An "I" For Fashion: Finding Identity Through Clothes

First guest Sophie York talks all things confidence, comfort and expressing herself.

“I was so uninterested in fashion and I was all about comfort… seams felt like the worst thing in the world… so I just said nope I won’t do it”.

That’s Sophie York recalling her upbringing as a fashionista. Looking at her today, you’d never guess the fashion struggles she faced as a kid. Throughout the majority of her childhood, however, she really, really hated wearing most clothes. From uncomfortable fabrics to seams down the side of pants, anything slightly irritating to her ever so sensitive skin just would not cut it. So for years she ignored her love for fashion unless it completely aligned with her number one priority: to not be itched.

Sophie, the self-proclaimed “free spirit”, is from a small town called Avon Lake, Ohio (definitely not a place most “free spirit” fashionistas come from). There were times throughout Sophie’s early life where her free-spirited nature showed through her clothes- like when she wore fur lined snow boots all year round, purchased the wildest hats on the market (and wore them constantly), opted for cheetah print over anything…always, or kept the same nightgown until it turned into a belly-shirt simply because it was comfortable. But for the most part, she never had many reasons to “go crazy with fashion” because that wasn’t typical in her social circles. Instead, most of her peers turned to the basic suburban wardrobe of UGG boots and leggings every. Single. Day. The overwhelming mundanity and constant comparison about who looked the best in their virtually identical outfits made fashion an oftentimes undesirable venture for Sophie. That and the fact that she had an extremely hard time waking up in the mornings (emphasis on extremely. Trust me, as her sister and built-in chauffeur, I was the one late to school because of it).

But growing up in this setting just might have been the push she needed to expand her fashion horizons. In fact, she credits growing up in a small town for her “want to stand out more, and therefore making maybe more ‘bold’ fashion choices”. She soon became interested in showing off what fashion meant to her because “it expresses who you are without saying it out loud”. In many ways, Sophie found fashion a way to be comfortably herself. So even though her journey with clothes wasn’t always easy, “looking cool” and standing out was something Sophie started to focus on.

As mentioned before, Sophie did have a few experiences in her early life that kept her interest in fashion afloat, even if she wasn’t able to use it day-to-day. Her first insight into the real world of capital F Fashion came when she visited New York City for the first time.

“When I was maybe 7 or 8 there was a trip where me and my family went to New York. I had the wildest outfit on; I mean fur lined clogs, pink pants, cheetah print jacket… the whole look. That’s probably when I first was like ‘wow okay, I wanna do this more’”.

Since then, Sophie’s style has shifted a lot. From grunge to girly and everywhere in between, Sophie has had a fashion phase stopping at each point. Today, Sophie’s number one fashion icon is none other than Rihanna. Not because they dress similarly, but because of the attitude Rihanna gives off. It’s more about the confidence, the control, the undeniable beauty… something Sophie hasn’t always felt within herself.

Over the years, Sophie has bit by bit come into her own confidence through a uniquely-her sense of style… “I would define my style as bohemian with a little bit of edge”, she says. But really, her fashion influences are “all over the place… [she loves] to be the girl people look at and say ‘wow she looks cool’”. And thanks to that early trip to NYC, dressing like a “[New York] native” is always in the back of Sophie’s mind.

“I would definitely say [clothes] are expressive. I wear what I wear depending on my mood, it really depends, but it’s definitely a creative outlet for me”.

That’s Sophie York recalling her journey through fashion. From finding confidence to exploring like the free-spirit she is, fashion has become a way for her to express herself despite the struggles it has brought her in the past. More than anything, Sophie’s biggest piece of advice-

“do not be afraid to be crazy with what you wear. It’s not always bad to stick out, it’s a fun time to truly express yourself”.

From the little girl who wouldn’t even look in the direction of a pair of jeans (way too stiff!), fashion has surprisingly been a way out. A way out of the boring, a way out of the typical, a way out of feeling stuck. Fashion for Sophie has been a way in to finding herself- through trial and tribulation, her eye for fashion has been created.