We didn't have to look very hard to find Jamie Hwang '10. As a matter of fact, it's hard to miss her. She is often seen sporting a bright red peacoat with an equally vibrant personality to match. Her long curly hair perfectly frames her face and draws your attention to the beautiful smile that hardly ever leaves her face. Jamie's fashion inspirations are constantly changing. When she first came to Dartmouth she often wore outfits that were completely black and white.
"People started saying I didn't wear any color...and that I looked 25!" she said.
Upon this epiphany she began to branch out from her monotone by coupling a solid base with color accents. Her conservative use of color probably comes from her experience in elementary school and junior high when she first started experimenting with fashion. Jamie said she fell ill to every poor fashion trend that swept the nation throughout the '90s, but what's worse is that she wore all of them at once.
She described herself as "over trendy" in those earlier years.
"I tried to wear outfits with every single trend of the moment and I just ended up looking like a hot mess," she said.
Jamie said she never cared what people said about her look she was and is an individual. Regardless of her occasional fashion faux pas, she had the guts to take risks like any true fashionista and she always wore her outfits with confidence.In reference to her days of terrifying tween fashion she said she was confident in her style, "I thought I'm so hot right now!'" As she grew older, however, she toned down her style quite a bit.
"Now I'm a minimalist," she laughed. "I work with one thing and build from that rather than combining everything."
Jamie said she now looks elsewhere for inspiration. She's not ashamed to say that the wardrobes of many fabulous celebrities affect her own. From Rhianna to Rachel Bilson, Jamie is always searching for ideas. She admitted that she used to have an addiction to celebrity weekly magazine.
"I used to sit in Barnes and Noble and look at pictures for hours," she said, "US, OK, Star, People anything really."
She laughed and added that she's currently trying to kick the habit.
Jamie said she is most proud of her self-proclaimed title of "Bargain Queen." This monarch has quite an eye for low prices. She inherited this skill from her mother who through many years of joint-shopping experiences, taught her the tricks to shopping efficiently.
"When I first walk into a store I go directly for the clearance racks, but only the tasteful things," she said. "I rarely buy things for full price."
Most recently, for example, Jamie found a 95 cent shirt at Old Navy, that was on sale in the clearance section, reduced from it's original price of $30.
As any good Queen does, Jamie not only takes time perfecting her economic wardrobe, but also focuses her eyes abroad. This summer she will be returning to Ethiopia where she spent her Spring term working with children in alternative orphan care systems. She worked on a poetry project with the older kids to offer a creative outlet. She then spent her past Summer term in Tanzania designing arts curricula similar to the ones she designs here in the Upper Valley through Student Teachers for the Arts.
Jamie said she has big dreams for her future role in the international community.
"My goal is to restructure the education system in East Africa," she said. "That's the vision."
Jamie Hwang's individuality and sense of self radiates through every aspect of her personality. As the reigning bargain queen, take her advice if you want to shop on a budget in these trying times. Jamie recommends hitting some of her favorite stores like Forever 21 and Gap, where she does most of her hunting.
"I also go to Tar-zhay," referred to as the masses by Target, "and Old Navy because you can find hidden treasures there," she said.
We are even more impressed with Jamie's wardrobe knowing that the expensive designer look she creates can be constructed in an economical fashion. Well done Ms. Hwang. We appreciate your individuality. As For the rest of you, we'll be on the lookout. You never know; you could be next. If you see fashionable people on campus that you think deserve to be applauded, blitz DMStyle. We'd love your help keeping Dartmouth fashionable!
