The sleepover club, lookbook edition

There are a lot of reasons why I am grateful for my college experience—attaining high-quality education and being able to work with the brightest minds of my generation, to name a few. Amid all that, on the top of the list would still be meeting the most amazing group of girls in the form of my dormmates.


Since our big move to Eliazo through our freshmen orientation seminar, and even now that most of us are already half a year into our first jobs, we have spent those big moments together: we attended every party, watched every blockbuster movie and hit television show, crammed for every long test and final exam, planned and executed every birthday surprise, made the most out of every long weekend and break (usually through trips around the country!), supported every blooming relationship, and endured every break up. We've been through it all.

However, what strikes me most about this special friendship that I share with these ladies is how we came to be. Although some were classmates in high school, most of us barely knew each other. We hailed from at least five different provinces and took up a wide variety of classes for each of our bachelor's degrees. The only thing we had in common back then was that we were all awkward, silly freshmen thrown into a new environment and forced to adjust on our own. Instead (and thankfully!), we found solace in one another. Now more than ever, we have a lot of things in common, but still have distinct personalities. We are still our own persons, and that is surely evident in our choice in clothing.


On the day of her birthday, Iko created looks on Polyvore inspired by us girls and shared them on her Tumblr. She did a pretty good job at translating our own styles into fashion pieces. I remember the first time I saw these looks on her blog I wanted to write a check mark on everything just to say that she had us all figured out. "It's so me! It's so her!" She already knew which area of a clothing store each one of us gravitate towards. Perhaps this only proves how close our group of friends got in the past four and a half years, we all (or at least, Iko) knew each other by heart, even when it comes to the items in our closets.


That, for me, is quite reassuring. To have someone know and appreciate us on the inside and out. For when one of us gets lost, there's nineteen others who are willing to remind us who we really are and where we should stand. And when life gets too tricky, we can always trust someone to lend us a hand—or at least let us borrow a nice dress from their beloved wardrobe. Anything for a friend.