Growing up, Aleigha Larrondo was always the one family and friends turned to when in need of fashion advice.
It’s something the 2006 Oregon State Fashion Merchandising graduate still loves to do, just now for a few thousand more friends.
In 2011 Larrondo decided to see if she could help others create their own personal style and started MyFashionistaStyle.com. Two years and nearly 8,000 YouTube subscribers later, Larrondo’s made a name for herself as someone with a key eye for style and knowledge of the industry.
http://youtu.be/m8aTOe7adso
Now that social media success has helped her earn a spot on the Portland Fashion Week Style Collective, a group of Portland fashion industry influencers invited to cover the event and given VIP access to shows and the designers themselves.
“Helping women, and providing support and inspiration to those lost in the fashion madness, are why I do what I do,” Larrondo said. “Oregon State’s degree really helped me gain such an understanding of the fashion world and how things are directed and made.”
That understanding helped her make one of her favorite videos, “Size is Just a Number.”
Larrondo used her knowledge of the fashion industry and the manufacturing and marketing of garments to explain the sizing system in women’s fashion. She explained how women could use that information to buy clothes that fit and looked better.
She’ll bring that perspective to her time at Portland Fashion week, which runs Sept. 12-14 at the Portland Convention Center, with events around the city Sept. 15-20.
Larrondo wrote she “just about hit the floor” when told of her selection for the collective, in part because of a new feature of the event.
This year’s Portland Fashion Week will be the first to have plus-sized and “Sample Sized” models walking the same runways and not in separate shows.
“This means it won’t be specific shows for Plus Size, then regular — it’s going to be mixed,” Larrondo said. “I think diversity is what makes life beautiful — in all capacities and genres. So this is an industry first, and I will be witnessing it from the front row!”
Larrondo will also be partnering with plus-size clothing line Lane Bryant during the event, including a meet-and-greet at the Cascade Station Lane Bryant Sept. 18.
You can follow all of Larrondo’s Portland Fashion Week experiences at MyFashionistaStyle.com, her inspiration blog, YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.