Mikala Renda – CollegeFashionista

4 Chicago Neighborhoods That are Perfect for Your Instagram

Chicago is a big city with a lot to see. Of course, there are the main attractions that you must see when you visit, such as Cloud Gate, Millennium Park, Giordano’s, and the Buckingham Fountain. There also more hidden gems in Chicago neighborhoods. Rather than trying to capture the perfect picture of your fashion, get out your camera because Chicago is perfect for your Instagram. Here are four neighborhoods in particular that I think would make great additions to your Instagram.

1—Buena Park. Buena Park is not filled with tourist attractions like Cloud Gate or Millennium Park. It is more low-key than the other Chicago neighborhoods. It has a beach called Montrose Beach and is north of the loop; it’s a great location for running, walking, picnics, swimming, and almost anything outdoors. There’s a dog beach where owners can take their dogs and let them run around. Montrose Beach has a great view of the city if you want that picture of the Chicago Skyline. Buena Park has elevated train tracks, which would be a great picture to get when coming to Chicago to remember your visit.

2—West Loop. West Loop is an upcoming neighborhood full of suitable places for Instagram. Some of my favorite places to shoot include the blue brick wall and the red doors. There’s also the drink up wall, wing wall, avocado wall, and the blue doors. When visiting Chicago, the West Loop is one of the top places you should go. On top of murals, it contains some of the best food in the city with a retail area.

3—Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Chicago, filled with lots of cool restaurants and tourist attractions, including the Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Conservatory is filled with plants, fish, and small ponds. The Lincoln Park Zoo is filled with nature trails and lots of greenery, along with animals. Both of these places are free to the public and perfect backdrops for your Instagram photo.

4—Wicker Park. Wicker Park is one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Chicago. It is full of restaurants, coffee shops, thrift shops, and music stores. All of the decorations and themes for the shops are original ideas that you will not see in any other place. While you are in Wicker Park, you can get your palm read or look at the murals on all the buildings. You can enjoy a drink in a pineapple in the summer, or a hot coffee at a coffee shop in the winter. Just make sure you check this part of town out.

Have you visited any of these neighborhoods? Post a picture on Instagram and tag @CFashionista!

A Dancer’s Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle seems to be more popular now than ever. Whether it’s because of the obesity rate is high or because it is trendy, everyone still seems to be trying to find their own way to stay healthy. There are many forms of exercise, ways to eat right, and ways to maintain good mental health. Dance is one of the ways to maintain a healthy body weight and mental state.

For this Fashionista, dance is her life. Her favorite style of dance, ballet, is the love of her life. As a college student, she is now able to train at the Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago. For those who are not familiar with the Joffrey Ballet School, it is a very prestigious dance school. Dancing is a great way to stay fit, but for her, it is also a way to maintain great mental health as well. It has helped her develop a work ethic and live life with grace and confidence. In order to perform for an audience, you must be confident in your abilities and know your weaknesses.

Half of training is eating healthy. While training, this Fashionista likes to stick to a healthy diet consisting of vegetables, fruit, and protein. For breakfast, she eats a piece of toast with almond butter and a fruit smoothie with protein. In the middle of the day, she eats a light meal consisting of an apple, raw almonds, and carrot sticks. To end the day she eats a kale salad with chicken or a sweet potato with other vegetables. If she eats well with every meal, she will reward herself with a sweet treat like ice cream.

On top of her healthy lifestyle, this Fashionista is fearless when it comes to style. She wears two different outfits depending on the workout. The first outfit is a blue leotard with breathtaking back details. She pairs it with a tutu and ballet shoes. In the second outfit, she is wearing a tan workout top with a pair of stretchy leggings. The leggings are perfect for a workout, giving her room to move around. She wears her ballet shoes again for this outfit.

The key to a healthy lifestyle is finding an activity that you are not just doing to be healthy, but because you love it. Find what works for you and stick with it!

Do you also have a love for dance or another activity like this trendy college student? Tell us about it on Instagram and tag @CFashionista.

How to be Girly With an Edgy Alter Ego

What is one of the best things to do when it comes to finding a great outfit? This does not always work depending on the style, but sometimes mixing styles can make the best outfits. This Fashionista takes her girly, preppy style and adds a little edge to it. What she ends up getting is an outfit perfect for a lunch date or a barbecue.

