AUBG Has Its Own Eddie Sedgwick




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  • 2013-10-16 16:12:57
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Surely you've seen her around the AUBG campus - how can you have not? No, she hasn't come from the '60s with a time machine, but her graceful slim figure, stylish short hair and hanging earrings definitely reminded us of a certain retro IT Girl. Meet Alea Gardner, who despite her resemblance the notorious muse of Andy Warhol, Eddie Sedgwick, carries a unique flair of her own. Alea is in her second year of studies and is a transfer student from China. She moved there four years ago because of her father's job and ended up staying after her family left for the United States. She stayed with her Chinese teacher and managed to learn Chinese. Moreover, she went to a Chinese university for a year before deciding to transfer to AUBG because she needed an American diploma. Here at AUBG, Alea studies political science and international relations. She hasn't decided on a second major yet. Though being in AUBG is a big cultural transition for her, she is eager to try new things and experience everything Bulgarian culture has to offer.

It’s a lot different than China or the US or anything but I guess it’s closer to what I’m used to than the Chinese culture. Everything - the food, the language are things I’ve never tasted or heard before.

Alea's room is neat and cozy. You cannot find walls covered with girlish posters, but you can see items that are important to her. Like the green cloth on her wall that was bought by a friend from Israel or the lucky charm trinket hanging on her wardrobe, another gift enchantingly attracting luck and love.

In terms of clothes, Alea could not easily define her style as it is a mixture of what she likes and what she feels comfortable in.

Actually a lot of my style, I think comes from China. I don’t really dress in Chinese style at all, but because I lived there for so long, I bought a lot of my clothes there. And there were just things that I’d never seen in the US.

For Alea, this is a pretty typical outfit she would wear every day. She is not a fan of over the top details, but rather of bold colors and minimalistic patterns. Although she brought most of her clothes from China, the jeans in this outfit are an exception; she bought them in the US.

I don’t really know what kind of fashion I like; things that are unique or things that I don’t see other people wearing.

Here is another outfit Alea would choose for a day of out and about activities. Though she likes scarves very much, she has only two of them at AUBG. The scarf she chose for this particular outfit is special because it was brought from a small village in China.

For Alea, one of the most important features of an outfit is for it to be comfortable.She is a huge fan of sneakers exactly for this reason. The yellow pants from the photo are also among her favorite items.

I like yellow pants because... I don’t know, they’re just cool and yellow and they go with the blue scarf.

A lot of Alea's clothes were actually given to her. Some of them she bought in different countries, but a lot of them are gifts from her friends and her sister.

Alea does not like to overdo it with accessories either. She has her favorite rings that she rarely takes off, as any girl does, but in terms of everything else she prefers to keep it simple.

I wear a lot of earrings because my hair is very short, but not too many accessories. Pretty much the earrings or a necklace.

Stylish simplicity in clothing, accessories, hairstyle... her makeup does not make an exception either. Usually mascara is the only make up that Alea wears. Anyway, I don't think she needs to use anything else.

 In China, nobody wears make up. Actually it was like an adjustment coming here cause I was like, 'people are wearing makeup. I should wear makeup too.'

Here we have an outfit that Alea would not choose to wear simply for school. This is for a more special occasion. All the pieces from this one are also from China.

Usually Alea is not the kind of girl who would wear heels. Remember the number one condition for her clothes? Comfortable. These boots are one of the few exceptions to Alea's "no high heels with no special occasion" policy.

I don’t really like to wear high heels- I can barely walk and my feet get really tired. If I’m going out, then I will, but usually not.

Though she is very much into fashion, she does not think that it defines people entirely. Alea is not the kind of person who would judge someone only by their clothes. Outfits and style are important, but they are not all that builds up personality.

What you wear doesn't define who you are. I want to be presentable and feel confident in what I’m wearing.

Alea likes to shop, but does not go often. She likes looking at clothes and appreciating them. She tends to notice whenever someone is wearing a good outfit.

Alea is very open-minded about her personal style. When I asked her what might be the one thing she would never wear, she simply could not think of saying anything except "I wouldn't go out in my bra and underwear - that’s just not appropriate." Eventually she confessed that she is not a big fan of neon colors and big T-shirt slogans.

Despite the common opinion that Bulgarian women wear too much makeup and high heels and men are overdoing it with the smart shoes and shirts, Alea thinks that people around here are very classy and look good.

Comparing to where I'm coming from like fur and Hello Kitty was in style, but the girls and guys here take pretty good care of themselves.

Now tell me they don't look alike. :)