ODU Student Dresses Up Her Resume as Writer for College Fashion Blog
As an Old Dominion University fashion merchandising major, Amber Bennafield loves to get dressed up, to accessorize, to mix and match outfits.
But surprisingly, she's just as comfortable in a pair of jeans and an ODU sweatshirt.
Instead of pursuing fashion merchandising with an English minor, the 20-year-old rising junior from Newport News almost decided to go for a degree in sport management so that she could become a sports agent.
"I love, love football, but I also love fashion," Bennafield says of her decision to major in fashion. "It came down to the shoes, the clothes, the cute outfits versus tackling and sweaty guys. I made the right choice, I think," she laughs.
Her dad, William Reid, a contractor in Newport News, wasn't so sure she should make fashion her major. But she's hoping that her recent opportunity to write for the website College Fashion (http://www.collegefashion.net/) will help change her father's mind.
Bennafield was one of 15 student writers from across North America selected to write for the website's blog, which will no doubt look good on her resume once she graduates and begins her career in fashion.
The College Fashion blog, which is targeted to female college students, features fashion tips, the latest fashion trends, beauty tips, online sale updates, ruminations on college life and style advice for 20-somethings.
The site aims to deliver content and foster discussion around fashion, relationships, lifestyle, trends, shopping, beauty products and other facets of college life.
Founded in 2007 by 22-year-old Zephyr Basine from her college dorm room, College Fashion now features fashion tips from Bennafield and other student writers, representing such schools as Ohio State University, the University of Southern California and the University of Missouri.
Bennafield has written profiles of designers Betsey Johnson and Alexander McQueen among her blog entries.
For Bennafield, it fits into her dream of doing the two things she loves - paying attention to fashion-related trends and writing about them.
Someday, she would love to be the editor of a fashion magazine in New York City, knowing full well she would face the same difficult environment as the beleaguered junior staffers in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada."
"I'm ready for it. I love that movie," Bennafield says.
Being a student at Old Dominion makes her perfectly positioned to write about fashion, Bennafield believes. "This school is so diverse. There literally are students from all over the world, and they bring their taste and traditions with them."
Describing her fashion style as "somewhere between comfortable and chic," Bennafield says students can have a great sense of fashion without spending a pile of money. "A lot of the same good-quality items are available in secondhand stores or thrift stores. You don't have to pay for expensive labels."
But Bennafield adds a caution - the quality of the material is important. "Generally, something in a clothing store is cheap for a reason. You don't want to buy something only to have it fall apart on you."