Maddie Dolinsky, sophomore in LAS, has always been passionate about fashion.

She loves it so much that she provides students with guidance to redesign their style and wardrobe.

“I want to help people find a sense of style that they never knew they had before and get them to try new things,” she said.

Dolinsky’s fashion designing for students began when she started putting up flyers about personal styling around campus with her contact information.

Dolinsky works mainly with a site called Polyvore to create different collections of outfits with pieces that she finds from various online stores. Once her clients receive their collections, they can buy the pieces directly from Polyvore.

The styling process involves finding out what her clients’ fashion and designer likes and dislikes are. Dolinsky works to get a feel of what their individual style is so she can tailor outfits specific to each student.

“I take away the process of online shopping where it’s long and arduous,” Dolinsky said.

Next, she takes each student’s budget into account. She also factors in pieces from her client’s original wardrobe to see if she can find something to incorporate in with a new outfit. Dolinsky then curates various looks for her clients free of charge.

“I just create a look for them, and they can click on different pieces and see where it’s from instead of going through multiple different sites,” she said.

Dolinsky’s advising is completely free, and it is ultimately up to her clients whether they want to buy the pieces or not. Each individual has sole control over how much is spent.

“If I look forward to doing it and it’s interesting for people to participate in, I don’t feel the need to charge,” Dolinsky said.

“If I look forward to doing it and it’s interesting for people to participate in, I don’t feel the need to charge.”

Dolinsky said she finds fashion inspiration in a variety of ways such as blogs, Instagram or Depop, a website highlighting clothes featured in pictures that have been posted on social media.

Dolinsky said some of her most important fashion influencers are her friends, one of whom is Dolinsky’s hometown friend Nicole Parisian.

“Maddie always gives me good advice when I need some fashion guidance. She is honest and thoughtful when it comes to helping me out,” Parisian wrote in an email. “Maddie has a unique sense of style that really represents who she is as a person. She gives me advice not just based on what she would wear, but considers my personal style too.”

Dolinsky describes her personal style as comfort chic with a creative twist, adding that she likes to combine modern elements of fashion with older clothes to achieve a retro feel.

Doris Zhao, freshman in DGS, is one of Dolinsky’s clients.

“I really enjoy getting these outfit ideas from her, and I guess this will be the reason my bank account goes empty one day,” Zhao said.

Through her process, Dolinsky draws on her background of working in retail, as well as knowledge she has gained from her friends and social media, to help anyone looking for new styles to try.

“When you go out to shop, you expect to find a quality piece to add to your wardrobe, and you want to feel like it’s money well spent,” Dolinsky said. “I make people feel good about their purchases because it’s important to feel confident in how you look.”

Dolinsky said that her fashion adventure thus far has been very rewarding. It is something she is hoping to develop into having a bigger following so she can help more people discover fashion that they love.

“Wearing something that makes you feel good is really fun, and having something that you put time into thinking about and then having people appreciate is very rewarding,” Dolinsky said.

[email protected]