Style: Melanie in Rhode Island

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Introduce yourself?

M: Hi everyone! I’m Melanie, I’m 21, I’m from Miami, and I study illustration in Rhode Island. I’m also a fashion blogger. My favorite color is green and I’m obsessed with my German Shepherd!

What is your style philosophy?
M: I’m interested in discovering the true depths of personal style. I’m a little anti-trend in that I don’t try to cop looks of the runway just to be on-trend or relevant, but if I do really enjoy something I may let myself indulge. I’m entirely a wear whatever I like type of person.

How would you describe your sense of style?
M: My style is one part girl power, one part edgy, and one part comfort. Of course shoes don’t always count for that last part. Black is a huge part of my wardrobe as I feel like it has such a great ability to balance out and then finish off an outfit.

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What is your process of deciding what to wear in the morning?
M: If I want to be on time in the morning, my process starts the night before! I start with picking one piece I want to style around–usually a statement top or bottom and on occasion a piece of jewelry or new shoes or something I have yet to wear. Then I figure out what proportions the outfit needs to look finished. If it’s a fitted crop top, I often pair it with something loose or if its a short dress I might pair it with combat boots. I don’t have a strict AM or PM wardrobe…it all mixes together for any time of day and how you accessorize it decides on it being time-of-day appropriate. Usually I can go out in what I was wearing earlier in the day and not look strange. Lastly, jewelry is usually an afterthought for me.

What are the three favorite things in your closet?
M: Its so hard to pick a favorite but I guess based on how frequently I wear these items, I can’t live without my Miista ‘May’ heeled chelsea boots (they’re an awesome London-based shoe brand that everyone should know about!), my Levi’s denim jacket that I thrifted in Barcelona (its super sentimental) with sleeves too short for my long arms, and my leather backpack from ASOS (it fits my laptop and camera but is still really compact!).

What are some of your favorite shops/websites for clothes, shoes and accessories?
M: I’m a die-hard American Apparel kinda girl. I’m also in love with Nasty Gal, Miss KL, Dolls Kill, and Wasteland.

How long have you been natural?
M: I’ve been natural for 2 1/2 years.

How and why did you transition into natural hair?
M: My oldest sister went natural and my other sister and I were like, “What is she doing? She’s such a hippie!” She’s super vegan, grows her own vegetables, drives a Prius, and things of that nature so we thought this was another one of her weird moments. Then we saw how awesome her curls were. My other sister hopped on and I followed suit a few months after that. It turns out we all have completely different hair types, though, so it wasn’t quite what we imagined it’d be but here we all are, nearly 3 years later! I never did a big chop but I had my stylist cut my hair in like, 3-inch increments every 6 months since I wasn’t ready to lose length.

What is your signature hairstyle?
M: Curly or straight, my hair is usually worn down and parted to one side.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
M: I basically have only two modes. Curly lasts me 2 days before the next day of conditioning and applying mousse. I can get 3-4 days of straight hair and I only recently started squeezing an extra day out of my hair by wearing a ponytail. I shampoo only between wearing my hair curly or straight to cleanse product buildup. My curly hair weapon of choice is Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse and I can’t beat Miami’s humidity without Living Proof’s Straight Spray.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
M: Yup! You can find me at RadicalDarling.com.

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