The fashion world is a hard place to define oneself. Some people think that there is one certain style that might be considered what is in or what is the best, but that is not the case. Defining ones style in the city involves personality, creativity and uniqueness. These three qualities are what gives thousands of girls in New York their stand out style. Find out who some of these girls are and their secrets to their personal styles.
Be inspired! Be different! Be yourself!
Meet Erika Labuda a 23 year-old from the lower east side. Erika attended Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY and received a degree in journalism with a minor in psychology. She is from Orange County, NY where she never felt able to push the boundaries in fashion.
“Where I am from I was never able to have fun with my style. I’m from a small town and if you dressed a little different you would stand out like a sore thumb. Moving to the city changed everything. Finally I am able to experiment with my style and I’m not afraid to stand out.” -Erika Labuda
Her favorite time to dress up is at night time. The New York City nightlife is unlike anywhere else in the world and there is no limitations to how dressed up or different someone can look.
“I like to feel pretty and powerful. I can do that best when I’m dressed up with a new pair of heels on.” -Erika Labuda
Erika likes to mix casual pieces sometimes with her fancier shoes. She wants to feel casually sexy and go for a look that effortlessly stands out.
“There are times when I want to look like I didn’t try this hard to put together a cute outfit. But trust me I did!” -Erika Labuda
In this look she has on:
- Ripped denim from H&M
- Strappy heels from Steve Madden
- Watch from Movado
- Top is Urban Chic
As much as she likes a more casual look that she can turn on into a night time outfit, Erika 
loves to be bold with bright pieces and unique makeup.
“The best part about fashion for me is that I can dress however I am feeling that day or night. In an outfit like this I’m usually channeling my inner diva.” -Erika Labuda
In fashion you can pull inspiration from multiple different places such as art, movies, music or celebrities. One night you can pull inspiration from Rihanna and let out your inner diva. Another night you can channel a more subtle vibe from an inspiration like Lauren Conrad. Either way you will always come out looking like a unique version of yourself.
Erika has gone bold and beautiful in this look. She is wearing bright canary yellow pumps from Macys, ripped jeans from Zara, another top from Urban Chic and she tops it all off with an aqua blue lip from Urban Decay Cosmetics.
-Photos by Catherine Vaccarelli