Growing up on the eastern shore of Maryland, the closest place to shop was the nearby outlets. There, you could pick up your general t-shirts, jeans and polos thanks to stores like LL Bean, Old Navy and Bass. If you wanted something trendier like Abercrombie or Hollister, you’d have to travel almost an hour to the nearest mall.
When I was in high school, the complex got a huge makeover, bringing in designer stores like Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. However, there was one place in particular that changed the game for me completely: BCBG.
BCBG became my guide of sorts through the transition of small town teenager to young metropolitan adult. Just like most BCBG admirers, it started with a homecoming dress. Nothing too crazy, just a knee-length black halter dress. Then, little by little, I started to stock up– a simple top I could pair with black jeans here, a sweater I’d wear to school there. Before I knew it, BCBG esthetic became my esthetic.
I’ll admit, it wasn’t always a smooth ride. The 2000’s were an awkward time for teenage style, or really any style for that matter (Remember how Kim Kardashian looked back then?!). At first I didn’t always know how to wear my BCBG pieces. There were some pretty poor pairings I regret, some scarfs and hats I wished I’d never purchased from other stores. But the more time I spent in the store, the more I learned how to create the style the I was craving.
" It took me from an awkward teenager in a homecoming dress to confused college student in a party top to ambitious intern in a black blazer to the young New York woman I am today.
It was during those many trips to the outlet store where I finally learned how to put together a clean, chic outfit. It taught me that clothes can be both sexy and sophisticated at the same time. And just like a true New Yorker, it helped prove that black will always be the new black.
Since discovering my love for BCBG, it has dressed me for some of my life’s biggest events. It’s been worn to first days working at dream magazines; to fairy tale weddings in New York, DC and Ireland; and to countless amounts of parties I’ll never forget.
In old news, brick and mortar BCBG's no longer exist. Therefore, no other young, small-town girl will have the opportunity to experience a similar coming-of-age with this place that felt so important to me. BCBG took me from an awkward teenager in a homecoming dress to confused college student in a party top to ambitious intern in a black blazer to the young New York woman I am today.
I don’t think it’s an over-exaggeration to say that BCBG’s style completely shaped my young-adult, metropolitan style. It might have even helped inspire me to create the New York City life I’m lucky enough to be living.