. I had this pair of black leggings with pink rose patterns climbing up the bottom, and I thought they were the coolest. Unfortunately, I can’t find a picture, but I wore them almost every day to dance practice.
When I reached middle school, I finally wriggled from my mother’s grasp to begin styling myself. And man, can you see a difference!
Compared to now, I still find my outfits a little cringe, but I see where they are coming from. Oversized silhouettes provide the perfect mesh between comfortable and stylish.
Most days at school, I would just wear the same simple outfits. But when I went out, like this day at Great America, I would sometimes experiment. This outfit is pretty cute!
Throwback to when I was really skinny. I liked wearing shorts, but I would balance it out by going baggy on top. If you look down to my feet, I also really liked to pair my shorts with long socks (which I still do to this day).
After I discovered I could cut shirts at the collar to make cute off-the-shoulder tops, I was unstoppable. There were a couple of shirts in which I hated the fit of the collar. But once I cut them, they became my favorites.
Starting freshman year (I think), I’ve grown my flannel collection from just one to eight. They’re such a good piece for layering or transitional weather.
Back to the present, I quite like my style now. Gathering little bits of inspiration from Instagram or Pinterest, I’ve found that I like relaxed outfits. Once in a while, I’ll buy a skirt or hair ribbons because I think they’d be really cute, but I find that I don’t wear them often.
I can blend in a cute little top within a baggy jacket and pants, but I don’t think I’m meant to be a coquette girly.
I think that what I’m wearing on my body isn’t as important as how I feel. Throughout the years, I’ve become confident in my own body, and I think it reflects through how I present myself. I love who I am now, but I also look at little Shirina and admire the genuine joy in her smile, even while I laugh at her fashion choices.
