College Fashionista Feature!!!

Name: Caroline Radaj

Year: Senior

Major: Journalism and Communication Arts

Favorite Designer: I’m not big on designers since I can’t afford them and it just breaks my fashion driven heart, but I adore the unbeatable Mr. Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel. I also get happy when I see anything done by Christian Siriano, especially because he has such great shoes.

One fashion item that you can’t leave the house without? A gigantic purse and lipgloss.

How did you find out about College Fashionista and how did you get involved and became a writer/Style Guru? I became involved with CollegeFashionista on accident, really. I was interning with Moe Publicity, a small, independently run PR firm who put on Wisconsin Fashion Week (yes, Wisconsin has a Fashion Week!) I came across CollegeFashionista one afternoon as I was just looking online at websites and I thought it might be interesting to have the site cover Wisconsin Fashion Week events. I contacted Amy Levin, the founder of the site and she said she would love to have CollegeFashionista have a presence at the events. At the time, there were no spots open on the Wisconsin Style Guru team but eventually Amy asked me to write and here I am!

How long have you been a writer/Style Guru for CF? Two years!

What do you love about being a writer/Style Guru for CF? It’s been really amazing to see the site grow as it has. When I started the site had a small following but now CollegeFashionista is one of the top ranked websites for college age students and we’re increasing our partnerships with other websites and businesses. We’ve had events with Juicy Couture and in Madison we’ve had numerous events with Bop and have a lot of neat and exciting things planned for this semester! I also love when I photograph someone and they get really excited or say it makes their day. That’s the excitement and rewarding feeling that comes from writing for CollegeFashionista. 

What do you usually write about, women’s wear, men’s wear, hair, make-up, accessories? Do you have a specific focus? We have different columns each day of the week and I’ve written for Style Advice of the Week and Weekend Forecast, which are columns that feature someone and their outfit and then how readers can incorporate that Fashionista/o’s look into their own. This semester I’m writing the Fashionista/o Spotlight which is a weekly interview with someone where they get to talk about their personal style and what inspires them.

What do you do to keep yourself updated with current fashion that helps you aid with your writing for CF? Read magazines, blogs, fashion websites? What are your favorites? (examples Style.com, Marie Claire magazine, New York Times style section). I’m addicted to Twitter so I follow a lot of fashion people on there and follow their blogs. I’m also really inspired by the people I see on the street. I learn so much from others regarding fashion just walking to class!

You cover an array of street style at UW Madison, do other people’s style influence and make your personal evolve? What is your personal style? Just like seeing people on the street keep me updated with current trends, they definitely inspire my own style. I also dread being asked what my personal style is because it changes daily! One thing that is cohesive in my style are my accessories. I’m obsessed with big rings and it’s gotten to the point where if I forget to wear one, I will literally go back to my apartment in risk of being late for class.

If any of our TASA readers wanted to become a CF Style Guru, how can they become one? CollegeFashionista does a hiring process one every semester and then for the summer. The process is an interview as well as a mock submission of a blog as if you would submit it to CollegeFashionista. Right now we have all of our Gurus set but Spring semester hiring will be starting very soon! Make sure to follow us on Twitter @CFashionista and “Like” us on Facebook so you can get updates on when we’re hiring.