When I was twelve, I stood barely four feet tall, and weighed 50 pounds. I was clearly underdeveloped compared to my classmates. I had very awkward proportions; my legs shot out like two stilts, and the rest of me was very petite. I not only had a hard time finding clothes to fit the skinny-yet-long-legged body I had, but I was teased for it. I was called midget, anorexic, and every other insult that never let me forget my size. As my classmates picked through “Junior” sections, I was hiding in the kids’ department feverishly searching for anything that didn’t appear childish. There I was, often mistaken for an 8-year-old, in clothes, that only made me look the part.

On a random summer day before my 6^th grade grade year, I had my Pretty Woman moment, and it happened at Dillard’s department store, of all places. I had never shopped in kids’ department at Dillard’s, my small back-to-school clothing allowance did not allow for it. I tip-toed by, not prepared to see anything more than the same childish clothes at a higher price point—but there I saw it; a pair of Tommy Hilfiger dark wash boot cut jeans. They immediately caught my eye because they were so long. Yes, I found a pair of jeans that didn’t stop above my ankles, did not fall off, and were not covered in flower patches and jewels—three things I didn’t know existed in my world. On that day, I became an optimist. I learned what I wanted to be, and how I could make that happen with clothing, all thanks to a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans. It taught me to keep looking. The more I creative I got with my search, the more fabulous my results became. This process taught me how to develop my sense of style—which was by no means close to how my friends were dressing after all.  I had never, in my life, felt so confident. I became a pioneer of my own wardrobe. Oh yeah, and I bought those damn jeans (but they were about a half of my back-to-school clothing allowance).

I see Fashion Factorial evolving into a blog that focuses less my every day wardrobe, and more on the everyday conflicts women face with beauty and fashion. I want to show women that you can wear that, and having your own style is the foundation for confidence. I acknowledge the perception that a fashion blog can be egotistical and materialistic, but I am telling my story to women of all ages and sizes—my goal is to capture your interest by turning fashion upside down and viewing it from a new perspective (with a little humor). A Factorial represents thousands of numerical equations, and one simple formula to resolve it—so join me as we solve that great, ugly-yet-wonderful fashion problem one pair of jeans at a time.