On Halloween, senior Kristen Paul rummaged through her closet, searching for her Harry Styles costume. She planned to wear earrings inspired by Styles’ album cover of “Fine Line,” and matched her outfit to the colors of his clothes on the album cover.

Styles’ played a big part in Paul’s love for fashion.

“I love the colorful and funky patterns he wears,” Paul said. “I just love his bold statements. [Even his] casual streetwear outfits, I like. I think his comfortability with his ability to mix feminine and masculine style is amazing.”

Paul really started caring about the development of her style in her sophomore year of high school.

“Since freshman year, I’ve grown more confident in my style and am more okay with wearing whatever I want to wear and not wearing what all my friends are wearing,” Paul said. “At the beginning of high school, I wore a lot of solid colored t-shirts and plain skinny jeans. I’ve branched out to more colors, patterns, and trousers, slacks, and skirts.”

Paul is heading to Miami to further her education at Florida International University, where her style can develop even further.

“My style is really indescribable,” Paul said. “ I dress all over the place. It depends on my mood and my laziness level. I like to wear seventies style, streetwear, just whatever I’m feeling, but the city-night lifestyle is my favorite.”

The young fashionista intends to major in business and carry her love for fashion all the way to the industry itself.

“I’ve always been told to work in a field you love,” Paul said. “I hope to work in the business side of the fashion side of the industry. Business and fashion go hand and hand. I hope to work for [luxury brands] and even smaller brands to learn more about the industry from people who have truly experienced it.”

By stepping into the industry herself, Paul is taking her fashion motto with her.

“I’m a big advocate for wearing what you want,” Paul said. “That stranger that is staring at you in the grocery store doesn’t matter. Some people might be intimidated because your style doesn’t match theirs. You never know who you pass by that think to themselves ‘That looks so good on them.’”

Paul’s ability to branch out her outfits has allowed her personality to breathe more fully into her style.

“I would consider style and what I’ve actually been able to obtain in my closet are two different things,” Paul said. “My outfits aren’t normally as crazy or as different as my style, but I definitely think style tells a lot about someone’s personality. I have a lot of loud, colorful, and bold style choices and I’d say that’s reflected in my personality.”