Hometown Kid

Whenever I fly back to Ohio from college, I always tend to appreciate the idea of a home a little different each time. I have learned in the past year that you come home to people, not places. I have a home at Seton Hall, I have a home in Castelvetro, I have a home in Detroit (where I just went on a mission trip), and I have a home in Springfield. These places all qualify as "home" for me because I have also realized that home is where you feel loved, but also where you have a lot of love to give. Last weekend, I came back for Easter to the last home I mentioned, my hometown of Springfield. Whenever I am back in town for a few days, I always try to make the most of time by doing everything and seeing everyone I love. This list usually consists of:

1. Going to Casa (best Mexican food ever)

2. Volunteering at the Springfield Soup Kitchen

3. Spending an afternoon in Yellow Springs at Dino's and perusing the local boutiques

4. Sipping on a iced white carmellow mocha at Winan's

5.) And lastly, going to the local farmer's market on Saturday

Thankfully, I was able to spend Saturday afternoon at the farmer's market with Sophie, a friendship that goes back to daycare in 2002. Here we are 16 years later, where we have accumulated quite the travel stories, groovy tastes in style and music, and independent, bohemian spirits.

Here is a documentation of west coast and east coast college gals being locals for a day in the Midwest city we call home.

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From spending a summer in Nice to studying French in school, Sophie, in my opinion, has mastered the French style. When I think of French and Parisian street-wear, I immediately think of effortlessly chic where if you looked at the outfit you couldn't tell if it took five minutes or a whole hour to put together. Either way, it looks FABULOUS. In this outfit, Sophie is wearing three French wardrobe staples: fitted jeans, a trench coat, and shoes with just the right amount of heel. All of these scream timeless because this look will never go out of style. With each staple being a neutral color, the styling possibilities are endless.

**Disclaimer: the baguette was not planned, but most definitely fulfills the French aesthetic.

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While Sophie is oh so french-chic, my style specifically has recently leaned more towards a simple T-shirt, booties or Stan Smiths, and denim combo with a nice jacket, or a cozy sweater. I also have said goodbye to bright colors and have my pink long moto jacket be my only pop of color. Coincidence this happened as soon as I moved to a school 30 minutes away from the city? I think not. I have realized that it is nice just to have a similar “uniform” to wear every day, rather than wearing a different article of clothing everyday of the month. This used to be my way of thinking almost all throughout high school, and it was not good! I constantly felt like I needed more clothes, and I wouldn’t pay attention to quality. Nowadays, I usually shop at small, local boutiques with the occasional shopping trips to malls. Small, local boutiques are amazing for that one piece that one can wear everyday, but has that little extra edge to it that you wouldn't be able to find at a corporate store.

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Our little French inspired picnic outside Mother Stewart's was so fun! If only Dunkin at school can have croissants as good as the almond one we shared.... In this look I am wearing a Banana Republic t-shirt, which is probably THE softest and most comfortable I have ever owned, A&F high-rise denim jeans, and my new suede booties I just got from Wildflower in Yellow Springs! With all three of these pieces, I can wear them during any season, and I can dress them up or down however much I want to! I am convinced one can build a whole wardrobe if they have jeans, booties, and a solid t-shirt.

Here's to one last summer of a being a hometown kid.

As the mastermind Ed Sheeran sings:

"And I've not seen the roaring fields in so long,

I know I've grown, but I can't wait go home."

-RR