Looking around at the students and faculty at Moorpark College, those that spend some time on their outfits tend to stand out against the pajama-wearing bedheads.
Karen Choi, 28, is an adjunct Journalism professor at Moorpark College that sits among the reign of the aesthetically elite by setting a high precedent on everyday wear in a professional landscape.
Preppy punk; American design; traditional Americana; skinny jeans and leather jackets. These are but a few ways Choi defines her style.
She sits across from me speaking with an easy-going fluency, both thoughtful and sophisticated.
Choi is Korean and was born and raised in Northridge. She has a B.A. from UCLA in Political Science and holds a Masters from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, where she focused on online journalism.
Currently, she is an editor for a Korean fashion blog, SS Project Korea, that is about to launch a hybrid of a mall and magazine this summer. To her publication, she brings LA street-style and trends that connect with other writers and editors around the world in order to construct a global thread of fashion.
Choi’s ethnic background factors into how she conceptually perceives fashion insofar as she sees the youth as more courageous in the way that they are making statements through fashion. It allows for what she calls “fashion serendipity,” a way to pull from strangers’ styles by walking in cities and picking up on details or ideas that are nice but one would never think of.
“I look at blogs but I’m more inspired by city-street style,” said Choi when asked what she is most influenced by. “I like to see the way they put things together. I think that’s more inspirational.”
It is not just in her interest to be suave, but comes with the nature of her work.
“It forces me to be more observant,” said Choi. “A true fashion icon has to look at a lot of things and decide what is right for you, what is nice, what works for you, what is admirable. [You have] to try out different things to decide what your sense of style.”
After noticing her black nail polish, she explains her standard is strictly black or white and goes on to say, “Staple items should be monochromatic. Black and white matches everything. Monochromatic is in for spring, along with floral.”
This gem of insight comes from a woman who reports LA fashion – a heads up for any scouring for fashion tips.
We conclude the interview with perhaps my favorite question: What is the most important part of an outfit?
“Confidence,” Choi says smiling. “It always matches everything. It is the smartest and most sophisticated thing you can wear.”
