Passion for fashion

With fashion territory are responsibilities, expectations and reputations to uphold.

Take for example Ashley Hunt, a senior mass communications major from Charlotte and a member of Mozik Modeling Troupe.

"The craziest thing I've ever worn has to be my bubble wrap outfit I had to wear for my Mozik Spirit Week."

Many of these people are considered eclectic with a high sense of fashion that dare to be different.

"A lot of people think I spend a lot of money on clothes, when in actuality, I spend on average $75 a month," said James Locks, a senior psychology major from Greenville.

On-campus students trying to uphold a certain look without organization and control can realize that it can become a lot to handle. Locks and Hunt both say that organizing on campus is all about spacing.

"You've got to know how to work with the space you're given," Hunt said.

James Madison University student, Mojan Nourbaksh, did just that by creating a catalog and bar code system for her personal closet. Nourbaksh is a sophomore media arts and design major from Vienna, Va.

"It became overwhelming," Nourbaksh said.

"I did not know what I did or did not have anymore."

Three years ago, Nourbaksh decided that ‘enough was enough' and took every article of clothing, every shoe and accessory out of her closet.

"It took the entire summer," Nourbaksh said.

She took a picture of every item, sorted and categorized them. Then she  uploaded the pictures onto her computer.

"My computer crashed because there were so many pictures, so I had to go out and buy a separate netbook just for my clothes' pictures," she said.

She labeled and processed all her shoes, handbags, belts, t-shirts, and jeans.

Next, she gave each section of her closet a corresponding alphabetical letter, A through Z.

Then, she placed every item back into the closet in separate sections and in color order.

Within each section, each item that is placed in the closet has an item number.

"Once I put them in that order in the closet, I went down each section and item and counted them, 1-2-3-4-5," Nourbaksh said.

On Nourbaksh's net book, each picture has the label description listed.

In her system [catalog and bar code], the picture, description, and code display on the net book, as well as in her hard copy portfolio.

While organization is time consuming and may require assistance, a person can find other ways to organize.

Hunt said that students living on campus should take advantage of the space available to them.

"The most important thing is to know where your things are, whether your clothes are on the floor or in the closet," Locks said.

Locks, Hunt and Nourbaksh all agree that self-control, money management, spacing and organization are all important factors of fashion.

Nourbaksh says she hopes to consult others about fashion and organizing. Friends consult her for assistance in organization frequently.

"Some of my instructors have asked me to come to their homes and help them," Nourbaksh said.