Nalgenes and Nordstrom

Walking through the School of Public Health's atrium this morning, I remembered one of the things I loved about UNC - everyone was so different from up North in the sense that they just seemed more relaxed, more....outdoorsy. And for the most part, that's true. In undergrad, no one wore sweats to class unless they were Abercrombie - and even then, it was usually on a friday, after a night of partying at the frats. It wasn't unusual for people to get dressed for class. And I mean, DRESSED. I never really thought anything of it. But here, it's Patagonia instead of Prada, North Face instead of Neiman Marcus, and Chacos instead of Jimmy Choos. And it's so refreshing. I'm aware that many people's undergrad experiences aren't like mine. I went to a very small, private, homogenous Northeastern college.....but I loved every minute of it. So while I love wearing jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers to class, I do sometimes wish my classmates loved fashion and shopping as much as I do. I get excited about sales at Nordstrom, they get excited about sales at REI. And I love REI, don't get me wrong - but I wish people knew who I was talking about when I mention Luella Bartley and Marc Jacobs. 

I'm usually a casual girl - I never wear heels, and my usual uniform involves jeans. But I do love my bags and shoes. I love reading fashion magazines and getting ideas for outfits, etc. So it's interesting that sometimes I wish NC were more like NY in that way.