Shumake

Credit: DKS Editors

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and we all know ’tis the season to be thankful. I am thankful for Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin’s Spring 2010 collection and, of course, Tom Ford’s good looks. But one thing I am especially thankful for is fashion. Not to sound too cliché, but it is one thing that remains constant even through economic hardships.

Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, and what is happening.” Fashion is everywhere – it’s inescapable. We all have our own unique fashion sense. Who cares if you are not carrying a Louis Vuitton bag or wearing the latest collection from Gucci? Style is not a price tag. So throw on your dad’s vintage wool blazer, and let’s get down to business.

Walking past Rockwell, enjoying the last of Indian summer, I ran into yet another fashion student who caught my attention. Elaina Shumake, a post-bachelor student pursuing a degree in fashion merchandising, is the Style Eye of the week.

Doleh: If you can travel back in time to any era, where would you go? Why?

Shumake: If I could go back in time I would travel back to the 1950s. Women of this era were very classic. They were known to be ladies, and I believe that being a lady is very important. The form-fitting dresses, to the skirts and blazers with big hats, made the 1950s great.

D: Do you have any style icons?

S: Audrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel and Michelle Obama are my fashion icons. These three women have come from different eras while having a classic style that transcends their time. I believe that Chanel and Hepburn have set the standards in fashion; they are timeless fashion icons. Michelle Obama is a woman who shows great style that mimics that of Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn.

D: Explain what you are wearing.

S: I am wearing a nautical inspired dress from Forever 21. The dress buttons up from the front and ties around the waist. I have on brown-colored flat boots, which are my favorite. I also have on a white long-sleeve T-shirt under my dress, also from Forever 21. I love that store.

Contact Style Eye columnist Remah Doleh at [email protected]