Looking at her style and the wall behind her, I feel major ’50s vibes. She chose a white blouse that is lightweight and will go with almost every outfit she will wear this summer. She paired it with a multicolored scarf to add a pop of color to her outfit and creates\ a preppy look. In addition, she wears a ring and a pair of stud earrings. They add just a little more color without taking away from the scarf or the rest of the outfit. To make the look more casual, she wore a pair of ripped jeans. The jeans are the part of the outfit that brings the edge with the preppy, girly shirt and scarf. To top off the outfit, she added nude heels. If you do not own nude heels, you should. Every girl needs a pair.

The biggest question of all is where can you wear this outfit? Lunch, dinner, a day adventure with the girls or your special someone, barbecues, and brunches to name just some activities this outfit can be used for. Add some waves to your hair, and you’ll be ready to go to any activity this summer has to offer!

Do you have a similar look you love to wear? Go ahead and tag @CFashionista on Instagram and show us how you are wearing this look.

STYLE GURU STYLE: C’mon Girl, Put Your Jumpsuit On

Weather plays a large role into what I choose to wear. With school ending and summer beginning, I start to wear outfits that still look trendy but are lighter and will keep me from overheating. My favorite trend for the summer and every summer is the bohemian theme that everyone adopts. The styles seen at Coachella and Lollapalooza and on stars such as Lana Del Rey. To go along with the bohemian trend, I love to wear a stack of bracelets on my wrists and layered necklaces. They make any outfit I wear feel complete if I put them on.

Jumpsuits are perfect for the summer. They come in all colors and sizes and make everyone look tall and slender. I chose to wear a black jumpsuit with an open back to show off my lace bralette. With the warm weather, this jumpsuit will be excellent for adventures and sightseeing. I accessorized with a pair of sunglasses, layered necklaces, and a wrist full of bracelets. All of which just add a touch of color to the outfit and are a great finishing touch to make the outfit feel complete. To dress up the look, I chose to wear heeled sandals. They dress up the outfit just enough without making it too formal.

If you are not sure how to wear your jumpsuit, add a heeled sandal. The heel doesn’t have to be three inches high or even two inches. With a heel, you will feel taller and more confident in yourself as you go about your day. Also, they will keep you cool with the summer heat.

BEAUTY BAR: Stellar Style Status

In the winter, men and women like dark colors. Women wear more browns, blacks, nudes, and dark greens. They tend to want their hair darker as well. In the summer, women wear more bright colors. They want their hair lighter and shorter to go with the warm weather. Men work in a similar way; the change of season tends to change the way we look. When warm weather rolls around, men want shorter hair to keep them from overheating. It is a nice change from the long winter locks they tend to have with brutally cold weather.

This Fashionisto is always on top of everything and has a classic look to dress for success. On top of his well done hair, he also pairs a button-down with a jean jacket. The jean jacket makes his look more casual than it otherwise would be. He chooses tan jeans to avoid denim on denim (which is not always a bad thing, but the tan jeans fit his style better). He adds Oxfords for the final touch.

Adding to his stellar style is his hair. With styling cream he is able to create a masculine yet vintage look. He has the classic slicked back (greaser) look and has transformed it from bad boy to make it suitable for a young professional. This Fashionisto knows what he is doing and is showing off his confidence through his hair and rad style. Do you think he is ready to take on whatever his future has in store? I think so.

ALL IN THE DETAILS: Color Your Layers

In college, men and women are both trying to find themselves. They experiment and see what they like and what they don’t like. Part of that is finding their own personal style. This Fashionisto has a unique style that will catch your eye no matter where you are going on campus. What is it about his outfit that catches your eye? Is it his pants, shoes, or even shirt? It is what he chooses to pair with all these items and the colors he chooses to wear.

For starters, he chose to wear a pair of ripped blue jeans. An item that will look good with almost any piece you put with them. They create a more casual look. He wears a red T-shirt which adds a brighter color to an outfit that consists mostly of neutral colors. With the cold weather he wants to layer up. He wears a black sweater to add some extra warmth. It also adds a layer to his outfit and some variance with his shirt. Adding the gray jacket makes the look feel complete and adds some more color. If he were just wearing the T-shirt, the outfit would feel incomplete like it was missing a necklace or a sweater. To finish off the look, he wears a pair of tan work boots.

He is not only ready for the cold weather but is comfortable and looks stylish. As the weather gets warmer, being able to layer will get harder as the heat will restrict how many layers you can have. When it starts to get warmer, it is still possible to look good with layers. Adding lighter layers will be the key. To substitute the sweater and jacket, add a flannel over the T-shirt or a jean jacket over the T-shirt. Both of the pieces add color and a more complete look to the Fashionisto’s outfit.

