Adjusting to different regions had always been my challenge.

Let me scratch, I mean adjusting to different “fashion.”

When I lived in my hometown in South Korea, different layers of clothing, matching accessories and intricate designs had been the major Asian style of dressing.

During my several years of residence in Southern California, the sunny weather helped me to define my “So Cal” fashion: thin layers of clothes, traditional pair of Rainbow flip-flops, and sunglasses.

As I entered a boarding school in Connecticut, “prep” was the word for my outfit. Blazers with khaki pants, classic patterned skirts, simple dresses, and pearl earrings had helped me to abide my school rules: knee-length skirts, shoes with heels, and no jeans.

Having lived in Rome, I found “glam” as the word for its regional style. Red lipstick was appropriate for all occasions. Leather, fur, and vibrant colors were even considered normalcy.

These three distinctive modes might reveal no similarities.

Yet, they do.

They all depict their unique cultures.

In fact, fashion had always been the shortcut in my learning about certain region.

I am not the most fashionable one or the most updated one about trends. Thus, I cannot say whether “So Cal” is better than “prep” or “glam” is better than “So Cal.”

One thing for sure, fashion vividly captures the ways of life that each culture strongly upholds.