Look around and you will see different patterns, cuts, colors and especially styles on passersby. Fashion isn’t a uniform look. Everyone has their particular style that makes them who they are, and it’s no different for senior marketing major, Lauren Gerrish. On our very first style watch, we caught up with Gerrish to find out what fashion means to her.

Before we got straight into the main course, we found out a few things about Gerrish outside of fashion. She has actually auditioned for three music talent shows. “I sing… I’ve tried out for ‘The Voice.’ I’ve done ‘American Idol.’  I’ve done ‘The X-Factor,’” Gerrish said. Though she’s not super involved with singing,  she still enjoys doing it.

After learning a little about Gerrish, we dove right into the heart of this interview: fashion. Gerrish pays homage to her mom, whose style she has always envied.

Despite her mom having an eye for fashion, Gerrish always wanted to have her own style. She recounted a time when she dressed herself for a school picture.

“I distinctively remember the first school picture that she let me dress myself for and it was a nightmare,” Gerrish said. “I wore a monkey t-shirt with a bratty quote on it. Like, ‘I’m the best’ or ‘My Daddy loves me.’ Something like that.”

Knowing what propelled Gerrish into the fashion scene, we talked about what exactly fashion is to her. There isn’t one definition since it means something different to everyone.

Gerrish said fashion is “individuality, but it’s also a way to fit in with a group. And that’s what trends are basically – people trying to conform to be accepted.” She added, “But I love when people have their own style that doesn’t really fit that mold and they kind of say ‘Screw the trends. I just dress the way that I want to dress.’”

When asked how she dictates if someone falls into the category of fashionable or not Gerrish said, “I would say somebody that stands apart and you can look at them and say they have a really clear sense of who they are.” She appreciates people who aren’t afraid to be themselves, instead of being like everyone else. She said that takes guts, which we all know you need in the fashion industry.

Gerrish loves putting pieces together that society wouldn’t necessarily deem ‘correct.’ She also spoke about the thrill of fashion: “I like finding things. I like the treasure hunt aspect that I think places like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx and thrift stores do really well with.”

“So my personal style is things that you don’t think would go together…like I like bulky on the bottom and bulky on top. I like to play with proportions,” Gerrish said.

Though she loves mixing and matching different sizes, she believes there’s one important detail people should focus on: fit.

“I think that from my standpoint, fit is one of the most important things, because a great outfit is not great unless it really makes your body look good,” she said.

Gerrish believes that people are the most creative when it comes to making outfits. She loves to wear jeans, getting a new fall jacket and wearing her favorite pair of boots – a pair of chunky engineer boots.

Gerrish thinks everyone should invest in a nice pair of boots. “I’ve had mine for like three years now. They’re perfect fall boots that never go out of style,” she said.

There are a ton of brands to choose from out there, so we wanted to know which clothing brand Gerrish loved the most and which one she aspired to be sponsored by someday.

To note, Gerrish isn’t really into designer name brands, since they are usually used as a status symbol. But she did mention a few that she really enjoyed. One is Diane Von Furstenberg. She  worked at New York fashion week with them and was able to take some of the clothes home. The other is Gucci. She loves how they are portraying the 1970s vibes lately. But as she stated, a brand she can afford is Paige jeans since they are her favorite jeans of all time. “They last you forever – so comfortable. And you can always get them at Marshalls on sale,” she said.

As far as sponsorships go, she wouldn’t mind Gucci giving her a call. But more than Gucci, she would love Dolce & Gabbana. “It’s sexy, it’s iconic…They have their own image and I think that it’s amazing. It’s very feminine, flowery, it’s historic, classic, colorful and I love everything Dolce & Gabbana,” she said.

Fashion is the goal for Gerrish, but she has set her eyes on something specific. We asked what her dream job would be and she mentioned costume design. She loves the idea of making a costume for a character that fits all aspects of them.

It’s like “taking a character and a plot line and who they are – their personality – and trying to make outfits that really symbolize that. I think that it’s a whole psychology think. It’s really more than just fashion. It’s like telling a story too. I think that’s really special,” Gerrish said.

If Gerrish could wear one outfit for the rest of her life, she would keep it simple, rocking some of her favorite pieces. She has an awesome asymmetrical leather jacket. Underneath she would place a cute lace top. For shoes, she would wear her awesome Frye engineer boots.

If you guys want style inspiration and overall aesthetic goals, show some love to Gerrish’s Instagram @lo_gerr.

Cynthia Ntinunu can be reached at [email protected].