WHAT TO WEAR: Night Out on the Town

When it comes to occasions, there are certain outfits and styles that work better than others. This particular outfit is perfect for an array of occasions. It is more of a dressed up look than a casual one. While it could work for class or just meeting a friend for lunch, this outfit is perfect for a date night or a night out with the girls. It is casual but is still classy.

Let’s break down her look. She is wearing a pair of black skinny jeans. This is an item every girl should have in her closet, because black skinny jeans are great for every occasion. She wears a black-and-white flowery top. Since the jeans are close-fitting, adding the loose-fitting top is the ultimate combination. With a lot of black and white, a bit of color will make the outfit pop. She then adds a red jacket to add some color. The jacket, along with the shirt, make the outfit more formal. The jacket also makes the outfit more edgy. To make this outfit complete for her night out, she adds a pair of heeled booties and a black purse.

Who doesn’t love a night out? Any time I find an excuse to dress up, I dress up. With Valentine’s Day in February, this month is filled with excuses. This look is perfect for a night out with friends or a date with a special someone. Along with the cute outfit, her hair and makeup is done to complete the look. She is sure to turn heads no matter where she goes!

STYLE ADVICE: Sweater and Jacket Weather

In Chicago, if you want to be inspired by fashion, all you have to do is walk out your door. Fashion is everywhere and there are so many individuals with their own unique style. This winter, long down coats, in addition to a sweater on underneath, have been a major trend. The most significant reason being they are warm. Winters in the Midwest are brutal and when it comes to the trendy city of Chicago, the locals are looking for stylish clothes that will keep them warm.

This trendsetting college student is wearing her favorite color to wear, black, which is also a color that can make any person look very sleek and sophisticated. She pairs a leather legging with knee-high black boots, creating a more dressy look. To make the outfit more casual, she adds a gray sweater. The sweater adds more color to the look and adds warmth while going out in the cold weather. For accessories, this Fashionista adds layered necklaces to enhance the look visually. To make the outside bearable, she adds a black down jacket to complete the look.

If you want to stay warm and be stylish, add a sweater to your look before you put on the winter jacket. You will not only stay warm but will be a trendsetter on the streets. There are so many kinds of sweaters, find the one that suits your style. Also, layering a couple of necklaces and adding them to your outfit is always a great choice, no matter what season. Layered necklaces can be worn with almost any outfit.

STYLE GURU BIO: Mikala Renda

Hello! My name is Mikala Renda, and I am a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago. I am double majoring in fashion business and public relations. Other than fashion, some of my interests include running, reading, photography, modeling, exploring, music, and spending time with the people that I care about the most. This is my third semester with CollegeFashionista. Each semester seems to be better than the last so I cannot wait to see what this semester holds!

Fashion is a form of art. It allows individuals to express themselves with their own unique style. It brings confidence to men and women all around the world. If I ever have a big interview or I am nervous about something, I put on a great outfit and my confidence goes up. That is what makes fashion so special, it allows individuals to be individuals. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by creative minds and inspiring individuals every day.

In this look I have on a pink sweater with a black trench coat. Both pieces of clothing dress the outfit up a bit. To make sure the outfit is more casual, I added a pair of skinny black jeans with black hunter boots. To top off the look, I layered a heart necklace I acquired from my grandma and a colorful bib style necklace. This is a great outfit for everyday activities with it being comfortable and fashionable.

I am active on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I post updates on my work with CollegeFashionista regularly on these sites. I have the links on my profile if there is any interest in seeing more of my work. Always strive to be an individual. Let’s have a great semester!

ALL IN THE DETAILS: Layer Upon Layer

With December comes cold weather in the Midwest. This college student is all bundled up to face the brutal weather. In Chicago, you must become accustomed to walking everywhere, so clothes that are warm in the winter season are a part of any Chicagoan’s wardrobe. However, she wanted to do it fashionably and that she did.

The notorious, brutal, Chicago cold has set in, so it is time to bring out the winter jackets that have been sitting in the closet for months. One of the trendiest styles for women this winter season are long coats. She is wearing a long, gray coat with a flannel on underneath, to not only keep warm, but to show off her plaid. Plaid is a popular choice for the fall and winter months especially and has a cozy and casual feel to it. It is the perfect addition to any outfit during the winter months.

Winter makes it difficult to showcase great style with all the layers required to stay warm. It is not stopping this Fashionista. She pairs a graphic T-shirt with black, high-waisted skinny jeans to show of her hipster style. Her black converse are an excellent addition to her outfit but to add a pop of color and keep her feet warm, she incorporated boot socks. Boot socks of any color and style are a way to make any fall or winter outfit more fashionable. It will never be a wrong choice during the cold months.

I’d say she is rocking her cold weather attire, don’t you?