Member-only story
When I First Fell in Love with Fashion
My Fashion Journey
There’s a picture of me when I was about six years old, participating in a puppet show at school. My hair was in pigtails, the braids twisted up with red and white barrettes. I was smiling as I looked at the camera. My front teeth bulging out like Bugs Bunny. I wore a red, white, and blue sailor dress with white stockings and black patent leather shoes. I looked adorable and remember feeling so pretty in my outfit.
That was when I fell in love with fashion.
Despite finances being a constant issue, my mother always found money for back to school outfits, Christmas gifts , Easter clothes, and birthday presents. Those were the only times mom seem to have money. Any other time, we were poor. But we had a roof over our heads, food in the fridge (most of the time), and clothes on our backs.
And I was especially happy about the clothes.
I loved wearing dresses and skirts when I was a child. As a teen, I opted for sweaters from my mom’s closet, jeans or sweatpants. When I was in college, my love of fashion exploded. I would spend almost every dime I had on clothing. My favorite stores were Tello's and Filene’s Basement. During the 1990s, those were my go-to places for affordable trends. I would spend hours during the summer hanging out at the Corner Mall in Downtown…
