By CAMILLE GASSER and RACHEL JANE INSULL
CASA GRANDE HIGH SCHOOL

For many people, getting dressed in the morning is no more than a meaningless ritual, done out of habit and necessity. But for Casa Grande junior Valentina Gomez, choosing clothes is an adventure of fashion and self-expression that changes from day to day.
Despite her passion for constructing an outfit, Gomez believes she is unable to pin down a specific style.
“My style is always changing — it’s basically whatever I feel like wearing in the morning,” she said. “Sometimes it’s funky and dark, and other times it’s ’50s.”
No matter what mood Gomez’s clothes embody, she always makes a point to set trends and be distinctive in her choice to resist the flow of fashion.
“I get a lot of my inspiration from different runway collections,” she said. “In particular I love Louis Vuitton and his extremely classic look. I also love Valentino because his designs are really romantic and feminine.”
With these top designers as her inspiration, Gomez is able to combine their looks with looks from other sources.
“I like to pick and choose different styles from magazines like Elle and Vogue Italia because they usually seem to be ahead of standard fashion,” she said.
Even with a taste for luxurious styles, Gomez has developed the skill of imitating couture designs with pieces from less extravagant stores.
“I shop a lot at Goodwill, thrift stores and Forever 21 — really wherever I can buy cheap clothes,” Gomez said. “Also, when I go traveling, like when I went to Europe, I always buy a bunch of new clothes.”
Gomez’s sister, sophomore Laura Gomez, has grown very familiar with Valentina’s sense of style.
“I think her style is pretty classy,” Laura said. “She tries to dress really high scale and looks at a lot of fashion blogs. She’s very comfortable with herself, so sometimes the style is outgoing too.”
Another student observing Valentina around campus would probably take note of her frequent choice to wear elegant, high-heeled shoes — a choice that many other female students tend to shy away from.
“I think shoes are the deciding factor in a look because they each have their own style,” she said.
Of course, footwear is not the only element to a fashionable look. Valentina also notes several other key pieces of her wardrobe.
“Other than shoes, I think my favorite pieces of a look are either good skirts or good bags that I could wear everyday,” she said. “I feel like people today rely on pants too much. Skirts are better because they’re an invitation to dress nicely, and I love how bags have a lot of intricate detail.”
Although Laura may agree with such advice, she admits her taste doesn’t always agree with her sister’s.
“Sometimes we disagree about different outfits. Valentina has one fedora that she wears that just doesn’t sit right with me,” she said. “Generally, we don’t give each other fashion advice though because it usually leads to fighting.”
While personal opinions may cause a difference in preferences, Valentina’s advice on what not to wear should still be considered.
“I would tell others to stay away from sweats and pullovers — you never know how your day is going to go,” she said, “You wouldn’t want your favorite celebrity to see you looking like you just got out of bed.”