MaKenzie Godso wore black pinstripe slacks to her senior prom. Under a cropped black blazer, she donned a crisp white button-down and a scarf-turned-bow-tie.
That night, her classmates laughed at her and took photos of her unconventional getup. Godso decided she didn’t care. From that moment on, she vowed to continue dressing unapologetically for herself.
When she steps into a room today, the 22-year-old is just as much of a showstopper as she was at 18. She’s been known to rock vintage lavender leather pants or designer lime-green velvet ankle boots. She never leaves home without her signature white framed prescription Prada glasses on.
Godso’s Prada flame stilettos are her favorite pair of shoes in her 80-pair collection.
In the corner of her apartment bedroom, a colorful arrangement of block heels, wedges and oxford shoes are neatly organized two-per-cubby on a green, two-column shelf. Like her clothes, each pair of shoes has its own character.
“I just love clothes,” she says. “I love touching clothes, dealing with clothes, mixing and matching things, and creating a story out of an outfit.”
The Baton Rouge native has felt that way about clothing since she was a teenager. At 16, she got her first part-time job, which she used to pay for designer and vintage clothing. She’s built a collection of about 200 garments and about 80 pairs of shoes.
When she shops now, Godso looks for over-the-top garments: exaggerated sleeves, bold pants, ruffles, vibrant colors and groovy patterns. Her favorite clothing styles are ’80s and ’60s vintage, and she has a special appreciation for fashion labels Victor Costa and Miu Miu.
“When I’m getting dressed, it’s most important that I feel like me,” she says. “I think that style is a deeply personal extension of who you are. It says a lot about a person, and it’s very empowering to see people who do what they want.”
Godso started collecting vintage when she was 16.
She finds inspiration from fashion magazines, classic literature, runway shows and other creatives online. Initially, she used Instagram as a way to connect with other style influencers. But in 2015, the Baton Rouge native started using Instagram as a platform to share her own style.
In her photos, Godso wears electric colors, mixed prints, high-waisted pants, statement belts and eye-catching accessories. Scrolling through her feed is like thumbing through a funky fashion magazine. Each photo has its own concept and story. She uses the feed to track how her style is continually changing.
“It’s kind of a tool for me to see my progression,” she says.
But Godso’s love of fashion extends past her own wardrobe. The LSU journalism senior hopes to become an editorial stylist, dressing models for photo shoots as a career. Her dream job is to be lead stylist at W Magazine.
Until then, she’ll keep getting plenty of practice putting together her own outfits. makenziegodso.com
IN HER OWN WORDS…
On her closet favorites: “My boyfriend, John, and I went to Houston. We stopped by this huge vintage store, Retropolis. I saw the bottom of an ’80s Victor Costadress that my favorite blogger, Sea of Shoes, posted about. I never ran so fast. Iknew exactly what it was. I pulled it out, tried it on, and it fit absolutely perfect. It’s one of those dresses I just feel so sexy in. I feel like I’m glowing in it.”
On her favorite style decade: “I know a lot of people don’t think the ’80s were sexy, but something about the designs that came out of that time and [the way designers] played with a woman’s physique—I just love it. When I was younger, [my broad shoulders were] one of my insecurities. But then I found ’80s clothing that fit me so well, made me feel so good about my body and forget about my wide shoulders. There’s just something very powerful about that.”
On fashion rules: “I absolutely hate when people are like, ‘That’s a fall color, or that’s a spring print.’ If it’s dead of winter, you bet I’m going to wear a neon floral dress. I don’t adhere to any fashion rules. I’m going to wear what I want.”
This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.
