Caroline Vazzana: A Fashion Blogger Who Follows Her Heart Rather Than Trends
Caroline Vazzana’s relationship with fashion started at a very young age. Drawn to art throughout her childhood, she says that her love of art quickly turned into her passion for fashion and design, “I’ve always been a creative person and then as I got a little older I discovered fashion, I realized that in fashion design you could use art.” While she had this realization as a young child, it was not until her second semester in college that Caroline saw how she could pursue her love for art, fashion, and design in real life, inspiring her to include fashion merchandising in her studies: “I was able to design my own track and then that’s when I started exploring other options in the industry, like working as a buyer or as a stylist.”
“It’s not about instant success. It’s about really loving [the fashion industry] and giving it your all.”
After college Caroline found a job at InStyle, a women’s magazine based in New York. It was in those offices that her title of the “modern-day Carrie Bradshaw” was born. “I was always wearing very colorful, eclectic outfits, and I always had an affinity for Manolo Blahniks,” Caroline recalls, “and someone in the office was like ‘She’s just like Carrie Bradshaw!’” To her, this was the highest compliment she could have possibly received. Soon, other magazines and publications that she spoke to branded her as a modern-day Carrie, and so the title stuck. Caroline loved Carrie’s style: most notably her ability to be a chameleon, in the sense that Carrie would wear something one day and something totally different the next day. Caroline feels very similarly about her own style, “You look at people and you know what their aesthetic is, and I feel like with me I wear a lot of different things. One day I’m in jeans and the next day I’m in a ball gown.” Caroline also happens to know Patricia Fields, the stylist from Sex and the City, well. About a year ago, pre-COVID, Fields was coming out with a new nameplate called “Carrie 2.0” and she asked Caroline to be the face of the campaign. Caroline was honored by Fields’s offer, “I’m a huge fan of Sex and the City, just like almost every other girl that moves to New York City and works in New York City is, so I definitely find inspiration from Carrie and her wardrobe choices. [Being called a modern-day Carrie Bradshaw] is definitely flattering, and I feel very lucky when people make the comparison.”
Going off of Carrie Bradshaw’s ability to be a chameleon when it came to fashion, Caroline tends to dress to her mood rather than what is trendiest that season. She emphasizes how she does not allow trends to dictate her wardrobe, “For instance, if minimalism is trending I don't change my aesthetic or change my wardrobe. I know some people completely do, and that's great. I just always really stick to what I like and always stay true to myself.” Rather than letting trends guide her when she is getting dressed, Caroline says that it is her emotions that greatly influence her style choices, “I always say I’m an emotional dresser, so I dress based on how I’m feeling that day. I think to myself, ‘Am I in a yellow mood? Am I in a pink mood? Am I in a sequins mood?’ I definitely feel like my clothing dictates my mood, and that’s why I love bright colors and prints because that makes me happy personally.” For her, getting dressed in the morning is like experimenting in the process of creating art.
Caroline describes her creative process as being 24/7, confessing that she keeps a notebook next to her bed so she can jot down new ideas just in case they come about at a weird hour. Constantly and consistently thinking about fashion, she is fueled by her love for her job. Caroline’s advice for young people who are trying to find their way into the fashion industry follows a similar pattern: “You need to work hard and stay dedicated. I think if this past year has taught me anything it’s that you gotta stick with it. When quarantine started a year ago, I had just come off a very busy fashion week where I was traveling in Europe, and I was going to a ton of events, and my brain really revolved around in-person events, so I really had to readjust.” While her job last year looked very different from her day-to-day today, she’s continued to try new things, using this time to focus on expanding to new social media platforms and learning how to edit video content. “I feel like every day I'm just challenging myself to keep moving forward. I want to continue enjoying the process and enjoying the ride even if it is just from home,” Caroline says. For her, that sort of perseverance and dedication is what the fashion industry is all about. She continues, “It’s not about instant success. It’s about really loving this industry and giving it your all.”
Caroline and I finish our conversation by circling back to what she has been reiterating throughout our entire conversation, which is the importance of doing what works for you. In response to my question about which clothing pieces she would feel happy wearing for the rest of her life, she says, “Okay, so two things. If I had to wear one thing for the rest of my life, it would have to be chic, but it would have to be comfortable. So I would pick a pair of high-waisted, wide-leg trousers, like Emerald green high-waisted pants or this light pink pair I have that are a suit material. I would wear them with a printed, really colorful button-down blouse that I could tuck in and then depending on the season, maybe a jacket on top. I wanna say I would wear heels, probably Manolo Blahnik kitten heels.” Caroline’s commitment to preserving her individuality is an inspiring reminder that following trends is not what makes a person stylish, but rather what makes a person chic is their boldness and confidence in expressing who they are however they want, regardless of what others may think.
STORY SOPHIE MONTALBAN
PHOTOS CAROLINE VAZZANA